Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
Originally Posted By: oilnoob425
Originally Posted By: ChiTDI
I'm glad he changes the oil!!
If he is handy enough to change his own oil, I see no reason why he can't change his own tires twice a year as well. I started changing tires way before I started changing oil. It's much easier actually. All you need is another set of wheels, torque wrench, extension, socket, some lug nuts (Tire Rack includes them), space to store it and a jack. Wheel locks are optional. All in all should cost around $200. You save a lot more in the long run.
With expensive all seasons you just overpaying for bigger compromise. And they get worn out faster because you have them on all year around. If you have a garage, these high price, high profile all season tires don't make sense from neither economical, practical nor performance standpoint. You way better of with two sets of season tires.
Just out of curiosity, what do you do during the transitional periods between fall/winter and between winter/spring? I use Blizzaks in the winter and a performance all season for the rest of the year. I've considered summer tires because they would be better during the warmer months but I think I would be forced to run my winter tires during those transitional periods which would be a compromise also since the summer tires would be worthless if I got a little snow or ice outside of the normal winter season.
The only way to avoid any compromises is to be ready to change your tires daily between a winter/all season/summer tire.
I see your point. When I'm not running winter tires I'm running summer tires. But that's only because there aren't any high performance all season tires like Bridgestone 960 or something like that in my size. Otherwise I would have done just what you did. I bought my current summer tires because they were the only high performance-high traction choice I had in my wheel size.
Luckily seasons here in WI are more or less well defined and predictable and allow me to have summer tires, although there were some exceptions before when I already taken off winter tires and put summer tires on and then snow storm kicked in. I had to call in work that day. Other than that it's just not very cold temps and no snow during transitional months. I usualy keep my summers till first snow hits, after that you know it will be cold so I put my winter tires on without reservations. Then I keep winters on untill it becomes warm in spring. So yeah I compromise a bit but luckily for me weather allows to do that without much risk.
UHP A/S tire will be better at handling colder temperatures but still will have better traction than regular all season tire in summer. Then snow kicks in and that's where I whip out my winter tires.
These in between season periods you talking about, it depends on particular state and its climate to choose the most appropriate tire. I personally prefer to suffer a bit during the late fall to have a good traction for the rest of the year. But then again WI climate allows me to do that. But if you have crazy unpredictable weather in your state than all seasons could be the way to go. Don't necessarily relly on advises here, just see better for yourself. Important thing is that you got options and that's the good thing.
