New member, looking for tire opinions

[Mr_RPM]

Hello, I have been a 2004 (1.8L) Poniac Vibe driver for 2 years now.I'm getting ready to buy tires for it, my last set i bought were bad and I'm here to get opinions from the vibe professionals.Not sure if its just me but my vibe (automatic, front wheel drive) is HORRIBLE in the snow. I have never driven a car worse. not sure if its the somewhat wide tires, lack of weight, or lack of traction control. (205-55-16 tires)My driving consists of alot of dirt roads, and Michigan winters.I don't do alot of performance driving. my mother is the owner of the car and she uses it as a DD. looking for a long lasting, snow friendly (all season) tire. i need all 4 tires.wondering if there is a forum favorite as far as a 205-55-16 daily driver tire.I find it very interesting there is such a big group of people dedicated to a vibe forum. I have been on wrangler forums and 3 wheeler forums, but vibes... made me chuckle. I gotta admit, its pretty cool to see. maybe now ill have some influence to play with the vibe more.thanks, Mr_RPM

[Vinlandr]

Welcome,I know the Goodyear Eagle RS/A 4 seasons are not particularly good in snow but they are not winter tires anyway.Many people get 15 inches rims for Winter and put P195/65 R15 to keep the same radius and get a little better grip.I got Semperit Speed Life for summer, they are not expensive and made by Continental. So far I am pleased. I don't know about their wearing speed however as I drive barely 3000 KM a year at the moment.I could deal a set of new tires when I bought the car used on the still good UltraGrip Ice that I keep for winter and these Semperit were what they put on.The Ultra Grip Ice should last me 2 or 3 winters more.

[ehoff121]

Welcome to genvibe! http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=40473 <- poll results of owner choices for high performance all-season tires.

[06pvibe]

Michigan and winter? You probably see a lot of snow and ice time up there, perhaps even lake effect snows/weather? I would certainly consider dedicated snow tires under those conditions. All-Seasons are a compromise at best.However, if you and/or your mother are set on an all-season consider the Continental DWS series of tire. We no longer have Semperits available to us in the US.Obviously here in Texas we don't get a lot of snow, but we did get what the natives 'round here consider a "storm" this winter. 1/2"- 3/4", some of it icy too. I know that would laughable to anyone living up north, but its a big deal around these parts. Austin nearly shut down completely for 6 hrs that day, and the roads are not built for that kind of weather here either, so they do get quite slippery even w/that little bit of snowfall on them. My wife (and her Vibe,) as well as me and my Mazda both made it to work that day (about 17 miles apiece) when others were just spinning out or wouldn't try at all. We are both running the Conti's.Best overall tires I've had on the Mazda in 7yrs, and not terribly expensive either!!They also offer a nice ride, but I would suggest pumping them up a bit for everyday driving. I run 38F/34 or 35R.

[Houston]

I bought a set of Goodyear Ultra-Grip Ice for my, at the time, 2003 Vibe and it made a world of difference over the tires that came on the car. I highly recommend them. Be sure to get a set of four, because using only two on the front can be dangerous.

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by Mr_RPM »Not sure if its just me but my vibe (automatic, front wheel drive) is HORRIBLE in the snow. I have never driven a car worse. not sure if its the somewhat wide tires, lack of weight, or lack of traction control. (205-55-16 tires)looking for a long lasting, snow friendly (all season) tire. i need all 4 tires.It's all in the tires! You need 4 winter tires on seperate rims, nothing less will do! Simply put, the difference between the cheapest winter tire and the premium all season is night and day!I run fully studded Firestone Winterforce in the winter. They're on the cheaper side but worth every penny!!! I never use the traction contol or VSC, they just get in the way!

[CAMOGIRL]

Def not the car...My vibe did better in what was left of winter than my cherokee did without the 4x4. I thought I'd miss it, but I don't. I will be looking into a set of plain winter tires this next year though as I'll be commuting and hitting the highway before thee plows.

[Mr_RPM]

hmmm, well I guess what I was originally looking for needs to be changed. Im looking for a long lasting all season tire. snow is now gone and wont be back till November-December.cheap and long lasting are my 2 main selling points.the vibe to us is more of a transportation machine then it is a toy, so just looking for something that works, no need for a performance tire. just a common every day tire.i didn't realize they had special snow specific tires, Im a jeep wrangler man myself and usually AT tires are good snow tires too.

[star_deceiver]

Here are my summer tires: 205-50-17 Hankook Ventus V4 - classified as an ultra-high performance all season. They handle great, quiet, easily outperform what the stability control thinks is ok, good in the rain, and seem to be wearing decently.Here are my winter tires: 205-55-16 Firestone Winterforce fully studdedWhat they can do: http://www.youtube.com/user/st...6BKZYIMHO: Stay away from anything Goodyear!!!

[nerka]

You are not listening buddy. There is no such thing as "all season" in the snow. Unless you dont value your families safety. Listen to star_deceiver

[blindman10]

I'm in a similar situation as you (living in WI) and I'm not sure if a set of dedicated winter tires is something I can afford either. Having said that, I definitely know the benefits of having a dedicated set and will have to check my finances as winter closes in again in the fall. I plan to get a set of Continental DWS in the next month or so as my stock tires are pretty raw. These tires seem pretty popular on the forums AND if you check the reviews on TireRack.com they are all stellar. They aren't that expensive considering they are rated at 50k miles and reviews sound like they live up to this durability.

[Mr_RPM]

no, i understrand all seasons aren't a good snow tire.but I need tires now, and winter is months away. I still want an all seasonsince i live on 3 miles of dirt road and have dirt all over. i live in a rural area with rural back roadswe have put 100k miles on the vibe since buying it and have made it pretty well in the winter, its bad in the snow but for the bad days we have jeeps and truckshaving dedicated snow tires is a very good idea but for now I cant buy 2 sets of tires and will need to look into snow tires as November approaches.

[star_deceiver]

Have a look at these: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ologyThey're cheap and will probably last a few years. But I wouldn't trust these in the snow.Or spend a couple of dollars more: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...t+DWSThese probably won't last as long but they'll have more grip. I wouldn't trust these in the snow either.

[10vibe]

Consumer Reports tire picks: ratings (*). Top Picks only, except for Winter. I suggest subscribing.All-season (S and T speed rated)1. (84) Michelin HydroEdge2. (82) Continental ProContact EcoPlus+3. (82) Michelin Energy Saver A/S4. (82) Hankook Optimo H727Performance all-season (H speed rated)1. (84) Michelin Primacy MXV42. (80) Falken Ziex ZE9123. (80) Nokian WR G2Performance all-season (V speed Rated)1. (84) Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S2. (82) Firestone Firehawk Gtv3. (80) Bridgestone Turanza Serenity4. (80) Dunlop SignatureUHP All-Season (Ultra High Performance)1. (82) Perelli P Zero Nero All Season2. (82) Sumitomo HTR A/S P013. (80) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus4. (80) Continental Extreme Contact DWSUHP Summer (Ultra High Performance)1. (82) Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric2. (82) Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT3. (82) Michelin Pilot Sport PS24. (80) Continental Extreme Contact DW5. (80) Hankook Ventus V12 evoWinter1. (84) Michelin X-Ice XI 2 2. (78) General Altimax Arctic3. (78) Nokian Hakkapeliitta 54. (76) Michelin Primacy Alpin PA35. (74) Nokian Hakkapeliitta R6. (74) Continental ExtremeWintercontact7. (72) Bridgestone Blizzak WS608. (70) Perelli Sottozero 210 Series II9. (70) Dunlop Graspic DS-210. (70) Hankook Winter i*Pike11. (68) Gislaved Nordfrost 512. (64) Toyo Observe G-02 Plus13. (62) Yokohama ice Guard iG2014. (62) Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice15. (58) Firestone Winterforce16. (54) Cooper Weather-master S/T217. (50) Hankook icebear W300

[06pvibe]

Personally, I have gone with some of CU's tire recommendations and been disappointed with the outcome. Example: The GY F1 is a good summer tire, but will last you about a day and a half before they go bald.As SD suggests and I agree completely, if it says GoodYear on it, STAY AWAY!! They mostly produce overpriced crap these days.SD, Studded tires have been outlawed in the states in all places I am aware of. Even finding a tire here that would accept studs is impossible. The Conti's (DWS) I and blindman are suggesting have a 540 wear rating, and so for ours are holding up admirably. And as I said, they do OK in the snow too, but better a set of dedicated winter tires for REAL snow.

[star_deceiver]

Here ya go! http://www.tire-information-wo....htmlThere are lots of tires that accept studs... but be warned that studded, they are a LOT louder then anything else you will drive!