Snow tires

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MarcosSantiago said:
Update on the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80

The snow is here and there's no salt on the roads yet. I can tell the tires do better and better as it gets colder and colder. But this means the tire is very much a hard core snow and ice tire. Michelins were more balanced, IMHO, for a wider range of temperatures.
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Sounds plausible....

on the Bridgestone DM-V1s on order, I notice their speed rating was one notch lower than everybody else's tires. My conclusion is that it has softer rubber, hence my concern for them wearing out quickly.

Oh well, wanted to get Bridgestones off my list of tried Winter tires. Never owned a Bridgestone all season tire I liked.
 
unL33T said:
Get all weather tires instead and you'll still get the discount from insurance (if your company offers it).

Although if you've got money to ride but not for proper tires there's something off, imo.
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Riding can be fairly cheap. for me riding is cheaper than driving even when you factor in the insurance and maintenance
 
Anyone else try the firestone winterforce? My GF has them on her elantra and the elantra launched and steered way better than my 90 quattro with yokohama IG20s. Hard to tell if they actually are that good, because the IG20s were GARBAGE. The winterforce were downright impressive in comparrison.
 
daught said:
Anyone else try the firestone winterforce? My GF has them on her elantra and the elantra launched and steered way better than my 90 quattro with yokohama IG20s. Hard to tell if they actually are that good, because the IG20s were GARBAGE. The winterforce were downright impressive in comparrison.
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I was skeptical of the Yoke's as well, till my tire guy insisted that they were good, so I went with IG20's to try them on my sedan.

Quite honestly, they were amazing tires. Loved them. They were great in the snow, and they handled exceptionally well every other time. Loved chucking my car in the corners, felt like I was riding on an all season tire.
 
boooya said:
Winterforce has got to be the worst winter tire out there, absolute garbage......
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I used them in the past for a few years, for pricing they were good value. Old design, compared to the newer stuff being introduced, but for snow traction they were great.

Even the worst winter tire is better than the best all season tire.
 
Firestone still in business? Didn't even know they were still around. lol.

If you are looking for a good "budget" winter tire, go with the General Altimax Arctic
 
Weird... like I said quattro + IG20 was worse than the winterforce on an elantra. Dunno I don't trust online reviews like I used to. Forum reviews are better than web sites, but these days companies have some well paid bloggers, independent reviewers that give good rating to get more free samples and spiced ratings.

Maybe the IG20s I had were a fluke or maybe booya had a bad set of winterforce tires. Maybe sunny thought the IG20s were good because all he had before were nexen tires (I kid :P).

I can't wait to get the altimax. Unfortunately I am waiting on some worn down michelins I got with my rims until I get to Colorado in february.
 
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Haha I just double checked if utah requires chains with winter tires on some roads. Their requirements

Motorists traveling on the highways listed below between October 1 and April 30 are required to have:

Steel link chains, or
Mounted snow tires (tires with a M/S rating, with or without studs,), or
Elastomeric tire chains designed for use with radial tires.
Four-wheel drive vehicles are required to have a minimum of two mounted snow tires.
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LOL at two tires.
 
daught said:
Haha I just double checked if utah requires chains with winter tires on some roads. Their requirements



LOL at two tires.
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Plus M/S tires aren't even snow tires. Several companies make performance summer tires that have a M+S rating.
 
I had a dealer talk me out of blizzaks a few seasons ago.
He said they weren't needed fot Toronto driving, and would wear faster.
I don't know how true that is, but the city seems to have milder winters than the surrounding areas.
Maybe the pollution diverts the storms around the city?
 
Baggsy said:
I had a dealer talk me out of blizzaks a few seasons ago.
He said they weren't needed fot Toronto driving, and would wear faster.
I don't know how true that is, but the city seems to have milder winters than the surrounding areas.
Maybe the pollution diverts the storms around the city?
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Toronto is usually a degree or 2 warmer than the surrounding.
 
Michelin XIce performed flawlessly tonight. Caught in the blizzard in barrie, fwd car, no problems starting from a stop in ~8" of snow, no problem on the highway at speed, no abs needed when stopping, awesome. This is the 3rd season for this set of tires.
 
The latest Blizzaks are great in deep snow and slush. Once they get to 50% wear, their performance declines a lot. They also squirm a lot in warmer conditions.

I find X Ice manages things better. Better in slush, water and ice and seem better in bare road conditions.
 
I wonder should I stud my tires for my trip? I always wanted to try them, but i'm not sure if they are worth it for an out west trip. Can they be pulled out once I get back to ON?
 
daught said:
I wonder should I stud my tires for my trip? I always wanted to try them, but i'm not sure if they are worth it for an out west trip. Can they be pulled out once I get back to ON?
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First, are the tires studable? Most aren't.

For those you can, it's not recommended to stud tires and remove afterwards.

Get some chains.
 
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