School me on winter tires

[yao416]

So most likely I'll be buying winter tires for our Civic now the question is does expensive ($1500) tires do better job?

What about Good Year tires?

[boyoflondon]

Just like with anything, you get what you pay for.

When it comes to winter tires, I would not cheap out. My recommendation would be Michelin X-Ice tires but there are other good winter tires out there.

You can read reviews and compare different tires HERE. (http://www.tirerack.com/winter/index.jsp)

[dassub]

Lots of good stuff out there.
I got some Gislaved Nordfrost 5 and I couldn't be happier.

[Anonymouse]

You could do far worse than Gislaved NF5; Gislaved is Continental's lower-cost brand and is excellent value for money. If you want the best, money no object, Michelin X Ice 2 or Bridgestone Blizzak.

One disadvantage to a studdable tire like the NF5 is that they have to make solid rubber blocks on the tread to support the studs, and this takes away from the siping, but it doesn't matter all that much.

But just about any choice in a winter tire is going to be miles ahead of all-seasons. Be careful you don't get rear-ended by a C-Lai in Markham when you stop faster than she can!

[thrifthunter]

In before qaz, the ultimate balla shot calla.

[boredstudent3]

i don't like the tread design in the michelin x-ice 2.

the tread depth deosn't seem to be deep and aggressive enough for snow.

not too many water channels either.

i went with Gislaved NF5, i didn't want the hankook i-pike b/c the centre has the "zig zag" in the tread instead of a water channel like the NF5's.

[yao416]

How much are the Gislaved NF5?

Are they better than Hankook?

[DavidY]

How much are the Gislaved NF5?

Are they better than Hankook?

Reviews and ratings on both and other winter tires here:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/winter-tire-reviews-rankings-recommendations-compilation-cr-apa-etc-1089871/

Dave

[boredstudent3]

How much are the Gislaved NF5?

Are they better than Hankook?

check page 1 of this thread for pics of the various tread designs and tires. you'll see why i don't favour the michelin tread design.

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/2011-2012-massive-rfd-winter-tire-package-groupbuy-simplytire-1084634/

i paid $440 for tires only on the NF5's

[KorruptioN]

How much are the Gislaved NF5?

Are they better than Hankook?

They're less mushy, from my experience.

I have 195-65-15 Gislaved NF5's on my mom's 2006 Civic as well, and they're great. Good value too!

[qaz393]

stick with continental extreme winter contact or general altimax. other brands are china garbage.

[KorruptioN]

other brands are china garbage.

:facepalm:

[aleks]

General Altimax. Amazing in snow and ice. Not a high performance tire though but I doubt that matters if going on a Civic. Best bang for buck. On that car you can get a set for under 500 bux new.

[SPARTACVS]

Difference between summer, 4 seasons and winter tires: the treads and the type of rubber. Rubber flexiblility change with temperature. Winter tires, obviously has the most flexible rubber. These tires are meant to be use at freezing temperatures and way below. So the rubber have to still be flexible when it's very cold. Summer tires, on the opposite sre designed to never see winter conditions. 4 seasons are an inbetween. That is why it is dangerous to leave winter tires that are almost finished during the summer. The hotter the temperature, the faster they wear off. At high speed, when it's very hot, they wear off extremely rapidly and they can blow. It happened to my brother. If you're unlucky, you will get an accident.

I live in Québec and, in the summer, I use touring 4 seasons tires that have much better performancer during summer than winter. That way, if there's an early snown in the automn and I need my car that day, I'm still fine because temeratures are normally not very cold and it's much better than summer tires. If I was living in a hotter place, I'll probably use summer tires in the summer. I'll probably switch very eraly to 4 seasons that are much better in winter than in summer for the winter season.

Types of winter tires tires: snow, hybrid and ice. Their names mean what they are for. For cities, go ice or hybrid. For rural areas, go snow or hybrid. Yes you get what you pay for but some has better price/value out there so you can get very good tires for an average price.

Good places to get peoples evaluation of tires:
http://www.1010tires.com/
http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

Also, remember it's 95% the driver and his attitude (to not confuse with skill).

[malecoke]

other brands are china garbage.

stop forgetting your medication....:facepalm:

[kingrukus]

Currently using Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s. No complaints, great in ski country.
Previously owned Michelin X-ICE, Yokohama AVS Winters, Pirelli Winter 210 Snowsports, Viking Snowtech (made by Contintental), and Motormaster Nordic, and didn't have complaints about any other than the last 3 that I listed wearing a little too fast.

[mbk.2k3]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?

[thrifthunter]

Because winter tires offer better traction and shorter stopping distances on snow and ice.

[poedua]

They're less mushy, from my experience.

I have 195-65-15 Gislaved NF5's on my mom's 2006 Civic as well, and they're great. Good value too!

Do you have the same brand of winter tires as your mom's on your own car - or another brand ?

[poedua]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?

Winter tires are always the best option for winter driving IMO.

That said, I'd say the winter collisions have more to do with people who don't know how to drive properly under winter conditions ( i.e' defensively ' as you alluded to ) than which type of tire they're driving on.

For example, Edmonton gets a lot worse winters than the GTA and ( up until a few winters ago ), the Edmonton Police cruisers were running on all-season tires in the winter.

In other words, you simply have to be more careful when driving on all-seasons OR winter tires in the winter IMO. Given the moderate to mild winters we experience here in the GTA, you could probably make a case that a good ( and relatively new ) set of all-season tires could safely get you through a GTA winter.

[KorruptioN]

Do you have the same brand of winter tires as your mom's on your own car - or another brand ?

I don't think that matters?

[kennyluo]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?

You don't need it obviously. But if any unexpected event on the road (maybe due to the fault of the others) that requires you to have quick maneuver under not so optimal condition (icy/slushy/snowy road), you may wish your car can stop couple meters faster, or grip a little better. That could be the difference between a collision and a close call.

Your tires will last longer as well since your running 2 sets, hence the difference in expense comparing to running the all season all year around should be minimal.

In short, with same driver, same car, driving with winter tires in winter will be safer than driving all seasons.

But it's your life, it's your call.

[Starkicker]

For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?

[kennyluo]

For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?

Winter tires for winter, summer tires for the rest.

[Andro]

For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?

summer performance tires. Used to have high-performance all seasons that came with the car, still did winter tire/steel wheel swap in winter because I really like my stock rims and did not want to damage them. They are also 18' that come fitted with 225 tires, which is not ideal sizing for winter on a hatchback IMO.

I run 16' steel wheels with 205 tires in winter, works good for my car.

[sam123]

Because winter tires offer better traction and shorter stopping distances on snow and ice.
Bout 10 years ago while driving appropriately for the weather (under 30 km/hr) I came to a stop sign, applied the brakes early, but there was ice, slid through the stop sign as a bus was moving through the intesection.
My front end stopped right where the rear doors were. You know how they're indented by about 2" and thought whew, lucky me. EXCEPT the bus kept moving. Smashed the heck out of the bus and my van. Many thousands of dollars later, injuries on bus etc., bus repair/my repairs................ I was using all seasons that were new that spring. If only I'd been able to stop 2.25" sooner there would have been no crash.
Now using dedicated rims and rubber for spring/summer/fall and one set for Winter.

[poedua]

For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?

All-seasons for the other 3 seasons.

[Mayoo]

If you can afford, go with x-ice2. You won't regret!!!

[theapocalypse]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?

Winter tires will always out perform all-seasons in cold/snow conditions, they'll give you extra margin in addition to defensive driving. More margin is never a bad thing, considering all the poor drivers out in the GTA. Plus, the tires themselves are cost neutral, because they extend the life of your other set of tires. You only pay for the cost of the swap or extra set of rims.


For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?
I run summer tires for the rest of the year. Might as well get the best performance for each season. :)

[fieldhousehandyman]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?

Because sooner or later some nitwit is going to pull onto the road right in front of you, and your all seasons will not have the traction available for you to either steer or brake to avoid the collision, resulting in a 'not at fault' blemish on your insurance record (hey, its still a claim), and all the hassles of having to get your car taken care of for the eight grand worth of repairs it will need.

Furthermore, you may have to live with the consequences of killing the nitwit after you plow into the driver side of his vehicle. Don't tell me this isn't reason enough to get winter tires. NOW SMARTEN UP!

i drive, years ago i started using winter tires, and once you start using them, you will preach their benefits to the igorant, in the same fashion as I am now!

[Pro]

Winter tires will always out perform all-seasons in cold/snow conditions, they'll give you extra margin in addition to defensive driving. More margin is never a bad thing, considering all the poor drivers out in the GTA. Plus, the tires themselves are cost neutral, because they extend the life of your other set of tires. You only pay for the cost of the swap or extra set of rims.


I run summer tires for the rest of the year. Might as well get the best performance for each season. :)

I like the way you think.

I'm a new driver and I made sure to buy some winter tires for the new ride. It doesn't make sense not to get 'em! I saw what a little bit of flurries could do while driving on the 401E last night. So many drivers slowed to a crawl. I'm talking 60-80km. I felt very comfortable going 100km with the General Altimax tires that are on my car.

I haven't had to chance to drive on ice/snow with all-season tires and I don't ever plan to. Once you drive on winter tires in the cold you really appreciate them.

[boredstudent3]

For you guys who have winters, for the rest of the year do you guys run all-seasons or do you have a specific non-winter tire?

winter tires in winter and summer tires for the other 3 seasons.

i have no problem admitting that the summers i have are horrible in the snow. just last night during the first snowfall, i slid twice but it was on streets with no cars around.

i didn't get around to making the switch over in time. i had to brake real early and gently in order to not slide. luckily i was driving around 11pm when everyone was home asleep...lol.


I like the way you think.

I'm a new driver and I made sure to buy some winter tires for the new ride. It doesn't make sense not to get 'em! I saw what a little bit of flurries could do while driving on the 401E last night. So many drivers slowed to a crawl. I'm talking 60-80km. I felt very comfortable going 100km with the General Altimax tires that are on my car.

I haven't had to chance to drive on ice/snow with all-season tires and I don't ever plan to. Once you drive on winter tires in the cold you really appreciate them.

yes you will soon appreciate them. i made the switch a year ago. you can afford to be more "aggressive" in the snow/slush compared to other cars with all seasons on.

i know this is going to be "hard on the ears" or "hard on the eyes" to those that are too cheap to buy winter tires and try to justify that using all seasons is adquate, but if you want to keep all seasons for the entire year then do so. BUT stay in the right lane when you are crawling at 20-50 km/hr b/c you are intimidated by the precipitation on the ground.

i know for sure that they won't want to drive in the right lane b/c that also happens to be the lane with more snow compared to the left. so with all seasons, they don't want to drive in the right lane that has more snow but yet want to slow down others in the left lane...:facepalm:

let the people that have winters go by in the left. don't crawl in the left b/c you don't have traction.

[SPARTACVS]

can someone school me on winter tires too?

been driving for 5-6 years, front wheel drive on all seasons every year. i am a defensive driver, and never experienced skids/close calls/etc. cars are maintained and tires are rotated/replaced as necessary.
live in the GTA.

why should someone like me invest in winter tires?

not bragging, simply wondering why i should need winter tires?


Edited my message on page 1 to answer that questions because it's a good one.