Snow Tires, best compromise between MPG and grip

I have been driving on studs for the last 20 years as well. I swore by them and laughed every time my brother would tell me that I needed studless winter tires (friction tires).

The truth is, that the friction tires have improved so much, that they actually outperform the studded tires in every driving condition, except when braking on ice.

I have narrowed my choices down to either Nokian on Michelin X-ice for my next tire... now I just need to find a god source.

Is the +40mm the proper offset if I go with a 15"x7" rim?

 

The +40mm offset works great with a 7" wide wheel & looks much better since it not so sucked into the wheel well. Here is a picture of my Prius when I test fit a 16x7 wheel with a +35mm offset from my Matrix which had 205/55R16 Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires. It looked great but was a little too much offset.

 

After finding local prices for the Xice3 to be cah-razy I decided if I was going to spend on a premium snow tire I was going with Nokian. Wound up choosing the Hakka R which came in cheaper then the Michelins to the tune of $30 less per tire. Still pricy though ($148 eacy installed m&b).


Very quiet and smooth. I don't expect a large MPG penalty but we'll see. We awoke to an icy mess out there this morning so these are being put to the test as we speak.

The iPikes are barely worn after 2 winters on the Prius and are now on the old Accord which is what I drive (Prius is the wifey's commuter).

 

I just ordered the Michelin Xi3 for $118 each. $536 installed less a $50 Visa card thing.

 

that's a great deal, I couldn't find that locally and at this time of year installs for TireRack ordered tires are a 2 week wait. I couldn't wait. Very happy with the Nokians.

 

We have 60s in the forecast for this weekend and early next week, so I'm holding off on mounting the winter tires on the Prius. The truck has had winter tires for a few weeks - but it stays in the garage on warm days.

 

Wouldn't call it great. Just what it is. Discount Tire web site.

Had Nokian WG on Ford Escape Hybrid and loved them.

 

The negative comments on this thread about studded tires are all based on the old fashioned metal studs. The new generation of studded tires cause less road damage than sand and perform perfectly well in contact with pavement as shown by Scandinavian studies. Unfortunately the old style of studded tires have caused all studded tires to be banned in many locations, such as Michigan, so we can't use them here.

Tom

 

We had a ballot issue here about it. All the evidence is that the studded snows tear up the road. DOT,estimated some $50 million a year in repairs due to the studded tires. They are a destructive anachronism and should be banned.

 

They were expecting snow this week, so many towns had their plow trucks out doing test runs. The plows all have new edges installed on them, the 1/2" stock plate used has square cut edges not really 'blade-like' so they need to be shaped. Iron blades scraping pavement send sparks shooting out 10 feet in all directions as the trucks go by. So they are all shaped now to the angle they need to better scrape the pavement. By the end of the season most of those plow blades will have worn away 3 to 4 inches of 1/2" iron stock.

Funny thing is that we got no snow, the storm passed by.

 

That just seems high to me. I bought my Michelin Xice2's on a closeout deal with a new set of alloy wheels for $520 after rebates! That looks to be less then you paid just for the Nokian. The Xice2 is rated so well that I didn't mind saving the extra $$$ compared to the newer Xice3.

 

Not at all true according to the Scandinavian studies. Tearing up the roads comes from the old style of studs. Studies with the new style show that wear would be reduced if all cars used studded tires without road sanding.

Tom

 

I'm glad you found a great deal on a completely different item then I was shopping for.

Put almost 200 miles on the Nokians today on messy snow and ice covered roads. Handled absolutely perfectly despite passing multiple accidents. Got me and my family to and from my son's robotics championships safely and without drama. Worth every penny.

 

So the studded tires cause greater damage per every study including the "Scandanavian studies" and should be banned. No need for them or the damage they do.

 

I was just pointing out that there are better deals if people look around. The Michelin as been a top rated winter tire by many people too. I'll take a top rated tire & a complete set of winter alloy wheels for less money then what you paid for the Nokians any day!

 

In fairness, I paid $800 (after $150 rebates) vs. your $560 for new Xi3 and MB wheels with all the trimmings, TPMS rework etc.

Just couldn't stand the black alloys anymore and after reading the "flat tire" thread, decided I was going to keep a full size spare in the trunk for ski season. So that would pay for one wheel, may as well buy three more new wheels.

 

Nokians are pretty steep, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. They're sold in limitted locations up here (only KalTire I believe), and have a good reputation.

 

All tires cause damage, so we should ban driving. The Scandinavian studies showed that studded tires are better for roads than current winter snow removal systems. Their approach is to require good winter tires so that more aggressive snow removal techniques are not necessary. If you prefer, we could all stay home until spring.

Tom

 

Studded tires cause much more damage as noted by all the transportation studies which is why state and Federal highway engineers push to ban the studded tires.

 

With the technology of the suddless tires today there is little need for studs anyway. Save the roads & our tax money!