RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Yeah ,the test difference from the worst all season tested (which is probably comparable to the crappy cheap all seasons that plenty of people go with) to the Ice-X was a 30-0 stopping distance of 123ft vs 83ft.

30-0, not 60-0.

60-0 would be more like 467ft for the all seasons, 315ft for the Ice-X. You did leave an extra 152 feet between you and the car in front of you right? And no one has cut you off in the process assuming you have winter tires?

tmrx8

iTrader: (1)

I should invest on buying a tank if that's the case
Not sure if MOT would be okay with that....

Snrub

I'm a big believer in winter tires. What I was trying to say was get true winter tires, not the "performance" variants with the idea that they're a worthwhile trade off.

I have a set of X-Ice I tires. I find they're decent. I wasn't terribly impressed with the last set of Blizzaks I had. It was the old REVO design with smaller breaks in the tread blocks. The WS-70s appear to gone back to a design with wider gaps.

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

I agree that performance winters are poo.
My bro has the WS-70's on his 135i and they're pretty damn good. He did have performance snows, I can't remember which, on his Lexus IS350 and they were only good in the dry or wet, any kind of standing snow and they were ****.

Neo

That's odd... I haven't had any problems with my perforance winter snows. And I'm in a Miata!!
I think it depends on which performance snow tire you're going to get.

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

True, different tires will handle differently but I have heard from a few different people that have had performance winters and prefer a regular winter for getting through snow and ice.

Neo

That is odd.. I'm running Pirelli Sottozero's on my Miata.
My folks are running Pirelli's winter tire on their GLK and Bridgestone Blizzaks' LS-70 (?) on his bimmer. Suckers power through anything.

Do you know what type of performance tire it was he was running on his Toyota??

I've also run Hankook's performance tire on a mazda6 and mazda3. Both tires are V-rated winter tires. No issues in the snow or ice.
Really strange....

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

I can't remember, I think they were the high performance blizzaks but not sure.

Port_RX_8_Colborne

blizzaks work fine have had them on the car since i moved back from nova scotia, nary a problem driving from there to niagara falls in the dead of winter. dont even find they slip at all unless your trying hehehe, leave the traction control on would be the other thing.

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

Blizzaks are great tires but there are also both studless ice and snow blizzaks and performance winter blizzaks. The studless is the WS60 or WS70 and the performance is the LM60 I believe.
I personally prefer studless ice and snow winter tires to performance winters as they provide better traction in standing snow and on ice. Now if you only drive the car when there is a very light dusting of snow or if the roads are dry then the performance winter is going to be the more responsive tire. For me, if it's a daily driver I think a regular studless ice and snow tire is the better tire as they perform better in extreme winter conditions.

Rotary-RX8

iTrader: (1)

i have the LM60 and theyre pretty amazing in the snow but ya i noticed when theres light snow .. the grip isnt as good as when the road is dry and its freezing out .. duuh

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

I don't understand your post. Are you being sarcastic?

thewird

The blizzaks performance winters are just a harder tire rated for a higher top speed then the normal snow tire. Tread is exactly the same between the 2 tires.

thewird

Rotary-RX8

iTrader: (1)

no


and im not being sarcastic when i said that either lol.

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

I'm just happy that we're all in agreement that winter tires are the way to go. Too many people seem to think that all season tires are fine or that if they have AWD there is no need for winter tires.
I agree that you can get by through winter with all season tires but all it takes is one emergency stop that takes too long and you're in a wreck.

DiLan

I'm running michelin xice2 and think they are pretty good. I ended up adding some weight in the back though, several bags of salt, if I get stuck, I'll bust out the salt and melt the damn ice and snow lol

Rocketman1956

I'm a big fan of winter tires mounted on steel wheels. My thought is: use the best technology for the conditions.
Winter Tires
Winter tire compounds are designed for lower temperature operation (below 4degC). My 2008 40AE has 225/40R18, which I think is a bit too low a profile for cold winter driving (not enough side wall flex and space in case of hidden potholes/road hazards). So I opted for 17 inch winter 225/45R17 Yokohama W-Drive tires (couldn't go to 16s due to the front disk diameter on the 40AE). Going with winter tire led me to use summer dedicated tires on the "good" rims. Summer tires are optimized for dry and rain but not winter or cold weather as they usually good down to 10deg C where all-season are usually good down to 7degC, so you need to change earlier to the winter treads. BTW I don't work for Yokohama but I really like their tire design, quality and value!

Steel Wheels
The steel wheels are more resistant to road salt corrosion which will attach the finish and tire beads seal areas of alloy wheels. At ~50-60$ ea they could also be considered sacrificial. The more solid wheel also helps in keeping snow build-up from the wheels (leads to imbalance) and in winter you don't need the more open design for brake cooling. Painted alloy wheels are supposed to be more resistant to chloride (salt) attack, but if you get a scratch or someone scrapes the paint while mounting tires, the attach is on and it'll be spreading under the paint surface. So let the steel ones take the corrosion.

UrbanCowboy

iTrader: (1)

I run 225/40/18's on plastidipped XXR's. Keep the look of the car not bad and they grip like crazy. I only bought cheap winter tires (Saliuns? about $500 brand new for the set) and I've never got myself into a situation that I couldn't control. Cheap winters are better than the best all seasons anyday. Anyhow, I've got the truck for when it really gets bad. I've got the RX-8 out tonight and it's been a blast out there to say the least!

Surgeblade

I bought that same brand of tire. They seem fine to me. Apparently the design is based off the hancook ipikes. I have driven in every disaster this winter and have had no problems including tonight.

Take care.