Looking for some advice from the usual Well-o'-Knowledge-'n'-Opinion that is CP.
I need new tires for my 97 Camry (yes, I am that sexy). I also am only considering all-season, because that is just the way I roll ...
Now - I understand everyone loves the premium Nokian's, but what I want to know is:
--> Does it make sense/Would you spend top dollar for tires for an OLDER car?
This isn't my new baby and nor was she built for speed.
Thoughts?
Other info of note:
- About 110,000kms on the car.
doesn't matter how old the car is, do you want to stop in snow and avoid an accident? i get infuriated when people say "i don't need winter tires, my all seasons are fine" and then proceed to do 50km/h on deerfoot because they're afraid to go any faster
doesn't matter how old the car is, do you want to stop in snow and avoid an accident? i get infuriated when people say "i don't need winter tires, my all seasons are fine" and then proceed to do 50km/h on deerfoot because they're afraid to go any faster
Winter tires dont make useless drivers any less useless..
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Wow, 110,000 kms on a 97 is pretty good. At the rate you're at, that Camry will go for another 30 years
Okay, back to the topic: we put Nokian all-weather tires on our 96 Corolla a couple of months ago. We anticipate driving this for another 3-4 years (even if it becomes a secondary vehicle), so I don't see why you would settle for cheaper tires even though you have an older car. The extra safety is worth it IMO (especially in Calgary where the roads can get especially nasty)...
Winter tires dont make useless drivers any less useless..
i'm not just talking about the useless drivers. i know when i drive a car with regular all-seasons on with snow/ice on the road, i'm way more cautious and thus a slower driver than in my car with the Nokian all-weather tires. i drive at my normal speed regardless if the roads are bare or i'm in a blizzard with those tires on. and it's nice to know that if something unexpected does happen, i can actually stop and not rear end someone unlike those all-season'ers that end up causing all those accidents we hear about after every big snowfall
People put way to much faith in winter tires. Ive had a couple sets, they are good, but not the life or death difference maker everyone around here makes them out to be.
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People put way to much faith in winter tires. Ive had a couple sets, they are good, but not the life or death difference maker everyone around here makes them out to be.
I agree with this, but disagree.
I do think that everyone should have to get them. They would make the roads safer. However, I also understand the people who say they don't need them because of 5 days per year.
Winter tires are made of a different rubber. So no, perhaps everyone doesn't need the ones with the huge treads on them that can drive through 2 ft of snow, but if everyone had a tire with a rubber compound designed for temperatures less than 7 C, we'd be stopping on ice better, and slipping less, and just in general better.
So yes and no to what you say there. It all depends on what kind of driving each individual wants to be doing. But for heaven's sake, if you have all seasons get out of my way.
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I do think that everyone should have to get them. They would make the roads safer. However, I also understand the people who say they don't need them because of 5 days per year.
Winter tires are made of a different rubber. So no, perhaps everyone doesn't need the ones with the huge treads on them that can drive through 2 ft of snow, but if everyone had a tire with a rubber compound designed for temperatures less than 7 C, we'd be stopping on ice better, and slipping less, and just in general better.
So yes and no to what you say there. It all depends on what kind of driving each individual wants to be doing. But for heaven's sake, if you have all seasons get out of my way.
that's why i only recommend the Nokian all-weather. you can use them all year round if you want to, but they don't lose grip when it gets below freezing. sure they cost a bit more, but i don't understand the mentality of trying to save a few bucks when tires are the most important safety aspect on your car. the extra money spent is paid back ten fold when you're able to avoid an accident in the winter and save the repair bills, or even save your life
People put way to much faith in winter tires. Ive had a couple sets, they are good, but not the life or death difference maker everyone around here makes them out to be.
Watch these
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People put way to much faith in winter tires. Ive had a couple sets, they are good, but not the life or death difference maker everyone around here makes them out to be.
I just took the Hankook All-Seasons off my Jeep in favor of my Pirelli Scorpion winters.
4x4 or not, the Hankooks absolutely suck in snow and ice. Completely useless.
The Scorpions make an absolutely incredible difference, coupled with my 4x4, they make driving in this slop an absolute breeze.
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I run all terrain TA's on my truck. They have the winter tire snowflake on them but they aren't super soft. It's people who aren't familiar with winter driving that drive really slow and clog up traffic. It only takes one or two morons to slow down everyone.
that's why i only recommend the Nokian all-weather. you can use them all year round if you want to, but they don't lose grip when it gets below freezing. sure they cost a bit more, but i don't understand the mentality of trying to save a few bucks when tires are the most important safety aspect on your car. the extra money spent is paid back ten fold when you're able to avoid an accident in the winter and save the repair bills, or even save your life
I have a car that I drive with all seasons on it. The biggest reason I have not already switched to winter tires already is that switching them in for the winter is both a hassle since it will need to be done when I am in the thick of midterms and/or finals.
So these all weather tires are ok for all year round? Would it matter if sometimes I get a lot of extra mileage in the summer and in the winter I am just driving to the train station most days?
I know ideally winter tires are best, but the realist in me knows I wont be switching them out in time more often than not.
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I have a car that I drive with all seasons on it. The biggest reason I have not already switched to winter tires already is that switching them in for the winter is both a hassle since it will need to be done when I am in the thick of midterms and/or finals.
So these all weather tires are ok for all year round? Would it matter if sometimes I get a lot of extra mileage in the summer and in the winter I am just driving to the train station most days?
I know ideally winter tires are best, but the realist in me knows I wont be switching them out in time more often than not.
they're called all-weather because that's just exactly what they are. the Nokians have a more advanced rubber compound that make them grip in cold weather, but they won't fall apart in hot weather either. that's why they cost a bit more, but to me it's worth it. even though i still swap on summer tires with my good rims i'd prefer the Nokians to a winter only tire because of the chinooks we get in Calgary. having those +10 days with bare pavement tear up the winter only tires a lot faster than a place like Edmonton where the snow never really leaves until spring, with the Nokians equiped i don't have to worry about that
here's a good article on the Nokians. they have an 80,000km treadwear guarantee, no winter only tire even has a warranty
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To answer the OP- I wouldn't say you need to spend top dollar on tires, but don't go the cheapest route either. Good all season tires are available for cheap if you look. Check the Canadian Tire flyer as they often put them on for 25% off. Look at Wal-Mart, and then check their tires online to see how they are rated.
As much as I am also looking at moving to having 2 sets of tires, it just isn't realistic for everybody. Like if somebody lives in an apartment I can't see how they are expected to store a 2nd set of tires all the time.
Another option is checking the wrecker. The rims that I bought for my car had brand new rubber attached to them- the tires still had the little nubby thingies on them. 2 of the tires were undamaged by the accident, and one of the others isn't bad. So even buying all 4 tires, I spent $52 to get 3 decent all season tires. If you are lucky you could get 4 good ones. Just be sure to know your size before going in.
Okay, someone help me out here. Aren't the first set of "All-season" Tires on the white Ford (which does significantly poorly compared to the Gold Mercedes) actually the CP-endorsed Nokian "all-weather" WR's? (pause at 0:05 to 0:08 - you can read the "nokian" brand and the tread is virtually identical)
Then, to confuse things, when they swap them, the Gold Mercedes gets some funky patterned (aka asymetrical tread) Dunlops... what's up with that?
A lot of their close-ups don't make sense. I'm guessing the video editor chose the wrong clips or their intention was to use it as filler but forgot people would assume they are showing what they are currently talking about.. On #2 they show two winter tires (if not the same one).
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Last edited by BlackArcher101; 12-12-2008 at 10:50 PM.
The fact that the car that can't stop is always on the side that looks like it is sheer ice from cars sliding on it shows just how biased that video is. I am not saying they don't have mostly valid points but they are still skewing the results in their favor.
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The fact that the car that can't stop is always on the side that looks like it is sheer ice from cars sliding on it shows just how biased that video is. I am not saying they don't have mostly valid points but they are still skewing the results in their favor.
Yet another tire question. Old Car. All-season.
