Winter Tires

[302@12psi]

No, and ...

No ... it wouldn't be much "fun". That's why I plan to simply tolerate the idiot light, as I said in this thread.

Cheers,David

I guess that would make to much sense for them to do that.

[bichi]

Check this place Tires 23 in Mississaugahttp://www.tires23.com

[morning_glory]

Living in the northen part of quebec I have a solid experience with winter tires.

In the last ten years I drove some suv's and the tires I used were Blizzak, Toyo, Nokian and GoodYear.The best performances I got were from Nokian and Toyo.

For my EX I just bought 4 x 18" Nokian Hakkapeliitta (approx. 1100$CN with taxes).

[dividedhighw]

Thanks for your contribution, bichi, and welcome to NICO's EX forum!!

[KJ911TT]

Living in the northen part of quebec I have a solid experience with winter tires.

In the last ten years I drove some suv's and the tires I used were Blizzak, Toyo, Nokian and GoodYear.The best performances I got were from Nokian and Toyo.

For my EX I just bought 4 x 18" Nokian Hakkapeliitta (approx. 1100$CN with taxes).

Nokian Hakkapeliitta are AMAZING in the snow, but are not very good in the dry and wet. They are also very noisy and are Q-rated so you can't go over 160 km/h. (100 MPH)

If you live in a place where there is ALWAYS heavy snow on the ground, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta's would be great. But if you live in a place like Toronto where it's mostly just slushy and wet during winter, I would recommend a "performance snow tire" which isn't as good in the snow, but MUCH better in the dry and wet (which is what you'll be driving on 90% of the winter).

- KJ

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Edmonton Tires - because that is the only source I have found that has an inventory of 18inch winter tires. Price of steel wheels and four 18inch Yokohmas is $1428.

I know very little about changing tire sizes. It appears that 18inch are more expensive and that 20inch would be quite a bit less expensive. Other than the sensor for tire pressure, are there any mechanical or operational issues with not using the specified tire size?

[dividedhighw]

It appears that 18inch are more expensive and that 20inch would be quite a bit less expensive.

Er ... I assume you meant 17" would be less expensive.

Edmonton Tires - because that is the only source I have found that has an inventory of 18inch winter tires. Price of steel wheels and four 18inch Yokohmas is $1428.

Does that figure include shipping, on-wheel mounting, nitrogen fill, balancing, on-vehicle mounting, tax, etc? (If not, I might be able to get you 17" alloy wheels and the same Toyo tires I mentioned, at around that same price point.)

I know very little about changing tire sizes. Other than the sensor for tire pressure, are there any mechanical or operational issues with not using the specified tire size?

YES ... these issues can exist even if you use the same tire size - I discussed the most important aspect above (in my post 5:40 PM 10/9/2008). If there's something in my previous post you don't understand, just ask and I'll be happy to clarify. For brevity's sake, I didn't go into an explanation of what all the tire size numbers mean, but I can certainly provide more detail or include a link to other info, if it will help answer your question(s).

HTH,David

[allthatjazz]

Just got some quotes today.

Infiniti Dealership: Blizzak 215/55R17 with alloy rims, installed: 1900+tax

Steelecase tire: - Toyo winter tires G-02+ 215/65R17 with steel rims installed: 900+tax. For an extra $240 I could get alloy rims (VIPwheels) instead of the steel ones; like the look of the gun metal or hyper silver as a winter rim.- Blizzak tires with steel rims would be 1030+tax.

Costco: Michelin Pilot Alpine PA3 215/55R17 98V installed (no rims) $952+tax. Wished Costco offered the Toyo tires ($620), I like the lifetime service that is offered by Costco ... tire balancing, tire rotations, as well as flat repairs.

P225/60R17 98V is listed as the original all-season tires for the EX35. For winter tires the dealership sells 215/55R17. Does a lower width & aspect ratio, result in better winter control?

Which is a better match for the EX, and for winter 225/60R17, 215/55R17, 215/60R17, or 215/65R17? Found the answer at Tire Rack!

Thx.

Modified by allthatjazz at 10:48 PM 10/17/2008
Modified by allthatjazz at 12:26 AM 10/18/2008

[AWGD8]

I`ll be getting this one soon!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...e+Xi2

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ocQty=

I originally wanted to get the HAKKA SUV5 tire but this New Michelin is $50 cheaper and rated #1 so far by tirerack.

[allthatjazz]

For my EX, I ordered the Toyo "Observe G-02 plus" in a 225/60R17 size and got a good deal on these Tesla wheels from FastCo.

David

How much did it cost for the Toyo tires and Telsa rims?

The Telsa rims look great. Would love to see a picture once you have them mounted.

[EXceptional]

All Wheel Drive (in my opinion) makes the crappiest A/S Tire run good.

With that been said, I will wait and put some Mileage on through this coming Winter before I spend a pile of Money on another set of Rims/Tires.

I've been a Michelin Man for a while now, and I think if I were to get a set, it would be the ones discussed above (Michelin X-Ice Xi2)

I frown on spending piles of Money on specialty Winter Tires and drive around on Dry pavement in between Snow-falls.

With my Wife's former New Beetle and Chyrsler 300C, I've been known to remove the Snow/Ice Tires during long spells of no Snow-fall.

Once the edges of a Specialty Snow/Ice Tire is gone, then it just becomes like another A/S Tire that ended up costing big bucks.

It appears to me that the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 harden up so that they don't wear too much on dry Pavement. This appeals to me and would be a Tire I would consider buying.

This is good dialogue and will remember this discussion if I need to refer to it later.

[dividedhighw]

Which is a better match for the EX, and for winter 225/60R17, 215/55R17, 215/60R17, or 215/65R17? Found the answer at Tire Rack!

Traditional wisdom says that narrower (i.e. smaller sectional width) and taller (i.e. higher aspect ratio) tires are better for winter, because the vehicle weight is borne on smaller contact patches, giving more bite. But, you should consider that this is at the expense of more tire contact, which is actually preferred when the road surface is neither snowy nor icy.

I also opted for 225 mm, 60 series to minimize the impact on steering and cornering, to fit my personal driving style/expectations. The 215/65R17 when compared to the 225/60R17 I chose, will result in slower steering turn-in and more body roll in corners.

One last consideration is that the 215/65R17 Toyo's are 739 revs per mile, compared to the OEM ones at 746 rpm, so this difference of 7 (i.e. about 10%) is right at the outside edge of acceptibility (i.e. compatibility with the vehicle's electronics).

HTH,David

[dividedhighw]

How much did it cost for the Toyo tires and Telsa rims?

I'm still finalizing the cost of the tires since I'm getting them through a friend (with a little bartering).

But the 17 x 7.5 Tesla rims (Click for image) were sourced through a local speedshop for $160 each (+ shipping, if you don't pick them up, as I did) + taxes, for a set of 4. If anyone is interested, I can hook you up ... just email me (and no, I'm not getting any kickback ).

Cheers,David

[302@12psi]

Just to break a semi relevant convo back to the first few pages.

I had my EX in the snow today for the first time. I had it in an empty parking lot with about 1 inch worth of snow with slush under it. I messed around with taking turns and accelerating with the "Snow Mode" on and off.

With it on I didnt feel a huge inprovement. It seems like it just cuts back the allowed throttle input. Rather the ECU is doing something more behind the scenes with the Diff's and power distrabution I couldnt tell.

The vehicle on the stock tires did "okay". I could tell when it was going to slip and slide and felt the AWD making it's corrections. With that being said it wasnt anything overly amazing to write home about. I feel that it would be REALLY hard to get the thing stuck with a good all season.

With that being said I did not feel nearly as confident in the vehicle as I have in my Subaru's. Even in my WRX with Conti All Seasons it felt like it slipped a lot less then the Infiniti. Of course the center of gravity might have had something to do with that.

In short I think this car with a better snow performance all season, or even better a good snow tire, would be amazing. In it's factory trim it left a little to be desired but I felt I could safely get around in it.

If we had more then 1-3 snow events in the course of a year I'd REALLY REALLY look into snow tires if you must be out. I'm sure it will sure up the footing of the vehicle a considerable amount. The factory tires would slip and slide all over the place.

A huge (and a good) plus for Infinit is the programming of their ABS unit. It's a HUGE improvement from Subaru's. The vehicle's ABS was predictable, practicale, and not over intrusive.

All of my driving was at low speed and light throttle application. It was about getting a feel for the car if I was on unplowed normal streets driving like a normal person.