1010tires.com has free shipping on winter tires right now. Their prices aren't as great as they used to be with the dollar being how it is, but with the free shipping it's about on par with local shops. Costco will be cheaper if you're just getting rubber, but a wheel + tire combo would likely be cheaper at 1010. Again, with the dollar being how it is, it's not going to be a big difference. But if you're like me and would rather not get off your ass for things, it's a good option
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Originally Posted by lazypucker
I have a question that has probably asked here before - Does AWD help compensate the lack of winter tires?
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AWD will help you get moving, might even help slightly in the corners, but crucially it doesn't make a difference at all when it comes to stopping.
That's a classic debate, "I don't need winter tires, I have all seasons and 4WD/AWD." To prove a friend wrong years ago, we did a stop test in an empty parking lot that hadn't yet been plowed. Him in a '04 Jeep Wrangler with 4WD on. Me in the '03 FWD Jetta I had at the time. He had a good set of all season tires (can't remember specifically what kind) I had budget Canadian Tire Goodyear Nordic winter tires. We did a stopping test from 50km/hr. The results? The front wheel drive car with the cheapest winter tires on the market at the time, stopped 12 feet shorter than the 4WD jeep.
Think of tires like they're exactly what they are. Round things made of different kinds of rubber. The compounds that all season tires are made from freeze and harden up, it's literally like driving around on hockey pucks.
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Originally Posted by OldDutch
I looked around and Costco seems to have the best price. I was looking at the Michelin - X-Ice Xi3 or the Bridgestone - Blizzak WS80. I was looking at the Michelin - Pilot Alpin PA4 but that looks like it is a semi-winter tire, mainly for milder winters?
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You can't go wrong with either of those tires, both are top of their class.
Here's the results of a consumer survey
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...=true&filter=y
And a professional test
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=193