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What tires do you have for winter weather?

  • Kept Stock Summer Tires

    Votes: 4 10.8%
  • Added All Season Tires with stock rims

    Votes: 5 13.5%
  • Added All Season Tires with steel rims

    Votes: 1 2.7%
  • Added Winter Tires with stock rims

    Votes: 10 27.0%
  • Added Winter Tires with steel rims

    Votes: 17 45.9%
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Are winter tires necessary??

18K views 201 replies 40 participants last post by  zax 
#1 ·
I live in Hagerstown MD and travel to Montgomery County about once a week where the snow is suppose to be more severe this year. As we all know, Subaru made the very wise decision...:shakehead: of going with summer tires for an AWD car. While they grip the road well during the warmer months, it doesnt make much sense for what most people use these cars for. That being said..

Are winter tires necessary? I have experience driving in the snow but had All Weathers on my old 05 WRX. I don't want to invest in new tires unless it is truly necessary.

Opinions appreciated
 
#4 ·
I am looking on tirerack.com and finding that blizzak's which i know are highly recommended, are too expensive for me. what is a cheap tire that you would recommend? Also note that although I want to buy some steelies for the winter tires, I would have to stick with the stock rims as thats more money I am not prepared to spend! Damn you subaru and your summer tires.
 
#8 ·
Damn you subaru and your summer tires.
If you really have your heart set on owning a set of All-season tires then just buy those. Just be aware that they will not work nearly as well in summer as dedicated summer tires nor will they work in the winter as well as winter tires. If you have 2 sets of tires you can go twice as long before buying a new set because you are using each set for only half the year. Even all-season tires, which should be called no-season because they don't work well anytime, have trouble in freezing conditions.
 
#12 ·
Yes you need snow tires on a wrx. We got hit hard here in CT 11/7 and I found myself driving home in a blizzard. Ive been driving
on snow for something like 30 some odd years and believe me.. you need something other than stock tires. I run a seperate set of
General Altimax studless snow tires that work fine for me. By the way they are on my car NOW!
 
#7 ·
Another good affordable snow tire is the Firestone Winterforce.

I had them on my 9c1 and that thing was unstoppable in snow with them.
 
#13 ·
+1 on the general altimax artics. I installed them on a recommendation from this forum and while I have yet to drive them in snow, they were very affordable and perform acceptably when it is dry out. They obviously don't perform like the summer tires do in warm weather, but they are good enough for me in freezing temperatures.
 
#15 ·
Okay I think I will be buying the altimaxs. who here did steelies over the stock rims? I'm trying not to spend 1100 bucks on rims/tires for 3 months of the year and adding steelies plus the added shipping adds about 300-350 to the price.
 
#16 ·
I just got my winter tires and rims in, payed about 1200 for alloy rims and Blizzaks...which included shipping. Not bad, but still expensive. The good thing is that the rims are a one time cost (hopefully), and I don't have to go to a shop to get my tires mounted and balanced twice a year. The rims will pay for themselves in that respect over time. I am going to put them on tomorrow to break the tires in a little before the snow flies. Can't wait to see the bronze Sparco Assetto's on my ride.
 
#17 ·
A set of steel wheels will pay for themselves within two tire swaps, i.e. by the time you put on winter tires this year and put the summers back on next spring, that'll cost as much as buying the extra wheels. Getting a cheap set of alloys takes twice as long to pay for themselves since they're usually about twice the price.

Even the cheapest winter tire will be far better than the summer tires on anything but dry pavement. Unfortunately you're not going to get very good performance on dry pavement, but that's the price you pay for skimping on tires.
 
#19 ·
If I had the money and storage for 4 extra wheels/tires, then I would definitely want to have a winter swap, but since I don't have either, I have to ask this;

Are brand new summer tires on an AWD vehicle in the snow better/worse/same than bald summer tires on a 1.8T Jetta? I survived in the Jetta, but it was dangerous to say the least...
 
#21 ·
Are brand new summer tires on an AWD vehicle in the snow better/worse/same than bald summer tires on a 1.8T Jetta? I survived in the Jetta, but it was dangerous to say the least...
Not better,not worse & not same IMO. The car will definitely crash on the stock summer tires in the snow. You will be posing a risk to yourself as well as to other drivers. I was one of the first to get the 2011 back in 2010 that came with the new summer tires. I had a set of winters but it snowed unexpectedly & I figured I could drive to work & back on the summers. A few feet out of my driveway I realized that the car had no plans of stopping & I had absolutely zero control. I learned the hard way. Learn from my mistake & don't make the same.
 
#23 ·
Just bought a set of Altimax tires. Probably not going to need them all that often, but when it snows in Seattle they just don't have the resources to take care of the roads and most cars (including SUVs) struggle with the hills. Also will need those to go skiing, come to think of it. They'll probably be on from December to March.
 
#24 ·
I'm also located in Connecticut, however, I'm still waiting for my car to come in. I'm not sure if I should possibly try taking advantage of a black friday deal if I stumble upon one? If money isn't so much of a concern, would I see that much difference from a Blizzak tire over the General Altimax? I'm hearing the Altmax are much cheaper and people are having a lot of success with them. Also if anyone could recommend a particular Blizzak there were a couple I saw and couldn't really tell the difference other than price? My actual dilemma rests on the fact if I'll actually get my car in time for winter (placed order 11/3) or if it'll come in early spring and getting a deal on snow tires will be pointless.
 
#26 ·
Not to sound like a douche, but I recall reading another thread recently where you were talking about the new $800 head unit you were having professionally installed...but you can't afford winter tires? I'll bet it will be the best sounding WRX a tow truck driver ever pulled out of a ditch.
 
#30 ·
olenderc said:
Blizzak LM-60's vs General Altimax? The blizzaks are about 40 dollars more per tire and considered performance winter/snow tires. Would there be a significantly noticeable increase in handling over the Altimax?
I don't like Blizzaks. The compound that makes them good wears off after a season or two, and you're left with expensive A/S performance.
 
#31 ·
Blizzaks in general? I believe there are two main blizzak tires - a 60 and 70... one of which being a 'performance' tire and one being a straight up snow tires.

For what its worth, I went with the straight up snow tires. Its worked for me, but we had a mild winter. They looked almost new after the season also, which is always a perk.

I don't have any experience with other snow tires to compare them, however.
 
#32 ·
It is a common misconception that snow tires/winter tires are only for the snow. When temps drop into the 40s summer tires already have compromised performance whether you are driving in the snow or in the dry.
 
#34 ·
Agreed. Due to the super soft larger sidewall on these, I always take it very easy handling wise with snows on. They have performed well when I have needed to really jam the brakes on though without kicking in the ABS much. It's a great point to bring up though. Those summers probably wouldn't stop for their life in these temps.

Fair enough. I'll make sure to try some others next set. For what I was looking for in a snow tire, it seemed clear given tire racks evaluation. Always open to change though.
 
#35 ·
Heide264 said:
Fair enough. I'll make sure to try some others next set. For what I was looking for in a snow tire, it seemed clear given tire racks evaluation. Always open to change though.
If you want to spend the $$ for high-end snow tires, Nokian. Otherwise, the Generals.
 
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