I COULD NOT HAVE WORDED IT BETTER IF I TRIED!

 

Please excuse the rant but HASN'T ANYBODY EVER DRIVEN A RWD CAR IN REAL WINTER BEFORE?
[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Krazy
[B]Temperatures here in Massachusetts have been at freezing!

 

snoopy,

So they put RE92s on your wife's car too, eh? Subaru is plagued by those pieces-of-crap, as well. They're the worst tires ever produced, excepting MAYBE the Michelin XGT H/V4 series that used to be OEM for Honda/Acura. Maybe they still are.

-S2-

 

siper2 - yeah, the RE92s have become the defacto P.O.S. tires for the Japanese OEMs. I understand the Scooby WRXs are also spinning themselves into the ditch because of the stock RE92s. I had a Del Sol which also had RE92s as OEM tires. Nice quiet tires, but had mediocre performance across the board. They were dangerous on snow, hence the Nokians for the winter. Next summer we'll likely rotate the RE92s off for some Pirelli replacements.

My wife had a 96 Accord EX that had those awful MXV4 (sp?) Michelins. They had that trademark Michelin 'thump and whine' on concrete freeways. She had to turn the stereo up three notches every time we transitioned from asphalt to concrete. I've now got Michelin X-ones on my Subaru Forester. AWESOME rain tire, but are also NOISY on concrete. I don't know why, but every Michelin tire I've ever known has been noisy on concrete.

I've been riding motorcycles for about 20 years. One thing I know for sure is that the proper tires are the number one upgrade you can do for performance of a vehicle - so long as they match the environment and riding style. $400 for a pair of tires are cheap - on bikes I spend that much every year for new rubber, and I'm lucky to get 8000 miles out of a pair.

 

Siper2 I hear you! Those Michelin XGT's were stock on Integras for a great many years, despite HORRIFIC wet weather traction, I used to think I was driving on ice when going around wet corners on those things! Best thing I ever did for my Integra was to buy some cheap Goodyear Eagles to replace those Michelins.

 

Xviper,

I agree with you 100%...The S-2000 is a blast in the winter. My other Swedish S-2000 friends put their car in storage for the winter. I just can't...I'd get withdrawal syptoms

225 you say? Sounds good but I really really wanted the Nokian Hakkapelita NRWs, based on the reviews. I was only able to find them in that size for 16" last winter when I bought them. Maybe they have expanded the range. But, hey, I have an even easier time at throttle steering I do it all the time!

Jonas

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Krazy
[B]First off, I don't hate this car.

 

Sorry I haven't had those problems! This morning i drove mine to work with the top down, shorts, t-shirt, and sandals. It's supposed to be 75-80 today. I love the weather here in Charleston, S.C.

 

I've noticed it too!



And as to the notchy shifting; I feel shifting is notchy in the S2K wether its 90

 

snoopy,

Come visit www.i-club.com sometime, do a search on RE-92 and I guarantee you'll find a bunch of comments about those nasty suckers. A few people think the only thing they're good for are good-size door stoppers, boat fenders, target practice.........

I smashed up my Impreza about a year ago (almost to the day)... First day of snow, first winter I had the car. (This was at home in NH.) I was so furious. Here I had this beautiful AWD car and I killed it. heh.... (Got it fixed nicely, but it took most of the winter... I was stuck in a Grand Am.) It was mostly my fault, but that's a long story. I do believe that if I'd had winter tires, I either could've stopped the skid in time, or at least reduced the damage. Those RE92s are frightful in rain and snow.

My next tire is either going to be a summer one, or Bridgestone's new RE950. It's an all-season, but I've heard great things about its summer capabilities, too. Then again I have a dilemma about wheels..... I'm getting big brakes (Subaru JDM 4-pot calipers) next year, so my 15" take-off winter wheels won't work. Those I'll sell. My stock wheels are tremendously strong and light, and have a perfect offset to accomodate the new calipers. (Subaru's offset is hard to find aftermarket, anyway.) So I'll put new winters on those, and will either buy a second set for summer, or go with a new wheel. Can't decide if I want to go up to a 17" or not. They look nice, but potholes abound where I live. Lotsa long-distance driving, too.


djohnston,

Previous to my Impreza I had a '94 Integra. When I bought it (used, private deal), it had a mix 'n' match set of worn tires on it. I think the fronts or rears were stock XGT H4s, though I'm not sure. I replaced all of them almost immediately with a set of stock-size (14") Bridgestone RE930s. Great tires, those were. It's such a shame that car manufacturers have to strike up such deals with tire companies, and supply them to ALL their cars. I mean, c'mon, granny in her Outback can deal with RE92s, but on a WRX? On an Integra GS-R?

The things we deal with, eh?

-S2-