Indecision

I've been thinking about picking up a set of snow tires for the winter (Pilot Alpin PA2), but with the little snow we usually average make me think it's an over kill. I'm contemplating going with a good set of all season such as the Goodyear TripleTred (it's suppose to be the best tire ever made by Goodyear). The all-season will surely do better in the rain and last longer. But will it be enough for the S to get thru Bancouver winter?

MIC

I really wouldn't worry about snow in Vancouver. We always see a lot more rain than snow so I would just go with a set of all season's, imho. I've heard great things about the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S. They are a all around good tire with good dry and wet grip and low road noise.

Worth a look

Link

I just finished reading some reviews on the goodyears. Sounds like they are great tires and they're cheap too!

Mike

xviper

I looked into these triple treads a little while ago and discovered they don't make them in S2000 sizes. They're is a slightly too tall aspect ratio (60 series), but if you don't mind a bit of speedo error, they may work OK.
If you go to Tirerack.com, you can punch up the size you want, ask for "all season" tires and it'll give you all the possibilities there are.
For the amount of snow you get in Vancouver, I wouldn't even bother with optional tires. For that 1 or 2 days of really wet, heavy snow you "might" get, an all season tire won't help you much either. I'd just find an alternate means to get to work during that time. As for rain, well, you guys get that almost any season of the year. Are you planning on abandoning the SO2s altogether?

Indecision

Thanks for the link Mike. I've totally forgot about the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S. They're awesome all season tires.

Dave, I'm planning to use them just for the winter. We did have a fair bit of snow last year, small in comparison to Calgary, but enough to ground me. We're on top of a hill so getting up in packed snow can be a challenge with the S02.

xviper

I see. Being on a hill, you might put a couple of sand bags in the trunk, too. I live on a hill also and I don't think I could get up my hill if I only had all seasons tires on, but with sandbags, you should be OK.
You know, you should look into Blizzak LM-22's. These are a much less aggressive snow tire that has very good dry road handling characteristics. This is partially due to the rubber being quite a bit harder than other Blizzaks and should be able to wear better and still give you some good traction when the snow hits. They may even save you some money.
ps. I've just acquired a set of slightly used Michelin Arctic Alpins. The previous owner with them had a snow drag race with me and he was right with me. The big difference is that the Michelins have good high speed stability compared to my MZ-01 Blizzaks and they also have much better wear.

RedAtNine

All season are barely any better than summer tires in snow. You would still need a lot of weight over the rear to keep those tires planted. Personal suggestion would be hankook winter tires I used them on a few rwd cars and they work great. They are pretty cheap but too bad they don't make them in more sizes. It'll be hard to find stagger setup for our car. One rule to remember is to downsize when selecting winter tires. Narrower will cut through snow better and there is more load per tire to enhance grip.

Indecision

Thanks guys.. it looks like a set of snow tires and a sand bag are needed. I'm going to check out the prices between the Arc Alpins and Blizzak LM-22.

RedAtNine

Indecision the car is low enough it will scrape the unmelted snow on the ground that hardens up after two overnights. Do you really want to put your baby car through this though?

xviper

We have those conditions here in Calgary quite a bit every winter (far less than in Vancouver). We learn to deal with it and learn how to negotiate such roads if need be. Well travelled roads will not get this way and the quieter neighborhood streets can be driven to a minimum and can be done if you know how.

Indecision

I've thought about hurting her in the snow, but I really don't have a choice this winter. Plus for the last 2 winters I've stored her and it really sux to watch Dave motoring all year round in his S. They usually keep the highway and main roads clean so it should be ok if I stick to the main roads.