Any Winter Tire Better Than No Winter Tire?

[Weapon_R]

Any opinions on the comment above?

I have some decent all seasons, but i'm going to purchase some winter tires for this year. I want to know whether ANY winter tire should be better than an all season tire, or if there are specific brands/models that I should stay away from.

[QuasarCav]

As a rule of thumb: The best all season is not as good as the worst winter.

Nothing touches them for snow/ice traction.

[tirebob]

What he said ^^^!

Absolutely, any winter tire is better than an all season, and if anyone says otherwise, they just do not know or understand the technology today...

Anyone can move around on a set of all seasons, but the one day that you have to pull an emergency manuever such as a fast brake, or swerving around some idiot who cuts you off etc, and the road is icy or snowy, this is when you will "KNOW" the difference between an all season and a winter tire.

[ZorroAMG]

Yep, the R&D regarding rubber compounds and tread design ain't for nothin'!

I will never go back to all season (given my rims it's not an option, but still..) even if I own an SUV, I'll do a tire swap....

[Khyron]

Argh. My stock 15s still have decent all seasons with tons of tread left - don't really want to replace them with winters until they are worn out. But everything I read says I should (especially since I commute daily now). Do tire stores buy the mildly used tires back?

Khyron

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Khyron
Argh. My stock 15s still have decent all seasons with tons of tread left - don't really want to replace them with winters until they are worn out. But everything I read says I should (especially since I commute daily now). Do tire stores buy the mildly used tires back?

Khyron Many stores will buy good used tires, but you will take a big hit on the cost because they need to resell them for a decent profit. I would keep them as they are worth a lot more money to you than they are to them...

[bol]

What about tread depth? My winters are getting close to the wear bars on the rears. Should I be replacing them or will I be alright? I'm wondering if they'll be better on the rear or on the front... i'll ahve to play around.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by bol
What about tread depth? My winters are getting close to the wear bars on the rears. Should I be replacing them or will I be alright? I'm wondering if they'll be better on the rear or on the front... i'll ahve to play around. I replace my winters at half tread, but I have the luxury of getting them extra cheap! ;)

Realistcally, a tire loses a lot of its digging ability at half tread. They just don't have as much room for the water/snow etc to go as the tread wears down. I wouldn't start the winter season on a tire that is near the wearbars for sure, but if they were there towards the end of winter, I would just keep them on through the summer until they were worn out...

Some winter tires only have the real winter rubber compounding for the first half of the tire as well. This is not true however of "most brands...

[Moe Man]

any winter tire will do the job but there is good and bad winter tires, take my advice if you are going to get winter tires go with nokian, no winter tire even comes close to nokians and they are priced the same :thumbsup:

[max_boost]

WeaponR, Winter tires should be really cheap for your application.

I wonder how good those winter tires from Canadian Tire are?

For this year I'm going to try out the Kumho KW17s

[djfob]

Originally posted by max_boost
WeaponR, Winter tires should be really cheap for your application.

I wonder how good those winter tires from Canadian Tire are?

For this year I'm going to try out the Kumho KW17s

I have the crappy tire nordic icetrac.......they seem pretty good for the price.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by max_boost
WeaponR, Winter tires should be really cheap for your application.

I wonder how good those winter tires from Canadian Tire are?

For this year I'm going to try out the Kumho KW17s

Bingo - I just need some 185/14's or something like that. I think My Tires has some for about 50 bux a tire...seems really reasonable

[sillyd]

Look at Semprit sportgrip/icegrip tires. I liked these better than the kumhos

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Moe Man
any winter tire will do the job but there is good and bad winter tires, take my advice if you are going to get winter tires go with nokian, no winter tire even comes close to nokians and they are priced the same :thumbsup: There is no one tire that suits everybodies individual needs. Everyone is looking for a different set of qualities which will make one tire more appealing than another...

Yes there are many people who like the Nokian, but I have many customers who were very disappointed with them as well. It doesn't mean it is a bad or good tire. If you want the most extreme of ice traction and you are willing to give up wear, there are tires that will do that. If you want to retain better dry/wet weather handling and braking ability because you are aggressive, and are willing to have a bit less extreme ice/snow traction to get it, then there are other tires that will suit you better. If you don't have a lot of money but still want to increase your safety, then we would look elsewhere again... Etc, etc, etc...

It is easy to say that "such and such" tire is the only one to use, but it just ain't so, and if you want to find out what tire is right for you, it takes some research, and if a tireshop tells you what is best without taking the time to find out what your exact needs are, then they probably are selling you what is best for "them" and not for you. Ask lots of questions until you find a salesman that actually has your best interests at heart...

Bob Blakeborough
[email protected]
403.29.1578
800.661.2538

[Moe Man]

Originally posted by CMSbob
There is no one tire that suits everybodies individual needs. Everyone is looking for a different set of qualities which will make one tire more appealing than another...

Yes there are many people who like the Nokian, but I have many customers who were very disappointed with them as well. It doesn't mean it is a bad or good tire. If you want the most extreme of ice traction and you are willing to give up wear, there are tires that will do that. If you want to retain better dry/wet weather handling and braking ability because you are aggressive, and are willing to have a bit less extreme ice/snow traction to get it, then there are other tires that will suit you better. If you don't have a lot of money but still want to increase your safety, then we would look elsewhere again... Etc, etc, etc...

It is easy to say that "such and such" tire is the only one to use, but it just ain't so, and if you want to find out what tire is right for you, it takes some research, and if a tireshop tells you what is best without taking the time to find out what your exact needs are, then they probably are selling you what is best for "them" and not for you. Ask lots of questions until you find a salesman that actually has your best interests at heart...

Bob Blakeborough
[email protected]
403.29.1578
800.661.2538

i am talking overall winter tire. i am a salesmen too and i think i know my tires. i am saying these tires are good because i have done my research and nokian is at the top of my list.......i dont know where you work but, nokian only deals with Kal Tire, so i dont know how you are getting customers that are returning a tire that you dont even sell?

[tirebob]

Moe Man - I am really not looking to question your knowledge or integrity. I am just stating facts based on my experience.

As you can see from the majority of my posts, I work at Contemporary Motorsports in Calgary. In the last 18 years of working exclusively in the tire/wheel industry, I have done almost every job possible starting at the bottom, working my way up, including sales at both the retail and wholesale levels, business managment, consulting for and appearing on industry related news segments as well as Driving Television. I have also contributed to articles for both newspaper and magazine, and moderate many major automobile based forums. I can keep going but there is no point. If you do some research, you will find that I have an excellent reputation and I work very hard to keep it.

I apologize if it seems like I am blowing my own horn, because that is not my intention. I just think that if you want to know where I came up with my opinion, you need to know where I come from, and that I am not just a flunky who is trying to juice sales.

While I do not work for Kal Tire (yes I am well aware that they are the exclusive distributor of Nokian in western Canada), you would probably be surprised to find out how many people I have sent to your company to buy these exact tires, "after" their needs were assessed and we mutually determined that it was the best choice for what they were looking for. See, I do talk with many customers who have used, or still do use, the Nokian for there winter tires, and I take every chance I get to talk with all my customers to get their real life feedback on "whatever" product is on their vehicles, whether it is positive or negative. And when they need something, if I don't have what is best for them, I point them in the direction they need to go.

Now as for your opinion on Nokian, I never once said that it is a bad tire... just that while their are people like them, there are also people who are less than satisfied. This same thing can be said for every brand of tire. If there was only one tire in the world that was perfect for every single person, there would only be one tire in the world.


The point is, how can a salesman tell someone that the "only" tire to use is "such and such" brand without ever finding out what that persons individual needs are? A salesman needs to ask questions before they can make an honest recommendation. Sure a person can state personal experiences, but until there is some background and details, how is someone able to know what is best for someone else?

Anyways, I am not wanting to start a pi$$ing match or anything of the like, but I do stand by my posts and am fully willing and able to discuss and defend them in detail. This was not a comment at you personally, but more a reflection on the industry as a whole. If more of us would take the time to learn about our customers needs, things would be a lot better for the entire industry.

Bob Blakeborough
[email protected]
800.661.2538 toll free
403.291.1578 local

[Moe Man]

ya man i agree with all of that we just think a little different, no problem :thumbsup:

[tireman]

ANY TESTING ON WHICH SNOW TIRES ARE THE BEST

[tirebob]

I am sure there are manufacturers tests, but in my experience, whichever company does the tests, their own tire always seems to end up on top! LOL!

Consumer reports, which is about as unbiased as a consumer can access, did test winters in the Nov 2002 issue, in which Kumho faired number 1 in the Q rated catagory, but I only put so much stock in these tests. Yes it gives an idea of tires, but if you take all those same tires tested, and put them on a different car, with a different driver, if the weather was 10 degress colder or warmer, etc, etc, etc, the results would change dramatically.

What I think it shows is that even some cheaper tires can stand up with the higher priced models, but it can't honestly say that one tire is the best, because as discussed, "the best" is completely relative to what a consumer wants and needs. The best on ice will generally make it one of the worst when it comes to treadwear and bare road handling. The best in handling will generally make it not quite as good on ice. The best in deep snow will usually indicate that it may not be as quiet as some, and again vice versa... It always comes down to priorities, and what a person is willing to give up to get what they must have...

Bob Blakeborough
[email protected]
403.291.1578
800.661.2538

[Loose]

what do you guys think of the Nokian WR? I think they are being marketted as an allseason biased towards the winter (which is what us canadians really need).

[tirebob]

The Nokian WR is actually a winter tire (carries the severe winter condition designation symbol) that has a rubber compounding that is not quite as soft as a traditional snow tire. This allows the tire to have improved abilities over an all season tire, but this leads to a bit of a reduction in ice traction compared to a hardcore winter tire.

The construction quality of Nokian is very good and is well proven, and for a lot of people, they find this balance to work well for the majority of their needs, but if you want the maximum winter traction possible, there are other tires that will be better, but then you won't want to run them year round because the softer rubber will wear faster, especially in hot weather... There is always a trade off...

If you are mostly a city driver and don't do a lot of severe winter driving, or if you simply cannot do two sets of tires, then this may be a good option for you. But if you do a lot of high elevation mountain driving, or a lot of freeway driving, I feel more secure on a dedicated, hardcore winter tire, and a seperate set of tires in the summer. Again, what is best is dependant on your own situation...