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Old 05-09-2011, 07:26 PM   #1
Subie808
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Lightbulb what tires and when do you switch in Seattle?

hey guys i am moving back to Seattle with my new WRX that came with the Dunlop summer tires. I'd like to know...

1. what kind of tires you guys run for the Seattle weather
2. if you switch between seasons, when?

just planning ahead ($!) thanks guys!
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Old 05-09-2011, 07:33 PM   #2
Dave D.
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Really depends on whether you ski/board. If you're going to go up much, get some snowflake-rated tires. I usually get what's on sale. Hankook, Blizzak, Goodyear all make good winter tires.

I bought an extra set of '06 rims that my snows are mounted on. This year, I had them on November-April.

Sure nice to have those summer tires on, however. So much more responsive to drive.
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Old 05-09-2011, 07:39 PM   #3
Subie Gal
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I have a set of dedicated snows mounted on separate wheels.
I mount them when I will be in the snow.


The rest of the year I run the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions


Too much rain and soggy here to justify full on summer tires IMO
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Old 05-09-2011, 07:42 PM   #4
JasonLHall
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Direzza z1 star rated for summer (235/40/17) Spring/Summer
Blizzak ws60 for winter (215/55/17) Fall/Winter
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Old 05-09-2011, 07:45 PM   #5
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Hankook I-pikes. Studless winter tire for 400 shipped.

Still on them since the weather blows

I switch from my stock summer tires whenever the temps start to get consistently below 45 degrees.

I switch from winters to summer when I am done skiing or when it's getting close to 60 pretty constantly. No reason why I wait until it gets that warm...just that summer tires are damn expensive!
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Old 05-09-2011, 07:48 PM   #6
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Like everyone else, I have two dedicated sets.

Hankook iPikes for winter, and Federal 595rs for everything else.
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Old 05-09-2011, 08:03 PM   #7
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If not doing any snow related activities, stick with what you got. Even mild to mediocre snow fun, all-seasons are fine. Other than that, snow tires for all else since the laws of a down economy don't apply to enthusiasts.
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Old 05-09-2011, 08:36 PM   #8
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I'm lazy and I buy performance all season tires. Grip well enough in the dry/wet to not be of any concern @ stage 2 power, and they are 'passable' in the snow - you do have to be a little more cautious then you would with an actual winter tire though and I definitely suggest you are comfortable in snow driving before going that route. it is preferred to have a winter set and I would change over to them in late Nov / Early Dec, and make the switch back in March sometime. depends on the year.

fyi - I do snowboard and I do drive in the snow. I got around in some falken 512's just fine. I am now running hankook ventus H105s, great wet/dry performance so far, only time will tell in the winter.
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Old 05-09-2011, 08:49 PM   #9
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Depends what you want from your tires. I have performance winters on my oem wheels which I put on Oct/Nov. I threw my summer set (max performance F1 Asymmetric) on in March, which was too early this year but it's been fine.
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:16 PM   #10
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Depending on the weather in the mountains I put Dunlop Wintersports on in Late Oct/early Nov. Going to try the new Michelin Super Sports this month for summer.
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subie Gal View Post
I have a set of dedicated snows mounted on separate wheels.
I mount them when I will be in the snow.


The rest of the year I run the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions


Too much rain and soggy here to justify full on summer tires IMO
Another one here on RE960AS PP's and a dedicated set of snows for the exact same reasons. This spring is a perfect example. I'm much more comfortable on a proper rain tire.

I'm all about the studs for the snows though. Yes they beat up the road, but I'm really on them for only a few weeks out of the year. Maybe it's just mental, but I feel so much better with studs when the snow sticks around and turns to compact snow/ice on the side streets.
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Old 05-09-2011, 11:47 PM   #12
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stock summers
studless snows on 16" 05 wrx wheels.
typically switch around april and november.

the oem summers that come on the 09+ wrx's aren't that great in the cold. I started having traction issues around 35-40 degrees. It doesn't occur much, but it does happen. I would definitely NOT recommend using them all winter. The occasional cold days will catch you by surprise. I had abs kick on while driving at relatively low speeds multiple times in the dry when it was cold.

If you don't ski or board, and won't be in the mountains in the winter, maybe just get some all-seasons.
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Old 05-10-2011, 12:42 AM   #13
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I've been running Dunlop Direzza Z1 Summer Ultra-Performance tires ever since Summer of 2009. Two years, including two winters, and more than 20 track days at Pacific Raceways. They've been awesome, sticky, and grippy no matter the temps or surface. For the money, I can't recommend a better tire.
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Old 05-10-2011, 12:47 AM   #14
Entaille
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Great C - do you turn off TCS in the snow/ice? I found on my summer tires it was much easier to control through power then it was to let the TCS lock your entire car up while you pray you'll stop. really counter intuitive.
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Old 05-10-2011, 01:16 AM   #15
Great Cthulhu
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Entaille View Post
Great C - do you turn off TCS in the snow/ice? I found on my summer tires it was much easier to control through power then it was to let the TCS lock your entire car up while you pray you'll stop. really counter intuitive.
My '07 STi doesn't have traction control outside of the usual Subaru AWD, and I don't mess with even that. In more than 3" of snow, my bumper cover and splitter act like a stupidly expensive snow plow for only a half a block, so I don't drive in those conditions. In short, if you do drive in those conditions, then your question proves that you're more experienced than I am

OTOH, in the sideways rain that is typical of Puget Sound between October and May, leaving everything else even and trusting to my Hella TPS has been very reassuring. No gettin' sideways without wanting to, no loss of grip in corners, or spinning wheels at crosswalks. Bear in mind that I'm running 18x9's with only 375atq. Your experiences will vary depending on torque and contact patch profile.

But full disclosure: In my '08 WRX, I left TCS on in all weather, mostly because my Pacific Raceways instructor told me to leave it alone. He figured that whatever I could do in bad weather with TCS on, I might be able to do better with it off, but that the odds were that TCS was better rather than worse, so best to get used to it on before trying out any slick corners with it off. Was he being too cautious? Perhaps. Then again, as he often told me, it all really came down to a balance between foolhardiness and insurance premiums.

(I chickened out and bought an STi rather than risk my purdy WRX on winter streets)

I don't recommend that you mess with it, but if you do, them please PM me and let me now how that goes
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Old 05-10-2011, 01:37 AM   #16
Entaille
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honestly this car has the most invasive traction system I've ever experienced in my life. I'm not claiming to be super experienced (I'm not) - but I have some brief experience in FWD, RWD and AWD in summer tires + in the snow. nothing deeper then 3-4 inches

this past winter I took my wrx out in the snow with summer tires and I felt so much more comfortable and in control with traction control off.. it felt like it literately just disengaged your ability to control the car at all, but awd/powering out let you correct a slide much sooner.

'when in doubt, power out' - deserves some tinkering and testing in the snow, your mileage may vary, and I found what I preferred. this is my first AWD vehicle - my wife has had a legacy for a couple of years though and I've found the same results in her car. it should go without saying but please - if you are going to test this out - find an empty parking lot. : P

Last edited by Entaille; 05-10-2011 at 01:42 AM.
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Old 05-10-2011, 01:40 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Entaille View Post
Great C - do you turn off TCS in the snow/ice? I found on my summer tires it was much easier to control through power then it was to let the TCS lock your entire car up while you pray you'll stop. really counter intuitive.
I HATE the TCS.

Even in the dry, when pulling out and letting loose, it's inevitable that I get wheel slip. With the slightest bit of wheel slip, the car pulls the gas. This is incredibly frustrating when pulling out onto a fast moving highway and trying to get to speed fast. I turn off TCS in those conditions.

I don't turn it off when normally driving in the ice/snow. It helps in some situations, hurts in others. It does help to keep your car from spinning out a bit. It can hurt if you're pushing the car to the end of it's limits. Like taking a hard turn in the snow. You'll slide forward instead of having the back kickout, initiating a turn. Go out into a parking lot in the snow and play with it.
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Old 05-10-2011, 01:46 AM   #18
Great Cthulhu
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Quote:
Go out into a parking lot in the snow and play with it.
This.

TCS in my '08 saved me when I had a slow leak on a slushy morning on the way to work. Other than that, it was always a tricky balance between what the computer and I thought of the local driving conditions.

Safer than sorry, don't mess with it. But if you know how to handle FWD vs AWD vs RWD, and you're willing to hit a parking lot in bad weather, then you should mess around and get used to what you like.

The 07 STi isn't as "smart" as the 08 WRX, but I have to admit that there is a bit of reassurance knowing that if you mess up, you've only yourself and your slow human reactions to blame (as opposed to questionable software written by some geek who's never driven a Subaru).
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Old 05-10-2011, 09:16 AM   #19
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I used two dedicated sets as well (summers and dedicated winters) - but will be changing to all-seasons + winters...I don't really track or anything so I don't really push my tires to their limits. Will be getting some Continental ExtremeContacts DWS once my new set of wheels come in. As far as timing, since I have two sets of wheels, I would change them whenever I'd see snow.
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Old 05-10-2011, 10:15 AM   #20
edrach
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subie Gal View Post
I have a set of dedicated snows mounted on separate wheels. I mount them when I will be in the snow.

Too much rain and soggy here to justify full on summer tires IMO
I'm with Subie Gal on two sets of wheels with the proper tires for the weather.

I'm still on my studless winter I-Pikes currently. Will switch to Conti DWS tires as soon as I have them mounted. All in a 205/55-16 size.
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Old 05-10-2011, 10:44 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subie Gal View Post
Too much rain and soggy here to justify full on summer tires IMO
+12345

I run two sets through the year: Goodyear F1 AS Apr-Oct, Blizzak WS60 Nov-Mar. I used to run RE070s during part of the summer, but hate how much I had to give up with even the slightest hint of rain. My F1's are griply enough for me during the warmer months and make it easier when I'm out on muddy logging roads during hiking season.
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Old 05-10-2011, 11:31 AM   #22
DJS1
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Winter: iPikes
Summer: Dunlop Star Spec Z1

Changed over the last week of April.

When the iPikes needs to be replaced I am considering trying the Continental ExtremeContact DWS for winter tires.
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:13 PM   #23
Subie808
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thanks everyone! I just got a music gig that will require to drive from Bellevue to Yakima 2-3 times a month starting in November. I am leaning towards a set of Dedicated Winters.

Any local recommendations where to go? DiscountTire, etc.? Is it better to go in person or can I order a set online and have it delivered?
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Old 11-01-2011, 02:02 PM   #24
teiva-boy
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Tirerack.com

Call Luke, his number and extension is in the proper forum... Not here.
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Old 11-01-2011, 02:11 PM   #25
-AspenSTi-
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So what is everyones favorite all season tire (for those running them all year)? I've had Toyo Proxes4's on for a few years now and they have been great. Getting close to replacing, just polling the crowd for personal experiences. In here it seems the DWS's are pretty popular...
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