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Old 09-16-2008, 01:24 AM   #1
mosc
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Default All seasons for winter?

Hey, so I got myself a nice set of KDW2s for the summer but I'm living in Minnesota through this winter and then back home to Philly for the foreseeable future. Anyway, I dealt with winters up till now with 205 wide RE92s and did OK... I can't really justify buying dedicated snow tires. I'm thinking about all seasons and just using them in the winter.

My current leaning is the Continental UHP A/S:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=3
Since they seem highly regarded in the snow and their kinda cheap.

I'm also considering spending a few more bucks on the 960 A/S:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=2
But the cost difference is substantial. Better dry/wet than the continentals and still decently rated in the snow.

Keep in mind I'm only going to use these in the winter. I think all seasons would be plenty of snow grip especially considering the AWD. Also of note is I drive like ~6k miles a year. These tires are going to see like 2500 miles a year so I'm likely going to be using them for a very long time.
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Old 09-16-2008, 02:27 AM   #2
mosc
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I could get a set of these too:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....inter+Sport+3D

but I don't think I see enough snow to really justify it.
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Old 09-16-2008, 06:37 AM   #3
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winter tires > all tires in snow/ice. it's up to you since you're the one driving.
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Old 09-16-2008, 08:09 AM   #4
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Since you won't be driving very much on them, you'll have whatever you choose for a while. Might as well buy something GOOD for the conditions you'll see.

click, read, buy:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=4
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Old 09-16-2008, 08:45 AM   #5
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Skip RE960's as your winter set unless it rains/slush more than ice/snow. I love them but real winter is only 10 days or so days per year for me and avoid driving in those conditions due to slowness of other traffic.

Read this>>> http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=102

AWD helps you in moving, however does nothing for stopping or cornering stability.
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Old 09-16-2008, 09:24 AM   #6
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Aren't dedicated winters going to be cheaper than most all season tires?

Keep in mind, depending on where you are in MN (near minnepolis?) snow isn't actually a big problem. The cold, however, is. And A/S tires will not deal with the cold. My blizzaks flat spot in the morning during the winter.
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Old 09-16-2008, 09:54 AM   #7
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All winter tires aren't SNOW/ICE tires. You can get a "performance winter" tire like the Michelin Alpin or something similar that is much better than an A/S on snow but not as good as a hardcore snow tire. It is designed to shine in colder temps though, which is wear an A/S will let you down the most (besides snow anyway haha). Won't cost any more than a decent A/S tire but will be better.

You're only using it in the winter anyway so no real reason to buy an A/S tire.
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Old 09-16-2008, 10:11 AM   #8
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If you've already got a set of dedicated summer tires, why the hell would you buy anything other than a set of real winter tires?

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Old 09-16-2008, 11:21 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnightSTi View Post
If you've already got a set of dedicated summer tires, why the hell would you buy anything other than a set of real winter tires?

Because of how little snow I actually see?

I'm in Minnesota for 1 winter or about 2500 miles. The rest of the tire's life will be spent in much warmer philly.

The winters don't seem to be any cheaper than the A/S, maybe even a little more money in comparison to the continentals. The dunlops are $139 for 225/45/17s

This article seems to support the A/S approach for light snow winters:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=80

Last edited by mosc; 09-16-2008 at 11:41 AM.
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Old 09-16-2008, 01:43 PM   #10
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I got a set of Goodyear F1 A/S tires before last winter. I had no problem in the snow and we got dumped on last winter. Now that the tires have some miles on them, I think this winter will be the deciding factor on these tires but so far so good.
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Old 09-16-2008, 05:16 PM   #11
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The only A/S tire I'd consider for a winter tire is the Nokian WR-G2.

In fact, when my Dunlops wear out, it's what I'm getting for my winter tires.
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Old 09-16-2008, 05:19 PM   #12
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I love my beefy snowtires. In the other seasons I have all seasons but they didn't do the job I wanted in the snow. They work but you can't drive very aggressively or get a real feel for what the awd can do in the snow.
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Old 09-16-2008, 05:44 PM   #13
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So I see snow like 3 days a year or something. It seems a lot to sacrifice the more common dry condition in favor of snow. After all, breaking distance saves lives. The All seasons are going to stop faster on the dry and wet roads.

I was more wondering if somebody has strong opinions about the continentals and the 960s in the snow that would make either of them a bad choice for this, not if A/S in general were good for the winter. I'm just looking for a A/S that's passable as a snow tire.
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Old 09-16-2008, 06:00 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mosc View Post
After all, breaking distance saves lives. The All seasons are going to stop faster on the dry and wet roads.

No, performance winters will out-stop the hell out of A/S tires here in the winter. Really. You're going to see between -10 and -20*F for a long time, every morning, with temps rising not at all during the day. I wouldn't bother with a snow/ice tire, but i would really recommend something like the blizzak lm-22 or lm-25. They will wear better or the same as an A/S tire, both here and in philly, and they will provide much better traction.



EDIT: I'm only saying this because you have dedicated summers, so you really should consider a dedicated winter (not snow) tire. Cold temperatures really take everything out of an all season tire. In the cold, the wear and traction both of a performance winter tire will be better than the all season.
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Old 09-16-2008, 06:47 PM   #15
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The average daily high in Philly on the coldest day of the year is 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The average daily low on the coldest day is still 22. I'm not going to see that kind of temperature, at least not regularly.
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Old 09-16-2008, 08:26 PM   #16
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the BFgoodrich super sport A/S is a decent affordable all season tire
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Old 09-16-2008, 10:00 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mosc View Post
The average daily high in Philly on the coldest day of the year is 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The average daily low on the coldest day is still 22. I'm not going to see that kind of temperature, at least not regularly.
Its already been stated above more than once but all winter tires are not snow and ice tires. A performance winter tire is made to perform well in cold temps. SNOW tires are mode to perform well on snow and ice. Why not buy a tire that performs well in the conditions you are buying it to perform in?

You asked whether you should replace your A/S tires for winter use with more A/S or with winter tires.... the answer is obvious. Its your money, whether you choose to follow good advice or not is your choice.
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Old 09-17-2008, 11:23 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by viper74656 View Post
Its already been stated above more than once but all winter tires are not snow and ice tires. A performance winter tire is made to perform well in cold temps. SNOW tires are mode to perform well on snow and ice. Why not buy a tire that performs well in the conditions you are buying it to perform in?

You asked whether you should replace your A/S tires for winter use with more A/S or with winter tires.... the answer is obvious. Its your money, whether you choose to follow good advice or not is your choice.
+12345

A performance winter tire (like the Blizzaks I use) is a great tire all winter long, even when the road is completly dry and it's 40* out.

The only reason you would want an A/S tire over a performance winter tire is if you did not have a dedicated summer tire that you would switch to in the spring (but you do).

So I ask again, why would you want anything other than a set of real winter (not snow & ice) tires?
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Old 09-17-2008, 07:49 PM   #19
mosc
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So what's a really good "winter" tire for dry/wet conditions? One that's not going to make me miss my summer rubber horribly.
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Old 09-17-2008, 08:03 PM   #20
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The LM-25 is a great place to start, at the same price as the re960's.

Nokian's winter tires (notably the WR) are considered to be the best (a lot of people run these year round), but they are pricey.
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Old 09-17-2008, 08:29 PM   #21
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I've never had good experiences with blizzaks... I'd probably be leaning towards the Dunlop 3Ds?

Are they really $194?
http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.p...igan=Wi&Achse=
Or is there some cheaper place?
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Old 09-17-2008, 08:49 PM   #22
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Nokians are very expensive compared to other brands.
I would think Blizzak LM-22 or LM-25, Dunlop M3 and 3D, Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3 or Michelin Pilot Alpin or Primacy Alpin should make you happy.

I was quoted $950.00 for 4 Nokian WR G2 215/45R17 installed in MA (5% sales tax included). Too expensive for me when I can get Dunlop Winter Sport 3D 205/50R17 for $532.22 (mavistire.com, shipping included) + 100 for installation. It is 300 less than Nokian.

Krzys

PS Tire rack has promotion for winter tires with 50 or 25 mail in rebate.
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Old 09-17-2008, 10:02 PM   #23
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You can get Blizzak EVO 1 for around $66 (close out sale) on tirerack.com now!
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Old 09-17-2008, 10:11 PM   #24
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Here's another aspect to consider. How much ice and black ice are you going to see? Around here the roads are plowed fairly quickly so a true snow tire doesn't make much sense, but when the temperature is right around freezing the snow melts during the day, the melt water runs across the road and then refreezes during the night. For me an ice tire is the best (safest) option.
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Old 09-17-2008, 11:21 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by txl146 View Post
You can get Blizzak EVO 1 for around $66 (close out sale) on tirerack.com now!
Not in 225/45/17... I can get myself $112 - $12.50 rebate or about $400 for the set

I'm leaning towards the dunlop 3Ds now I guess.
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