I have had Blizzak LM-25's for two seasons (new set each year. I tend to wear out tires quick). They have been excellent. Great traction in deep snow, in ice, in patchy roads. Awesome still on dry pavement.

Some time last March, my wife was driving and she had a blowout flat on the rear driver side. I was in NFLD at the time, and she took it into the dealer. They didn't have any Blizzak's in stock and I just wanted to get her on the road, so we went with two Pirellli SottoZero's on the rear.

So for this winter, I decided to keep this setup (since this is the last winter for the car) with the Blizzaks upfront and the Pirelli's in the rear. This setup has been completely useless this winter. The fronts still have plenty of traction, however the rear's are useless. The car has been transformed into a very tail happy vehicle. I'm surprised at the difference in grip between the two, since the Blizzaks have about 15,000 km's on them, and the Pirelli's were brand new.

I think it just goes to show that the difference in performance of winter tire manufacturers is quite great.

My good buddy has the Dunlop snows on his Mustang GT and he is very frustrated. Another associate of mine has Blizzak's on this Mustang GT and is very satisfied. Both guys are reasonably skilled drivers in the snow.

 

Nokian Hakkapeliittas are the best....but also a bit pricey as winter tires go...$1400+ at Kaltire (not including rims).

 

They are an excellent winter tire

 

I've got Blizzak LM-22's on my coupe, just bought them new this past November. I drove through the city last Saturday during that crazy white-out condition storm and had no problems at all, except at the very end trying to go up a mid-grade slope that had been plowed but was icy. I eventually thought to turn off the VDC (it's my first winter with a car that has this feature), which let the tires spin and ta-da! I was able to make it up no problem at all. The Blizzaks are awesome tires, and I cannot even begin to imagine driving this car without AS tires on in the winter we've had.

 

Good stuff. Yeah, everyone has the same experience with the VDC.

 

Some one mentioned that you have to turn VDC off to get the car moving in slippery condition like snow and ice but then after that you should turn it back on for safety reason.

Is that correct?

 

I've said that before. However this winter has been harsher (though nothing compared to out east) and I find I leave the VDC off more often. Lately it's been quite dry and I've not had any traction issues whatsoever. Since I have to remember to disable the VDC, most of the time it stays on.

I use 4 Yokohama IG721 winter tires at 34-35psi cold. Only time I have trouble getting going is in slushy conditions from a stop or sometimes starting on hills. I disable VDC and proceed when I know I have a little extra time to get moving. Other than that they are great. Very stable at highway speeds, on gravel roads. Braking and going around corners has been uneventful for 3 winters now. The tires are holding up very well tread wise and still appear to be almost brand new.

 

Yes. The VDC won't let the car tires spin enough to get momentum sometimes with cutting engine power and braking taking place.

VDC on is otherwise safer.

 

Actually, a G35x with A/S tires stops WORSE than a G35S with AS tires - because it weighs more. The AWD system adds weight.

That's why I'm going with a set of winters for my G35x - I'm a firm believer in this climate. Those A/S tires turn to rocks in a cold Saskatchewan winter.

What I need to watch out for is being the first hot-shot into the intersection and getting t-boned by some yutz sliding through on the red...

 

Ok, so...what is the best option? I'm hearing Blizzak's and Nokian Hakka's.

 

Not sure what's best. I've looked at 'performance winter tires', and they seem to sacrifice some level of snow & ice capability (albeit sometimes minimal reductions) to preserve crisper handling and high speed rating. Of course this comes at a price.

OTOH, regular winter tires are lower priced and perhaps more capable in snow and ice (particularly deeper snow), but they tend to have softer sidewalls, lower speed ratings and handling that's less performance-oriented.

Some verbiage from Tirerack.com (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/types/snows.jsp):

Performance Winter

You want enhanced dry road handling from your winter tires and are willing to trade some snow and ice traction to get it.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "mountain/snowflake" symbol, these low profile, H- or V-speed rated tires are designed to suit winter driving on European highways. They are available in many of the low profile sizes used as Original Equipment on sporty imported and domestic cars.

Studless Ice and Snow

You want to maximize snow and ice traction from your winter tires without the inconvenience of using winter tire studs.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "mountain/snowflake" symbol, these Q-speed rated tires feature the latest in tread compound technology to provide winter traction without the inconvenience of tire studs. They trade a little handling for excellent ice and snow traction.

Studdable Winter

You want the traditional security of winter tire studs for enhanced traction on ice.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "mountain/snowflake" symbol, these non-, Q-, S-, or T-speed rated tires feature traditional snow tire tread compounds and studdable tread designs for good snow and ice traction.

FWIW, I'm looking at the Hankook W409 Winter i*Pike for my G35x (http://www.hankooktire.ca/product/ti...il.asp?pid=58). It's a studdable winter that I understand works quite well w/o the studs and, despite the aggressive tread is not terribly noisy (for a winter tire, that is). 1010tires.com lists it as a 'winter premium' tire (http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?ti...Winter+i*Pike). I've seen some favourable comparisons to the Nokian Hakkepeliitta 5, which generally sells for quite a bit more. The W409 may not officially be a high performance winter, but I understand it's pretty good, and it's T speed rated (118 mph or 190 km/h), while the Kumho Solus KH16s on my car now are V speed rated (149 mph or 240 km/h).

Speed rating info at http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=35&. If you're really concerned about the higher speeds, watch out on winter tires, as some are only Q rated (99 mph or 160 km/h). Frankly, it may all be academic, but I like the comfort factor (perhaps only a perception the higher speed rating translates into better tire carcass construction).

 

I've had Toyo Garit HT's on my sedan for the last 3 winters. I've got 12,800 km on them in three winters and they've worn only 1/32 of the original 12/32 of tread.
They're terrific in the snow and ice, and better even in rain than the OEM A/S's. Heck, they're probably better in the dry than the OEM's.

My son has had Nokian Hakka's on his Mazda 3 for the same 3 winters.
His experience is about the same as mine, and they're wearing even better than my Toyo's (only 1/32 of wear in 17,000 km, but they were 10/32 new).

My rule of thumb is: When the conditions are bad, the worst winter tire on the market is better than the best all-season tire on the market.

 

I don't think I'd ever be interested in a performance winter tire. The last thing that I am concerned about in the winter is dry pavement handling and higher speed ratings. IMO, tires are the most important part of your car in the winter and I definitely would never sacrifice safety for performance. I've been very happy with Blizzaks over the last few years.

It's sunny and 27C here at the house right now.......no need for winter tires for awhile yet.

 

We had a frost warning here 2 nights ago, so that has me thinking and starting the preparations for winter. Yecch!

 

I had Toyo Garit KX performance winters on my G35 and I found them to be quite good on snow and ice. The reason I chose performance winters was that Calgary has chinooks that can bring the temperature well above zero in the middle of a cold snap and I still wanted to be able to drive with confidence on dry roads.

This year I'm considering ordering some Blizaks from Tire Rack for my TSX.

I'm not sure we got below freezing but it was only 3.6° this morning when I left for work and my windows were covered with a thick layer of condensation.