Winter tire cost advice

starkickers wrote: ↑ I'm looking to get winter tires for my wife's car. She does minimal driving, maybe 3,000-4,000 Kms a year. I know even the cheapest dedicated winter tire is better than an all season in bad conditions, but I was thinking of picking up some of the lower cost offerings from SimplyTire (Ironman or Laufenn, etc) but there aren't very many reviews online. I was just wondering if anyone knew of a site or forums where I can research these tires, or had first hand reviews of them.

My conundrum is that buying better winter tires doesn't seem practical for the amount of driving my wife will do, I don't mind spending money when I have to, but I don't want to throw it away if it's unnecessary.

What are your thoughts?

Have you considered used? I got a great deal on used winters for both myself and my wife. Hers have a DOT 4017 and I think mine were like 4018. Both were at 9/32nds also.

My point is depending on the size, you can score a good deal sometimes, and they may have rims. Basically, I paid under $1000 for both sets, and mine came on rims. New tires alone for either of us would had cost close to that when you factored installation and taxes.

Yeah, you need to weed out the crap deals like $150 for 9 year old “lots of tread” deals, but given the low KM your wife does, I’d get used personally, no older than 2017.

HDawg wrote: ↑ Have you considered used? I got a great deal on used winters for both myself and my wife. Hers have a DOT 4017 and I think mine were like 4018. Both were at 9/32nds also.

My point is depending on the size, you can score a good deal sometimes, and they may have rims. Basically, I paid under $1000 for both sets, and mine came on rims. New tires alone for either of us would had cost close to that when you factored installation and taxes.

Yeah, you need to weed out the crap deals like $150 for 9 year old “lots of tread” deals, but given the low KM your wife does, I’d get used personally, no older than 2017.

I tried looking on Kijiji, but I was put off by all the Tire Store ads. Is there a better site than Kijiji?

She should get winter tires. Good ones. They'll probably last her 5-10 years.

Depending on the car, a new set of Michelin X-Ice or Bridgestone Blizzaks can be had for as low as $500.

I typically use Tirerack to do my tire research.

Canadian Tire Motomaster Winter Edge is actually a really good winter tire for the price.

starkickers wrote: ↑ I tried looking on Kijiji, but I was put off by all the Tire Store ads. Is there a better site than Kijiji?

Yes, I agree with you about those ads. I did find mine on Kijiji, but it took work.

My wife’s I got off Facebook buy and sell for my town.

Just weigh the costs though. I made sure I got at least a 50% savings on tires no older than 2 years. If a guy is asking $600 for 2017’s, I’d just buy new.

Canadian tire has some winters on sale depending on your car's size.

The "good" winter tires aren't that much more than the cheapo winter tires, and splitting that cost over the 5 year or so life you'll get out of them it's worth the investment IMO.

Could be a good candidate for an All Weather tire.

With only 3-4k kms spread over a year, and likely only 1-1.5k kms or so in the winter months, it may never see snow anyway, but an All Weather tire would have the vehicle read for the odd times over 5 or 6 years it might.

starkickers wrote: ↑ I'm looking to get winter tires for my wife's car. She does minimal driving, maybe 3,000-4,000 Kms a year. I know even the cheapest dedicated winter tire is better than an all season in bad conditions, but I was thinking of picking up some of the lower cost offerings from SimplyTire (Ironman or Laufenn, etc) but there aren't very many reviews online. I was just wondering if anyone knew of a site or forums where I can research these tires, or had first hand reviews of them.

My conundrum is that buying better winter tires doesn't seem practical for the amount of driving my wife will do, I don't mind spending money when I have to, but I don't want to throw it away if it's unnecessary.

What are your thoughts?

Laufenn = older generation Hankook
Ironman = Hercules = Cooper

What size are you looking for?

starkickers wrote: ↑ I'm looking to get winter tires for my wife's car. She does minimal driving, maybe 3,000-4,000 Kms a year. I know even the cheapest dedicated winter tire is better than an all season in bad conditions, but I was thinking of picking up some of the lower cost offerings from SimplyTire (Ironman or Laufenn, etc) but there aren't very many reviews online. I was just wondering if anyone knew of a site or forums where I can research these tires, or had first hand reviews of them.

My conundrum is that buying better winter tires doesn't seem practical for the amount of driving my wife will do, I don't mind spending money when I have to, but I don't want to throw it away if it's unnecessary.

What are your thoughts?

To get low KM tires last a long time its important to store them properly in the off season...indoors and cleaned up before storage. They can last 10 years before needing to be replaced. You can get quality tires (michilen xice or continental wintercontact) on steelies for 7-800$. Over 10 years thats just 80$/year

I personally would never let me wife drive in a snow without winters so they would be purchased for safety reasons alone. If it were just me then I could get by on all seasons with that little driving and I lived in the city.

l69norm wrote: ↑ Laufenn = older generation Hankook
Ironman = Hercules = Cooper

What size are you looking for?

I think my wife's all seasons tires are 235-55-19 but according to SimplyTires website i should be able to downsize to 235-65-17.

I'm not well versed in Hankook or Cooper, i've only really had two pairs of winter tires Bridestones which warped on me (3 out of the 4 tires developed bulges and had to be replaced) and I currently have Conti Winter contacts as they were recommended but I still feel like I slide a little on corners but that just might be in my mind.

submarine wrote: ↑ To get low KM tires last a long time its important to store them properly in the off season...indoors and cleaned up before storage. They can last 10 years before needing to be replaced. You can get quality tires (michilen xice or continental wintercontact) on steelies for 7-800$. Over 10 years thats just 80$/year

I personally would never let me wife drive in a snow without winters so they would be purchased for safety reasons alone. If it were just me then I could get by on all seasons with that little driving and I lived in the city.

Where are you finding Michelin X-Ice or Conti WCs with steelies for $700-$800? Is there a sale or store I should keep an eye on? I've been using pricing from SimplyTire, but at $700-$800 thats a no brainer. At tgat price all i was getting was Ironman or Laufenn which I've never heard of and can't find good reviews of.

For the amount she drives I would also not go buy Top Tire tires however I would probably get some Mid range winter tires, something like
Hankook W419 iPike
General Altimax Arctic

Those would be good midrange tires for her.

starkickers wrote: ↑ I think my wife's all seasons tires are 235-55-19 but according to SimplyTires website i should be able to downsize to 235-65-17. ...

canadian-tire-clearance-deals-winter-ti ... k-2261706/

Continental winter contact si
236/65r17 is still on spring clearance sale at CT $139 a tire

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/pd ... 72283.html

Use stocktrack.ca to find stock


inventory-checker-tool-walmart-canadian ... s-2229322/

Says CT Leslie/lakeshore has 12 in stock, Oakville Kerr has 8 ins stock, various amounts around gta. Note that these are clearance tires from the spring , so will be 2017 or 2018 production dates. Ct item
007-2283-0

l69norm wrote: ↑ canadian-tire-clearance-deals-winter-ti ... k-2261706/

Continental winter contact si
236/65r17 is still on spring clearance sale at CT $139 a tire

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tires/pd ... 72283.html

Use stocktrack.ca to find stock


inventory-checker-tool-walmart-canadian ... s-2229322/

Says CT Leslie/lakeshore has 12 in stock, Oakville Kerr has 8 ins stock, various amounts around gta. Note that these are clearance tires from the spring , so will be 2017 or 2018 production dates. Ct item
007-2283-0

I just bought four of these Continental WinterContact SI tires (in a different size) and they were made summer 2017, with the remaining ones at that size at the same store being from 2016. Great price, about 35% off the usual, and at this price I'm fine with getting 2 year-old stock.

Some provinces, in their Vehicle safety codes, do not prohibit winter tires being mixed with other tires, as long as the sizes are compliant and radials or non-radials are not mixed.

So if you just want SOME winter protection, you could get two winter tires in the back. That will help the car stop more solidly in snow and not fishtail so much.

mark2000 wrote: ↑ Some provinces, in their Vehicle safety codes, do not prohibit winter tires being mixed with other tires, as long as the sizes are compliant and radials or non-radials are not mixed.

So if you just want SOME winter protection, you could get two winter tires in the back. That will help the car stop more solidly in snow and not fishtail so much.

Read the last portion.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-d ... le6863772/

I just purchased a set of Kapsen Snowshoe AW33s. I work in the industry so I paid WAY less than retail but they are rated rather well:
https://www.auto123.com/en/news/best-af ... 018/64210/

I have sold Kapsen, Kinforest, Boto and Evergreen tires (as well as the usual Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, Falken, Pirelli, etc.) to auto shops and schools for years and have never once had a complaint about them. Always remember three things when considering Chinese tires so that you don't automatically rule them out:
1) Tires cannot be manufactured in your back-yard. They must be made in a plant that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, staff and equip.
2) Chinese manufacturers often have production contracts with the big boys like Bridgestone and Michelin so your tires will be made with the same equipment.
3) China is the world's largest producer of automobiles and has way more cars and trucks on the road than we do.

I'm sure that they know as well as anyone how to make tires.

This will be my fourth set of Chinese tires. My first set were a set of 4 Hercules G3000V (aka Merit XSE-V) on my old 1991 Swift GT (decades ago) and they were great. I've since owned some Boto Winter and Boto Vantage W-rated performance tires. I've been 100% satisfied with all of them and I expect that my experience with the Kapsen Showshoes AW33 will be no different.

My beater does 4000kms so I went with all weather last year. So far so good.