Snow Tires Group Buy

[4wheeldrift]

If all it is is a different speed rating, then that has absolutely nothing to do with how the tire performs on snow or ice.

[sml]

OK, I'll try to clear this up:
What makes a snow tire so great is the fact that it's very "sticky" or "soft". Therefore, it grips the road better. Since tires are made of rubber, what happens when you turn a nice hard corner on soft rubber? The rubber melts and you leave behind some tread marks on the road. Why does the Blizaaks wear out so fast in dry conditions, it's because of the fact that they use VERY VERY soft material which makes the tires very very sticky! The Alpins indeed wear out less in dry conditions because they have LESS sticky stuff and more of a harder rubber compound, therefore are not as good for snow traction.

High performance winter tires incorporate a harder rubber compound which makes the sidewalls stronger. This will give you nice stable cornering stability and control. Obviously this harder compound will last longer in dry conditions than softer compound. The downside to this is that hard rubber compound don't stick as good to snow as soft compound. So, do we get the picture now? You cannot get the best of both worlds. You either get regular winter tires that wear out fast in dry conditions (WS50) but are excellent in snow traction OR you get high performance tires that wear out not as fast in dry conditions (LM22) but are NOT AS GOOD as the regualr winter tires for snow traction. It's a "You choose your fork in the road" kinda decision. You either pick left or right, can't go both ways at once. if you don't believe me, go on tirerack.com and compare either the WS50 to LM22 or the Alpins to Pilots... WS50 has a snow traction rating of 9.4 comparing to the LM22 at 9.0. While the Alpins are at 8.6 and the Pilots at 8.4...
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+WS-50&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=05R6BZWS50
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+LM-22&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=05HR6BZLM22
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Arctic-Alpin&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=05R6AA
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Alpin&vehicleSearch=false&partnum=05R6PA

btw, szw, Costco told you that the Alpins are the best bang for the buck cause that's the BEST and ONLY winter tire they sell!!! (Besides the more expensive pilots) Goto Blaskin and Lane and they'll tell you that Blizaaks are the BEST winter tires you can buy with money (cause they're authorized dealer for Bridgestone). Then hop over to Kaltires and they'll tell you that they'll recommend nothing but the Nokian cause they're THE BEST winter tires on this earth! The bottom line is they're ALL MUCH MUCH better than ANY all season tires out there in snow/ice condition, so you can't go wrong with either one. It just comes down to your driving style. You want absolutely the best snow traction, get a regular snow tire like the WS50 or the Alpins, you'll have to scarfice some tread life in dry conditions (easily solved by putting the winter tires on ONLY if it's <0C outside and taking them off early May before it hits above 0C). But if you want absolute speed, cornering stability, etc in the winter months (not recomended anyways. just because you have winter tires doesnt mean you're invinsible... same thing goes with a 4x4...), then get the high performance winter tires like the LM22 and Pilots.

I've done extensive research on winter tires when I bought mine last year. I've personally decided on the WS50 based on my knowledge of what the tires can do and what I want them to do. I want them to keep my car from going out of control when the road gets bad and that's exactly what they did with flying colors.

For people who are interested in prices, I've been doing research on some winter tires for my friend's car. 195/65/15. WS50=$549 inst, mount, gst incl at Sears Auto. Alpins=$497 everything incl at Costco. 15" steelies are on sale at Crappy Tires for $45 each. Both Sears and Costco's sale will end on Nov 2, so get them while they last! Essay end.

[max_boost]

Hey SML, I have to agree with you on the WS50 Blizzaks, I was out driving tonight and these tires are absolutely amazing! I felt so safe, as if I was driving on summer roads!

Now I'm not too concerned with tread life, two winters and I'll be more than satisfied!:thumbsup:

[max_boost]

I rather drive my car with the WS50 instead of my dads AWD forester with all seasons!:tongue:

[4wheeldrift]

Originally posted by max_boost
I rather drive my car with the WS50 instead of my dads AWD forester with all seasons!:tongue: Bleah, the stock tires subaru uses are just god awful. No season tires is closer to the mark.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by 4wheeldrift
Bleah, the stock tires subaru uses are just god awful. No season tires is closer to the mark.

But you know what though? The Bridgestone Potenza RE92s are terrible on FWD Preludes but are ok on a AWD Impreza ........ its weird, AWD makes a world of difference.......

[HRD2PLZ]

Originally posted by max_boost


The Bridgestone Potenza RE92s are terrible on FWD Preludes

Those are the tires I have on the Accord. I didn't actually think they were all that bad. Especially compared to the Probe which had 225/50/16 all seasons :thumbsdow

I'll drive on them a few more times and see how comfortable I really am, I've never had snow tires on one of my vehicles before. We got snow tires on the Passat last year (snow tires+traction control+4Motion= one hella good winter car).

Maybe I'm just cheap :dunno: but then I have a good excuse to drive the Passat or MDX :D

[SuperG3]

Best prices in town is Country tire, give them a call 590-1521. They have pretty much every brand. They're prices are better than sears and blaskin's sale prices. Picked up a set of blizzak LM-22 and they are awesome.

[5gluder]

Originally posted by SuperG3
Best prices in town is Country tire, give them a call 590-1521. They have pretty much every brand. They're prices are better than sears and blaskin's sale prices. Picked up a set of blizzak LM-22 and they are awesome.

Thanks for the tip. Just called them and bought a set of the LM-22, I must have saved over $200 compared to the prices from Kal-Tire.

[girlRACER]

I was supposed to buy my tires a few weeks ago but left it till today so I went shopping today for tires for 4 hours! I've never learnt so much about tires ever. My goal was to buy the cheapest set of winter tires I could for my tires sizes (Front205/55-16, Rear 225/50-16). The options I had available to me were Michelin Arctic Alpins, Pilot Alpins, Blizzak's Z01, Blizzak's LM22, Yokohama AVS, and Goodyear Eagle Ice. Has anyone ever considered buying the Goodyears? Anyways, the guy at Fountain Tire showed me a news article comparing the different tires and how the Goodyears placed first. Then he explained to me the purpose of the different groove designs of the wheels and it was a pretty convincing story. Too bad...those were also the most expensive tires: $1000.00!! The Yokohama AVS are a fairly new High Performance tire and are really cheap at $720! I was going to buy them but they were out of stock.

Anyways, I learned the different ratings of the tires and what they mean:
'V' rated - can travel up to speeds of 240km/h
'HR' rated - can travel up to speeds of 210km/h
'Q' rated - can travel up to speeds of 160km/h

They said that for my car I needed HR rated tires for Winter (that 'V' rated tires are for summer driving) which was why they're so damn expensive. Anyways, I ended up buying a set of Michelin Pilot Alpins for $830 all inclusive at Speedy Auto. They were the cheapest place by far. Also, they were the tires I wanted in the first place since I saw an enticing advertisement with a Porsche 911 on the cover...hehe :D

Anyways, good luck winter tire shopping to those who haven't go theirs yet.

[schlong8]

Originally posted by max_boost


But you know what though? The Bridgestone Potenza RE92s are terrible on FWD Preludes but are ok on a AWD Impreza ........ its weird, AWD makes a world of difference.......

AWD means crap when u are trying to stop or brake. It is all in the tires, and an Impreza w/ stock tires in the snow will brake just as crappy as a prelude w/ their stock tires in the snow.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by schlong8


AWD means crap when u are trying to stop or brake. It is all in the tires, and an Impreza w/ stock tires in the snow will brake just as crappy as a prelude w/ their stock tires in the snow.

Maybe you just can't drive properly:nut:

And dude, go drive a 5th gen lude with Re92s and drive your impreza again, and then tell me if you still think AWD means crap

[2000impreza]

this is really really getting off topic. anyways tires stop your car. if your tires can't grip then your not going to stop. awd helps get traction from a stop where fwd and rwd vehicles spin their tires. with that siad RE92's are fine for winter. they ARE NOT total crap..... for the first 10 000km's anyways. lol. just don't over drive them.

[schlong8]

Originally posted by max_boost


Maybe you just can't drive properly:nut:

And dude, go drive a 5th gen lude with Re92s and drive your impreza again, and then tell me if you still think AWD means crap

Re-read what i posted and think again. U think stopping has ANYTHING to do w/ the drivetrain of a car? FWD, RWD or AWD....it doesn't matter when u are braking. It all relies on the traction of the TIRE. If u still think i'm wrong, then i'm not the one whose nuts. :rolleyes:

Drive an impreza, then drive a prelude w/ the exact same tires, and tell me if u don't stop in the same distance on snow travelling at the same speed.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by schlong8


Re-read what i posted and think again. U think stopping has ANYTHING to do w/ the drivetrain of a car? FWD, RWD or AWD....it doesn't matter when u are braking. It all relies on the traction of the TIRE. If u still think i'm wrong, then i'm not the one whose nuts. :rolleyes:

Drive an impreza, then drive a prelude w/ the exact same tires, and tell me if u don't stop in the same distance on snow travelling at the same speed.

To me, AWD makes a world of difference in the RE92 tires, I do know how tires work. I just read your post wrong. I'm focusing more on traction in stop and go traffic rather than braking. Cause that is the fundamental advantage of AWD and that is why I said AWD makes a world of difference even with the RE92 tires. You don't need to be stuck at every single dam intersection trying to move because your front or rear tires are spinning. People can't brake in time because they are driving too fast, simple. And last but not least, of course its the tires, why the fcuk would I go out and spend $500 on a new set of Blizzaks this winter.:rolleyes: :rofl: