Winter tires

[Benny]

Ok so its winter time here Minnesota in 5.5 months or so what would people suggest as a good snow tire? lets reasonable here?thanks

[BlueCrush]

Do a search for winter tires and you will find tons of threads on them. It's too early to talk about winter tires. LOL.

[Raven]

Most Vibers go with 195/65/15 tires on a set of Toyota Corolla steel rims. I bought a set of Nokian WR tires last winter . They are incredible tires. They are a four season tire but they have the extreme weather rating of a snow tire. They work great in snow and ice but don't wear out like most bubblegum rubber snow tires do. The also work great on bare roads which even in winter, we drive on most of the time.

[Benny]

so what about the spring and summer months then? I do like the GY triple treads I think I have on my sebring.

[Raven]

You could probably use TripleTreds year round or the Nokian's. I use ultra high performance 17" tires on Motegi rims in spring summer and early fall.

[rubberman]

Kumho 712s are a good tire. I had 225/50/16 on mine for the summer they stuck like glue and had dunlop graspics 195/65/15 for the winter.

[LavaMyVibe]

Not having visited Minnesota I can only imagine that you get similar winters to southern Ontario. In any case, here is what you should consider: when doing mostly city driving where the streets and freeways will be plowed within 24hrs of a major snowfall, you're better off with ice tires. You'll get the benefit of a quieter tire, better dry traction, better fuel economy, and better protection from black ice (which is more common in the city than a foot of snow). If, however, you live in an area where a snowplow may not come along for a week after a winter blast, you should look for a deep snow tire. As an ice tire, the Bridgestone Blizzak is excellent but pricy. Consider the Kuhmo's (budget) or Pirellli's (mid price range, I have the Pirelli Sottozero 195/65R15, which I love). For deep snow tires, look at the Dunlop Graspics (sp?). The best all around snow/ice tire, in my opinion, is the Finnish made Nokian Hakkapelita line. The Finns must know a thing or two about winter tires considering that much of their country is in the arctic circle In reality, many of today's snow/ice tires are far superior to those made even 10 years ago, when tire tread was the only differentiating factor. Now, the compound in snow tires contains silica and other more exotic materials that litterally "suck" the tire to the wet/icy road. Buy what you can afford and you'll be better off than running on all-seasons.