Any Snow tire performance updates?

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Just travelled through South Bend, IN and Chicago on my way to WI this past Thursday (>10" in those areas).

My car is an 05 Camry LE (4 cyl, auto) and I have 205/65-15 Blizzak REVO 1's mounted for the winter.

Snow traction is great - no complaints. Dry handling is a bit sqirmy but again - no complaints.

Slight whining >70 mph on dry asphalt but not irritating or distracting.

I am interested to see how much tread is left when I take them off in the beginning of March w/15,000 miles on them.

I have Graspic DS-1's (14,000 mi and 2 seasons on them) mounted on my wife's 04 Civic EX (manual trans) and we are equally pleased with them.


Thatwouldbegreat : how is your daughter enjoying her REVO 1's?

Dominic : how are those Dunlop M3's on your Camaro? I am considering those next time.

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I also have Graspic DS-1's coming from low profile sitiff sidewall and great grip, it feels weird to ride on the skinny soft sidewall tire, but my car is not all over the road anymore
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Nice timing!

In central PA we got 4-6 inches of snow yesterday, so I took my wife's AWD Vibe out in the early A.M. to test it out. I'm running 205/55VR-16 Dunlop Winter Sport M3's on Toyota OEM steel wheels.

Snow traction was excellent. I got out on some back-country roads that hadn't been plowed and had no problems. On the return trip, took a different route on a well-traveled state road with packed snow. Again, it was pleasantly uneventful.

Dry road surfaces are as usual with most snow tires: More road nose, a little less traction than all-seasons', but that's to be expected. Note: This is the first set of dedicated snow tires I've ever owned that weren't studded. Thus, these things feel downright "stealth" compared to the old days...

Wet surfaces: Don't know yet. It's been too cold for any melt-off of the snow we have.

C.T.
 
I was wondering how long it would take before a snow tire thread popped up.

`93 Volvo 245 - (4)14" (Firestone)Winterforce (not studded/2nd season)
`03 VW Golf - (4)15" Kumho KW11 IzenStud (not studded/3rd season)

Even w/Winterforces, the rwd Volvo is still an "adventure" to drive in the snow. They do make the white stuff more managable though. The KW11s on the VW help transform that car into snowmobile.
 
I got GY eagle ultra grip tires for my 04 saab 9-3 last winter (OE wheels, all set up from the dealer). GREAT tires, excellent traction, though I never saw the need for AWD even with all season tires in 6+ inches of snow, because the saab is so darn good in snow driving... But anyway, I couldnt really get loose in snow and muck because the tires did realy well, and they didnt really exhibit any indication of having snow tires on the car... Im really happy!

I got some canadian tire nordic icetrak tires for my 91 BMW 318 a couple years ago. That car is HORRIBLE in the snow, even on an ice patch in the middle of a parking lot, it would slip and slide... These tires made a huge difference, and the tires were great - quite a transformation.

My 98 chevy s10 zr2 had BFG all terrains as OE fittment from the factory. Last year I changed them because the rubber started to look oxidized (50% trad left at ~50k miles!). The new ones have the snowflake symbol of a 'snow tire'. Amazing results from them too! With the old tires, I could easily set off ABS (I try to do this a lot when its bad conditions to gauge slipperyness). With the new BFGs, I couldnt even get ABS to engage, and could often get going in bad stuff with only 2wd enabled - stuff that certainly would need at least 4hi with the old tires!

I just got pirelli sport 210 snow tires for my father's 96 MB E300D... havent tested them yet though...

JMH
 
Too bad Tirerack isn't showing the Kumho KW11s any more. I have them unstudded on two FWD Chevies and they make winter driving fun again but you don't give up any performance on wet or dry roads as far as I can tell. It seems that Tirerack is trying to raise its margins by not selling them.
 
brand new blizzak ws-50's on my civic, and i absolutely love them. have provided me with excellent snow traction this season
 
Canadian tire's Nordic icetrack on my Civic for the third season...really great tire for the price...will not pay $$$ again for Blizzaks, G-02 plus or others big brand names
 
I have Blizzak WS-50's on my wife's Taurus wagon, stock 215/60-16 size, they chew through the snow like nobody's business. Better than my truck with half-worn Dueler REVO's when it's in 2wd actually.
 
quote:

Too bad Tirerack isn't showing the Kumho KW11s any more. It seems that Tirerack is trying to raise its margins by not selling them.

I agree. The only "cheap" snow tire The Tire Rack now offers is the Winterforce. They've even done away w/inexpensive steel wheels for many applications. Raising margins indeed, IMO.
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uconn150...I really like the B.F.G'S in any weather...it's the tire pressure that you have to keep an eye on with weather temperature change.Colder a bit firmer on the PSI,warmer a bit softer tire works best other than that fantastic tire.I have them on a Cherokee and a Jeep TJ
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Greaser, thanks for the help. Dry/Snow the BFGs are awesome...but when wet ,or even in shallow mud, they slip like crazy. Weird huh...maybe the compound is dried out.
 
"Dry/Snow the BFGs are awesome...but when wet ,or even in shallow mud, they slip like crazy. Weird huh...maybe the compound is dried out."

The BFG ATs don't have typical channels for rain like a ribbed tire so they may not do as well in rain as some other tires. The have a severe snow rating and they seem to do well in snow, but I've seen 4wd Jeeps with the tires stall and start sliding backwards on ice covered hills. Some coworkers have siped BFG ATs, and while it helps they still complained about sliding on ice.
 
I've got Hankook Zovac HPW401 studded snow tires on my wife's 03 Subaru Forester for the 4th winter on the same set and Cooper Discoverer M+S studded snow tires on my 03 Ford Ranger for the 3rd winter on the same set. We're real pleased with both. We ran the Zovacs on 3 different pickups from the early 90's to 2002 and swore by them.
 
In central PA we got 4-6 inches of snow yesterday, so I took my wife's AWD Vibe out in the early A.M. to test it out. I'm running 205/55VR-16 Dunlop Winter Sport M3's on Toyota OEM steel wheels.


maybe I am mising something. but why would you buy snow tires for a AWD/4wd vehicle? I thought the purpose of snow tires was for the FWD/RWD vehicles. I think its a waste of money. I have a 4wd Dakota with Mastercraft AT tires on it and in the snow we have gotten last year here. I never had to lock it in 4wd. so I bet with your AWD vehicle. it will go through snow on reg all season tires just as good as with snow tires.
 
Hey Greaser,

Do the ATs work better in the snow than the rain? Mine get really squirmy when wet and at speed. Thinking of trying the Bridgestone Revos.

Thanks!
 
Dark Jedi, snow tires are for snow and ice. It doesn't matter which end your car powers, snow tires will help you accelerate, turn and stop better on snow and ice than "all season" or summer only tires. Sure, they might not make sense if you live in Florida or only see light accumulations of snow a few times a year, but if you live in snow country you need 'em.

I just picked up a dedicated set of wheels and Blizzak DM-Z3 tires for my QX4. They'll make sure I get to the slopes in Tahoe as long as CalTrans doesn't wimp out and completely close the roads. My Michelin Cross-Terrains did fine for the past few seasons, but they're pretty worn now and don't have the tread depth I'm comfortable with in snow anymore.

Think snow!
 
Blake I never had a prob stopping or taking off with my AT tires. same thing goes for my wifes douglas all season tires. I was just saying that with a 4wd or AWD I just think its useless for getting snow tires. my mom had a 4wd(they called it real time) honda civic and always had all season tires on it and never had a prob except for a very steep hill that was all ice. but everyone had prob on that hill. I can see snow tires for for non 4wd cars and trucks.


maybe I should ask what makes snow tires so much better? I know the studded ones are very good. I am talking about the non studded ones.
 
quote:

maybe I should ask what makes snow tires so much better?

Most modern studless snow tires use a rubber compound that remains more pliable at low temperatures. There are also subtle differences in the tread design. Some designs rely on dense siping to improve ice traction while others engineer the tread to actually retain a layer of snow on the tire itself. Believe it or not, traction can be better with snow-to-snow contact than snow-to-rubber.
 
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