️snow tire recommendations

[galibier_numero_un]

Sorry did not see this question till now.
But yes, I drove the Altimax's all year on a Toyota FJ for the last three years. The FJ was not a vehicle that I would drive like a maniac around corners though so take that into consideration. They gave me about 50-60K of service. Prior to doing this I swapped seasonally between A/T tires and the Altimax. One year I just kept the Altimax's on and realized I hardly noticed a difference in handling vs the A/T, so I just kept them on. Plus the wife was complaining about all the tires in the garage. By contrast the Blizzaks wore down real fast in the summer when I tried this. Blizzaks are a good winter snow tire though, but like I mentioned, always gave me trouble when balancing. A passenger car like your V70 you may notice much more of a difference in handling on dry, warm days since you're presumably not using an A/T tire as a comparison.

+1. These are great wearing snows, and cheap to boot. I get 3/4 the performance of the Nokians in the snow for 1/2 the price. I always had trouble getting the Blizzaks to balance properly plus they wore fast, so I just gave up on them. I got 50K+ on my last set of Altimax and drove them year round.

I appreciate your honesty. We get so much confirmation bias around these parts. I think the problem most of us have is that we switch from a worn out pair of Brand-A to a new set of Brand-B's and declare Brand-B to be superior.

It's time to replace my Nokian Hakkas this Fall. Am I going to be disappointed with a set of Altimax's? I don't want to take a step backwards, as the Hakkas have been great.

Price (when compared with one deductible on my insurance) isn't a huge issue, but (improved?) treadwear/life on Blizzaks is a non-starter for me - if it still sucks in comparison with Hakkas & X-ices.

So, it's down to the usual suspects around these parts: Altimax's, Blizzaks, X-ices, and another set of Hakkas.

If I had to prioritize one performance criterion, it would be ice & the melt/freeze that occurs when going from the Front Range to 9,000 feet. Somewhere in that altitude range you get that transition, so ice performance would be a priority over deep snow.

Does this point me toward X-ice's, Hakkas & Blizzaks over Altimax's?

... Thom

[XXX-er]

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It's time to replace my Nokian Hakkas this Fall. Am I going to be disappointed with a set of Altimax's? I don't want to take a step backwards, as the Hakkas have been great.

Price (when compared with one deductible on my insurance) isn't a huge issue, but (improved?) treadwear/life on Blizzaks is a non-starter for me - if it still sucks in comparison with Hakkas & X-ices.

So, it's down to the usual suspects around these parts: Altimax's, Blizzaks, X-ices, and another set of Hakkas.

If I

Does this point me toward X-ice's, Hakkas & Blizzaks over Altimax's?

... Thom

duno about conditions where you live but I been on haks for 15 yrs so when the last GF asked me to scope snow tires I said "well you can buy these which are cheaper than haks" cuz the Haks were gona cost more than she paid for the 88 toyota corolla she was putting them on

and she replied " well what do you buy ... I want the best too"

If something saves you from dying its a bargain

[uglymoney]

Tire rack and probably most places have the $70 rebate through Sept 18th (6 days left) on Michelin Xi3. Damned good deal. I think you can get $100 back on any snow tire through Sept 26th if you take some of it in Tire Rack store credit. That is like $350 shipped after credit for a set of 4 in some sizes (Subaru size).

[bodywhomper]

Not a "true" snow tire, but more and more AT tires are coming with the severe weather rating. I believe some of the tires are available on car sizes.

[galibier_numero_un]

duno about conditions where you live but I been on haks for 15 yrs so when the last GF asked me to scope snow tires I said "well you can buy these which are cheaper than haks" cuz the Haks were gona cost more than she paid for the 88 toyota corolla she was putting them on

and she replied " well what do you buy ... I want the best too"

If something saves you from dying its a bargain

No question about that. There are better ways to die. I don't want my urn to read "he was a cheap sunnovafabitch and didn't buy the Hakkapeliitta's " ;-)

It looks like another pair of Hakkas. I was curious about what's changed in the past 4 years.

... Thom

[stfu&gbtw]

Got the Blizzak LM32's for the Golf R. Can not fucking wait for snow.

Getting ready to sell the DMV2's I got for the Pilot. If anyone needs a set of 245/60R18 that have about 95% of their life left on them, send me a PM.

[El Chupacabra]

Got the Blizzak LM32's for the Golf R. Can not fucking wait for snow.

Getting ready to sell the DMV2's I got for the Pilot. If anyone needs a set of 245/60R18 that have about 95% of their life left on them, send me a PM.

I wonder if there's anyone here who could benefit from better winter traction on a Pilot....

[stfu&gbtw]

I wonder if there's anyone here who could benefit from better winter traction on a Pilot....

Probably not for another 6 or 7 weeks....

[El Chupacabra]

I heard that Southern Idaho is slippery all the time.

[stylee]

Goodyear all terrain adventures. Kevlar, quiet, long wear, have the snowflake and work great.

[frorider]

I've got the snow tire thing pretty dialed on the Subarus and van (bfg ko2) but on another note, anyone familiar with the 3+ season tires coming out from Michelin? http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2016/...tire-at-naias/

[shafty85]

Went with the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A Traction for the truck for the upcoming winter. If you hear back, they're working well, if not, well, look for me in the ditch.

[neufox47]

I had cheap snows in 06-10, then got Hakka 7s and they were unreal, bought Hakka 8s two years ago and they are a slight improvement over the 7s. The Hakkas are like magic. I've driven friend's cars with snows, not sure which exactly, but the diffedence is significant.

[Buster Highmen]

Studded Haka 8s FTW.

[ghosthop]

I already know the answer to this but could use some validation, get a snow for the spare as well, right?

And if I go the tirerack/tire-easy route, what is a reasonable price to get tires mounted/blanced/valve core installed?

[snapt]

Just got a GMC 2500 work rig. Had Dueller AT RHS on it, company claims its fine in snow and the get new tires every 30k to prevent it from ever getting bad. Anyone have experience with these on a 4x4 truck? I live on a steep dirt road and AWD + Snows can be mandatory to get up it in the winter.

[nickwm21]

And if I go the tirerack/tire-easy route, what is a reasonable price to get tires mounted/blanced/valve core installed?

I typically have the local big chain tire store match or beat the tirerack price. That way you get their warranty, the tire warranty, the free rotos, etc...

[Danno]

I already know the answer to this but could use some validation, get a snow for the spare as well, right?

And if I go the tirerack/tire-easy route, what is a reasonable price to get tires mounted/blanced/valve core installed?

doesn't tire rack provide you with a local installer quote? No obligation to go with that place, but it gives a starting point.

Personally, I buy stuff at Discount Tire. They have helped me out (for free) too many times when they could easily have charged me. They earned my business.

[jerlane]

doesn't tire rack provide you with a local installer quote? No obligation to go with that place, but it gives a starting point.

Personally, I buy stuff at Discount Tire. They have helped me out (for free) too many times when they could easily have charged me. They earned my business.

I've purchased several sets of tires from Discount Tires Direct. Prices are always great and free shipping. They tend to have good rebates including additional rebates if you get their credit card. I've helped my sister and both parents get snow tires through them. We typically get them with wheels in which case they mount and balance them for free. Usually get Altimax. Prices after rebates generally come close to $400. It's like getting the wheels for free. Having them mounted on their own wheels pays off so quickly without having to get them mounted and remounted every spring and fall. Also give me a chance to bust out the air tools and play Nascar.

[homebrewd]

doesn't tire rack provide you with a local installer quote? No obligation to go with that place, but it gives a starting point.

Personally, I buy stuff at Discount Tire. They have helped me out (for free) too many times when they could easily have charged me. They earned my business.

I bought my last set of ATs for my Suburban off tire rack with some solid discounts, picked up at the Aurora warehouse and had them balanced installed and free rotations at Wally. Ended up having like $200-300 on the whole deal over Discount Tire.

[homebrewd]

What is up with the shitty oem tires. Just got the lady a new 2019 Forester and these things are just cheap. Will probably end up getting her Blizzaks or something similar if anyone has any recommendations, first Subaru.

[Talisman]

What is up with the shitty oem tires. Just got the lady a new 2019 Forester and these things are just cheap.

The purpose of OEM tires is to keep the rims off the ground until the check clears at the dealership. Those tires pictured are beyond horrible on a Subaru in wet snow and ice. I have had good luck with the higher rated Tire Rack tires over the years on various Outbacks. General Tire Altimax Arctic (w/o studs) are what I am running now which have been great so far. Mounted snows ready to go are very easy to swap in the late fall and spring.

[bobz]

The purpose of OEM tires is to keep the rims off the ground until the check clears at the dealership. Those tires pictured are beyond horrible on a Subaru in wet snow and ice. I have had good luck with the higher rated Tire Rack tires over the years on various Outbacks. General Tire Altimax Arctic (w/o studs) are what I am running now which have been great so far. Mounted snows ready to go are very easy to swap in the late fall and spring.

I think another reason why Subaru puts on the tires that they do on their cars is to help hit the highest possible fuel economy ratings, for cars that has several things working against them in that department. When I put some Geolander G015s (good compromise tire, dry road-worthy, rated to 50K miles or so, but actually has "snowflake" rating, and a somewhat dirt-favorable tread) on my Outback recently, I noticed a slight decrease in my MPG, all conditions being similar.

[Mustonen]

I’ve been happy with my Michelin X-Ice that I just got. Much better road manners. Always been a blizzak guy, but they didn’t have the right size this time. I’ve found buying rims usually about pay for themselves within a couple years and means you can swap out tires on your own schedule, plus reduces the wear and tear of mounting/remounting.

[Viva]

Pio slid in, fishtailed, recovered then slid out.

You mean his political career?

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