original tires in snow, whats your experience

[gmvibe]

Hey!I am buying another set of steel rims for the winter to save my pretty alloy rims and was interested knowing the opinion of those who have kept the original equipment tire on the car for winter. I was considering the Goodyear RSA's - the goodyear web site promotes this as all season and verygood in snow - as youy know GM knows theses cars will certainly be driven in the snow and have therefore selected the tire accordingly.So do ya have the original Continentals or the original Goodyears on the car and how do they work in the snow, all else considered. Around here , even in winter main roads are without snow 90% of the time so a dedicated snow will wear fast and and be noisy.Thanks for the comments.

[Vibe]

I have the Continentials on my Vibe and the last few snows ---On a scale of 1 to 10 ---I'd rate them 7to8 . James

[NSimkins]

See also:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... ad?id=1815

[robdog]

I have the 16" goodyear RSA and they are absolutely terrible. Traction was horrible and I am an experienced driver in the snow living in PA. I have the six speed and could barely put my foot on the gas without spinning the tires.

[ourvibe]

We have the Continentals and AWD/auto. Was able to plow through 6-8 inches of snow without even spinning the tires. Who needs more than 123 horses anyway's

[rubberman]

Contis used them in one snow storm they sucked.Went out to Wal mart got 15 inch steel rims and Dunlop snow/ice tires they work great in the snow there worth the price.

[viBert]

My first experience on icy roads convinced me that the continentals are not good winter tires. They are not too bad on snow but are crap on ice. I had goodyear RSA's on my 1996 Cavalier Z24, they are even worse than the continentals. I bought 4 205/55/16 Nordic IceTrac winter ice radials. $425 Canadian including extended warranty mounting and balancing. The difference is amazing. My continentals are in my basement waiting for spring. I don't have alloys, I am looking for another set of 16" steels rims so I can mount all 8 tires for switchovers in spring and fall.

[KSNeptune]

If it would just snow here in my part of Kansas, I'd let you know. But so far this winter has been a drought. Cheapest winter for car washing expenses ever. Haven't had to.KSNeptune

[csjrishere]

I have the 16" Goodyears are they are horrible...drove in the snow once and that was it!!!! After that experience I now use the Cavalier on snowy days.

[coratz]

i have the good year eagle rsa's and i love them in snow. they are a fantastic allseason preformance tire. no problems whatsoever in the snow.

[Sputnik]

The variation people are seeing with how their tires behave in snow, depends on how the person drives, in my opinion. I think the Continentals are fine for winter driving.

[Sub-Vibe-R]

I have the continental tire. I use to ahve winter tire on my other car and I though stay with the 4 seasons tire for the 1st winter (I bough my Vibe in November, so they were as new at the 1st snow). At the 1st snow storm, I knew right away that those tire are not what I need. I went to a tire dealer and bought 4 15" rims and Good Year Ultra Grip. By far much better then the poor continental in snow and on ice.

[Sputnik]

Oh I know a winter tire is better for snow and ice than an all season. My point was that there are all these posts some saying tires are no good, some say tires are great in snow. I'm saying that the variation in tire performance isn't really the tire at all, but more the way people drive. Some people do not adjust their driving for winter conditions, while others do.

[Sputnik]

quote:Sputnik....even if I really enjoy your posts/contribution I have to reply to this last comment you madeYes you have to adjust for winter conditions, but even then,,,, there is a real advantage for having winter tiresDepends on: -your needs- your budget- the mileage you do on your car in winter- where you drive it and whenBut yes you have to adjust your driving style in order to stay on the roadOkay so the reasons I don't have winter tires are:- my budget- my winter mileage (I'm just now cleaning the snow off my Vibe from two days ago)- where I drive and when - I don't drive to work, so I only drive when I must in the winter.But still you have to admit that not everyone adjusts their driving habits for winter! We see it every year the first snowfall and all of a sudden there's 100 accidents in 1 cm of snow! And as I did say YES I KNOW WINTER TIRES ARE BETTER FOR WINTER. The original topic was how do goodyears compare to continentals in the snow. I was posting about the variation people seem to be experiencing with their stock tires.

[Yoda]

I have Conti's 16" on my GT. On PACKED snow last week on our lovely Detroit roads - I raced and beat : a base Ford Taurus, a base Dodge Neon, and Chevy Impala LS. Yes they knew they were racing and no, I never got even close to lift. Anything over 20% throttle got me all kinds of wheelspin. No I don't know what tires were on the other cars. They seemed to have automatics and I was trying to figure out how quickly to engage the clutch. I am very happy with the amount of grip my conti's have. Tire Rack has some blizzak ws-50's mounted on steel wheels for $568 mounted. I might have to get these if I ever get a set of 17s or 18s for summer.

[LocDog]

quote:I am very happy with the amount of grip my conti's have. Tire Rack has some blizzak ws-50's mounted on steel wheels for $568 mounted. I might have to get these if I ever get a set of 17s or 18s for summer. I actually have those Blizzak's w/rims, i mounted them a couple of days ago...

[Pugs]

One week on 195/65/15 Nordic Ice Track, $600 Cdn with steel rims, installed, balanced. Amazing advantage over the 16" Goodyear Eagle RSA's.Not much snow here yet, but 2 freaky episodes of freezing rain here have left a real mess. I agree with the adapting driving habits. My main problem is my short drive to work, less than 2km. The Vibe's 2k fast idle was pushing me threw every corner with the Goodyears. Now I don't have to shift into Neutral with the winter tires (if I wanted to shift stick...)Reducing the tire pressure from 38 (that the dealer set it at) to 32 help the Goodyears somewhat.

[giomshadow]

The contis weren't too great in the heavy snow we've had...including the first day I picked up the vibe...so I did some research...not a great variet of snows available at local dealers...I bought 16" semperit sports grips...(semerit is owned by continental)...handling is good with no noise...should make a difference when traveling north to ski...now looking for nice rims for the contis...any good ideas?

[BrianS]

Hi,How is this for a story...Got a 2003 Vibe AWD with 16" aluminum rims for the wife (Continental all-season tires) last week. It snowed a few inches the night we got and the next day. We took it out the next day and all the streets were not plowed yet - someone in the left-hand lane was swerving into our lane and my wife swerved to avoid and lost control in some deep snow and smacked a curb. Not just one, but both the passenger-side rims were chewed-up pretty good - still functional but cosmetically they looked not so great. I ended up driving home because she was freaked out and felt bad about it considering the vehicle was just a day old!Even though we never had a problem starting with the stock Continentals and AWD, I notice that the anti-locks seem to be engaging too early when stopping. The AWD is deceiving because one does not realize how slippery it really is and the AWD cannot save you if you get into a slide, nor will antilocks make you stop any quicker on ice/snow - they just prevent you from losing control and spinning. My last four vehicles have been 4WD myself so I have a lot of experience but this is new for the wife. Even for me, the way the FWD is primary, and the rears kick in during front-slippage takes a bit getting used to because I am used to it the other way (I currently have a 2003 Avalanche Z71).I decided to buy a set of 4 steel 16" Vibe rims and got Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q 205/55R16 (same size as the stock). I got some decent looking wheelcovers at Canadian Tire. I paid just under $1300 CDN after taxes and all extras. Now the thing is like a Tank and has awesome control in the ice/snow There is no comparison whatesover to the stock Continentals.If you live in an area that gets lots of snow during the winter then I suggest to put snow tires on. Even though the Continentals are all-season, M+S - that does not mean very much nowadays. All it means is that they will get you by in a little bit of snow. The newer rating is for Severe Snow Performance and the tire will have a mountain with a snowflake symbol on it.BTW, the stock aluminum rims are sent away for repair and probably will cost me around $100 CDN ea. to fix. I thought I was going to save some $ and not have to buy winter tires - I ended up losing but it could have been much worse. Take my advice and don't skimp on winter tires - one accident may be more expensive than the cost of tires.

[NovaResource]

All too true. ABS, AWD and 4WD do not make you safer since they can only work if the tires stick to the road. If you see alot of snow, nothing beats a good set of snow tires.