Should I Buy Winter Tires

[Rowdy_Joint]

I Used to drive an SUV, now own a MAZDA 3 pretty shitty in the snow or might just be me; Is it worth buying winter tiers? Do they really make a differance? Does anybody know if i can fit a 16" steel rim on a 2007 Mazda 3 for my winter set or should i stick with the factory 17"

Thank for the help guys, I think i'm going to go buy some.

[BigShow]

The difference is night and day, and they are without a doubt worth buying!

[wheelz]

they are cheaper than an accident.
Its funny the SUV comment. They make winter tires for them as well, but since the AWD fools people into thinking they have traction they dont often buy them. Problem is AWD doesnt give you any more traction when cornering or stopping.

Yesterday I drove from Kimberley to Calgary in my Speed6 AWD. I had summer only tires on it, they sucked but I took my time. Funny thing is I lost count of vehicles in the Ditch after 14. The majority of the vehicles where pickups of SUV's.

So yeah winter tires are worth it, but not just on cars.

[Justing]

Totally worth it!
For you safety AND ours!

[ryanallan]

also i have herd that even though there is no snow or no ice on the ground, still winter tires are a good idea.
the compound of summer tires becomes usless when temps become low.
winter tires have a different compound that is able to provide grip in low temp conditions. . .

[Aleks]

Another convert here. Winter tires make a huge difference.

I heard that in Germany it's mandatory to have winter tires on. I wish it was the same here.

[mekeni]

yup, even though I have 4wd, it is a night and day difference! :thumbsup:

[accord885]

Winter Tires FTW!

[hussein]

+1 for good winter tires. I drove from Medicine Hat to Calgary yesterday, and I was really happy I had them, provided really good traction in 4wd when there was alot of snow on the highway, allowing me to pass many cars that were going slow. :burnout:

[gp36912]

winter tires are really helpful when it comes to snow :D no matter what car you have, winter tires will help you grip better, for starting up slowing down or even cornering winter tires help alot. all Awd does is is give you better grip when starting off, and slightly more stable when it comes to conering it does not tend to understeer or oversteer as bad as their counterparts, when it comes to stopping all cars use all 4 tires to stop anyways so it makes no difference.

[lint]

you can fit 16" steelies on the 3. The "all-weather" tires that come stock are garbage in the winter.

[xrayvsn]

Think of buying winter tires as added insurance - ie, for the cost of your 4 winter tires, you can avoid an accident that will cost you $500 to pay the deductible to repair, then you get raped by your insurance company for far more with your premiums.

There is a remarkable difference when driving in the snow/ice between all-seasons (which they should really call 3 seasons), and a dedicated set of winter tires. Go out and buy them.

[wheelz]

Originally posted by xrayvsn
all-seasons (which they should really call 3 seasons)

Actually they should be called no seasons. Summer tires are better in the summer, winter in the winter. We dont really have a spring or fall, just late summers or early winters.

[max_boost]

Hell focking yah you should get winter tires. I am a huge winter tire advocate. There are far too many good reasons, it's a no brainer. Everyone talks about having to drive extemely careful because they are running all seasons blah blah, that adds so much stress to your driving, is it worth it?

A set of 16' steelies + tires will cost you what? $800 out the door? Tires will last you 3-4 seasons and you are basically paying a $1/day. :werd:

[SilverBoost]

Yes. And why someone would want to ruin a set of nice wheels by running their all-seasons all year is beyond me. I've had my winter/steelies on now for a few weeks. I don't even really drive my car when there's snow on the road anyway, but as was said, the compound also makes a difference on frozen roads, even when there isn't any snow cover on them.

You cannot beat snow tires for winter driving, even if there's no snow, temps play a big part as well.

[CSMRX7]

Would you still get winter tires if you had to pay $1600-1800?

[SilverBoost]

Well I paid $900 for mine from a dealership after all was said and done.

What are you driving that it costs that much for 4 winters and 4 steelies?

[CSMRX7]

Originally posted by SilverBoost
Well I paid $900 for mine from a dealership after all was said and done.

What are you driving that it costs that much for 4 winters and 4 steelies?

Thats the problem, there are no stealies that will clear my brakes, so I am looking at a set of 18s with winter rubber

[bspot]

Originally posted by CSMRX7


Thats the problem, there are no stealies that will clear my brakes, so I am looking at a set of 18s with winter rubber

Absolutely still worth it. Just make sure to pick a tire with a good tread rating, and if you get 3 or 4 winters out of them thats as little as $400-$500 a winter.

[three.eighteen.]

Originally posted by CSMRX7
Would you still get winter tires if you had to pay $1600-1800?

well if you're paying 1600+ for winter tires, it means you probably have a nice expensive car with big ass brakes that require huge wheels/tires to clear - if i had that nice of a car i would either:
a) buy a beater or
b) buy winter tires

[wheelz]

Originally posted by CSMRX7
Would you still get winter tires if you had to pay $1600-1800?

Depends on how much you value your car and health.
Is $3000 to much money to get airbags as an option on a new car?

As for the tires look into tire rack. I imagine you are looking for a similar set to what I had to get for the speed6

214-45-18 remeber narrower is better in the winter.

Locally $1400 was the cheapest for tires, no rims. Most were $1900
I got the pirreli winter sottozerros for about $700 canadian with shipping. Much cheaper.

[sowen]

what about all-season tires?

If my car is equipped with all season tires, do I need winter tires?

[wheelz]

^^^
thats what this thread is about. All seasons=no seasons

[CSMRX7]

I was looking at a set of wheels and conti ts 790 (225/60/18) ordered from the states for 1600

[max_boost]

If you can't afford the wheels, just get the tires and pay the charge to do the changeover.

Not a lot of selection in 215/45/18.

My SLK needs 225/40/18 and I might just get a set of Hankook W300 IceBears and use the stock wheels. $185/tire, can't go wrong :D

[CSMRX7]

Originally posted by max_boost
If you can't afford the wheels, just get the tires and pay the charge to do the changeover.

Not a lot of selection in 215/45/18.

My SLK needs 225/40/18 and I might just get a set of Hankook W300 IceBears and use the stock wheels. $185/tire, can't go wrong :D

Stock size would be 265/45/20 though so a very expensive poor wear winter tire.

[Drew]

I wrote a quick article on this in the Public Automotives Blog section, hope it helps a bit.

http://publicautomotives.com/ConsumerTips/nfblog/?p=26

[syeve]

Originally posted by wheelz


I got the pirreli winter sottozerros for about $700 canadian with shipping. Much cheaper.

:werd: I got the pirreli 240. HUGE difference.

[Dren]

totally worth it. the number of people still using summer tires and can't stop on the side streets is nuts.

[xrayvsn]

Originally posted by CSMRX7
Would you still get winter tires if you had to pay $1600-1800?

Yes.

I am in the same situation, because of the large brakes I have no choice but to either mount the winters on my expensive forged OEM BBS rims, or spend $2000 on snow tires and winter rims that will clear the Brembos.

I don't see the point in having a car and cheaping out on the safety. I actually smiled when I saw the snow yesterday, since I have been anticipating cutting through the snow with AWD and proper snow tires.

Now I ride on these:
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q318/xrayvsn_sti/IMG_0043.jpg

[GT-R rated]

yes for sure, before i had a summer car and winter beater i'd always switch , now i just run winters on my winter beater. definitly a huge difference

[rusich]

Originally posted by Drew
I wrote a quick article on this in the Public Automotives Blog section, hope it helps a bit.

http://publicautomotives.com/ConsumerTips/nfblog/?p=26
Could you make the font a little bigger? It hearts my eyes then I try reading your blog.

[tylere]

+1 For the snow tires, the crappy Goodyear Eagles that come stock on the 3 suck in the snow. I went with 16" OEM Alloys with Dunlop winter sport M3 for 1300. Check with Kramer Mazda as there were having a special on OEM alloys.

PS: If you are looking for 16" Steelies check the Marketplace, I might just be selling exacly what you are looking for ;)

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Winter tires saved my ass today... Almost had a truck slide backwards down a hill into me today, after they tried going up the hill... So me and my winters waited till they stopped... and went around without a single issue... I thought all seasons were alright, but they're only good for 1 winter season, and thats if they are put on DURING that winter, after that, they're only good for summer... So go for the winters!

[Hoey]

Yeah and dont get "all-season" their garbage.

A winter tire is an amazing sight under a microscope, I cant remember the exact term but winters have little microscopic grips that divert snow and give you good traction.

Sometimes All-seasons come with this, BUT the layer is very thin so after one winter it becomes a full on summer tire with no winter properties. So in reality they should be called "one-season" tires:thumbsdow

Also winters are "cyped". Its a method of cutting deep into the tire tread making the tire surface like a brush rather than a soft surface. (Kind of like the difference between walking on astroturf or hardwood when you have a wet shoe on)

A good investment is the Winter I*Pikes
they are a very good winter tire for passenger cars, the come pre-cyped and it might be wise to get them studded too.
I also recomment the Michelin X-Ice....
Dont get Bridgstone Blizzaks....they seem popular but they are a rip off of the michelins and the cyping and micro-grips only go 20%ish into the tire tread....AKA they dont have much winter life!

Oh PS this is usually a given but run your tire pressure quite low in the winter aswell.

All of these things should make for a pretty safe winter:thumbsup:

[Annoyingrob]

I'm impressed that so many people on this forum agree that winter tires are a VERY good idea. My opinion is, can you afford to NOT have winter tires? I ended up spending about $1000 to get a set of Michelin X-Ices mounted onto my stock rims I had sitting in the garage. Going from a set of 285 summer tires, to 205 winters, it was like night and day.

I put them on when the snow fell on Sunday. Monday morning, they prevented me from having an accient when the minivan in front of me (who did not have snow tires) slid, paniced, and spun her van around in the intersection in front of me.

People shouldn't put a price on safety. I think that every car should have a set of winter tires (Even better, with their own rims) that can be put on (or are already on) when the first snowfall hits.

[ogpog]

For those of you trying Snow Tires for the first time this year, once you get used to them, its almost hilarious watching other cars at stoplights struggle just to start, or even stop (maybe even a bit of sideways slide action) haha.

A good set of winter tires will make driving in the winter enjoyable.

[SilverBoost]

Originally posted by Annoyingrob
I'm impressed that so many people on this forum agree that winter tires are a VERY good idea.


I know, usually with a forum this large you'll always get the heros who say you don't need them and then talk about how many years they've gone without them here and were just fine. Sure you might get away with it, but they'll be wworth their weight in gold hen you actually have to make a wuick turn or stop suddenly etc.

Glad to see most everyone here wants to keep their car rubber side down this year.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Meh, what can I say, I love my car so much, that I decided i'd like to drive it next year too... Right now my biggest fear is that i'll be rear-ended again this winter... just in a nicer car.

But ogpog is right, it's quite amusing having grip and then watching some minivan try to go after me... :clap:

[HRD2PLZ]

winter tires make a HUGE difference! I would suggest them to anyone. I am even in the process of trying to track some down for my 4runner.

On a side note... a colleagues son rolled his 2006 Mazda3 on the highway yesterday. Apparently he was lucky to walk away...

[bituerbo]

Winter tires are MUST in canada. Well maybe not the west coast but hey, it's the west coast.

YOU may have a beater you don't care about 'oh if I hit a curb whatever it's a beater'

What happens when you smoke someone's bmw, or audi, or a pedestrian because your shite ass tires couldn't stop you on ice.
Cheap winters start at like $75 a tire and will probably last you 3-4 seasons.