Are winter tires necessary??

[WREXXY]

what size winter tires are you guys running? I have a set of basically new 225/60R16 winter tires and I wasn't sure if they would be fine clearance wise

[Mikie13]

Off topic: Maryanne in her red halter and blue short shorts...or Ginger in her form fitting sequin Hollywood dress, with a flower in her ear?

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Maryanne day in and day out...though I do have an affinity for redheads...but Maryanne was secksy.

[DemonWRX]

^+100

[JLong]

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.

I also bought General Altimax Arctic. They are great! I love them

[Callahan]

Well, I caved to peer pressure...sort of. I had a set of all season performance tires installed today. I bought the Cooper Zeon RS3-A 235/45R17. I didn't want to switch back and forth in spring and fall. I have my original tires with less than 1,000 miles on them. I might be interested in parting with them.

[starkall]

You'll get around fine. But snow tires are way more fun. Pretty much turns your car into a snowmobile. Lol

[JLong]

If you think about it, you really aren't spending more money to buy a set of winter tires. If you buy a set of winter tires now you will be spending money right now. If you dont and you run the same tires 24/7 you aren't spending money right now but you will be spending money eventually to replace them. Having 2 sets now you basically double the amount of time before you have to get new tires.

[pmacey]

Everyone has different needs and lives in a environment that may need dedicated winter tires.

Never owned a set a dedicated winter tires at all. UHP All Season tires fit my needs fine.

UHP A/S tires make sense to me as I really don't drive/corner hard trying to get the best times, in any season, in any weather, in my WRX (and previous 2005 WRX I owned)

I want sufficient performance for everyday, combined with modest flexibility in light snow AND low temperatures, and for all season long: some traction in the Mud and wet on dirt roads, when I feel the need to get out for some Rally fun in the woods.

I live in NY - and don't I want to run dedicated snow tires 3-4 months a year, albeit most of those months, not even having snow on the road.

I also want a tire that does well in late fall and early spring. Such a tire is neither a dedicated snow tire or summer tire.

UHP A/S are sufficient for my needs, however this may not hold true for others.

FWIW, below is a link on the Conti Extreme Contact DWS tires that I replaced the stock Summer Performance Dunlop Sport tires with, good luck to all with whatever you choose to go with:

Continental ExtremeContact DWS

[rurso01]

I added a poll to the thread to answer a question I was going to ask everyone. Rather than posting everyone's responses, I figured it'd be easier for future reference to just have a vote.

[thegamer1587]

I live in western pa. Just put a set of 2005 forester stock 16 rims on my 13 wrx. Using 205 55 16 general altimax.

[pmacey]

Like the poll, just voted for A/S on stock rims. Note: see my F/S post of my stock Summer Tires with 300 Miles

Below is a pic of my new Continental ExtremeContact Dry Wet Snow Tire, waiting to see how they handle on my favorite dirt road in the Snow and Mud, and most important: get me up my 190 foot uphill steep driveway in snow (disclaimer: do not attempt this with the stock Summer Performance tires):

[Heide264]

The poll doesn't include all of the options... What if you bought a spare set of wheels for winter use that aren't steelies?

All things aside, this really is kinda silly. Everybody knows the pros/cons of running all season tires vs. dedicated tires by now I'd hope. It's pretty plain and simple to see the compromises you make for convenience of not having to swap your wheels twice a year. Whatever floats your boat.

Again... for the 50th time...

Pros of running all seasons on one set of rims:
-Don't have to store a spare set of wheels/tires
-Don't have to change wheels twice a year

Cons of running all seasons on one set of rims:
-Compromised handling during summer compared to summer tires
-Compromised safety during winter compared to winter tires

Whether you think it is adequate or not is your decision. Whether you think all seasons are a better tire than tire meant for a specific purpose, that is a silly debate.

[rage-wrx]

The poll doesn't include all of the options... What if you bought a spare set of wheels for winter use that aren't steelies?

Whether you think it is adequate or not is your decision. Whether you think all seasons are a better tire than tire meant for a specific purpose, that is a silly debate.

+1

[Sasquatch]

The poll doesn't include all of the options... What if you bought a spare set of wheels for winter use that aren't steelies?

All things aside, this really is kinda silly. Everybody knows the pros/cons of running all season tires vs. dedicated tires by now I'd hope. It's pretty plain and simple to see the compromises you make for convenience of not having to swap your wheels twice a year. Whatever floats your boat.

Aye. My winters are on OZ Superleggeras.

No bewb choice as well, a time honored tradition in ClubWRX polls.

[Heide264]

No bewb choice as well, a time honored tradition in ClubWRX polls.

Aghh, I forgot to criticize that as well in my grumpy old man speech. +1