Winter tire recomendations needed

[flipper]

Any ideas for good winter tires for my Boxster? You know, the kind that stick like glue, are rated to 220, guaranteed to never go flat last for 200,000 miles and are practically free

I am posting this here because the Boxster forum has less traffic and I know alot of you have Boxsters as a second vehicle.
Oh, and I live in MO. and I will drive it this winter.

Thanks all,
Shawn

[azasadny]

Bridgestone Potenza Blizzak Revo1's! I have them for my 2007 MazdaSpeed3 and they are great in the cold/snow/rain.

[Daveinclarkston]

Use Dunlop Winter Sport M3's on wifes Saab and my Mazda 6 and they have worked very well. Great in the snow while still providing a good ride and handling.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Tire Rack actually gives good advice if you tell them what your criteria are. We have Blizzak LM-22s on our Boxster in the winter, and I suspect we see a fair amount more snow in the hilly Hudson River Valley than you will in Missouri.

Since I do my own tire-switching on our three cars (don't ask me why two people have three cars...), I have the snows mounted on winter wheels. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive wheels for Boxsters. I think the ones I bought from Tire Rack were about $250, plus the tires.

[MRM]

Any serious winter tire has to be a dedicated snow tire like the Bizzak. We like the Blizzak so much that we have them on all three of our cars (for two people) every winter. They really make a huge difference over even high quality "all-season" radials.

The year the Blizzak came out, my wife spun out at less than 30 mph on an icy road and care home demanding a 4 wheel drive. I thought a new set of wheels would be cheaper than a new Cherokee, so I bought her the Blizzaks. She came home that evening raving about her tires (and never again demanded a 4 wheel drive) and insisted I put Blizzaks on my car. I thought it was a waste of money, but she insisted. Once I saw the difference with Blizzaks, I never went back and I've been evangalizing for Blizzaks ever since.

As Steve suggested, go through Tire Rack and see if they have a Blizzak or a similar substitute for you. They make an incredible difference on slipery roads.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

One thing that does bear remembering about dedicated winter tires: they will almost certainly deteriorate to the point of ineffectiveness long before the tread is used up. Tires like Blizzaks get a lot of their effectiveness not from the classsic "aggressive tread patterns" of the old days but from high-hysterisis--I think I have that right, although I could be misspelling menopause--rubber compounds, which lose their effectiveness over time. When they're good, they essentially stick to snow and even ice. A lot of people who don't put all that many miles on their tires between December and the end of March will find that after five or eight years their snow tires still look "like new" but don't seem to work nearly as well.

Another thing to remember about snows: go for the narrowest tire you can fit, even if it's not within manufacturer-recommended limits. After all, you're not going to be doing 150 in your Boxster in Minnesota in January, and Porsche-tuned suspension/tire setups become somewhat irrelevant. Many people think a big fat snowtire is better, because it goes over the snow "like a toboggan." Exactly. It sleds, rather than cutting down through the snow like a narrow tire.

Trust me. Erik Carlsson taught me this, and he beat Porsches with a Saab. He was my winter-driving instructor and a fellow teller of tall aviation tales.

[fbarrett]

Flipper:

Having lived in Colorado since 1970, I've tried them all on a 911 and a 914: Pirelli, Dunlop, Michelin, Blizzaks, Gislaved, et al. The best by far is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta, a Finnish tire often used on rally cars. And they are no more expensive than others. See www.tiresbyweb.com or call Meadow Creek Tires here in Denver.

Fit the narrowest size possible.

Frank

[tcar]

Another vote for the Nokian Hakas. Had on my SAAB SPG. Fantastic.

Blizzaks second. Had them on my 911 and my Audi Ur-quattro.

[Rot 911]

Flipper, I have run both the Blizzaks and the Dunlops on my 911. The Blizzaks have a bit better dry road grip which is important here in Mid-Mo as we rarely get snow. I put them on In December and take them off in March.

[AVIMAX]

I have been trough many different brands of winter tires, and have found that Blizzaks can be really good depending on which ones. I had a set of Blizzak WS-50's that were very good in the ice and snow. I then had a set of Blizzak LM-22's that didn't come close to the WS-50's. Granted the LM-22's were a bit better on pavement, but the trade-off of grip in the ice and snow (and even rain) was not worth it. Stay away from the LM-22's. I have had great experiences with Nokia Hakka's, but that was many years ago, and I don't know what the new ones are like. Last winter I tried Dunlop Winter Sport M3's on my 335i (was looking for run-flats). I was truly blown away. Rear wheel drive, 300hp and a pretty low car, and I never had a problem, even in 20-30cm of snow. Last winter was a really good test too, as it was was particularly nasty for Toronto, seemed to snow every day for 2 months here (at least it seemed like it). Another great thing about this tire is they perform very well in icy situations as well, not just the deep stuff. I found years ago that Nokia's were unbelievable in the deep stuff, but not as good on the icy stuff. The Dunlops are also very good performing when it is dry. I would very much recommend the Winter Sport M3's and will be getting another set when these wear out. Another tip you may already know, try to get the most narrow tire possible (without looking dumb) as that will help a lot.

[AVIMAX]

I just noticed Stephan's comments and I second the issue of the effectiveness of winter tires depleting before the tread does. This is even more true for Blizzaks as their super soft and sticky compound is only on the top half of the tread blocks. When the tires are only half worn, you will find a major change in their effectiveness. This is not true of all winter tires however. I see he also noted to go narrow.

[flipper]

Wow! Thanks for all the help guys, glad I am not the only one who drives in the winter. But, here in Mo, we do not have too much snow, alot of Ice storms as of late, but not too much snow.
Once again, thanks for all the help.
Shawn

[liskeard]

I vote for the Nokian's.. Have Nokian's on my wife's SUV and they are incredible. Of course you have to get used to the rubber flying by the window on those warm days with hot/dry highways.

[rcaradimos]

Its your day!
Look:
FS: Four C2 snow tires and wheels