I'm debating whether I should get all season or snow tires for the winter, and since I've never experienced driving in the snow I'm kinda of crawling in the dark here. Read on!
Right now I have 205/45/17 Toyo Proxes (FZ4 I believe), and I think I'd rather just get new tires instead of a new wheel/tire combo. For all season I've been looking at the 215/45/17 Pirelli PZero Nero M&S, and for winter I'm not quite sure yet.
So my question is: are the winters in this area bad enough to warrant full snow tires, or can I get away with getting all season tires? The motivation here is that if I get all seasons, I can avoid the hassle switching back to summer tires and just ride the a/s tires all year long. Input!
if you plan on driving the car in the snow, i'd say it's better safe than sorry....get the winter tires and put em on your stock wheels if you still have em. or get some heavier wheels than what you have.
Winter tires suck all around, I would stay away from them. Get some Blizzak tires and you will be golden, just watch out for all the other asshats out there on the road.
If you plan on learning how to drive in the snow and will take it easy, get all-seasons. I would get either the Pirellis or the conti-extremes (they are supposed to have the best winter traction of the high performance all-seasons).
If you're going to be crazy in the snow, get winters so at least you don't kill yourself
I hate my Blizzak. They are great in snow but the sidewalls are weak and make my car handle funny. I recommend getting a 2nd set of tires so you don't have such a low profile cause 215/45/17's won't work in snow but I don't suggest Blizzak or an equivalent. All seasons are fine.
If you plan on learning how to drive in the snow and will take it easy, get all-seasons. I would get either the Pirellis or the conti-extremes (they are supposed to have the best winter traction of the high performance all-seasons).
If you're going to be crazy in the snow, get winters so at least you don't kill yourself
agreed. have the Conti-extremes myself in 215/40/17. Nero M+S has better warm-weather performance but Conti has the edge in bad weather.
MD/DC has more ice problems than heavy snow so nothing short of a studded tire will help you there. But we get weird warm spells so winter tires are probably a waste - you'll be kicking yourself when we get 2 weeks straight of 40 degree weather after 1 week of ice and snow. Go all-season and be smart. Don't go out in heavy snow or when there's lots of ice.
Maryland's winters are pretty bad =/ I have Michelin Artic Aplin's on my stock rims...I got them after losing control of the car on a snowy morning even though I was going slow!
If you plan on learning how to drive in the snow and will take it easy, get all-seasons. I would get either the Pirellis or the conti-extremes (they are supposed to have the best winter traction of the high performance all-seasons).
Yea I'm definitely going to be learning, I've never driven in the snow before. Or even remotely icy weather for that matter. I think I'll appreciate high winter traction since my current tires slide all over even in light rain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wraith
I hate my Blizzak. They are great in snow but the sidewalls are weak and make my car handle funny. I recommend getting a 2nd set of tires so you don't have such a low profile cause 215/45/17's won't work in snow but I don't suggest Blizzak or an equivalent. All seasons are fine.
So 215/45s are too low profile for the winter? XdisengageX says he's good on 215/40s...
Thanks for the comments, everyone. I don't have my stock rims anymore so I was planning on putting the tires on my current rims (17" Racing Hart M5 Evolution Monoblock). Is it a bad idea to keep these rims on in snowy/icy weather? I'm wondering if there would be any potential drawbacks like damage or weight issues.
If I lived that far south, I wouldn't bother with winter tires - but of course, I learned how to drive in the snow. If you've never done it before, winter tires would be a very good idea. There are some respectable "performance" winter tires out there - get them in the stock size, and your dry handling shouldn't be too frustrating.
__________________
--- This message was not sent from a phone ---
So 215/45s are too low profile for the winter? XdisengageX says he's good on 215/40s...
Thanks for the comments, everyone. I don't have my stock rims anymore so I was planning on putting the tires on my current rims (17" Racing Hart M5 Evolution Monoblock). Is it a bad idea to keep these rims on in snowy/icy weather? I'm wondering if there would be any potential drawbacks like damage or weight issues.
You need to get steelies!!! Does anyone even have those in cali??? They are OEM rims off accords, civics, etc, that don't have hubcaps so they look ugly as sin but everyone uses them in the winter around here.
WHy? Because the wider your tire and the lower the profile, the worse it handles in the snow. You want the narrowest tire that will fit on the rim. If you're really scared about it get winter tires on something like a 16in rim and not wider than 205. For 4th gens that have a stock size of 205/55 tirerack recommends 195/60 for winter tires. Personally I would say if you take it easy you should be fine with a good set of all seasons in a narrow size.
^^^ not to mention, snow tires in a 17" size are really expensive. 15" steel wheels with new snow tires will be less expensive than 17" snow tires by themselves . . . .
And then your car can look as bad-ass like mine does 5 months out of the year:
I run 185/65-15's in either a Blizzak or a Nokian, but you shouldn't need anything near as aggressive as this (blizzaks):
Or this (studded nokians):
But check out the Bridgestone performance winter tire - I think it's the LM-22 or something like that. And I've also heard good things about the Michelin Pilot Alpin for respectable performance in the dry.
__________________
--- This message was not sent from a phone ---
Daemione: Remind me never to ever ever live where you live. Ever.
yield: So, I should be OK with the 17s, but maybe I should stick to 205s instead of 215s? I'm running on 205s right now and they look/handle good, so maybe a/s tires in 205 won't be so bad.
Hey you're from Fairfax, how come you weren't at the meet last week?
I go to school down here in harrisonburg. Yea man i live now 2 hrs away.
Also i suggest you look for oddessey steelies and get tires for those. I know for my hatch back im going to get some for the 13inch steels. It snows around here in harrisonburg like *****.
Well i was on my volks during 2 winters ago(I know im an idiot) with parada spec 2s, 40 series 215s. Man it was hell. I would have to drive in a high gear the whole time cause if not i would spin. I got stuck a whole bunch of places. My best suggestion is to just get some cheap oddessy steelies(if you need some help i could maybe help ya out) and get some snow tires on those.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Or even remotely icy weather for that matter. I think I'll appreciate high winter traction since my current tires slide all over even in light rain.
The ricers put them on their hatches and coupes to look JDM if only when they're rolling. 
Linear Mode
