Snow Tires vs All Season?

[JacKDau80]

I just bought an 05 G35x (with 17" wheels) which came with General Exclaim UHP tires and am in need of some recommendations for a solid winter tire. I live in Denver so the tire needs to handle well in cold dry weather (we don't get too much snow in Denver) but also be able to handle the harshness of ski trips up I70 into the Rockies. The winter tires I was looking at are:1.Dunlop SP Winter Sport M32. Michelin Pilot Alpin PA33. Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60

If anyone knows of a solid all-season tire that would help as well. Thanks.

[G_whizz]

Welcome to NICO!



I have Blizzaks and am quite happy.

[JacKDau80]

yeah i have heard good things about the blizzaks, probably leaning towards them right now

[zozoka1212]

What tires you have right now? I have the oem all seasons and they work good. I have no problems at all in Ontario. You can't go wrong with winter tires I am just being lazy to change the tires 2 times a year.

zozo

[JacKDau80]

right now i have on the General Exclaim UHP summer tires, not meant for the snow at all.

[zozoka1212]

No kidding. LOL When I was thinking to go with 2 sets I was going with winter sets for 4 months and the rest all season. Due to the unpredictable weather we have(like yours).

I suggest to go to the dealer and drive one with the all season tires to se if you ok with it. Idon't have any problem with stopping, turning, starting the car with all season tires.

zozo

[marlin29311]

Michelin Pilot Sport A/s Plus - probably the best a/s tire.

Goodyear Eagle F1 A/s - right up there with the michelin.

[tollboothwilley]

Blizzak Snows are awesome.

[ldstang50]

I'm probably gonna get slammed for this, but for all seasons that are GREAT in the winter General Altimax HP. They're cheap tires, but they are freaking awesome in the snow.My GF has a Subaru Legacy GT. I bought her these tires based on reviews and tests from tirerack. Not 2 days after she got them put on we had a 15" snowstorm (mid dec. up in the northeast). What better way to test the tires out? From a dead stop these tires hooked up and pulled her out no problem. I tried getting her stuck, but tires just bit and went. Waiting for that 2ft storm to try it out again.

[tollboothwilley]

sweet. cheap performance = good

[Seymore]

+1 for the Dunlops.

[Poyzinous]

The Biggest reason snow tires exist are for cars like the G coupe and Sport Sedan. The tires equipped from the factory are summer performance tires and are for march thru november use. +/- a few weeks. All season tires are basically for one set cars. If they are M+S or, mud and snow rated, then basically you can use them 24/7, 365.25 days a year. Snow tires are for those who like to have a set for the snowflake season, and remove them to get back to their summer performance tires. Also, people many times hop on tire rack to get a set of winter tires and -1 rims so that they dont subject their beautiful forged alloy wheels to extreme cold, potholes hidden by snow, and the occasional loss of traction followed by a gentle but wheel scratching/wheel scuffing curb collision. If you have a lower model G35, with small wheels, you could just buy a set of winter tires, have them installed, and when the chicks hatch and flowers begin to bud, you can reinstall the regular tires untill the foliage begins to rot beneath the dying grass again and the seasonal changes call out the winter tires once again.

[BrandAidDesignG35]

I have 20" with all season performance tires for summer/spring, and right now I'm using the 18" with Bridgstone turenzas, they are terrible in the snow, not so much snow, but ice, or low speed / hill climbing scenarios. I bought a nissan Altima with fwd to compensate for winter storms... If I bought an X, I would probably be rocking the G all year, but I don't like the idea of getting salt and slush and crap over my car, so again, I use the altima, but that's me.

[Bill G]

[QUOTE=Poyzinous]If they are M+S or, mud and snow rated, then basically you can use them 24/7, 365.25 days a year.QUOTE]

I'm sorry, but as a universal statement, this is totally false. It very much depends on where you live. It might work in a mild Northern VA winter, but it definitely will not work where it's below freezing for months on end. I have a G35x in Northern Michigan, and the "all-season" tires that came on it were horrible in the snow. The rubber simply gets too hard to have any grip when it's consistently below 32F. Snow tires don't just have a more aggressive tread pattern, they are also made of rubber compounds that stay soft in the cold weather, thus maintaining grip. That's also why they wear out so quickly in warmer weather.

Unfortunately, most snow tires only have this softer compound on the outer half of the actual treads. Once they're worn halfway down, they become a standard all-season tire, and just as susceptible to the cold weather hardening as any other all-season. That's why they're only good for 2 or 3 winters.

I knew I was going to have my G35x for many, many years, so I bought a set of Nokian WR G2's for winter use. They're pretty much the only tire out there that has the severe use symbol (the mountain and snowflake symbol, not the M+S), and are considered all-season (they have a mileage rating of 50K). Other snow tires don't have a mileage rating. And unlike other snow tires, they are made of a special silicone/rubber compound for the entire tread depth, not just the outside half.

This is the 3rd car I've had with the Nokians for the winter, and all 4 of my siblings have Nokians. They have been bombproof in the winter. I will never go back to standard snow tires. Yes, they're expensive, but so are regular snows.

OP's tire list shipped from Tirerack.com (still need to be mounted/balanced)1.Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 - $600+2. Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 - $7003. Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 - $500

You can still find the original Nokian WR's for around $650. The WR G2's will be about $750. But they'll last you twice as long as standard snows.

Sorry Poyzinous if I'm coming off as a bit harsh, but I've seen too many people up here in "snow country" off the road, in a ditch, or just incapable of moving/turning/stopping because they're improperly equipped for the conditions with their "all-season" tires.

[Poyzinous]

I know what you're saying, "bill G" , maybe you tried to read my mind... you just beat on it though. Yeah i said M+S was mud and snow -rated-, meaning superior ability to provide traction in said conditions, which actually, works well in areas around here. If you were to be doing more serious than that, then i would have said severe weather tires would be proper, hence the little mountain and snowflake symbol found on those special tires. And then as far as the wear from weathering, thats why i tell people to use winter tires for winter only, so they are practical for more than one year. I still see people on their snow tires in may and june. Why I have no idea . Thanx for going more in depth though. I like how michigan has 70mph roads.

[marlin29311]

Sorry Poyzinous if I'm coming off as a bit harsh, but I've seen too many people up here in "snow country" off the road, in a ditch, or just incapable of moving/turning/stopping because they're improperly equipped for the conditions with their "all-season" tires.

I think the vast majority of those off in a ditch are there because they are overconfident in their car's abilities and that it has nothing to do with the tires - just ask smockers, who drove through one of your Michigan snow storms with 2/32nds of tread on his all seasons going 55mph...

The people in the ditches don't know how to drive their vehicles in the snow - if they did, they wouldn't be in the ditch