Snow Tire Discussion

OK, some good insight coming in here.

greenrider, thanks for the link to the consumer...page.

Reading those reports it actually sounds like the Continental TS810 might be the best choice for our NW conditions and the type of driving I do. Probably 95% of what I do in the winter months is wet pavement driving, the other 5% is weekend warrior ski stuff...rain to slush to snow and ice.

Does anyone have the Continental TS810? How are they in the snow?

How about the Michelin X-Ice?

Toyo Observes?

I am in the market for new tires, I just bought an 08 Subaru STI, but it came with summer tires.  I used to have an 03 WRX with all-seasons, and it did fine in all but the iciest of conditions.  I am on the fence as to whether I should get a new set of all-seasons, or maybe a new wheel set with snow tires (a lot more $$$$).  Here in the Seattle area we only have snow in the lowlands a couple of times a year at most so I am wondering if snow tires are overkill.

As far as snow tires go, I am looking at tirerack.com now... for my car, I have a few choices:

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero RFT

Any recommendations?

Hey deep pow,

I don't think snow tires are overkill if you're heading to the hills on a regular basis. I'm pretty much an every weekend mountain driver when the snow is flying, plus the occassional weeknight powder hunt.

What seems important to me is actually a "winter tire" that is designed for rain, slush, snow and ice. Different tires shine in each of these areas and I think given our temperate climate that rainy conditions should be given a lot of weight.

I did some research on the web and took the comments in this thread into consideration and ulitimately decided on the General Tire Altimax Arctic from Tirerack.com. It was the cheapest tire in my size, but gets some very good reviews (it is the Gislaved Nordfrost 3 marketed by General). The tires showed up today and they are definitely beefy!

I was close to getting the Continental TS810 as it gets great reviews as a rain tire, but has mixed reviews as a snow tire. It sounds like a snow tire "light" to me... Might be a good choice to run on an AWD car though??

FYI, AWD can place special demands on tires, so you may want to research that and ask people who have experience with your AWD system. The basics are that all the tires need to match both in tread pattern and wear... I know several people who have had trouble with AWD shredding tires and/or mis-matched tires causing damage to the AWD system; but you probably already know this about AWD and tires...

Good luck and drive safely.

Thanks Jib, I was thinking about the Conti's too, based on the review link greenrider posted. I have AWD so that seems like a good bet. I like to get up to the mountains at least three times per week, but yeah we have a lot of rain to contend with here in town so good wet traction is a must also. I'll have to see what the local shops have to say and get some prices before I think about placing an order with tirerack.

A good winter tire will probably do for here - but if you go over the Coquihalla Highway even once a winter - for God's sake, get a set of Hakkapellittas or some such bombproof winter tire. Spendy yes, but less than a tow truck and a new axle.

They didn't have the Hakkapellittas on tirerack, at least not in 18". How do those stack up in normal or wet coditions? I'd hate to buy something that was meant for harsh winter but which doesn't perform so well around town at 40-50 degrees.