1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main C900 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Out of Season Question? Snow Tire Advice...(Long) Posted by Saana88 [Email]  (#207)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Saana88) on Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:10:07
In Reply to: Out of Season Question? Snow Tire Advice...(Long), Wil W  [Profile/Gallery]
, Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:37:51
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
|
Hey Willl,
I live in northern NY so you probably get more snow that I do.
First key point: """All Season""" is a crap designation. Sure, you can use them through the winter, but you can also use cross-country skis through the summer. They just won't work quite so well. The only tire I know of that is beyond marginal in cold weather and can also be used in the summer is the Nokian WR. Look very seriously at these, especially if you don't do high-performance driving or want to consolidate to a single set of wheels and tires.
Second key point: tread pattern and depth are only half of the story in cold weather. You'll notice that snow tires have generally softer rubbers in the tread, that's why they tend to wear quicker. This is because standard tires' rubber compounds start to give up around the freezing mark. Blizzaks have an ultra-gooey tread compound, that's why they only last 15-20k. I'll compare brands later.
The tread depth reflects how well the tire can handle deep stuff, snow or rain. You MUST consider how much tread is left on your tires before you decide how fast you are going to drive in the snow or rain.
Third key point: snow tires are cheaper than your insurance deductible. Four of them. I killed a 900 by only having snows on the front wheels and around she went.
Tire comparisons:
I have a set of Hakka 2s. My mother has a set of Hakka 2s. I recommended them because I love her. My father and one of my friends both have sets of Hakka RSi tires. (Backstory: mom is a nurse who works primarily night shifts. If a state of emergency is declared or roads are closed due to snow and ice, since the hospital cannot shut down, she is allowed to drive. I wanted to make sure she is prepared.) All of these tires are excellent and worth every penny. They are a little louder than summer tires (especially the H2s) but I think of that as a reminder that you are not exactly going to fly around any corners. Their dry-weather traction is decent as long as they are not overinflated. They corner like snow tires, so no autocrossing on these. The tread compound is optomized (especially the RSis) for ice grip, patterned after the Blizzaks. The tread pattern is shaped to disperse snow/slush and rain effectively. Especially with the H2s, I noticed a slight change in road noise (even on snow) as the tires approach their handling limits. I love having another way to talk to my car. We typically get 35-40k out of a set of snows (our last sets were Gislaveds). Here's what it boils down to: get the H2s if you want studded tires. Get the H2s if you primarily drive on snow. Get the RSis if you primarily drive on slush. Get the RSis if you don't want studs but still want relatively awesome grip on ice (compared to your summer tires). Get the RSis if you drive in a lot of rain as their tread is a little more agressive. Blizzaks? Nah. If you're only going to save $15 a tire, I don't think they are worth it after talking to a big sample of service department customers. Typical complaints were the tires only lasting 15k, uneven tread wear (they always wear center first) and having awesome grip for the first season or 10k and then experiencing a very sharp drop-off in handling for the remaining life of the tire. Gizzies? (Gislaved) They're back-and-forth fighting with Nokian, kind of like AMD versus Intel. Supposedly being bought out by Continental was going to increase their distribution (number of dealers/distributors) but I have yet to see that happen.
Shop around in the yellow pages (you'll call a dozen distributors for the 185/65R15 Nokes) and figure out which one gives you the best deal. This being August, some of them may want to move some tires early and in order to do that may give you a break pricewise. That's supply and demand, and you are to use it to your advantage. If they are smart, they'll be building up their snow tire inventories now instead of in October.
Final advice: do what we do. Run your snows for three winters (typically around 30k by now) and then finish wearing them out by driving through the summer of that third year. Snows are excellent rain tires, as you have noticed, and dry-weather performance is so-so. I'd rather wear them out in the summer than in the winter, and you don't throw away good tires that way.
There's the snow tire story. Have fun!
, Fri, 18 Aug 2006 13:37:51, Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:10:07 <-- Viewing This Message
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
