Volleyball Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Blizzaks use 2 different rubber compounds. The base tread is lets call normal rubber. Then they add the ice gripper rubber to double the tread depth to make a typical depth tire. I see ads with tires near half worn all the time as those that need them go buy a new set. Being cheap when my wear down they just became summer tires and they would be worn out by fall when I got new ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesuby Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Blizzaks use 2 different rubber compounds. The base tread is lets call normal rubber. Then they add the ice gripper rubber to double the tread depth to make a typical depth tire. I see ads with tires near half worn all the time as those that need them go buy a new set. Being cheap when my wear down they just became summer tires and they would be worn out by fall when I got new ones I know this was true years ago, but I'm not sure Bridgestone still uses two compounds making the winter use ineffective after tires are half worn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Snow tires are ineffective once they reach 6/32 anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 A cheap set of winter tires will be better than a set of the best all seasons. It’s a pain, but if you really care for safety it’s worth switching them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 And put them on some cheap rims. It's a lot more convenient than having to swap tires on the same rims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy.B Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 I speak from experience. As ehsnils said, get separate wheels. I swapped twice before I realized the cost was pointless to keep using the same set. The only downside I see this causes for most is the storage instead of going with just A/S only. I have my summer setup sitting on the balcony of my apartment. April this year I went with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+'s and we got maybe an inch of snow. God was it terrible compared to my cheap Yokohama winters I was running. And the Michelin are rated "good" for snow. It's just for piece of mind when it gets nasty out. You stop much quicker, you accelerate quicker, you steer much more easily and when inches begin to fall, you're confident you'll manage through. I drove through some side streets for some "testing purposes only" when we had about 4" the other night and I was amazed. This is my third winter and I'm at 9/32nd's so they definitely last and I've driven a good probably 20k miles on them so far. It's just the upfront cost but I believe it's well worth it. Timothy.B's 2011 LEGACY 3.6R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyZeusAk Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 Expensive, but I'm super impressed with my Toyo GARIT KX tires. We get a lot of snow up here and these tires perform really good in deep snow, slush, wet roads and even ice while being studless. Their Microbit technology (basically crushed up walnut shells) in the rubber give them really good bite when it's slick too. I was swayed because they are a performance snow tire with stiffer sidewalls than some other offerings, which is nice to not have the car feel like a marshmallow on dry roads and trips around the NW. All seasons are a gimmick if you get much weather, they are a jack of all trades and master of none. My Motivos are considered an all season and they BLOW in the snow and ice. A very solid “me too” on the Garits. I live in Alaska, and drive a lot. Believe it or not, we deal with more ice than snow, on the roads. Ice starts coming out in September, and doesn’t truly go away until April or may. And when it melts, it’s a mess. Been through just about every option there is, and have been REALLY happy with the Garet as a year-round tire. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarker01 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Another vote for Continental, they are great and not outrageously priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierd Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 OP What's winter where you are? I'm a bit north of Zeus in Fairbanks, AK. I haven't tried all-seasons in winter on my outback yet, but my wife's Crosstrek did ok on the stock Geolander's for two winters before we could afford a second set of tires for her car. Heck it was better on snow and ice than my '13 Mustang was on Blizzak WS-70's... not as much fun but probably overall safer. If "winter" consists of temps in the 30's and 40's, with the occasional drop below freezing and the odd snow or ice storm, I'd get a set of good all-seasons and be done with it. I liked the Cooper Ultra Touring CS5's in the little bit of snow they saw before swapping to blizzaks for winter on my outback. Continental DWS's have great reviews as well. Subaru's AWD systems really can cover up a multitude of tire sins in bad weather. If your winter driving is mostly at or below freezing, and/or with real snow and ice most of the time, that's when you really need winter tires. I like the Blizzak WS-80's, and the General Arctic Altimax with studs made my Mustang great in winter. Those Toyo's look to be good tires too, no experience with them personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrxwhit Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Continental DWS extreme 06. I run a Firestone and push those tires to my VIP’s who want the best all around tire. The best asymmetrical all season tire out there for the price!! Yes, I work for FIRESTONE, not continental lol! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 That is only partially true. A driver who knows how to drive in winter conditions can gain some control with awd over 2wd. I agree best to slow down but sometimes you hit a patch of frozen water unexpectedly. Steel wheels isn't much of an option for those of us with the bigger brakes as we need 17" to clear the factory setup. Snow tires are great. I got some for ours but never put them on. They are going to my kids forester. It is only a few miles of city driving to work and if it is bad, she stays home anyways. We put on conti asymetricals and they are like new and worked great last year. Plus we get far less snow where we drive than you would think for my location. Plus I have a Tundra ready for deep snow. For those that go to work earlier than most. Live in the country and have twisty roads, and many other issues, snow tires are cheaper than most people insurance deduction. Plus the hassle. Far less hassle to drag 4 tires up and down stairs. Even my over 100 lb each truck tires. lol it is not partially true it is 100% true A good driver does not over drive the ability of the car in inclement conditions. That is the difference between being stuck in a ditch and not. If I had the place and the funds you bet your bottom end both of my cars would have snow tires on them...as it EXTENDS the capabilities of the car and allows for better control in emergency manouvers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvnbellows Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 General Altimax rt43 are best all season tire in snow. Not including the new all weather tires Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Without typing a novel, it really comes down to what sacrifices and "risk" you are comfortable taking. There will be compromises all around. A good all season with snow rating may not have high mileage life, and poor wet braking. If you want the tire to be good at everything, just remember, it wont be GREAT at everything. It may actually be fair to poor at some things. That said, I am probably one of the few people who actually really likes the stock OEM tires that came on my 2013. But I also have a dedicated set of all season tires, and snow tires. If you don't mind me asking, what were the OEM tires that came with the 2013? I have a 2013 myself and I'm curious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amusa Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 If you don't mind me asking, what were the OEM tires that came with the 2013? I have a 2013 myself and I'm curious... Mine came with Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02. They were horrible in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexmed2002 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Mine came with Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02. They were horrible in the snow. Yikes I just looked at people's reviews on them... They seem to be horrible to be honest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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