Snow Tires

[gjc]

I know this topic has been tossed around lately but 'tis the season and I have yet to put on any winter tires.

Post your location and details of your setup (pics don't hurt either) and any positive/negative experiences you've had.

As of now I'm leaning Dunlap M3's, thoughts?

[sakimano]

I think that's a good choice. Lots of guys on here love them

I have Pirelli Snowsports on my stock 18" wheels as a winter setup. 235/40/18. They're getting put on today.

[gjc]

Nice, I haven't had great luck with my previous pirelli's but I've never tried there snow.

[Lugi20]

I have the Dunlop M3's on my stock rims. Last winter they were absolute champs during one of the snowiest Chicago winters in recent memory.

[Meradin]

^^^^ Ditto but in NY,NJ, & PA

[Louis J.]

I've never had Dunlop M3/D3s but they get great reviews both formally and informally. I personally think Nokian WRs are the best winter tire for milder conditions but have just bought the much cheaper and equally raved-about Hankook W300s to try on this winter. I'm in Vancouver.

[gjc]

I've never had Dunlop M3/D3s but they get great reviews both formally and informally. I personally think Nokian WRs are the best winter tire for milder conditions but have just bought the much cheaper and equally raved-about Hankook W300s to try on this winter. I'm in Vancouver.

I've heard rave reviews on the Nokian as well. How much did you save going with the Hankook?

[pismojeff]

best price I found online was 670 for all four tires for the Hankook W300 in 235/40/18

[DuncanC]

I ran those Hancook Icebear's for two seasons, they were great for the money. I think i had w250's I got them from the tire distributor when they discontinued them. They were only like $60 a piece or something silly cheap.. And I liked them WAY better than the blizzacks I had ran on the prior car which had cost 3 times as much. But this year I'm running Dunlop winter sport 3Ds. Wanted something higher performance to put on the S4 - probably mostly because it was brand new to me when I was tire shopping. I am very impressed with them so far, I'll have to give it the season before i start preaching them because they seem so good they must be super soft and I wonder how much tire will make it to the spring... But in ever aspect other than wear which I can't speak to one way or another yet they the best winter tire I have ever ran. But honestly.. If I had to pay retail for tires I would be running the Hancooks... They aren't as good. But the dunlops aren't twice as good, although they do cost twice as much.

[sakimano]

hands down, the best winter tires I've ever tried are Nokian Hakkapellitas. Had those on some smaller wheel setups (15-16").

Anyone know what's happening with those tires now? are they replaced by WR? do the Hakkas come in 18"?

cheers

[channad]

I have the Dunlops 3Ds on my stock 18" wheels...

they are awesome! I could not lose traction in the snow! I could not!

the Dunlop M3s are discontinued, and the 3Ds are the new versions...

[Monchichi8]

check out the yokohama W-drives. awesome wear,awesome performance and they look good too! I ran the older Y-drives on my B5 and I couldn't be stopped! Living here in the rocky mountains, we get a shit ton of snow! So when I found out that they made the Y's even better, now called the W-drives, there was no question! Check em out!

[Louis J.]

I've heard rave reviews on the Nokian as well. How much did you save going with the Hankook?

235/40/18:

Hankook = $157/tire
Nokian WR = $248/tire

From everything I read, the Hankook has the same characteristics as the WRs and based on the reviews I read on various sites/forums, I expect they will perform just as well. I'm willing to give them a shot and keep the $400 difference.

best price I found online was 670 for all four tires for the Hankook W300 in 235/40/18

See above...$628 for the set. I found them online on some tire site (can't remember the name) and had Discount Tire match the price.

hands down, the best winter tires I've ever tried are Nokian Hakkapellitas. Had those on some smaller wheel setups (15-16").

Anyone know what's happening with those tires now? are they replaced by WR? do the Hakkas come in 18"?

cheers

The WRs are more of a "sport" or "highway winter tire" with stiffer sidewalls and directional pattern that gives better performance in the cold dry/wet and light snow. They last longer and do well in places like Calgary and Toronto but the Hakkas are better for deep snow.

[FastB7S4]

The WRs are more of a "sport" or "highway winter tire" with stiffer sidewalls and directional pattern that gives better performance in the cold dry/wet and light snow. They last longer and do well in places like Calgary and Toronto but the Hakkas are better for deep snow.

Yeah, the WR's are Nokian's all-season tire (that meets severe weather requirements) whereas the Hakka's are strictly a winter/snow tire.

[FastB7S4]

the Dunlop M3s are discontinued, and the 3Ds are the new versions...

you can still buy the m3's, just not in 235/40/18. tirerack has them. closest size available may be 225/45/18.

[whartung]

I've only had a few inches of scattered snow over the past few days, but I've got the Pirelli snowsport 240's on the stock Avus rims, 235/40-18, and last night they were fine in really thin snow. I suppose the best review I can give is on normal asphalt, which they work fine on without too much noise, haha... I guess we'll see how they fare within the next month. Upstate NY gets hit hard come winter. They definitely weren't cheap though. I ran at just about a grand for tires, balance and install...

[Louis J.]

Yeah, the WR's are Nokian's all-season tire (that meets severe weather requirements) whereas the Hakka's are strictly a winter/snow tire.

Actually, they're not quite all-seasons. All-seasons are really only "three season" tires and should never be used in the snow...wrong compound.

Nokian claims they are the only "all-weather" tire in the market because they can be used as a snow tire that also provides decent handling characteristics in warm weather.

I put them on my GFs car with 1.5 years left on her lease. I didn't want to buy two dedicated sets and needed something to work for two winters. She doesn't need the grip of a summer tire so these were a good compromise.

In my experience, they performed better than the Bridgestone LM-25s I've had and they truly do work like an all-season in the summer (though I'd never run them year-around). Treadwear is minimal after a year.

[FastB7S4]

Actually, they're not quite all-seasons. All-seasons are really only "three season" tires and should never be used in the snow...wrong compound.

all seasons are meant to be a compromise and be okay or average in all conditions including snow. that's why they're called "all seasons" for people who plan on running only one set of tires year round. to say that they should never be used in the snow is incorrect. most are labeled m+s for mud and snow. true they don't perform as well as nokian's "all weather" wr's since the wr's have siping design for slush and snow as well as a somewhat softer compound i think.

[norsecarnut]

hands down, the best winter tires I've ever tried are Nokian Hakkapellitas. Had those on some smaller wheel setups (15-16").

Anyone know what's happening with those tires now? are they replaced by WR? do the Hakkas come in 18"?

cheers

You guys might like the Nokian WR-G2... amazing design in my opinion. We just got a set put on the stock 18" s4 rims in matching stock tire size.

[gjc]

[QUOTE=Louis J.;3077001]235/40/18:

See above...$628 for the set. I found them online on some tire site (can't remember the name) and had Discount Tire match the price.

Louis - Any chance you can remember the name? I'm thinking of trying them out...

[pismojeff]

http://tireeasy.com/

157 per tire in 235/40/18

[Louis J.]

all seasons are meant to be a compromise and be okay or average in all conditions including snow. that's why they're called "all seasons" for people who plan on running only one set of tires year round. to say that they should never be used in the snow is incorrect. most are labeled m+s for mud and snow. true they don't perform as well as nokian's "all weather" wr's since the wr's have siping design for slush and snow as well as a somewhat softer compound i think.

Yes, I'm a tire guy and I agree, would never have them on my car, average in all conditions...except they are not appropriate for snow.

http://www.bchighway.com/myvehicle/a...snowtires.html

http://tireeasy.com/

157 per tire in 235/40/18

That the site!

[FastB7S4]

Yes, I'm a tire guy and I agree, would never have them on my car, average in all conditions...except they are not appropriate for snow.

http://www.bchighway.com/myvehicle/a...snowtires.html

Agreed. All seasons are insufficient in deep snow but they will still be better than summer tires. They should be okay in say a dusting or very light snow cover. Most people with the exception of the northern states run all seasons for that fact, but also because of ignorance and/or cost savings. I'm sure you get pounded in BC so a seperate winter set-up is a must. Nice link by the way.

[sakimano]

I have the Dunlops 3Ds on my stock 18" wheels...
they are awesome! I could not lose traction in the snow! I could not!
the Dunlop M3s are discontinued, and the 3Ds are the new versions...

what on earth do you need winter tires for? you live in southern california!

maybe you're there for school or something?

[FastB7S4]

He goes skiing or snowboarding in the mountains.

[channad]

^^^ correct, and I'm NOT putting chains on my car...

Driving while it's snowing is pretty insane...but it's nice to know my quattro and snow tires kick ass!

[sakimano]

^^^pussaaaayyyyy. Just kidding. Quattro in snow is definitely amazing. We had a foot of snow fall one day last year. The next morning I was ready to launch in my B6 Avant...when I opened the garage I saw my street was not plowed, and a Volvo SUV on the road in front of half my driveway...stuck. I ripped right through the now. no problemo....on Pirelli P6 all seasons no less! Usually we get New York City weather here in Toronto, so it's not bad, but last winter was BITCHING! We got a total snowfall of 7 feet I believe, vs the normal of about half to one third of that.

re: Pirellis...drove with them for the first time today. Excellent. Hardly notice they're not summers. They're actually quiet.

my 235/40/18 Pirelli 240 Snowsports are QUIETER than my BF Goodrich G-Force summers!

You know what's funny...for all the cracks you yanks make about Canada and our snow, I've seen 0 snowflakes so far (live 10 minutes west of Toronto)...while half of the central-north region of the US has already been crushed with snowstorms. In yer face! (for now)

I've only had a few inches of scattered snow over the past few days, but I've got the Pirelli snowsport 240's on the stock Avus rims, 235/40-18, and last night they were fine in really thin snow. I suppose the best review I can give is on normal asphalt, which they work fine on without too much noise, haha... I guess we'll see how they fare within the next month. Upstate NY gets hit hard come winter. They definitely weren't cheap though. I ran at just about a grand for tires, balance and install...

[sakimano]

p.s. notice the difference in your Sprint Blue vs. fastb7S4 in your avatars? white balance difference in the cameras.

^^^ correct, and I'm NOT putting chains on my car...

Driving while it's snowing is pretty insane...but it's nice to know my quattro and snow tires kick ass!

[Monchichi8]

Last time I posted was able to copy and paste links since I was on my iPhone. You should really check these out. I know in the Vid they are Bimmers but imagine quattro and these. Use the narrow band vid selection. also check out the 2nd link.

http://www.wdrive.info/en/theater/index.html

http://www.wheels.ca/article/254328

and another fourm talking about them....

http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/...?topic=57851.0

[ngng]

dunlop wintersport M3s, had them on my A6, and currently have them on my S4! unstoppable!

[channad]

p.s. notice the difference in your Sprint Blue vs. fastb7S4 in your avatars? white balance difference in the cameras.

possibly, but, RAudi Driver says my sprint blue looks deeper than his RS4. His words, not mine.

There are lots of differences in sprint blue. angle of picture, light on part of the car and not on the other...

if we took the exact same picture in the exact same conditions, it would still look different.

I know RAudi's RS4 sat in the showroom for quite some time, and the paint didn't get the attention it deserved.

My car was picked up from the dock, then I picked it up a day after, and had a new car prep done within one week.

All these things factor into the color that is Sprint Blue.

[whartung]

if thats the case, then my sprint blue is probably the most beaten up of any of them. I got mine used, have no idea what happened to it before me, and since august its only been indoors for a couple hours worth. As we speak, its sitting outside collecting snow...

[Louis J.]

Just arrived from picking up my Hankook W300s. I've driven about ~40 hwy miles on them in the pouring rain at around 45*. Initial impressions:

- Very, very quiet. I coasted at 80 MPH and all I could hear was wind noise. Can't believe they're snows.
- Very stable at speed. Got them to 100MPH and the car was planted.
- Zero hydroplaning. Drove over large pools of standing water at ~80 MPH like it was nothing.
- Very grippy. Took an exit ramp I usually take at speed in the dry (with summers) and was at 8/10ths in the rain with no issues.
- They look HOT! The nicest, most agressive winter tire I've ever seen.

So far, very, very pleased for the $628 I paid. I'll post some pics and review after seat-time in the white stuff...when it shows up.