Winter tires
 

Ok, this is the first year I am contemplating getting winter tires. On my other cars I always kept all seasons on. So my question to you guys is....what good winter tires are out there? What to look for in a good winter tire? Any help will be appreciated.

When I bought my first set I did a lot of research and the tires for me were the Pirelli SnowSport 210's. I still believe they are teh ultimate winter tire. This will be my 4th season with them.

This was based on reading up on a few different models and looking at side-by-side comparisons and reviews on tirerack.com.

I use knobby mud-and-snow tires from Canadian Tire, on my winter car. Cheap and highly effective, although they're noisy on dry pavement.

In addition to good snow tires, you should think about ballast. I've never had to do it but I've heard people swear by a bag of concrete mix or a pair of cinder blocks in the trunk.

I'd leave the concrete mix at Home Depot and forget the cinder blocks and then you won't have to a mess to clean up when they crumble
Get some bags of Kitty Litter, placed in the correct position they will give you the added traction and if you do get stuck you can open them up and use them for a little bit of added traction .
Its hard to beat a good knobby tire

Good knobby tires suck compared to a snow and/or ice tire. I don't know why it took them so long to come out with a good snow and ice tire. I just get them at walmart, anything is better then any conventional tire, and I just went for price...but what an amazing night and day difference.
For the price you don't get much better IMO.

The guys down here who run "Autocross" (which is Autoslalom in a dirt lot with ice and snow) all swear by Blizzaks.

Last year I grabbed Dunlop snow tires from Walmart. I was very satisfied, good soft compound, so plenty of "stick" and an aggressive tread pattern. As mentioned, inexpensive as well.

I highly recommend weight in the back. I got cocky last year and took it out too early. I got caught coming home from work in a late season snow storm and felt a significant difference when pulling away from stops. Doesn't need to be a lot, 50lbs for example. Keeping your fuel tank over half full all the time keeps weight back there also.

Agreed. A good winter tire is a must!

As for weight, kitty litter is a great idea! One thing is not to get too carried away with weight. Remember the more you weigh, the longer it takes to stop ;)

Hey HFX98GT..great to see another guy from Halifax! I live outside the city now..but grew up in there! :tup

I've never put weight in the trunk. I used to drive a 79 Trans AM with a 400 under the hood on all seasons and it was just fine. This was up north where we would easily get 6 feet of snow a few years ago too.

Being in the GTA, winter tires were a must to deal with the traffic patterns though.

I have a set of Toyo Observe G02, they have been amazing on ice and heavy snow.

I second the Pirelli's.

My experience with them has been fantastic.

For the most part I think we have agreed that true winter tire is recommended.

You are looking for an aggressive tread pattern on a tire with a soft compound (you can tell just by squeezing the tread). It should be soft so that it grips in the cold. This is why winter tires suck in the summer, they get "greasy" because they get too soft in the heat.

Because the compound and capabilities are different, also recommend the same tire on all four corners.


Nice looking ride Scott! Looks like a cruise along the waterfront may be in order in the spring!

Yeah, sounds like a plan! :tup

I like a tire called Winterforce they are made by firestorm.
Weight in the car is a must!!!

Well, since the first snow has already fallen and ofc, I was going home in it......lets just say I realized that contemplating is no longer an option, I am getting tires this week for sure. But I must admit, I enjoyed drifting every corner even at VERY low speeds and stopping on a hill to make a turn.....LMAO.....luckily I was used to drifting the corners by the time I hit that little situation ;) but it's fun when you think you should be stopping, but the car doesn't think that's a good idea :LOL: :dunno
Thanks guys for all your input :tup

In my opinion having winter tires on in winter should be law. My Pirelli's are completely bald in the centers and there's almost no tread left at all and I still have tonnes of grip.

There's just no good reason not to have dedicated winter tires.

I think it depends where you drive, I live in Etobicoke, and I really only drive on snow covered roads 5-10 days a year, the rest of the time, it's salted/plowed.

That said - winter tires are never a bad idea for winter driving :tup:

It's not just for snow, it's cold weather in general.

FWIW, I am selling my Pirelli winter tires:
https://www.cmoc.ca/forums/showthrea...=1860#post1860