The tires thread "So I need tires..."

[ViPER1313]

I guess I should also note that I have 4WD vehicles at my disposal. I was thinking about winter's for the odd chance I get caught out somewhere accidentally. And was trying to figure out something to do with these busted rims

Continental DWS for all year round. It is what I suggest to everyone. When my BFGs run out that I got for cheap I will be going to the Contis and then just use my race wheels for autox stuff.

Plus one on the Continentals. I have them on the Corolla, they are excellent tires.

[HAULN-SS]

So just to clarify - you guys are talking about running those DWS all year round, right? - Nevermind, just re-read the posts more carefully.

Secondly - my car has a staggered setup on it right now. Should I go square, or order it the same size they currently are? I guess that loses you a front/rear rotation right? Can these DWS be rotated left/right?

[ScottyB]

my Ecsta 4X's will be scrap by fall. with all the rebate sales going on with Tirerack i'm going to pull the trigger on some BFG G-Force Comp2 A/S before the 14th. initial reviews look very promising for an all season, they should be fun but semi quiet and the wet performance looks awesome (we need it here, got 5 inches of rain last wednesday night hock: ).



i'm still pulling rallyx duty on the same daily tires for the foreseeable future, so i also like that its got some nice open channels in the tread for some good biting edges.

i'll let you know how it goes...

[HAULN-SS]

I guess I forgot to update. Went with the Conti DWS tires right before winter. They worked friggen awesome. Got caught out a couple times in sleet->3"snow conditions, and felt really confident with these tires. Had a sidewall blow out of one this past weekend from a pothole in PA, so I am hoping the free tirerack protection works and I get a new one for free. Still going to be out though, because it was a Sunday, and of course nowhere that was open stocked Continental. Bought a cheap ass walmart tire to get home since I have no spare, and the DWS aren't runflat (which wouldnt have helped anyway)

[Sijray21]

I guess I forgot to update. Went with the Conti DWS tires right before winter. They worked friggen awesome. Got caught out a couple times in sleet->3"snow conditions, and felt really confident with these tires. Had a sidewall blow out of one this past weekend from a pothole in PA, so I am hoping the free tirerack protection works and I get a new one for free. Still going to be out though, because it was a Sunday, and of course nowhere that was open stocked Continental. Bought a cheap ass walmart tire to get home since I have no spare, and the DWS aren't runflat (which wouldnt have helped anyway)

Just providing some feedback on the DWSs since I had them on my car for a few years after my OEMs punctured/wore out. The first 20k miles are great in the snow. When they were new I was able to trek through deeper stuff (4-6") with only mild difficulty on fresh snow. The next 20-30k miles they're much less useful, but they can still manage; siping doesn't quite work as well, but it has edges inside the water channels that help to grab some of the winter stuff. Great hydroplane resistance and for the price I wouldn't hesitate to buy them if you need an all-season tire. The sidewalls aren't as stiff as the ProContacts, so I wouldn't advise them for auto-xing unless you like roll the car like a 2006 Buick Lacrosse (yes I driven one and have a direct comparison).

The Continental DW summer tires on the other hand are fantastic. I've had them on my GTI for about 10k miles now and they handle nicely for the price I paid. Oddly enough I feel they have less hydro resistence than the DWSs, but the sidewall is much improved so handling feels much more responsive. Initial grip is good once the temps get up, but when the weather dips below 40* or so I'm using my winter tires as traction fades a bit. I wouldn't hesitate to auto-x with these on the car. The sidewalls weren't quite as responsive as the ProContacts, feel a bit heavier, but they hold their traction well enough to not have an extra set of tires.

[HAULN-SS]

I think I just bought ContiProCOntacts or something to put on the VW. Much taller sidewall though so harder to make a comparison. They seem to be quiet enough and ride good enough for a low power station wagon though.

[JPolen01]

Emily's car needed new tires about 2 months ago and I finally got around to ordering and having new tires mounted. She got about 55k out of the OEM tires on her civic. Hoped for more, but whatever. Browsing Tire Rack I came across the Continental PureContact with Ecoplus Technology (yay more MPGs - maybe!). Best seller on Tire Rack, good reviews, and a $70 rebate so I snagged 4 of em. Had them shipped to a local installer and on the car within 3 days of order. Hooray for TR's local distribution centers and quick shipping. Drove the car back and forth to DC a couple weeks ago for a wedding and the tires were great. Extremely quite and very smooth - much more than the OEM tires (can't remember the brand). Yesterday we took the car to PA to visit family and got the first road trip in on the new rubber. No complaints. Some of the most quiet tires I have ridden on and really just soaked up the road. Would recommend so far for a generic all season. Will report back in the snow.

[.RJ]

I guess I forgot to update. Went with the Conti DWS tires right before winter. They worked friggen awesome. Got caught out a couple times in sleet->3"snow conditions, and felt really confident with these tires. Had a sidewall blow out of one this past weekend from a pothole in PA, so I am hoping the free tirerack protection works and I get a new one for free. Still going to be out though, because it was a Sunday, and of course nowhere that was open stocked Continental. Bought a cheap ass walmart tire to get home since I have no spare, and the DWS aren't runflat (which wouldnt have helped anyway)

Just providing some feedback on the DWSs since I had them on my car for a few years after my OEMs punctured/wore out. The first 20k miles are great in the snow. When they were new I was able to trek through deeper stuff (4-6") with only mild difficulty on fresh snow. The next 20-30k miles they're much less useful, but they can still manage; siping doesn't quite work as well, but it has edges inside the water channels that help to grab some of the winter stuff. Great hydroplane resistance and for the price I wouldn't hesitate to buy them if you need an all-season tire. The sidewalls aren't as stiff as the ProContacts, so I wouldn't advise them for auto-xing unless you like roll the car like a 2006 Buick Lacrosse (yes I driven one and have a direct comparison).

The Continental DW summer tires on the other hand are fantastic. I've had them on my GTI for about 10k miles now and they handle nicely for the price I paid. Oddly enough I feel they have less hydro resistence than the DWSs, but the sidewall is much improved so handling feels much more responsive. Initial grip is good once the temps get up, but when the weather dips below 40* or so I'm using my winter tires as traction fades a bit. I wouldn't hesitate to auto-x with these on the car. The sidewalls weren't quite as responsive as the ProContacts, feel a bit heavier, but they hold their traction well enough to not have an extra set of tires.

+3 or 4 or on the DWS, I just put them on my Avant. Great tire.

[Goodspeed]

I need some advice on winter tire sizing. I'm looking at Blizzaks or similar and am going to be putting them on the stock 17x7 wheels, which have an OE tire size of 215/45/17. My question is that the car is lowered a bit on 225/40/18s currently, and the OE size is a bit of a shorter tire. I'm not sure if effectively lowering the car a bit further is something I want to avoid or not - alternatively I could look at 215/50/17's which would bump up the tire height, with a large sidewall.

Some general comparisons, I know every brand is a bit different:




Another option that matches the diameter of the 18's is a 205/50/17. There'd likely be a slight stretch, I know narrower = better to cut through snow, but do you want a softer/meatier sidewall for winter?



What say ye?

[JPolen01]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

[Goodspeed]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

I'm on summer-y tires now (Yoko S. Drives) - since I have the extra wheels, might as well put winters on them. I won't be using the stockers in any season other than winter so no reason to put anything less on them IMO.

Plus, this area gets pretty diverse amounts. When MD has gotten a mild amount I've gotten

[.RJ]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

All seasons are fine if you live near a main road that you can get to with minimal fuss - the main roads are clear in half a day. If you gotta go a little ways you're either stuck at home for 2 days or need snows.

[Apoc]

Disagree. I ran AS for 10 years and never got stuck.

[JustinG]

If you can have dedicated Summers and Winters, why run All seasons?

I loved the General Altimax Arctics I had on the fozzy.

[ScottyB]

its not just snow grip, dedicated snows stay gummy and grippy down into the teens. all seasons turn to hockey pucks long before that. you can totally get by with AS's, but its just not ideal.

[ViPER1313]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

Because it's better and people can afford it? The only three arguments against it are price, hassle and space to store the tires. You can't argue that summer tires aren't better in the summer or that winter tires don't work better in the winter...

[SlimKlim]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

All seasons are fine if you live near a main road that you can get to with minimal fuss - the main roads are clear in half a day. If you gotta go a little ways you're either stuck at home for 2 days or need snows.

I'm not saying snow tires aren't better, but if you're careful you can get just about any vehicle just about anywhere on all-seasons. This photo is from the morning after Snowpocalypse 2009. I left Roanoke at 3:30PM, got home at 6:30 (usually a 45 minute drive), and by the time I turned onto my parent's 4-mile, windy, hilly backroad, the snow was so deep that I was pushing it with the front lip.

I didn't get stuck once, until I got to the bottom of the driveway, at which point I decided I had traveled too far to walk the last 100 yards and floored it until I dug down to something grippy, as my dad watched in abject horror from the porch. :lol:



That being said, I realize I'm just being pedantic. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it's easy or safe, if you have the means and the space for a set of winter tires you should run them. The difference between my M3 in college and Ken's Ralliart on snows out was shocking.

I want to get my money's worth out of the OEM tires on the VW, but when they're used up I think I'll try to put summers on the OEM wheels and get an ultra cheap set for winters.

[Apoc]

If you can have dedicated Summers and Winters, why run All seasons?

[Goodspeed]

I knew I could count on you guys for worthwhile advice

[fiveoh2go]

I knew I could count on you guys for worthwhile advice

:lol: