snow tires

[jyl]

I use the Blizzak WS (don't recall the number, think is 50) but on a Prius so not exactly a high powered car. Then again, in the snow, HP is irrelevant.

[RWebb]

updated; some quotes from the 911 forum:

Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3

Nokian -- WRG2
G2 - "all-weather" tire that outperforms most dedicated snow tires; came in 3rd of 20 snow tires tested by CR a couple years ago


Hakka R (new version of the RSi) - way better than other winter tires I have tried - Dunlop, Blizzak, Michelin; fine at highway speeds on dry pavement, but have considerable tread squirm compared to summer tires


Bridgestone 960as Pole Position - handle like a summer high performance tire in the heat and give great traction in rain and snow.

Goodyear Triple Treads - they are cheap, fantastic dry, wet, and especially in snow, and last forever

______________

I have not checked on sizes; availability, or which of the above proudly bear the Mtn./Snowflake symbol

[old man neri]

Originally Posted by a friend

here are several types of winter tires:

a. Tires that have the very best traction on snow and ice, but have so-so ride and handling on days when it's not so cold. Recommended examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak REVO1 and WS-60, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, and Michelin X-Ice. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "stud less ice and snow tires".)

b. Tires that have good traction on snow and ice and in cold, although not quite as good as the previous group, but they also have very good ride and handling characteristics on days when it's not so cold. Recommended examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25, Dunlop Winter Sport M3, and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "performance winter tires".)

The choice between these two categories depends on the climate in your area, how much highway driving you do in the winter, how much you care about ultimate snow/ice grip versus ride comfort, whether you have another vehicle to use in the worst of winter, etc. Oh, and the tires in category (a) are usually significantly less expensive than category (b), which may be important. For example, if you live in an area with harsh winters and you want want the best snow/ice traction during the winter and don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort and handling for those few months a year, you may prefer category (a) tires. If you care more about ride comfort or if you live in an area with somewhat mild winters, you might be better off getting the category (b) tires.

That being said my Michelin X-Ice IC2 did very well this winter on my 911 but they do feel like driving on marshmallows on dry roads.

I would definitely look at what type of tire you want and then go from there. Tire rack does have some very good comparisons and test, just make sure you don't follow customer comments.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by old man neri

...

I would definitely look at what type of tire you want and then go from there. ...

Thx - Actually, I do not have to contend with cold temperatures here in the PNW. It will not get much below 20 oF.

This is for my beater/snow car (Subaru Outback) which gets driven mostly on wet highways, in rain and perhaps 30 trips a year into the mountains on snow.

Our snow here is pretty wet ("Cascade Crud"). I'll swap to better tires I guess for summer use.

[azasadny]

I run Bridgestone Blizzak REVO1's on my MazdaSpeed3 in the winter and they are great!

[javadog]

Blizzaks work for me. Having said that, you really ought to talk to a tire engineer. Different types of snow exist and not all tires work as well in each type. If you get wet, slushy snows each time, you'll be wanting a different tire than one that works in, say, dry packed snow.

All season tires are junk, in comparison. If you really want to get somewhere in winter, buy an old Audi quattro, the kind with mechanical differential locks, and stick good snow tires on it.

JR

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by javadog

If you really want to get somewhere in winter, buy an old Audi quattro, the kind with mechanical differential locks, and stick good snow tires on it.

JR

JR, what's the cut-off year? now and again you can find a 90- 9X Quattro around here.

[javadog]

I think the best one out there was the '84 to '87 4000 quattro. After that, they started to use Torsen center differentials which I didn't like as much.

JR

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Thanks, unfortunately those are the pricey, uber-rare models as you know. Looks like it'll be another winter of driving up snow mountains at Target with the 4Runner.

[javadog]

No, the '83 to '85 quattros (turbocharged coupes) are the rare, expensive ones. The 4000 quattro (sedan) is much cheaper. $4k would probably buy the nicest one on the planet. Cheap ones are $1-2k.

The expensive ones look like this: