Snow Tires

Have you looked at Nokian WRs? I'm running on them. So far, the Prius/WR combo is one of the best snow/ice machines I've driven.

 

blizzak ws60 only cost $85 in townfair, i recommend toyo observe G02 plus.

they are the best

 

I'm using Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi's, about $90 each, GREAT snow performance. Will definitely look at Nokian all seasons when my Integrity tires need changing.

 

Having read upteen tire threads, the one thing that emerges is that brand does not matter as much as buying top-of-the-line. Almost everything recommended here, both winter and all-season are pretty much top of the line - Goodyears, Michelins, Contis, Toyo, Bridgestone, etc. There is the occasional bargain reported (I forget which one someone recommended, but I could not find it in stock anywhere), but mostly the top shelf rules.

The Toyo Observes stand out for me because of the crushed walnut shell formulation, and the head to head comparison someone posted in another thread. I have not tried them. Thus, that could be all hype, so I stand by my first statement.

 

Big O sold us our 4 studded tires. Generic.

 

edited

 

im very ignorant on snow tires but would like to learn so bear with me


what is the negative effect of driving snow tires on regular roads? i hear they wear sooner but how much ?

 

Michelin X-Ice on mine - grip like the dickens!

 

I run the previous blizzak version (ws-50) and love them. that doesn't help you much, though. tirerack.com has good snow tire comparison tests; not sure how up to date they are, but they are objective.

 

1. Noisier
2. Higher rolling resistance --> lower MPG
3. Less rubber on the road = less grip on wet roads and marginal conditions

 

There are two kinds of "snow tires".

Dedicated snow/ice tires have very soft rubber that will heat up rapidly and wear fast on dry roads. Less so on dry roads in very cold weather (-0F and below). Because the rubber is so soft they tend to squirm (which is what causes most of the heating) and you can feel that in the handling of the car. They will wear out in one season (three months) if you drive them on dry roads in "warmer" conditions (such as where you will find liquid H2O around).

"All season" tires are a generic name given to marginally snow capable tires. Recently within this category however, you can find tires that perform well in snow and on ice. The Nokian WR is one (latest version of this is the WR G2). It has the snowflake symbol on the sidewall indicating chains are not required when posted on highways. These tires will not wear rapidly on dry warm roads. They also don't squirm. I've used them on the anti-Prius (2001 Nissan Pathfinder LE) and they worked very well. I currently use them on my new Prius (I threw away the new Goodyear Integrities that came with the car). They work very well on this car as well. We also use them on a Mazda RX-8 and they work very well there too.

You -can- get better traction with tires such as the Hakka RSi, especially if you get the ones with studs in them. Again, the downside is they wear rapidly on dry roads and they are noisy and ride rough.

 

I'm running on a new set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q's which have been replaced by newer versions like the RSI, etc. Look at the Nokian website. Traction and handling are awesome in the snow and ice. Highly recommended.

 

I just put the Nokian WR G2's on my Prius yesterday and am happy with the improved traction so far. I've used those tires year round for 4 years on my other cars (AWD Audi's) and they work great. For me the big benefit is great winter traction without having to store a bunch of extra tires in the garage.

 

I'm running Blizzak WS-60's this winter, and absolutly LOVE THEM. We have had a lot of snow this winter (so far) in Michigan.