Winter Tires
10-25-2015, 04:16 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Winter Tires
Hey guys/girls, just wondering how many of you drive your S in the winter? I am looking to buy winter tires probably in the next couple weeks and weighing options right now. I have a AP1 with stock wheels so as far as I see (on discounttiredirect) there aren't a 'ton' of tires to choose from however they all look fairly good.
Does anyone have experience with a particular brand/model tire they like and for what reason(s)? I drove my last S in the winter years ago with all seasons and it was fairly terrible
even a inch of snow on the road and it was a scary feeling.
Also if anyone has driven in the winter and wont be this year I wouldn't be opposed to buying a used set of winter tires locally!
Thanks for any input
Does anyone have experience with a particular brand/model tire they like and for what reason(s)? I drove my last S in the winter years ago with all seasons and it was fairly terrible
even a inch of snow on the road and it was a scary feeling. Also if anyone has driven in the winter and wont be this year I wouldn't be opposed to buying a used set of winter tires locally!
Thanks for any input
10-26-2015, 01:22 PM
#2
My S is in the garage as soon as the salt hits the roads but in case it's of any use to you, I use Michelin X-ICE XI3's on my Si and am very happy with them. I have talked to people who use Blizzaks and liked them also. Check Tirerack.com for the details, they are close in performance---one handles slightly better on snow the other on dry pavement.
Also it's helpful with low profile tires to downsize your wheels and use a tire with a taller sidewall for winter traction. There are calculators available to match the same OD so your speedometer is still accurate. That will save your summer wheels from salt & brine abuse also.
Also it's helpful with low profile tires to downsize your wheels and use a tire with a taller sidewall for winter traction. There are calculators available to match the same OD so your speedometer is still accurate. That will save your summer wheels from salt & brine abuse also.
10-26-2015, 03:00 PM
#4
Community Organizer
I don't drive my S in the winter so I can't speak for winter tires for it but I have had a couple of different brands of winters.
I ran blizzaks on my Integra when I had it, they worked great. I also had Continental Extreme Winter Contacts in my Accord, loved these. I ran Falken Eurowinters on my WRX the past 2 winters, they were great in snow conditions but they weren't a high performance tire so they didn't handle that great on dry roads. Last year we ran Hancook icepts on the evo, they worked great and actually just picked up the exact same tire for the STi today.
I looked at tirerack and discount tire and it seems that ap1 winter tire sizes are very limited. They are a little pricy but i would go with the Pirelli Winter Sottozeros on tirerack.
I ran blizzaks on my Integra when I had it, they worked great. I also had Continental Extreme Winter Contacts in my Accord, loved these. I ran Falken Eurowinters on my WRX the past 2 winters, they were great in snow conditions but they weren't a high performance tire so they didn't handle that great on dry roads. Last year we ran Hancook icepts on the evo, they worked great and actually just picked up the exact same tire for the STi today.
I looked at tirerack and discount tire and it seems that ap1 winter tire sizes are very limited. They are a little pricy but i would go with the Pirelli Winter Sottozeros on tirerack.
10-27-2015, 04:51 AM
#6
Thread Starter
thanks for the replies!
A winter 'beater' was a thought but I dont have a temperature controlled garage and I have never been a big fan of letting a car sit for months. I have driven RWD cars for the last probably 8 years in the winter (e30, previous S2000, e36, z3, and miata last year) none of which had snow tires and i've never had issues (knock on wood) I think with proper snow tires the car will go well enough in the snow for my daily commute.
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
I see that most of these tires have a option of 'studded' and 'non studded' Im not sure if those studs can be put in on your own or maybe someone knows advantage and disadvantage of these? From my experience the roads are mostly clear in the winter by the time im on them unless it is a severe snow storm or shortage of salt so I couldnt see actually needing the studded tires.
A winter 'beater' was a thought but I dont have a temperature controlled garage and I have never been a big fan of letting a car sit for months. I have driven RWD cars for the last probably 8 years in the winter (e30, previous S2000, e36, z3, and miata last year) none of which had snow tires and i've never had issues (knock on wood) I think with proper snow tires the car will go well enough in the snow for my daily commute.
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
I see that most of these tires have a option of 'studded' and 'non studded' Im not sure if those studs can be put in on your own or maybe someone knows advantage and disadvantage of these? From my experience the roads are mostly clear in the winter by the time im on them unless it is a severe snow storm or shortage of salt so I couldnt see actually needing the studded tires.
10-27-2015, 05:03 AM
#7
Community Organizer
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
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10-27-2015, 06:01 PM
#8
thanks for the replies!
A winter 'beater' was a thought but I dont have a temperature controlled garage and I have never been a big fan of letting a car sit for months. I have driven RWD cars for the last probably 8 years in the winter (e30, previous S2000, e36, z3, and miata last year) none of which had snow tires and i've never had issues (knock on wood) I think with proper snow tires the car will go well enough in the snow for my daily commute.
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
I see that most of these tires have a option of 'studded' and 'non studded' Im not sure if those studs can be put in on your own or maybe someone knows advantage and disadvantage of these? From my experience the roads are mostly clear in the winter by the time im on them unless it is a severe snow storm or shortage of salt so I couldnt see actually needing the studded tires.
A winter 'beater' was a thought but I dont have a temperature controlled garage and I have never been a big fan of letting a car sit for months. I have driven RWD cars for the last probably 8 years in the winter (e30, previous S2000, e36, z3, and miata last year) none of which had snow tires and i've never had issues (knock on wood) I think with proper snow tires the car will go well enough in the snow for my daily commute.
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
I see that most of these tires have a option of 'studded' and 'non studded' Im not sure if those studs can be put in on your own or maybe someone knows advantage and disadvantage of these? From my experience the roads are mostly clear in the winter by the time im on them unless it is a severe snow storm or shortage of salt so I couldnt see actually needing the studded tires.
As for studded, I do not think there is a reason to worry about studded tires around here. Actually I do not think I have ever seen anyone run studded tires around here. When I lived in Alaska that was a different story...
10-28-2015, 05:47 AM
#9
Registered User
10-28-2015, 07:32 PM
#10
Originally Posted by pghs2kid' timestamp='1445950313' post='23787119
From the sound of the replies, tirerack is prefered over discounttiredirect? I actually have only ever bought tires online once and it was from tire rack so I can't say if discount tire is good or bad. I will say they have a few more options than tire rack and thats the only reason I was keeping it in mind.
I frequently purchase from DTD over the past 10-12 years and have never had a problem. If they don't have a tire listed I will call them or use their online chat thing and they have always been able to get the tire I wanted and for cheaper than TireRack plus DTD always has free shipping. I just purchased a set of tires from TireRack this past week for my dad's Fit and their service is just as good and ship very quickly, just happened that this time even with the shipping it was cheaper and came with the road hazard warranty as well, which is more important for my dad's car than mine.