Official 2016/17 winter tire thread

[speedog]

It's almost that time, saw some of that white shit hitting my truck's windshield Sunday afternoon up in Silver Springs and area.

[asp integra]

I have some Blizzak WS80's that were brand new last year to throw on. Still probably 85% so I will be good for a few more years. Probably won't throw them on till end of october/early november because the wheel/tire set up I am currently running has 'winter claw' winters on them which are pretty good in the snow.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I picked up some nordfrost gislaved last year. Currently rocking "performance all-seasons", so I'm not overtly worried, but I'll likely swap over sooner than later, since I can take another vehicle if it's too warm for winters.

[bh87]

I have a set of Nokian Hakka R2 SUV that I'll put on probably End of October/Beginning of November depending on weather, not too concerned about timing since I'm running Michelin All-Season's as Summer's

[G]

Does anybody have any good or bad experiences with the Chinese tire GT Radial Champiro WinterPro HP?

My Golf R has all wheel drive, so is it safe to assume these tires will able to handle going up and down the Bow Trail hill on the worse snowy days?

These tires are easily $400 cheaper than the exact same size tires made by Bridgestone and Michelin...price is just too tempting. Are the name brands that much better to justify almost twice the price?

I have Blizzaks on my Armada and its a tank in the winter. Are the Champiros comparable?

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

They'll be fine going up. Going down... Meh.

You still use all 4 tires to stop the car, regardless of AWD.

[mzdspd]

Originally posted by G
Does anybody have any good or bad experiences with the Chinese tire GT Radial Champiro WinterPro HP?

My Golf R has all wheel drive, so is it safe to assume these tires will able to handle going up and down the Bow Trail hill on the worse snowy days?

These tires are easily $400 cheaper than the exact same size tires made by Bridgestone and Michelin...price is just too tempting. Are the name brands that much better to justify almost twice the price?

I have Blizzaks on my Armada and its a tank in the winter. Are the Champiros comparable?

Check out Saliun Ice Blazer.. They are a chinese knock off of generals and they were really good last year. For an 18" (225/40/18) they were around 100 per tire. 110 for studded. A little floaty on the highway but thats it.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by G
Does anybody have any good or bad experiences with the Chinese tire GT Radial Champiro WinterPro HP?

My Golf R has all wheel drive, so is it safe to assume these tires will able to handle going up and down the Bow Trail hill on the worse snowy days?

These tires are easily $400 cheaper than the exact same size tires made by Bridgestone and Michelin...price is just too tempting. Are the name brands that much better to justify almost twice the price?

I have Blizzaks on my Armada and its a tank in the winter. Are the Champiros comparable?

Got them last year for my last season on the S4 to replaced the Blizzak LM-60. They did their jobs fine but we didn't really get a real winter last year either.

Given Golf R is a full 500lb lighter than S4, I'm sure it'll do fine. But I picked them last year because I know I won't own them this year. So YMMV.

[yipb]

Will be using WS80s I bought last year, only put on like 500 kms on them.. But I plan on getting Nokians next time I buy winter tires (probably 4 years later)

[max_boost]

Originally posted by G
Does anybody have any good or bad experiences with the Chinese tire GT Radial Champiro WinterPro HP?

My Golf R has all wheel drive, so is it safe to assume these tires will able to handle going up and down the Bow Trail hill on the worse snowy days?

These tires are easily $400 cheaper than the exact same size tires made by Bridgestone and Michelin...price is just too tempting. Are the name brands that much better to justify almost twice the price?

I have Blizzaks on my Armada and its a tank in the winter. Are the Champiros comparable?

what's the speed rating? are they marketed as performance or touring? some of the smaller names are pretty good but i am not sure about the chinese ones.

i've been riding hankook ipike w409/419 for years but last year i decided to switch to blizzak ws80. i'm sure the tread life is maybe 2/3 of michelin x-ice but for pure comfort/confidence/grip, it was straight out amazing. haha my gf has them on her fwd golf tsi and loves it. i rock them on my GLK 4matic and it's basically dummy proof.

ultimately it's up to you, baller.

[EF9 Sedan]

I sold my daily driver last year so I no longer had a "winter beater". My S2000 became my daily so I drove that through winter. Thankfully mother nature was nice last year so I didn't have ground clearance issues.

I bought a set of Toyo Garit KX tires and mounted them on another set of AP1 rims. To my surprise, the S2000 feels amazing in the snow. Never got stuck and never felt nervous driving in heavy snowfall.

[Minimalist]

For the second season in a row I'll be going with studded Nordfrost Gislaved and hoping for the most brutal winter in decades. Gotta snowboard.

[JohnnyHockey]

My 09 G37x sedan came with a set of brand new Hakkapalitta R's that the previous owner didn't put on last winter due to the mildness....should I use them, I'm just afraid of excess wear if we have another mild winter...

Anyone want to buy them off me? 225/55/17s..

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I have 225/45/17 Champiro Icepros with studs I kept from my ATS that are going on my STi, however that car likely will only make it to Ghost Lake and maybe some winter rally x up at Castrol. Have semi worn Duratracs on my 4Runner and I'm not looking forward to driving on those things this winter...

[killramos]

Still gonna rock the Conti RFT's on the BMW, probably target an October 1 swap over date. Would like better tires but can't justify it until i burn off this set. Starting to notice the loss of traction during the morning commute already.

Also need to start looking for some Rims/tire for the Lexus. Step one is rims so it looks like I need some 17x7-7.5s offset +30-45. ( I really have no idea how offset affects things... )

Anyone have experience with DAI Alloys? I have literally never bought aftermarket rims before.

As for tires probably goodyears again as my uncle can get them for me for next to nothing..

With AWD and all seasons i have a bit more time on this though.

edit:
Also does anyone have any info on Lexus TPMS, is it easily programmed these days and do they allow aftermarket sensors? Heard horror stories about toyota only sensors and needing the serial numbers off the sensors in advance of programming by the deal ( leading to costly dismounting charges to get things working ). Might consider going through winter without TPMS but i don't know how much the car will like that ( sirens / warnings etc ). I never used them on the toyota as the reset button was hidden somewhere in the dash.

[Kloubek]

Bought a set of 19" G37 wheels last spring. Some curb rash, but for $500 and the fact that it included Blizzaks (2X65%, 2X90%), I figured that was a good deal.

Refinished them and haven't had them on my car since. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how they look, as the colour is almost dead-on to my body colour.

http://www3.telus.net/kloubek/refinish1.jpg

Only negative is that the sensors are almost certainly of an older design so I'll have to ignore the tpms all winter.

[G]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf
They'll be fine going up. Going down... Meh.

You still use all 4 tires to stop the car, regardless of AWD.

Is this from first hand experience?



Originally posted by Xtrema


Got them last year for my last season on the S4 to replaced the Blizzak LM-60. They did their jobs fine but we didn't really get a real winter last year either.

Given Golf R is a full 500lb lighter than S4, I'm sure it'll do fine. But I picked them last year because I know I won't own them this year. So YMMV.

Thanks X.


Originally posted by max_boost


what's the speed rating? are they marketed as performance or touring? some of the smaller names are pretty good but i am not sure about the chinese ones.

i've been riding hankook ipike w409/419 for years but last year i decided to switch to blizzak ws80. i'm sure the tread life is maybe 2/3 of michelin x-ice but for pure comfort/confidence/grip, it was straight out amazing. haha my gf has them on her fwd golf tsi and loves it. i rock them on my GLK 4matic and it's basically dummy proof.

ultimately it's up to you, baller.

Gary at UrbanX said they are pretty equivalent to the ipikes and ice bears.

They have a h-v speed rating as they are advertised as winter tires for sports cars.

Fuck it I'm going to give it a try. If I don't like them I'll just replace them.

[schocker]

summers 4 lyfe! :burnout:

Will be going on winter #3 with my federals. They have been wearing pretty well too when I measure them instead of kaltire. :thumbsup:

:winter:

[ExtraSlow]

Wifes federals will last another winter. Guess I'd better call Bob to get them swapped onto the rims.
Savage Honda Fit has good studded tires. I will swap those at the last possible second in the garage, since that tick-tick-tick noise drives me insane.

[n1zm0]

One year old Hankook iPikes(that I wish I studded) ready to go on the winter beater.

(If anyone need some 205/65/15 X-ices for one or 2 more seasons, lmk, they're just sitting in storage. :thumbsup: super cheap Beyond price!)

[max_boost]

Originally posted by G



Fuck it I'm going to give it a try. If I don't like them I'll just replace them.
:bigpimp: :bigpimp: :bigpimp:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[bulaian]

Originally posted by n1zm0
One year old Hankook iPikes(that I wish I studded) ready to go on the winter beater.

(If anyone need some 205/65/15 X-ices for one or 2 more seasons, lmk, they're just sitting in storage. :thumbsup: super cheap Beyond price!)

Can't you still get them studded?

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by bulaian
Can't you still get them studded?

AFAIK the statement for places that do studding is that tires must be brand new, well that I've noticed.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by killramos


edit:
Also does anyone have any info on Lexus TPMS, is it easily programmed these days and do they allow aftermarket sensors? Heard horror stories about toyota only sensors and needing the serial numbers off the sensors in advance of programming by the deal ( leading to costly dismounting charges to get things working ). Might consider going through winter without TPMS but i don't know how much the car will like that ( sirens / warnings etc ). I never used them on the toyota as the reset button was hidden somewhere in the dash.

As far as I know for Toyota you can either run 2 sets of TPMS (get them reprogrammed every time you swap sets of wheels) or do what I did... I bought a set of 4 TPMS sensors and placed them in the spare tire and programmed them to the truck. After doing that I could swap wheels/tires as I chose.

[killramos]

Originally posted by A2VR6

As far as I know for Toyota you can either run 2 sets of TPMS (get them reprogrammed every time you swap sets of wheels) or do what I did... I bought a set of 4 TPMS sensors and placed them in the spare tire and programmed them to the truck. After doing that I could swap wheels/tires as I chose.

Took me a second to get your meaning there but...

I love it :rofl:

[G]

Originally posted by max_boost

:bigpimp: :bigpimp: :bigpimp:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Changed my mind and went with x-ice instead. I've been told that they may work well year 1 but subsequent years it's no better than an all season. This coming from the regional manager of Kal tire.

[s2k_boi]

Any opinions on Blizzak WS80 vs. Michelin X-ice vs. Nokian Happelita R2?

[mikey008]

Originally posted by s2k_boi
Any opinions on Blizzak WS80 vs. Michelin X-ice vs. Nokian Happelita R2?


Blizzak WS80 = good on snow (roads less likely plowed)

Michelin X-ice = good on ice (plowed roads...deerfoot w/ black ice)

Nokian Happelita = good on slushly wet roads

[whatthe]

Originally posted by s2k_boi
Any opinions on Blizzak WS80 vs. Michelin X-ice vs. Nokian Happelita R2?

I had a few Blizzak sets, ubt only loved them for the first season. The compound got more like an all-season towards the last half of the tread.

Michelin X-Ice - ended up with these on 3 different cars and they don't deserve the name x-ice IMO. They were 'ok' for the most part until it turned really cold. -15 and below days I couldn't stop worth beans.

Nokian - Good all around tire - no complaints. Price is the only drawback

Pirelli - wonderful on summery type roads for performance vehicle. horrendous on any amount or temperature of snow or ice...

General Altimax Artic - is what I use now and have used on my last several vehicles. They are studdable (only advantage is ice), and seem to work as good or better than the nokians. Canadian Tire has had a sale on them near the start of the season every single year for about 30% off. I would be surprised if they stopped now and for the price haven't found anything I've liked better. The sidewalls are a bit soft though, so don't expect it to handle awesome and sizes can be a bit limited. I ended up going down to 17s and larger sidewall to put them on my 335

[tha_bandit]

Anybody have experiences with Hankook iPikes (RSV/RC01)? The Gislaved Nordfrost 5's that I ran for the last 2 winters were pretty good. Let them go with the car when it sold though.

[rollinv4l]

Has anyone use the brand zeta Antarctica winter tires if so how are they.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by tha_bandit
Anybody have experiences with Hankook iPikes (RSV/RC01)? The Gislaved Nordfrost 5's that I ran for the last 2 winters were pretty good. Let them go with the car when it sold though.

Pretty good if studded, if not they are just ok... Not the best I've used for sure.

[Sorath]

Blizzaks DMV-1 on the MDVan
Studded Hakka 8 on VanR

[JohnnyHockey]

Curious on your guys' opinions...how much tread left before winters lose their effectiveness?

I went and looked at our tires last night. Apparently my Hakka R2s aren't actually brand new, there's about 8mm left and my wife's iPikes have about 7mm left...not looking forward to paying $$ to replace these any time soon, I've been reading in the UK, it's the law to replace with 4mm left, so based on that I should get another 1-2 winters? I asked my wife and she said her commute to work does not include and hills, mine doesn't either, we'll be commuting from Airdrie, just worried about the days where the DF is covered in fresh ice/snow...I've also read that certain tires like the Blizzaks use up the winter tire compound after a certain tread depth..

[JohnnyHockey]

Originally posted by tha_bandit
Anybody have experiences with Hankook iPikes (RSV/RC01)? The Gislaved Nordfrost 5's that I ran for the last 2 winters were pretty good. Let them go with the car when it sold though.

My wife had these iPikes on her Beetle for the last 2 winters, they seem fine but she says she has problems going up hills (probably because she's trying to floor it) she has about 7mm left on them and last winter she had a dicy time coming down a hill but so was every else, it was pure ice, other than that, it seemed fine when I drove it.

[a social dsease]

Hakka R (no studs) on my WRX, Hakka 8 (studded) on the wife's Honda Fit. Bring on the snow!

[tha_bandit]

Originally posted by A2VR6


Pretty good if studded, if not they are just ok... Not the best I've used for sure.

Yea i didnt think so, as long as they are somewhat ok.


Originally posted by JohnnyHockey


My wife had these iPikes on her Beetle for the last 2 winters, they seem fine but she says she has problems going up hills (probably because she's trying to floor it) she has about 7mm left on them and last winter she had a dicy time coming down a hill but so was every else, it was pure ice, other than that, it seemed fine when I drove it.

Good to hear, mine are about 8-9mm left, should be ok for this season anyway. WS80's on the wife's car, ready to go.

[sxtasy]

I'll be running studded hankook Ipikes on the Sierra and awd Terrain. Great set of tires

[saiyajin]

Originally posted by rollinv4l
Has anyone use the brand zeta Antarctica winter tires if so how are they.

any feedback on this? UrbanX doesn't carry the Himalayas anymore and these are their replacement so curious if anyone had experience with them :nut:

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

If anyone has some brand new 16" studdable winter tires they want to offload, I need some ice racing tires to shove cheater studs into.

[Mostwanted]

Been Running General Arctic Altimax Studded tires on my 4Runner!
First year was last year, definitely going to keep this. I chose to stud since I drive a lot in the highways back and forth out of the city etc.

Never had to use 4x4 the entire winter, besides those times i went into really deep snow and tried to get stuck ( i was testing the tires).

Highway on dry pavement it wonders a bit, maybe because of the studs.Drove 4 hours each way from Calgary to work vice versa, every weekend, only had 1 time and the road was pure ice north of red deer.

Deep or Light snow = 9/10
Ice or black ice = 8/10
Dry pavement (highways) = 8.5/10
Dry pavement (city) = 9.5/10
Price = 10/10

Its a little loud because of the studded tires but i like the piece of mind I will vouch for this tire all the way. I was going to get Hakkas r2's but was sucked into getting the altimax because i was low in funds, and I wont look back.

Hakks 7s studded on my corolla was awesome though! :poosie:

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by Mostwanted
Been Running General Arctic Altimax Studded tires on my 4Runner!
First year was last year, definitely going to keep this. I chose to stud since I drive a lot in the highways back and forth out of the city etc.

Never had to use 4x4 the entire winter, besides those times i went into really deep snow and tried to get stuck ( i was testing the tires).

Highway on dry pavement it wonders a bit, maybe because of the studs.Drove 4 hours each way from Calgary to work vice versa, every weekend, only had 1 time and the road was pure ice north of red deer.

Deep or Light snow = 9/10
Ice or black ice = 8/10
Dry pavement (highways) = 8.5/10
Dry pavement (city) = 9.5/10
Price = 10/10

Its a little loud because of the studded tires but i like the piece of mind I will vouch for this tire all the way. I was going to get Hakkas r2's but was sucked into getting the altimax because i was low in funds, and I wont look back.

Hakks 7s studded on my corolla was awesome though! :poosie:

Hakka 8s came with my third gen 4Runner and I'm pinching them for my 4th gen I replaced them with! They are fun on ghost lake.

I have a wheel and tire problem, I have three sets already for my car and two for my truck.

[Mostwanted]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


Hakka 8s came with my third gen 4Runner and I'm pinching them for my 4th gen I replaced them with! They are fun on ghost lake.

I have a wheel and tire problem, I have three sets already for my car and two for my truck.

For some reason when i was first looking for winter tires for my 4runner they kept saying they didnt have the hakka 8s in my size, which sucked cause the Hakkas 7s were so good in my corolla, but im kinda of glad that it didnt happen or I wouldnt have found out about these general Arctics

[TYMSMNY]

Running Blizzak DMV2, not too many choices out there. Had WS60s back in the day on an IS350 and it sucked balls. Hope these ones don't disappoint!

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


Hakka 8s came with my third gen 4Runner and I'm pinching them for my 4th gen I replaced them with! They are fun on ghost lake.

I have a wheel and tire problem, I have three sets already for my car and two for my truck.

You're welcome. Jerk.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf


You're welcome. Jerk.

Whoa whoa whoa why am I a jerk? So far everything has been out of my control with that truck since June.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by mikey008
Blizzak WS80 = good on snow (roads less likely plowed)


What's the WS80 verdict with icy conditions, Costco has a decent sale on them until Oct 1st, tempting to just pull the trigger on them for a new vehicle, get it all done before the late Oct-Dec rush.


Originally posted by tha_bandit
Anybody have experiences with Hankook iPikes (RSV/RC01)?

I had RC01s on my previous car, only one season on them but I found them to be pretty good for all conditions, most of my commute is deerfoot from glenmore to McKnight, faired pretty well on even the worst days. Again only one winter's worth of experience on a brand new set. I would've bought another set for my new car and studded but they don't sell the size I need @ crappy tire.

[cet]

I just picked up a set of Toyo Observe G3 Ice with studs from Bob for my Focus. I'm excited to try them out

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by n1zm0


What's the WS80 verdict with icy conditions, Costco has a decent sale on them until Oct 1st, tempting to just pull the trigger on them for a new vehicle, get it all done before the late Oct-Dec rush.



I had RC01s on my previous car, only one season on them but I found them to be pretty good for all conditions, most of my commute is deerfoot from glenmore to McKnight, faired pretty well on even the worst days. Again only one winter's worth of experience on a brand new set. I would've bought another set for my new car and studded but they don't sell the size I need @ crappy tire.

I drove a 2015 STi on Ghost Lake with fresh WS80s last winter and it was surprisingly grippy. Thumbs up from me.

[94boosted]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
I have 225/45/17 Champiro Icepros with studs I kept from my ATS that are going on my STi, however that car likely will only make it to Ghost Lake and maybe some winter rally x up at Castrol. Have semi worn Duratracs on my 4Runner and I'm not looking forward to driving on those things this winter...

Did you ever compare which of the cheap studdable winters have the highest stud count? I'm going to grab a set of either Westlake SW606, Sailun Ice Blazer WST1 or the Champiro Icepros or other comparable cheap winters depending on which has the highest stud count.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by 94boosted


Did you ever compare which of the cheap studdable winters have the highest stud count? I'm going to grab a set of either Westlake SW606, Sailun Ice Blazer WST1 or the Champiro Icepros or other comparable cheap winters depending on which has the highest stud count.

I believe they Sailuns have the highest count but don't quote me on that.

[civic_stylez]

For my '14 Ram 1500 I wanted something that was good for the city and back roads with deep snow... I had never heard of Delinte tires before (same umbrella as Sentury tires). Chinese made tire. Was blown away with the performance and ride quality on a truck. I have used, Toyo GSI5, BFG winter slaloms, Kumho winters and these perform just as good as all of them. Studdable as well ( i did not stud mine) but on ice they are solid and in snow they are amazing. Did the icy street test up to 60 and pulled the wheel left and right to try to get the back end to come loose. Gripped the ice REALLY well. If you have a truck or SUV, you cant beat the price. I was making fun of them before i put them on last year but I would gladly buy these again. Picked mine up at Tunerworks.

http://delintetires.com/2016/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wd42-3-4.jpg

[nickyh]

stepping in here.

I'm currently running my GTI on 17's WS70's for the winter, this would be my 5th winter on them and I still have a ton of tread life left on them - but I really hate how they under perform in the winter.

Straight line, stopping - great, hills - subpar, left / right turns - sketchy. My GTI is what I like to call tail happy.
I drive manual and i've learned how my car handles over the winters and while I can predict where my back end may wiggle, it's not something I enjoy experiencing. It's even taken my husband my surprise a few times.


So, I'm looking at getting Hakka R2s this year, but this is my dilemma.

I am looking to replace my car either this spring or next spring, so I'm looking at either a Golf R or an Audi S3. I want to get 18's on the Hakka so I have rims / tires for down the line instead of buying this year and having to buy again in another year or two.
Looking at the Kaltire tire searcher, they don't carry Hakka's in 18's for either the R or the S3? They only turned up Yokohama in the search tool.

What tire / rim size would work for either vehicle, and with my current GTI? Is there such a thing?
I could spend some time googling this, but i figure there is a wealth of knowledge here I can ask.

I really don't want to suck it up and deal with my WS70's for one more season.

[killramos]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a103/killramos/25E686BA-59CA-4D1A-A9BF-02E65E84B2A4.jpg

Got mine swapped over last night. Ended up going with a set of cheap DAI Targets that look pretty great, nice clean look that could easily be oem. As for tires they are wrapped in Dunlop Minter Maxx SJ8's. Should do perfect for a little awd SUV in the city. End of the day with full Lexus TPMS ~1600 bucks installed, stupid sensors were a huge chunk of the price. Pretty happy there.

Now just to pick up some Lexus wheel caps :D

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Originally posted by nickyh
stepping in here.

I'm currently running my GTI on 17's WS70's for the winter, this would be my 5th winter on them and I still have a ton of tread life left on them - but I really hate how they under perform in the winter.

Straight line, stopping - great, hills - subpar, left / right turns - sketchy. My GTI is what I like to call tail happy.
I drive manual and i've learned how my car handles over the winters and while I can predict where my back end may wiggle, it's not something I enjoy experiencing. It's even taken my husband my surprise a few times.


So, I'm looking at getting Hakka R2s this year, but this is my dilemma.

I am looking to replace my car either this spring or next spring, so I'm looking at either a Golf R or an Audi S3. I want to get 18's on the Hakka so I have rims / tires for down the line instead of buying this year and having to buy again in another year or two.
Looking at the Kaltire tire searcher, they don't carry Hakka's in 18's for either the R or the S3? They only turned up Yokohama in the search tool.

What tire / rim size would work for either vehicle, and with my current GTI? Is there such a thing?
I could spend some time googling this, but i figure there is a wealth of knowledge here I can ask.

I really don't want to suck it up and deal with my WS70's for one more season.

On the MK7 FB group, a few have mentioned that there are 17" wheels out there that will clear the R brakes.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?&autoMake=Volkswagen&autoModel=Golf+R&autoYear=2016&autoModClar=

[nickyh]

Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf


On the MK7 FB group, a few have mentioned that there are 17" wheels out there that will clear the R brakes.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?&autoMake=Volkswagen&autoModel=Golf+R&autoYear=2016&autoModClar=

It's dicey though. I've seen on vortex some are running 17s on their S3 as well, but those damn brakes need to be cleared.

[RX_EVOLV]

Sorry this is a silly question,but last year when costco swapped out the winter tires on the GLK they broke one of the lug nut. IT came with a set of rims I got off kijiji but it's not standard Mercedes nuts. Is it possible to just buy 1 replacement lug nut? if so, what's the best place to find them?

[roopi]

Same tires as summer (All-Seasons) :drama:

[gpomp]

Originally posted by nickyh
stepping in here.

I'm currently running my GTI on 17's WS70's for the winter, this would be my 5th winter on them and I still have a ton of tread life left on them - but I really hate how they under perform in the winter.

Straight line, stopping - great, hills - subpar, left / right turns - sketchy. My GTI is what I like to call tail happy.
I drive manual and i've learned how my car handles over the winters and while I can predict where my back end may wiggle, it's not something I enjoy experiencing. It's even taken my husband my surprise a few times.


So, I'm looking at getting Hakka R2s this year, but this is my dilemma.

I am looking to replace my car either this spring or next spring, so I'm looking at either a Golf R or an Audi S3. I want to get 18's on the Hakka so I have rims / tires for down the line instead of buying this year and having to buy again in another year or two.
Looking at the Kaltire tire searcher, they don't carry Hakka's in 18's for either the R or the S3? They only turned up Yokohama in the search tool.

What tire / rim size would work for either vehicle, and with my current GTI? Is there such a thing?
I could spend some time googling this, but i figure there is a wealth of knowledge here I can ask.

I really don't want to suck it up and deal with my WS70's for one more season. Studded tires will change your life.

17's will fit the GTI, R, and S3. DAI or Replika make direct fit wheels for you. 225/45R17 is the correct size for the Golf R.

https://www.replika.ca/categories.aspx?v=volkswagen_2016_golf_r-r_s

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

If you have a chance to get to Ghost Lake and sample studded vs non studded tires this winter, I highly recommend it.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by n1zm0


What's the WS80 verdict with icy conditions, Costco has a decent sale on them until Oct 1st, tempting to just pull the trigger on them for a new vehicle, get it all done before the late Oct-Dec rush.

Got them on the GLK and Golf. Absolutely love these tires. Last year first snowfall drove to SpringBank for hockey through highway 8. It felt so good.


Originally posted by nickyh
stepping in here.

I'm currently running my GTI on 17's WS70's for the winter, this would be my 5th winter on them and I still have a ton of tread life left on them - but I really hate how they under perform in the winter.
Interesting....I'm a huge fan of the Blizzaks. I had the WS50 and using WS80. Zero issues from me.

[NoPulp]

Going to run the same all seasons on the truck again this year, they do well.

If Barons ICE-X gets the green light this year I'll be looking for winter tires for the track mustang :D Have some 16" wheels on a parts car that will work perfect for some winter wheels. Should I go studded or non studded? Looking for used since I'll only be using them for racing, I only see non studded come up in Lethbridge. I'll have to check width of the wheels, but I think I want 225/55/16 or 215/60/16.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by max_boost



Interesting....I'm a huge fan of the Blizzaks. I had the WS50 and using WS80. Zero issues from me.

Yeah, i had high hopes for these tires. I was told my car would be as sure footed as a mountain goat. My goat must have missed that memo.

So my current set up is:
225/45/17 on an ASA GT1 wheel (17 x 8, with a 45mm offset).

Now, will that wheel work?

[GingeRRRBeef]

Originally posted by nickyh


Yeah, i had high hopes for these tires. I was told my car would be as sure footed as a mountain goat. My goat must have missed that memo.

So my current set up is:
225/45/17 on an ASA GT1 wheel (17 x 8, with a 45mm offset).

Now, will that wheel work?

I have a MK7R and I went with 18x8 with 225/45R18 Gislaveds. You can go with 17s but the overall consensus is you're better off going with 18s.

Does your GTI have the PP? If so, they are the same brakes as the R. So if your 17s fit now, they should fit the R no problem.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by GingeRRRBeef


Does your GTI have the PP? If so, they are the same brakes as the R. So if your 17s fit now, they should fit the R no problem.

PP?
Sorry not up with lingo.

My summer wheels are the stock 18" Serrons, I just went -1 for the winter.

[GingeRRRBeef]

Originally posted by nickyh


PP?
Sorry not up with lingo.

My summer wheels are the stock 18" Serrons, I just went -1 for the winter.

PP = Performance package

Not all 17" rims are going to clear the R's brakes so it's not guaranteed that -1" will fit

EDIT: Nevermind, I see your GTI is a 2012 so I'm unsure the performance package is relevant

[nickyh]

Ugh, I'll just bite the bullet and get 18's. I'll just sell my current setup, it should at least cover the cost of new wheels.

[MalibuStacy]

I actually have no real choice but to switch. My beater Taurus I bought for a $1 came with a shit set of summers and a set of winters. Normally I would have all seasons.

I still think most of you like throwing money away...just a reminder we didn't even break 70 centimeters last year of total snow...

[ShermanEF9]

Originally posted by MalibuStacy
I actually have no real choice but to switch. My beater Taurus I bought for a $1 came with a shit set of summers and a set of winters. Normally I would have all seasons.

I still think most of you like throwing money away...just a reminder we didn't even break 70 centimeters last year of total snow...

Neat. It was still cold as fuck. Driving on hockey pucks isn't the best time. Winter tires aren't just for snow..

That being said I'm rocking my ko2s on the truck again this year. I was very happy with the performance last year.

[g-m]

Some of us actually leave the city and do more highway driving in the winter than the summer. I know I regularly drive through blizzards.

New car came with WS80s and I was very unimpressed last year. Now Hakka 8s 245/40/18s. I loved the studded altimax arctic but they didn't come in this size

[dubhead]

Recently bought a Canyon what are your guys recommendations for winter truck tires that will be spending alot of time on the highway and lots of mountain and QEII driving

[schocker]

Better snow like ten feet tomorrow after struggling those winter tires down from the rack. :rofl:

[tirebob]

So like usual, all over the map with varying experiences on the same products... lol!

The wifes old 90's Patherfinder on WS80's last year ran great on the ice and snow the few times we actually had to deal with it. I have been running Studded Firestone Winterforces on my 2wd trucks the last many years as they work great as an all arounder for lighter, rwd applications in deep snow and on ice, but they are not on for their handling prowess! Haha!

If there was one tire that was better than all tires in every regard, there would only be one tire. Because we all have different needs, budgets, preferences, vehicles etc you will never get any group of people who can agree. You need to look at the physical design and attributes of a tire and know what aspects make them different to know how that will apply to your own specific set of needs. Not knocking anyone here but an individuals set of experiences on a forum is not always enough to go on when knowing how a tire will behave for you and online reviews are sketchy at very best thanks to paid marketers (and people who know no better)

You really need to ask questions about how you drive, what you drive where you drive, what is your budget, and a whole lot more, and then find an honest professional you trust to walk you through the benefits and drawbacks of the individual products and conform those around the answers to the previous questions as best as possible, understanding what you are willing to give up to gain what you must have...

This years rant/lesson hs been completed... Now back to work! Lol

[civic_stylez]

Originally posted by tirebob
So like usual, all over the map with varying experiences on the same products... lol!

The wifes old 90's Patherfinder on WS80's last year ran great on the ice and snow the few times we actually had to deal with it. I have been running Studded Firestone Winterforces on my 2wd trucks the last many years as they work great as an all arounder for lighter, rwd applications in deep snow and on ice, but they are not on for their handling prowess! Haha!

If there was one tire that was better than all tires in every regard, there would only be one tire. Because we all have different needs, budgets, preferences, vehicles etc you will never get any group of people who can agree. You need to look at the physical design and attributes of a tire and know what aspects make them different to know how that will apply to your own specific set of needs. Not knocking anyone here but an individuals set of experiences on a forum is not always enough to go on when knowing how a tire will behave for you and online reviews are sketchy at very best thanks to paid marketers (and people who know no better)

You really need to ask questions about how you drive, what you drive where you drive, what is your budget, and a whole lot more, and then find an honest professional you trust to walk you through the benefits and drawbacks of the individual products and conform those around the answers to the previous questions as best as possible, understanding what you are willing to give up to gain what you must have...

This years rant/lesson hs been completed... Now back to work! Lol

TRUTH!!!

Always have people saying that they want the "best" tire. That is completely dependent on where you are, how you drive and what you drive. Reviews are also a good and bad thing. Reviews rarely show the type of driving conditions and if the person reviewing even has a clue how to drive anyways. Every year I have several in depth conversations with people requesting the "best" winter tire with no regard of what the best tire is for them personally.

[Squishy]

It's snowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and I still have bald summer tires on the evo.... Getting home should be interesting!

[flipstah]

I wonder if the snow will stick and settle, or just melt away.

[Chester]

Melt, me thinks.

[jabjab]

Originally posted by Squishy
It's snowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and I still have bald summer tires on the evo.... Getting home should be interesting!

Should be fine, it will melt and temps will stay above zero for the most part

[cet]

I'm hoping it melts. It's supposed to go to 15 again next week so I don't want to change to winters just yet

[Squishy]

Bridge decks were very slippery tonight. We went to and from Crossfield and yikes. Cars in ditches all over. Bad accident in Airdrie. Looked dry but was very slippery.

[J-D]

First time looking into winters, and I have a stupid question but I'm finding it impossible to find anyone on the net with some proper knowledge on this.

Have a 2013 Altima, bought a set of rims to put some winters on. Is there a reasonably priced tool that will let me either:

A) Read the OEM TPMS IDs from my current wheels and program that into some new sensors

or

B) Reprogram the TPMS IDs the car is looking for?

[G]

You need to use a programming tool that allows the car to learn your new tires pressure monitors. It's a pain in the arse every time I switch over.

[dubhead]

Originally posted by G
You need to use a programming tool that allows the car to learn your new tires pressure monitors. It's a pain in the arse every time I switch over.

Also new to this TPMS game.

What is the disadvantage of just going with no TPMS sensors besides having a constant low tire pressure warning?

Would the system remember the TPMS sensor on my summer set?

[jwslam]

Originally posted by dubhead
Also new to this TPMS game.

What is the disadvantage of just going with no TPMS sensors besides having a constant low tire pressure warning?

Would the system remember the TPMS sensor on my summer set?
On my Honda:
Not a warning; an error shows up.
It doesn't let me disable VSA so then sometimes I get stuck because I can't apply power due to detected slippage.
Yes it does remember the summer setting

[94boosted]

Originally posted by jwslam

On my Honda:
Not a warning; an error shows up.
It doesn't let me disable VSA so then sometimes I get stuck because I can't apply power due to detected slippage.
Yes it does remember the summer setting


:werd:

That's usually the largest issue is that you can't disable traction/stability control.

[s2k_boi]

Originally posted by dubhead


Also new to this TPMS game.

What is the disadvantage of just going with no TPMS sensors besides having a constant low tire pressure warning?

Would the system remember the TPMS sensor on my summer set?

Just like the above. My wife's car disables the vsa / traction control and it actually has an annoying beeping at you (just like when you don't wear your seat belt and drive off). Her car requires reprogramming every time.

For my car - it's a self learn TPMS system. So I can swap between the winters and summers without an issue.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Mine also swaps between summer/winters without issue.

[msommers]

Any opinions on the Toyo GSI-5?

[max_boost]

^^^ online reviews are pretty good and they were recommended by Integra Tire as well.

I opted for Blizzak WS80 but the Toyo and Michelin X-ice were on my list.

[max_boost]

FWIW msommers: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=193

[killramos]

:love: :love: :love: at BMW not using TPMS any more ( at least in my car )

My uncles shop has a lexus TPMS programming tool so thats what i used for the wife's car

[msommers]

Thanks Sam :thumbsup:

[civic_stylez]

Originally posted by msommers
Any opinions on the Toyo GSI-5?

Ran them on my Jeep for a few years. Great tire, nice ride quality as well. Performed excellent in deep snow. Had them out in Waiparous winter roading as well. :D

[IggyB]

Heres a big Thank You to Gary and Cort at UrbanX for putting some Blizzak DM-V2's on the 4Runner.

[pga]

Originally posted by IggyB
Heres a big Thank You to Gary and Cort at UrbanX for putting some Blizzak DM-V2's on the 4Runner.

How do you like their work? I need my winter tires mounted on my wheels. Shopping for a tire shop. Are they based in the north?

Do you mind to share how much they charge for the mounting?

[ExtraSlow]

Urban Expressions has three locations. I have used the "north" one at 1303 44 Avenue NE several times over the last four years, and I have always been happy with the quality of the work and the entire experience.

[blownz]

Originally posted by killramos
:love: :love: :love: at BMW not using TPMS any more ( at least in my car )

I had an 06, 09, then 11 BMW's and none of them used TPMS yet all monitored tire pressure (based on wheel rpm iirc) and I loved that. Could never understand why everyone doesn't do that.


Back on the topic of winter tires, both of my vehicles are on Nokian Hakka 8's now. I had the 7's on my last car and planned on going to 8's as I liked them, but my wife's suv had the 7's and I didn't like the damage the studs did to my garage floor so I wasn't going to get them again. But turns out she loves them and insisted so Hakka 8's for her too.

Big fan of them, but the price is a bit high for 20's on an SUV.

[asp integra]

Originally posted by pga


How do you like their work? I need my winter tires mounted on my wheels. Shopping for a tire shop. Are they based in the north?

Do you mind to share how much they charge for the mounting?

All the guys at Urban X are great. I always go to Cort and Gary in the East, but Bob in the North is also amazing. Check them out first before going to another tire place.

[IggyB]

Originally posted by pga


How do you like their work? I need my winter tires mounted on my wheels. Shopping for a tire shop. Are they based in the north?

Do you mind to share how much they charge for the mounting?

This location is on the corner of Glenmore and Barlow.

I've been going there for the past 4 years. Prices are good and workmanship is above the rest.

They have a road force balancer. Lug nuts are put on by hand and then torqued down instead of using an impact gun to fuse the stud and nut into one chunk of metal.

I don't know how much mounting is.

[tha_bandit]

Originally posted by killramos

Got mine swapped over last night. Ended up going with a set of cheap DAI Targets that look pretty great, nice clean look that could easily be oem.

Same rims as me :thumbsup: