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Old 10-06-2010, 09:56 AM   #221
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And the streets get polished rather than plowed and sanded.
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Old 10-06-2010, 10:14 AM   #222
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And the streets get polished rather than plowed and sanded.
Polished by minivans running "all seasons" by soccer moms who feel their wheels spinning and apply MORE GAS!

Did I leave anyone out of my stereotyping?
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Old 10-06-2010, 12:34 PM   #223
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I was so happy I bought winter tires last year. As anyone who has bought a Mazda 3 (probably half the board) will know that the stock all seasons are poor performers in the winter. The first two winters I had a heck of a time. Got stuck quite a bit, would be slow getting started at lights with ice, didn't make it up a couple hills and could easily get in stuck in snow parked on the road. Last year got some inexpensive winter tires (Firestone I think) and steel wheels for $750 mounted, balanced and installed. Totally worth the cost. I was much more confident in my cars ability to get going and more importantly stopping.

Getting moving on poor roads was improved, but not as much as stopping was. My stock tires would lock up and slide on the ice very easily and I had adjusted my driving to allow for this (not good in emergencies obviously). So I was shocked how much better I could stop in the winter tires. Much harder to slide on ice and the stopping distance was reduced greatly. I am very happy that I bought winter tires last year, but mad at myself for being too cheap to buy them for the other two years I have owned my car.
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Old 10-06-2010, 12:49 PM   #224
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1 accident saved, pays for the tires, rims, deductible, inconvenience and insurance increases for how long ?
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Old 10-06-2010, 01:36 PM   #225
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So since we've moved up to Signal Hill, we figure we'd buy winter tires since the hills there are pretty steep. I'm looking at a set of Dunlop DS-3 or Toyo G-02. Anyone have any thoughts on these?
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Old 10-06-2010, 02:26 PM   #226
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I still really like my all weather Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds especially since I don't have to go through switching tires twice a year. I had never experienced a tire designed for ice before last winter and there is a huge difference even from the mud and snow rated GY Wranglers and BF Land Terrains.

The little bit of extra road noise in the summer is well worth it. If you need new tires, I would look at these. Fountain Tire has them on 4 for 3 right now.

Features
130:000 km Tread Life Limited Warranty
Ice Zone with interlocking tread pattern
Water Zone with deeply carved Aquachutes
Dry Zone with outer tread reinforcement
PermaBlack compound additive

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Old 10-06-2010, 02:44 PM   #227
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Does anyone know of garages that will store your tires in the off-season? And the cost for doing so? We're in a condo and are not permitted to store tires on the premises. We bought a new to us car (Nissan Altima) last December and couldn't believe how bad the tires were on snow and ice. So this year I definitely want to get winter tires.
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Old 10-06-2010, 09:58 PM   #228
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I'll say this again for those who only click to the newest posts.

I have a Pontiac Grand Am, and I had stock tires on for a couple years. Then I almost killed myself as a result, so I decided it was time to upgrade. Put on some Falken ZE-912 from Kal Tire. Super good tire, made a world of difference in the summer.

In the winter, I put on Nokian Hakka RSi's. EXCELLENT tire, have never had a single problem in the winter. The only trouble with them is that they do handle like crap once it starts to warm up above 0 every day. BUT they are worth having on your car for those one inch snowfalls. Yes, it'll still take you 2 hours to make a 15 minute drive, but at the very least, you won't have worries about stopping, turning, an accelerating (like 80+% of everyone else on the road who thinks they don't need winters).

However, if you are NOT a daily driver, or you don't drive in ANY weather and can stay home on the worst of the worst, consider all-weathers (NOT all seasons). These tires will provide the best in all weather conditions and you won't have to switch them off. I think Nokian makes a great one of this type as well.
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Old 10-06-2010, 10:41 PM   #229
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God, looking at last year's posts, let's hope it doesn't snow next week.
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Old 10-06-2010, 10:55 PM   #230
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However, if you are NOT a daily driver, or you don't drive in ANY weather and can stay home on the worst of the worst, consider all-weathers (NOT all seasons). These tires will provide the best in all weather conditions and you won't have to switch them off. I think Nokian makes a great one of this type as well.
I think Nokian is the only tire company who makes a great all weather tire.

I honestly can't think of another company that has made something anywhere close to the Nokian WR G2.
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:19 AM   #231
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God, looking at last year's posts, let's hope it doesn't snow next week.
Last year we got hit with that early one - that was a pain. This is actually the most difficult part of dealing with winter tires: knowing when to switch to them. I'm fortunate to have a mechanic father-in-law, so as soon as the forecast calls for snow, I'll just pull up and do the old switcheroo.

I have been toying the the idea of getting the necessary tools to do them myself in the garage. I already have an air compressor, so basically I'd need a jack (better than the emergency one that comes with the car I'd think), an impact wrench, and a torque wrench. I'm not much of an automotive handyman because I have always taken my car to my father-in-law for pretty much everything, but sooner or later I should be able to do this stuff myself.

So, for those of you who do the changeover yourself, do you have any tips for someone wanting to do learn how to do it themselves?
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:30 AM   #232
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So, for those of you who do the changeover yourself, do you have any tips for someone wanting to do learn how to do it themselves?
Use your user manual, if there are specific jack points on the car, use them. Though normally, the pinch welds under the car usually works fine.

Make sure your e-brake is on and/or you have something to prevent the car from rolling. I normally do one side at a time so one back wheel is always on the ground.

Loosen lug nuts a bit while your car is still on the ground.

The rest is pretty straight forward. Jack up car, take wheels off, put wheels on.

Hand tighten the lugs first (or go easy on it with the impact). Then when the car is on the ground, tighten and torque it.

Re-torque your wheels after several hundred km.

Changing tires is one of the easier things to learn to do.

When you buy a jack and jack stands, make sure the are rated to lift/hold more than what your vehicle weighs (cue Captain Obvious)

And Canadian Tire likes to have sale on their torque wrenches once in a while, keep your eye open for those. It was about $65 when I got it on sale.
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:38 AM   #233
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I have been toying the the idea of getting the necessary tools to do them myself in the garage. I already have an air compressor, so basically I'd need a jack (better than the emergency one that comes with the car I'd think), an impact wrench, and a torque wrench. I'm not much of an automotive handyman because I have always taken my car to my father-in-law for pretty much everything, but sooner or later I should be able to do this stuff myself.

So, for those of you who do the changeover yourself, do you have any tips for someone wanting to do learn how to do it themselves?
It's pretty easy with the right tools. Get a hydraulic jack, like this http://merchantmachinery.com/tag/2-ton-jacks/ (first link off google, make sure it's rated for the weight that you need)

Makes life easier then jacking the car up manually.

You can just use a regular wrench to loosen/tighten the bolts. Use the torque wrench to finish off the tightening. I think i remember a value of 80 (don't remember the units).
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:40 AM   #234
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Does anyone know of garages that will store your tires in the off-season? And the cost for doing so? We're in a condo and are not permitted to store tires on the premises. We bought a new to us car (Nissan Altima) last December and couldn't believe how bad the tires were on snow and ice. So this year I definitely want to get winter tires.
Harper Tires stores my tires for $20 a season I believe.
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:53 AM   #235
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When you buy a jack and jack stands, make sure the are rated to lift/hold more than what your vehicle weighs (cue Captain Obvious)
Are jack stands a necessity? Or can you just use the jack to lift and hold the car there while you do the work?
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Old 10-07-2010, 08:59 AM   #236
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Yes, jack stands are necessary. The car is not secured on a hydraulic jack. If you're under it and the jack gives out, have fun.

You can buy a 2.5T and 2x jack stands at Cdn Tire for $50. You can take the lug nuts off by hand using the wrench that comes with the car. You really don't need pneumatic tools to do it. It's 16 or 20 nuts depending.

You should use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs back on. Should be in ft-lb, which is a measurement of torque. Read your user manual to see how tight the lugs should be. I would guess it should be in the 100ft-lb range.

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Old 10-07-2010, 09:08 AM   #237
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Does anyone know withe a 2006 mazda 3 s 5door that comes stock with 17's can I use 16 inch rims for the winter like the ones on all other versions of the mazda 3 or am I stuck trying to find 17 inch tires followed by bending over and apply some lube as I purchase them.
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Old 10-07-2010, 09:13 AM   #238
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You can buy a 2.5T and 2x jack stands at Cdn Tire for $50. You can take the lug nuts off by hand using the wrench that comes with the car. You really don't need pneumatic tools to do it. It's 16 or 20 nuts depending.

You should use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs back on. Should be in ft-lb, which is a measurement of torque. Read your user manual to see how tight the lugs should be. I would guess it should be in the 100ft-lb range.
They usually give a range on how tight it should be. I know for a Mazda 3 (which, as someone mentions, probably half the board drives one) is ~85 ft-lbs.

Don't over tighten too much or you could damage the studs and possibly warp your brake rotor.

And I don't use the wrench from my car. I have a 2' breaker bar, about $10-15 at Princess Auto, takes less effort with that to remove the lug nuts than the car wrench.

And as an aside, for the people who use the emergency jack from their car to change their winter tires. While they work, watch out for the fact that he emergency jack is not designed to be used like that. That jack will give out on you sooner or later.
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Old 10-07-2010, 09:16 AM   #239
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Does anyone know withe a 2006 mazda 3 s 5door that comes stock with 17's can I use 16 inch rims for the winter like the ones on all other versions of the mazda 3 or am I stuck trying to find 17 inch tires followed by bending over and apply some lube as I purchase them.
I had a similar predicament with my Protege 5. The tires for my 16 inch wheels were going to be about double the price. I did some searching online and others had put 15 inch wheels on without any trouble. Just make sure that wherever you buy your rims from has a return policy so you can take them back if you need to.

I'd say that you'll probably be OK, but you'll need to make sure that the wheel will fit over the brakes properly. It is difficult to get clear advice from the dealer and/or a tire shop because they'd prefer that you buy the more expensive tires.

Car-related internet forums (there's even a Mazda community - can't remember the name now) are a good place to search because there will be people in there with first-hand stories about what fit on their car.
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Old 10-07-2010, 09:18 AM   #240
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I've changed hundreds of tires without using jackstands. Especially because you arent under the car, so its much less dangerous. Make sure you have a decent floor jack and the tires blocked and its fine.
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