Winter Tires

[Flames0910]

Saw this post in the thread about tonight's snow:

Question for guys with winter tires...how many seasons do they typically last? And do they really get chewed up if driven on dry pavement too much? Just wondering when I should put mine on.

I just bought my first car this summer, so obviously its my first time buying winter tires too Was wondering if anybody has any tips or advice?

I mainly have to drive home to Okotoks about once a week (from the university) and also plan on going to the mountains quite a bit. Luckily I don't have to do any of that crazy morning commute stuff
Also keep in mind I'm a starving university student =p

[feartheflames]

I reall need help with this too... I have a 92 dodge shadow and dont want to spend too much on tires.. is it worth it? where should I go?

[Bertuzzied]

Nokians ftw! I didn't even know what they were until someone asked on CP last winter. Those fins know how to make great tires and goalies. I think only Kal tires sells them in Calgary.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

I reall need help with this too... I have a 92 dodge shadow and dont want to spend too much on tires.. is it worth it? where should I go?

If you have all season tires you should be fine.

If you still want to go the winter tire route, Togo Tire, by the Chinook LRT sells used tires.

[feartheflames]

Originally Posted by Dion

If you have all season tires you should be fine.

If you still want to go the winter tire route, Togo Tire, by the Chinook LRT sells used tires.

do you have a price range on them by any chance?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Kobatuzzied

Nokians ftw! I didn't even know what they were until someone asked on CP last winter. Those fins know how to make great tires and goalies. I think only Kal tires sells them in Calgary.

yep. get the Nokian all-weather tires (not all season, there's a difference) and they're good all year round. they grip as good as any strictly winter tire i've had before but there's no harm in driving on dry pavement with them

[BlackArcher101]

I third the Nokians, especially the WR's. A tire with winter tire performance in the winter and all season performance in the summer. They bring a higher initial cost and aren't available everywhere, but I'm already on season 2 with mine with very little wear and only about 30,000km on them. With the amount of siping in them stopping distances are shorter and grip/acceleration is excellent.

The only downside is that they are only available at Kal Tire. I hope I'm wrong though, as I'm boycotting Kal Tire and would still like the option of buying Nokians in the future.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

do you have a price range on them by any chance?

Sorry. You could phone them at this number: 253-0404

Street address is: #1 6229 Centre street west. 3 blocks east of chinook centre.

[worth]

I have Nokian WR's as well and their great.

[Fobby]

One thing that people always get confused about is

Winter Tire != Snow Tire.. It means that you don't need to drive your winter tire on snow or else it will get chewed up on dry pavement.

Winter Tires are made of a different rubber compound that all season/summer tires. With summer tires, the rubber harden up when the temperature gets low, just like a hockey puck. With winter tires, you are not going to ruin the tires if driven ~ 10 degrees and below.

All season are NOT fine depending on the manufacturer of the tires and rubber compound which usually relates to speed and traction rating. All season on a W rate tire is probably okay, not great, but a V or Z rated tires will be a hockey puck.

[fredr123]

I would highly recommend you talk to the tire guy formerly known as CMS Bob. He's easily the most knowledgeable guy I've ever encountered when it comes to tires. He started his own shop a few months ago and is super busy but I'm sure he'll do his best to fit you in.

Bob Blakeborough
Urban Expressions Wheel & Tire
3823 12th ST NE
Calgary AB, T2E6M5
888.769.1772 Toll Free
403.769.1771 tel

[troutman]

You won't be spending any more on tires in the long run - because, your summer tires will be used half as much, and last twice as long.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Dion

If you have all season tires you should be fine.

If you still want to go the winter tire route, Togo Tire, by the Chinook LRT sells used tires.

At 7 C your all season tires start to lose traction. All seasons do not even compare to winter tires.

[trew]

Winter tires are a must have for Calgary. They slip like 1/10th as much as an all season tire, and, I bet, will probably save the average driver from one fender bender during the life of the tire.

Good link for winter tire reviews:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/winter/tires/tires.htm

I took a long look at the Nokians also, but ended up buying Michelin X-ice winter tires. Mainly because I still had a brand new set of all season tires to use in the summer, and the Nokians cost way more than the Michelin. If you are looking at buying two sets of new tires and extra rims, the Nokians are probably a good buy, for a true year-round tire. I don't think they are worth it if you already have good summer tires with lots of tread. Better to get winter tires, and buy an all-weather tire down the road when you wear out the first tires.

Also, I believe Costco (and other?) tire centers have a $100 rebate on right now for Michelin tires.

[Locke]

I use Pirelli Scorpions, they're a bit pricey, but they're fantastic.

[The Yen Man]

I went cheap and bought the Kumho KW19's. I've had Kumho's in the past, and they did the job, so no complaints from me. And buying it at Comtemporary Motorsports at T&T, they give you a Beyond.ca discount if you tell them you post in that forum. With rubber and steelies, it cost me less than 700 for 16 inch tires.

The Michelen X-Ice is probably better, and what they sell at Costco, but that would have ended up costing me 1200 plus tax. I hear the Bridgestone Blizzaks are pretty good too. I guess it depends on the price you want to spend. Hmm, never heard of the Nokians. Will have to look into that.

But as others have mentioned, once you go winter rubber, you never go back. Trust me, I thought all seasons were fine until I finally switched. I swear I can drive basically like normal unless its really really slippery. The stopping is amazing. And winter rubber lasts 5 years before they harden too much and need to be replaced, so I doubt I'll wear out the treads before then. I think its a pretty good investment, considering your safety and all.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Dion

If you have all season tires you should be fine.

If you still want to go the winter tire route, Togo Tire, by the Chinook LRT sells used tires.

Totally disagree, good winter tires are a major safety feature IMO, all-seasons are not designed for severe winter driving...

Canadian Tire has their Motormaster brand which is reasonably priced

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by Locke

I use Pirelli Scorpions, they're a bit pricey, but they're fantastic.

I run the Dunlop M3 Wintersport DSST myself. Not cheap either, but my selection is a bit limited since I wish to stick to using run-flat tires.

Fantastic tire though.

And +1 on what Fozzie said. Buy some winter tires.

[Bill Bumface]

For the question of how long they last, I drive about 24,000km per year, and it looks like I'll squeeze a 4th season out of my Blizzaks.

No matter what kind of car or truck you have, and how great it is on winter roads, if you are on snow or ice and need to stop quickly, have fun with your all season tires.

[Kipru]

Tires are the last thing you want to save on, since they are the only thing that connects your car to the road. Just buy Nokian, and pick up a Nokia phone also while you are at it. We need every tax dollar that those companies produce so we can keep on sending more goaltenders there. Those 2 companies are our only tax incomes + Kipper, now that he is making big bucks with your oil sand money. I need my monthly studymoney from state so I can by new nails for my donkey-carriadge, since the winter is coming here also.

Its amazing how much you can research a simple thing like tyre, my mate is over at Nokian making his masters thesis and their Finite element analysis and testing procedures are just crazy.

To sum it up: My english has gotten worse since the last year when this topic came up also, and i'm drunk. And we will win Portugal. Viva la Litmanen.