Snow tires

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DemonPig said:
I don't know man. Maybe WS-60s. They wore quick. I don't see WS-70s wearing MUCH faster than any other higher end winter tire. The new generation (WS-80) should be even better, it is also quite cheap compared to Michelin for example. Not to say anything bad about Michelin X-Ice 3, just the price; Michelins are generally my favorites, depending on the size and model of course. I'll also agree with Nokian being up there. Those 3 would be my top three. I'm talking about city/highway driving. If you intend to drive in deep snow, up north, then more aggressive tires are recommended. (No comment on Toyo from me, because my personal experience with them is minimal)

Roasted - winter run-flats are generally stupid expensive. I would recommend getting regular winter tires and keeping a spare, mounted on the rim for the duration of the season.
For an excellent and affordable all-season run-flat, try Bridgestone Driveguard. It's a Serenity with reinforced sidewalls. Not as heavy, nor stiff as older gen run-flat tires. Not for SUVs or trucks though.
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Blizzaks just wear fast man Idk why but much faster then any other winter tire I've seen. It's the biggest and really only complaint we see with those. Plus they are stupid squirmy when the Temps get a little warmer.
I just bought a set of the new nokian r2's for my rav. Had a set of the original hakas on my last vehicle and by far the best I've seen in snow and ice. Gf's car has nokian Nordman 4 on (slightly more afordable), and my daughters car just got a set of Michelin x-ice 3.
Like I said we put on thousands of winter tires a season on up here in barrie and this is just my observation.
There are lots of good tires out there but depending on your driving habits and conditions some might not be rite for you. City driving yiu probably want something better designed for slush.
Lots of hwy driving I would look at something more longer lasting with good ice traction.
I live in the snow belt, go skiing 3 times a week and do a trip to Tremblant and lake placid every winter. I take winter tires seriously lol.
Winter tires are definitely not the same.
Just stay away from the winterforce tires.
 
Baggsy said:
I had Nokian Winter Tires on the Venture, they didn't last long.

i might have to wait to raise some cash to buy some tires.

What about Costco? Problem is it's hard to get in for the free swapping, and you have to buy the rims separate.
Will other places price match them though?
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Winter tires are all about putting them on and taking them off on time. Some of the best ones will wear faster than bottom grade Chinese. Why? Because they are softer. That gives you dry traction in cold weather. Nokian makes several different models of winter tires. Some are not very good, some are top notch. Michelin and Bridgestone are much more consistent.

Swapping is not free at Costco, $6/tire on rim; $11/tire off rim. Rims are available on Costco.ca - they get shipped to your house. Yeah, it does get busy though. What you get though is a 5 year in-house warranty that has no equals in the industry.
When asking for price of the tires, ask for "out the door" price. I know several places ask extra for everything from valve stems to balancing. Many charge labour. Initial tire price tells you little.
 
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boooya said:
Blizzaks just wear fast man Idk why but much faster then any other winter tire I've seen. It's the biggest and really only complaint we see with those. Plus they are stupid squirmy when the Temps get a little warmer.
I just bought a set of the new nokian r2's for my rav. Had a set of the original hakas on my last vehicle and by far the best I've seen in snow and ice. Gf's car has nokian Nordman 4 on (slightly more afordable), and my daughters car just got a set of Michelin x-ice 3.
Like I said we put on thousands of winter tires a season on up here in barrie and this is just my observation.
There are lots of good tires out there but depending on your driving habits and conditions some might not be rite for you. City driving yiu probably want something better designed for slush.
Lots of hwy driving I would look at something more longer lasting with good ice traction.
I live in the snow belt, go skiing 3 times a week and do a trip to Tremblant and lake placid every winter. I take winter tires seriously lol.
Winter tires are definitely not the same.
Just stay away from the winterforce tires.
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Yeah, I believe you. Different conditions, different driving styles? Barrie vs GTA? More highway for sure.
Personally I have had close to zero complaints about Bridgestones wearing out fast. All-seasons yes. Like Ecopia and Turanza - but not winter. Unless we're talking about old models.
I'd go with X-Ice 3 if money isn't an issue. I offer Bridgestones to people because they are 25% cheaper, sometimes more.
 
DemonPig said:
Yeah, I believe you. Different conditions, different driving styles? Barrie vs GTA? More highway for sure.
Personally I have had close to zero complaints about Bridgestones wearing out fast. All-seasons yes. Like Ecopia and Turanza - but not winter. Unless we're talking about old models.
I'd go with X-Ice 3 if money isn't an issue. I offer Bridgestones to people because they are 25% cheaper, sometimes more.
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X-ice 3's don't appear to fit my van. How do the 2's stack up?
 
The 3 ' s are supposed to be greatly improved in rubber compound, shorter stopping distance on ice and 20% longer life.
The ice3 should come in all the same sizes as the 2 ' s.
What's. Your tire size?
 
Larger sizes, as in certain SUV, truck and van are available in Latitude X-Ice 2. No X-Ice3. Latitude line is SUV/truck dedicated.

And they stack up just fine. Great reviews all around. Not cheap though. Give us the size. I'll price it out so you can compare.

Another good option would be DM-V1 (Bridgestone)
 
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Had Blizzak WS60s a few years ago. Best winter tire performance I ever had. Unfortunately they only lasted me one winter (approx. 40000 kilometers, mostly highway). After that I went with Michelin XIce2 hoping the tread would last longer. These lasted two winters. First winter was ok, not as good as WS60s though. Second winter not so good in snow. Ice was better but still could tell they were on the way out. Decided today I was going to go back to the Blizzaks. WS80 this time. Im predicting a snowy winter this year and I travel down through Buffalo and Erie towards Pittsburgh mostly so I want to make sure I have something that I feel good about. Blizzaks are about $30 a tire cheaper (from what I found) and have a $70 rebate.

My tire guy really couldn't recommend anything knowing the kilometers I do every year. He did offer to have me come in every month and he will rotate them and check the tread (for free!!) to see how they are holding up. I figure it helps him to know how the new Blizzaks are working and helps me maybe get more than one winter out of them.

Yes, money is an issue. I don't want to be spending ~$600 every winter on tires. But then again, I do want to know Im going to get home ok regardless of the weather. $600 to feel good every winter or $800 and not feel good every other winter. Until something better comes along I will do the $600 every year.

Off topic a little but still about tires.....I have been running Yokohama Avid Ascend the last two summers. They just came out when I go them (again, needed high mileage tires) and my tire guy didn't know anything about them. They are 'orange oil' or something making them eco-friendly (???). They seem to be pretty good. If I had rotated them regularly I may have been able to get another summer out of them but I didn't so now I have two that are done and two that are ok. I would recommend them.
 
DemonPig said:
Larger sizes, as in certain SUV, truck and van are available in Latitude X-Ice 2. No X-Ice3. Latitude line is SUV/truck dedicated.

And they stack up just fine. Great reviews all around. Not cheap though. Give us the size. I'll price it out so you can compare.

Another good option would be DM-V1 (Bridgestone)
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Current tire size is P235/65R17. It's a Honda minivan from Alabama.

is the X-ice3 not also Latitude? I've seen it described as such in some catalogues/reviews/articles.
I tried calculating a minus 1 & minus 2 size for it, but they still wouldn't fit.

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the Nokians were WR G2's @ 215/70R15 98HI believe. Partially my fault as the alignment was shot.
but they never seemed to have time, the couple of times I asked. They really sucked in the snow a month to two after I got them. Tremblent was also a challenge. It took me two tries in the dark to get to the condo on the steep ice/snow. That car is gone now.
 
I've been using winter tires for years and have run through all the major name brands* Yokohama, Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, Hankook.

*except for Bridgestones. Although they are notorious for exceptional snow control, they wear out way too quickly. Screw dat.


My conclusion : They are ALL pretty good. No one tire is quantifiably better than the others.

I'm normally a michelin man myself, but having bought a used winter set of Hankooks for my SUV 2+ years ago from Kijiji that already had a season or two on them from previous owner, I was blown away at how good they still were. They simply gripped and gripped and were confidence inspiring. So much so, looking at replacing this set this year as it will enter its 4th-5th season and just might go with the Hankook iPike RW11 again, because they are significantly cheaper than the Michelins and Pirelli's I was eyeballing, but still damn good.
 
Baggsy said:
Current tire size is P235/65R17. It's a Honda minivan from Alabama.

is the X-ice3 not also Latitude? I've seen it described as such in some catalogues/reviews/articles.
I tried calculating a minus 1 & minus 2 size for it, but they still wouldn't fit.
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Odyssey is 235/65/17 Latitude X-ice 2. Product code 17509
 
Baggsy said:
Current tire size is P235/65R17. It's a Honda minivan from Alabama.

is the X-ice3 not also Latitude? I've seen it described as such in some catalogues/reviews/articles.
I tried calculating a minus 1 & minus 2 size for it, but they still wouldn't fit.

===============
the Nokians were WR G2's @ 215/70R15 98HI believe. Partially my fault as the alignment was shot.
but they never seemed to have time, the couple of times I asked. They really sucked in the snow a month to two after I got them. Tremblent was also a challenge. It took me two tries in the dark to get to the condo on the steep ice/snow. That car is gone now.
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Wrg2 are not winter tires.
 
DemonPig said:
There is no Latitude X-Ice 3.
235/65r17 Latitude X-Ice 2 is $872 all-in.
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All-in? Is that on rims? What about pressure sensors? The manual said that the warning would stay on with no sensors, although, I'll have to double check if mine has them.
 
Baggsy said:
All-in? Is that on rims? What about pressure sensors? The manual said that the warning would stay on with no sensors, although, I'll have to double check if mine has them.
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There is no way $872 covers wheels and sensors as well. I spent almost $1300 all-in at Costco for my Jeep when I included Costco steel wheels and Dorman aftermarket TP sensors that I purchased myself.
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