Snow tires

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daught said:
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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Winter tires begin to lose their grip as they age. Might wanna check the date
 
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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i actually lived in Utah / Colorado area and can tell you that you WILL be pulled over on the side of the road by the DOT to have your chains put on. THEY DID NOT CARE that I had winter tires on ... if you are going up the mountain you had to have chains / cables on your tires if it was snowing. It was put on a giant sign near the canyon by my place that chains were required during snow storms between x days no exceptions. There's a line of DOT cars pulling everyone over during storms.

I still have the chains in my trunk in case I get stuck.

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boooya said:
Winterforce has got to be the worst winter tire out there, absolute garbage......
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I've been up past the Laforge 1 dam (James Bay Road -> Trans Taiga Road -> LA-1 Access road) twice, in December, and on Firestone Winterforce tires. The last time, the return trip was freezing rain at the top-end of the JBR. They work well for me!

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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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Only new studable tires can be studded, and good luck taking them off later sown the road.
Look on kijiji for a set of used already studded tires, then sell them when you get back.
 
boooya said:
Only new studable tires can be studded, and good luck taking them off later sown the road.
Look on kijiji for a set of used already studded tires, then sell them when you get back.
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I am getting the altimax arctic. I dont bother with kijiji tires, I just thought this would be my chance to try out studs and maximize driving fun. If they can't be removed the fun is not worth it.

chiller said:
i actually lived in Utah / Colorado area and can tell you that you WILL be pulled over on the side of the road by the DOT to have your chains put on. THEY DID NOT CARE that I had winter tires on ... if you are going up the mountain you had to have chains / cables on your tires if it was snowing. It was put on a giant sign near the canyon by my place that chains were required during snow storms between x days no exceptions. There's a line of DOT cars pulling everyone over during storms.

I still have the chains in my trunk in case I get stuck.

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even with AWD and snows? it says right on that sign it's ok.
 
daught said:
I am getting the altimax arctic. I dont bother with kijiji tires, I just thought this would be my chance to try out studs and maximize driving fun. If they can't be removed the fun is not worth it.



even with AWD and snows? it says right on that sign it's ok.
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Sign says 4WD not AWD, and it might be from somewhere else.
 
unL33T said:
Plus M/S tires aren't even snow tires. Several companies make performance summer tires that have a M+S rating.
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You are absolutely right. M&S, M+S, M/S, MS means f-all. It's an outdated designation that translates to very little with no regulation from any gov't or other agency. Definitely not "mounted snow tires" - whatever that means.
Even the snowflake winter tire designation is a bit of a gimmick as witnessed by those all-weather tires that barely meet winter tire standards.
 
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SunnY S said:
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.
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Generally speaking the opposite is true, the lower the speed rating, the harder the compound, and longer lasting tread. It is usually more complicated than just that. DM-V1 is a tire designed for heavier SUVs and light trucks hence the lower speed rating requirements.
All the small and mid size German, Korean and many Japanese vehicles demand H or higher hence the increased specs on smaller winter tires. What used to be S or T on 195/65r15 or 205/55r16 is usually H now.

Nevertheless, there's no law in Canada forcing people to obey manufacturer's recommendation.
However, some companies (like Pirelli for example) do not advise lowering a speed rating.
 
DemonPig said:
Generally speaking the opposite is true, the lower the speed rating, the harder the compound, and longer lasting tread. It is usually more complicated than just that. DM-V1 is a tire designed for heavier SUVs and light trucks hence the lower speed rating requirements.
All the small and mid size German, Korean and many Japanese vehicles demand H or higher hence the increased specs on smaller winter tires. What used to be S or T on 195/65r15 or 205/55r16 is usually H now.

Nevertheless, there's no law in Canada forcing people to obey manufacturer's recommendation.
However, some companies (like Pirelli for example) do not advise lowering a speed rating.
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Somehow I don't think anyone needs z rated snow tires.
 
I didn't but in 2005 I bought a set (Z rating) for my RX-8. They were adequate on snow and ice, fantastic on dry roads. Unfortunately an RX-8 is not a good winter car as ground clearance is quite low so following year I purchased a proper winter car.
 
daught said:
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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Click "read all reviews", then "sort by most miles" if your tires of interest are on Tirerack. Don't buy a new tire, buy one with millions of miles reported with good reviews from those that have done 40,000+ miles on them to gauge how they will evolve as the tread depth nears the end of it's life.
In those 'followup' reviews, you'll see a lot of "gets very loud and squirly in bad weather" for a lot of tires where initial reviews are comparing a brand new tire to an old tire--naturally, you'll see a lot of raving reviews initially. Even big name brands suffer the same.
 
got Xice3 last year on corolla, couldn't be happier. I actually feel like they stick better on the slipperies than my summer tires in the middle of hot July. I can't wait to replace those next year, don't even know what they are. Some no-names the previous owner put on.
 
DemonPig said:
Generally speaking the opposite is true, the lower the speed rating, the harder the compound, and longer lasting tread. It is usually more complicated than just that. DM-V1 is a tire designed for heavier SUVs and light trucks hence the lower speed rating requirements.
All the small and mid size German, Korean and many Japanese vehicles demand H or higher hence the increased specs on smaller winter tires. What used to be S or T on 195/65r15 or 205/55r16 is usually H now.

Nevertheless, there's no law in Canada forcing people to obey manufacturer's recommendation.
However, some companies (like Pirelli for example) do not advise lowering a speed rating.
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I think speed ratings are fairly useless in Canada with our lower then low speed limits here... when are you going to use the H rated tires actual rated speed ?

I usually just look at the load index ... carrying capacity is more important in my opinion...
 
08 grand cherokee. Got caught with my "summer" tires in London. They still did great in accelerating and breaking but nothing like my dedicated snows. 4x4, 4800lbs and snow tires = unstoppable. Gonna throw em on when i get home.
 
Not much to do with snow/ice tires, but a response to Chiller's observation about speed ratings. You're right about most of us never needing the V, W or Z rated tires, on our roads, but it's been my experience that, these higher speed rated tires, usually require fewer and lighter weights, to balance. I'm assuming that speaks to the care/quality that goes into building them.
 
Doug Tait said:
Not much to do with snow/ice tires, but a response to Chiller's observation about speed ratings. You're right about most of us never needing the V, W or Z rated tires, on our roads, but it's been my experience that, these higher speed rated tires, usually require fewer and lighter weights, to balance. I'm assuming that speaks to the care/quality that goes into building them.
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Sidewall stiffness also normally goes up with rating. A lower speed rating will easily deal with the heat (as we don't get extended high speed runs in ontario), but the handling will soften up (for better or for worse). For winters, dropping a rim size, width and speed rating can actually improve traction.
 
I remember back in the '70's, my VW beetle with its engine above narrow snow tires on its tall rims, and smooth flat underside, was unstoppable in the snow. Only problem was inadequate heat and the resultant frost on the windows. I scraped on the inside. Good times.
 
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