so its time to think about winter. Need some new snowtires and ofcourse the words that come out of everyones mouth are "you gotta get blizzaks, or else you will crash". But why THIS particular brand? If I bought snow tires that cost 500 instead of 1000 is the difference really THAT great? It seems like its more just a brand thing...

 

Yes, Blizzaks are THAT fantastic.

However, no, Blizzaks are NOT the only option. They are simply the best option. The worst winter tires out there will still be far superior to the best all seasons at below freezing temps, in snow, and on ice. The rubber compound that stays soft in cold temps is BY FAR more critical than the tread pattern or brand.

Blizzaks have a big following simply because this isn't a cheap commuter car, and people here tend to prefer the best option and/or top of the line option when it comes to something for their RX-8.

My snow tires are Nokians, which are also highly regarded, though they are weaker on ice and dry pavement than Blizzaks, as they were primarily developed for 100% snow driving like they get in Norway.

 

+1 for Nokians

 

love my WS70s

 

+1 for nokians, had the for every car weve owned and have never let me down. They are also well priced.

But regardless of which ones you get and winter tire will be better thn all seasons.

 

but how much better are the blizzaks/nokians/ premium snow tires, than your run of the mill, average mid price snow tire? Is it really a night and day difference?

 

Like any tire designed for particular conditions, it depends on how much you ask of the tire.

If you drive slowly and deliberately you will never feel the difference on dry pavement in 70 degree clear weather between a low budget all season and a $350 track tire. Same thing with winter tires. If you keep your driving slow and steady and don't have any hills or wierd road situations to deal with, you probably won't ever feel the difference between the two. Get into deep snow and looking for max traction, and you will start to find differences. Get on ice and you will find other differences. Some tires deal with snow pack differently than snow fluff, black ice differently from glazed ice. Cold dry pavement differently from cold wet pavement that is being kept from freezing. Slush... All differences that make each winter tire better or worse at one thing or another depending on what they were more designed for.

If budget is the only concern then a low budget winter tire will be fine, as long as you don't ask too much of it and choose to drive even slower and more deliberately.

 

Heard nothing but bad things about Blizzaks from those I know who have used it; poor tread life after 1 season and bang per dollar isn't all that.

Used Winterforce for over a decade on all my vehicles in the winter and never had a single issue with traction driving through any winter storm. Usually would run them from mid Nov through early April for many seasons as they last a long time. Only downside is road noise.

 

The thing about Blizzaks is, They stay super soft and grippy right down to the last little bit of tread. Most winter tires are pretty useless for winter weather once they get worn about 3/4 down.

Not only that but they stay really soft in extremely cold temps. More so than most other brands. It really depends on your climate. If you dont have extended frigid weather for 4+months steady, then they are not really needed. Most other brands will get the job done at a cheaper price.

On the flip side, If your winter readily breaks above 50*f the Blizzaks will wear out much faster. If you keep them on in the summer above 70*f you can wear them down to nothing in one season easily.

 

I haven't heard any negatives on the Blizzaks, but anyway, just want to say that I've also used Winterforce snows for years and love 'em. Yeah they are a bit noisy, but they are durable, left them on our Suzuki Sidekick for 3 years, year round, great in snow, and quite inexpensive.

 

do you guys recommend them on just the rear or all 4?

 

Regardless of what winter tire you choose, put them on all 4!

 

what do you mean by winterforce tires having a lot of "road noise"? like they squeal on turns?

I'm In chicago. We have harsh winters but lately they haven't been that bad because of the global warming/el nino situation. Last winter was really mild, so yes, it could break above fifty for a week out of nowhere. But really, november to march is our normal winter. Who knows what it will be like this year though.

 

There is no answer to "what is the best winter tire". The best winter tire for a area that gets feet of dry snow at a time is different from one that sees a couple inches of wet snow at a time. Driving on black ice and packed compact snow is different yet again. Also, bear in mind, that some winter tires lose much more of their performance as they wear than others. (they all decline as the tread wears - some much faster than others. For example, a good "ice" tire will often lose it's deep snow capability sooner than a good "snow" tire)

So, before deciding on whether Blizzacks are "the best tire", you need to specify your environment of operation.

(personally, the best winter tires I've ever run have been Nokians. I'm actually extremely pleased with the combination of the WGR2 and my Subaru. I'm unstoppable!)

 

Yes.

 

blizzak lm60


Dont just drive in snow .... conquer it

 

I run Dunlop Graspic DS-3s in Michigan on my DD. Even with their mediocre rating on Tire Rack, they are magic in bad conditions compared to all-seasons. Don't even think about summer tires in Chicago winters. If I ran the 8 in winter, I'd put snows on 17" x 7 wheels and get 215's or even 205's. I'd also disconnect the rear sway bar and set my D-Spec shocks to full soft.

 

I run the 17" blizzaks on those beautiful black steelies for our winters.
All I can say is that they are amazing in the snow, slush or whatever mother nature throws on the road.
With the traction control and DSC the 8 is so much better than I'd thought it would be during the winter.
The only problem I've encountered is when we receive a very heavy snowfall. The 8's ride height is a problem in the very deep stuff.
This usually means some snowplowing with your car to get off the street.......

 

I have blizzaks on my vehicles, civic and tacoma, I don't drive my 8 in the winter. I live in northern ontario where we get a lot of snow, where I live we don't see the pavement on the streets all winter just packed snow and the blizzaks are the best. I've owned three other kinds of winter tires, I can remember the top of the line michelin and not sure the other ones, but the blizzaks are far superior than the other ones i've owned.

 

what are the cheapest snow tires that you can buy, that will still work? I thought I was going to get a massive raise this month, but its looking like mid to late november. I need snow tires sooner than that here in chicago. What are some good Cheap ones?

 

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3's on 18"..... it's like having summer performance tires in the winter on the dry.

 

i got the hankook ipikes w409.

similar tread to the nokians, but less expensive.

i've done 3 winters on them and never had a problem


those firestones from tire rack are the cheapest

 

Same model tires and same philosophy as me!

This will be my third winter with the Blizzaks and they still have plenty of tread left. As long as you don't run them for long once the weather warms up or do burnouts on dry cement they will last a long time. I have found that ground clearance becomes an issue long before grip does after large snow storms.

 

Don't know if you bought tires yet or not, but by noise I mean that due to the thread design they are not as quiet as summer or all season for that matter in day to day driving. They don't squeal on turns, but they also don't grip in the dry like non snows.

 

I live near Chicago and our winters vary - especially the past few seasons. Any "cheap" recommendations for a season that has both "warm" and "cold" weathers as well as only a few times of snow?

Also, what is your tire sizes / rim sizes? I need whole new wheels for my winter set since it's a new car, so I was wondering if I should go down to 17" since it's "recommended" to go down a size from the OEM 18"?