Winter Tire Questions...looking for advice

[onetwo_threefour]

I've got a cute-ute () and even with the AWD, I noticed a huge difference going from All-Season's to X-Ice's for the first time last year. I had never had Snow Tires before and it was huge. (Granted I still have the OEM crappy tires on the vehicle for my all-season's which may have something to do with it, bu I was quite happy with the handling and control of the X-Ice's)

Is there really a big difference between a Michelin and a Nokkian? I'll probbaly be in the marke for new all-season's this sprin and I'm wondering about the Nokkians.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

I've got a cute-ute () and even with the AWD, I noticed a huge difference going from All-Season's to X-Ice's for the first time last year. I had never had Snow Tires before and it was huge. (Granted I still have the OEM crappy tires on the vehicle for my all-season's which may have something to do with it, bu I was quite happy with the handling and control of the X-Ice's)

Is there really a big difference between a Michelin and a Nokkian? I'll probbaly be in the marke for new all-season's this sprin and I'm wondering about the Nokkians.

I'm sure the Falkens would go on your vehicle. They have surprised me, and they were 500ish for full set plus install, so not too crazy. But they aren't the greatest for ice, so you kinda need to get them off early... but very good tire for rain and dry conditions, considering the price.

I'm not sure I'd get Nokian for all-seasons, but I'm sure they do make great tires.

[worth]

I'm still waiting for Kal Tire to get the new Nokian Hakka R's in. I called them yesterday and they still don't know when they will get any.

I'm gonna be pissed if I have to drive to work with my summer tires on in snow. That is not going to be a fun drive.

[Machiavelli]

So, if Nokian WRs can be driven all year round, do they wear faster in the summer than normal all-seasons?

Also, should they be used with steelies in the winter and then normal stock alloys in the winter (to prevent winter damage to the alloy rims)??

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Also, should they be used with steelies in the winter and then normal stock alloys in the winter (to prevent winter damage to the alloy rims)??

Since this is my first winter with winter tires, I had them put onto my stock rims... now I have to decide to switch them back in spring, or buy new rims.

Switching all the time is costly every time you do it, whereas buying new rims is costly once.

But to be honest, stock rims are not that nice, but should not really matter for winter time, I don't think...

[vodafone_b]

I am looking for my first set of winter tires for my car this winter.

Seeing how nokia are the favorites among many of the posters here, I've decided to check them out at kaltire yesterday.. but the quote I've got back yesterday for 4 16"s were quite steep. I am not familiar with cars or tires at all, so I thought some posters here can help me out.

The quote I got was for the Hakki Rs', and the total cost was 2K. The tires were 217 each; and alloys of 105 each. I can live with those cost, but then there's other stuff/subcharge like the surcharge for mouting tire with TPMS (40); passenger aluminum wheel balance (88); wheel senors (320); relearn/recalibration of TPMS system (50); 5 LUG spline drive install kit? (60) and the HUB centric rings - alloy (40)..

So thats pretty much my quote.. total of 2K. I've heard I don't need to do those TPMS configuration, if I can live with the senors light being on my dashboard for the winter.. I mean that is around 400 bucks right there! And for the other stuff, I really do not know if they are necessary. Sorry if I sound dumb, but I have never had experience with tires before. I hope someone can explain to me more about some of the items in my quote above.

And any other alternatives? I've heard blizzarks are good as well. And the kaltire guys recommend yokohama as well (which they've said it was second to nokians).

Thanks again. I really want to get them for my car asap!

[Finner]

Any opinons on these?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...=1224438442375

They have great reviews and seem reasonably priced.

Can I just take my old winter tires on rims to Canadian Tire if I do buy these and they will switch the rims onto the new winter tires and recycle the new ones for me? Does that cost a lot?

[megatron]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

BUMP

So I just had my Falken Ziex ZE-912 (from Kal Tire) switched off of my Grand Am, and had some Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi put on.

Both of those tire sets are overkill for the car, but you can really notice the difference.

So far, since it's dry conditions, I really notice the brutal handling my car now has, as compared to the summer tires. Of course, this will not matter when there is 6inches of snow because I'll have no problems then! BRING ON THE SNOW!!!!!

I'm also looking to get my first set of winter tires from Kal Tire for my Honda Civic. From reading everything in this thread and the 2007 Winter Tire thread from last year, I'm going with Nokians.

I've been running on all seasons, and I would switch to the "All Weather" Nokian WRs, but I still have about 50000kms left from my current all seasons. My initial thought (to save money) was to keep the current rims that I am using now and just store the all seasons in my storage locker in my condo underground parkade.

1) Should I just spring for some steel rims so that when spring comes I don't have to keep switching the tires (ie. Saves the cost of switching tires on 1 set of rims)? How much extra would steel rims cost?

2) The tire I was thinking of was the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi as well but only because the size listed on the website matches my current all season tire (P185/70R14). What's the difference between the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5, Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q, and Nokian Hakkapeliitta R (ie. prices)? I haven't had time to read the website, so I was just looking for a quick synopsis. I guess the size wouldn't matter if I got a steel rim.

3) What was the price for 4 Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSis?

[BlackArcher101]

For prices and sizes, I usually use http://www.1010tires.com/

[Old Yeller]

How long do factory tires last? I'm driving a 2006 CR-V with original tires on it... they've got about 50,000 km's on them... I'm assuming I should probably get them replaced with some more all seasons but I'm not sure what my best option is.

All I know is these factory tires are horrible for road noise.

[browna]

nm

[burn_this_city]

For Canadian pricing check out www.tiretrends.com

These guys are cheaper than anywhere else, just order them and they show up 2 - 3 days later..

[photon]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

So, if Nokian WRs can be driven all year round, do they wear faster in the summer than normal all-seasons?

Also, should they be used with steelies in the winter and then normal stock alloys in the winter (to prevent winter damage to the alloy rims)??

The WR G2's I put on have a 100,000km tread life guarantee and I've been told that they don't wear super fast like a normal winter tire does in summer.

These are the 3rd set of tires on the car and it's only 120,000km old! The Perellis I had on there before only lasted like 50,000km.

If you are a performance buff it's probably not the best, but for my wife I put the WR G2's on her car so I don't have to worry about switching tires at all.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...e=Nokian+WR+G2

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Winter tires could be harder to find this fall in some sizes and models, thanks to the new law in Quebec requiring winter tires.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswi...-shortage.html

[ken0042]

All of these tips on places to get tires, how about suggestions for places that sell rims?

My biggest objection to winter tires is that for ~5 months of the year I either have to have ugly steel rims on my car (I happen to like my factory aluminum ones) or swap the tires each time. And this is for something that like air conditioning you only need a dozen or so days per year.

In case the make of the car is important, I have an '03 Grand Am.

[burn_this_city]

http://www.lakeshorewheelandtire.com/

I bought a few sets of OEM knock offs from these guys.. Good looking wheels for the money, would definately recommend.

[vodafone_b]

any one has experience with Toyos tire? specifically The Toyo Garit Kx Winter Tires, or any other winter tires?

I've read a couple of reviews and they seem to be on the favorable side. I got a quote from my dealer for this set of tires. Any help will be appericated.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by TibHockeyPlayer

sorry about my wording, I made an edit now. What I meant to say was I have always used all season tires during the winter, but I'm planning on buying these X-Ice. Thx.

Good move. This idea that all-season radials are good in our winter climate is nonsense. I don't know the difference between various kinds of all-seasons (I'd talk with a knowledgeable person at a tire store that stocks many different varieties, or check Consumer Reports or a similar mag) but I do know the difference between all-seasons and winter tires, and winter tires are the way to go once the going gets tough.

[MattyK]

Add another drop in the bucket for Nokians. I did hours upon hours of research on the topic and finally decided on the Nokian Hakkas for my Pathfinder. Also picked up a set of stock alloy rims from a QX4 so I don't have to spend $50 - $100 twice a year to have tires swapped off a single set of rims. Since I like the look of the QX4 rims better, I'm using those as summer ones and had my Hakkas mounted on my stock Pathfinder rims.

Check the local classifieds as well as sites like craigslist and kijiji... the alloy rims I got from a guy on kijiji had all-seasons with 90% tread left mounted on them, and I got the whole package for $600. Bare steelies from Crappy Tire would have cost me $300.

I don't see any 14" tires in stock right now, but I picked up my set of brand-new 255/65R16 Hakka's for $520 from this guy: http://stores.ebay.ca/TiresByWeb. Locally they would have cost me around $1400. Tip: He's in the states and ships UPS, which kills you with cross-border brokerages. Ship them to the UPS warehouse in Sweetgrass, MT, then go for a road trip and pick them up. $50 for US shipping + gas + GST is way less than $100 for Canadian shipping + $200 in UPS brokerage fees.

To answer the original question about tire sizes, this web tool for checking various sizes comes in handy: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html. In your case, driving on 185/75R14's you'd be going 3% faster than what you speedometer reads. Negligible, IMO.

Check the manual and make sure the speed and load ratings for your new tires are sufficient for your vehicle. The 89Q you quoted means the tires can handle 5,116 lbs of weight and are rated for a max speed of 160km/h. Should be fine... that's roughly double the curb weight and 160 is around the speed governors start to kick in. :P

[Red Ice Player]

I bought the Michelin X-Ice on dedicated rims for my Acura and I'm about to install them for their third winter. The combination of winter tires with ABS and VSA (as well as front wheel drive and a manual transmission) is as good a security blanket as I have ever had in a vehicle. Now when I'm out on the highway and want to pass using a snow covered passing lane (they never seem to plow the passing lanes) I can do it with a minimum of drama. Its a lot better doing the passing than being passed by semis and getting the windshield sprayed with gravel. Its the first time I've gone three years without getting a crack in my windshield. And my summer alloy wheels are still in perfect shape.The only drawback is the lousy OEM all seasons I use in the summer are taking forever to wear out. When they finally do I can get the dedicated summer performance radials I've always wanted. That could easily be another three years though...