Winter Tires, Which One?

[tirebob]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

First and foremost, I don't care if you run the absolute bottom of the barrel winter tire in the marketplace today... You will still be WAAAYYYYY better off than you will be with even the very best all season.

That being said, no one tire is better at every aspect of winter driving than another is. Some tires specialize in the most extreme of ice traction, but this comes at the sacrifice of treadwear and handling characteristics. Some tires are designed for better traction in deep snow, but they may sacrifice some extreme ice ability and will tend to be much louder. Other tires are designed to drive like your summer tires when there is no ice and snow on the road while still providing good levels of snow and ice traction, but they will not be for seriously extreme conditions.

Basically what I am trying to say is that no one tire is perfect for everyone, because everyone uses their vehicles in different scenarios. Some people are aggressive winter and summer. Some people don't even drive on days it snows. Other people drive hundreds of KM's per day and don't want to replace tires every 3 months. Everyone is different, and it is more imporatant to assess your own specific needs and buy a tire accordingly, than it is to go with simply the tire that has a lot of money behind it's marketing campaigns...

[tirebob]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

Oh, and to try and help with the original question, the KW19 is a more severe condition tire, with good snow and ice traction, It is not really a tire for the guys who want to drive aggressively on the days that the roads are clear and dry.

The KW17 is more sport oriented while still being a true winter tire, however it won't have quite as high of a level of severe ice traction and deep snow traction that the KW19 has. It does nicely on compact snow for sure though...

[Lars]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

I have goodyear ultra grip ice and they are a really good tire in 15" Shop around to different tire stores as the price might very (shop rate is different) and check at Costco for steelies if you can't find anywhere else Was loking at the Michelin artic-x but was not sure the reviews as they were a new tire

[MrHeavyFoot]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

Oh, and to try and help with the original question, the KW19 is a more severe condition tire, with good snow and ice traction, It is not really a tire for the guys who want to drive aggressively on the days that the roads are clear and dry.

The KW17 is more sport oriented while still being a true winter tire, however it won't have quite as high of a level of severe ice traction and deep snow traction that the KW19 has. It does nicely on compact snow for sure though...

That's why I chose the KW-19. The main streets up here do tend to be clear of ice/snow within a few days of the storm, but once we get a layer of packed snow/ice on the side streets, it's usually there until spring.... with every fresh snowfall resulting in a nice new shine on the ice in all the braking zones.

In Calgary, you get a lot more melting days, so I think the side streets tend to return to bare pavement more than they do in Edmonton. So, a tire such as the KW-17 with more dry grip and better tread life might be better.

[Cordialtea]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

My Hubby Found an ad here the Tire Warehouse anyone bought tires from them?

www.thetirewarehouse.com

Judy

[Gone Hunting]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

My 2 cents worth (too broke to give 3!)
Live in Bragg Creek and drive to downtown Calgary every work day of the year. I have had Blizzaks. Great for the first 20K. I would have to buy new ones each winter. After 20 they get slippy. 2 winters on Arctic Alpins. 60K on them. Just about finished. On ice they were better than my GMC 2500 in 4 wheel dirve. Goining to try the Nokians. Seen to only find them at Kal-Tire. THey rate them for 80K. What it comes down to is this: Soft = Good On Ice. Soft = short mileage life. Edmonton has ice/snow coverage on the roads all winter. Winter tires last longer under these circumstances. Calgary has about 60% of the winter days when the roads are bare. Then 40% of the days when the Einsteins drive like they were still bare. Our road conditions dictate faster wear (on bare pavement during some winter days). So decide if you want ultimate grip on the icy days and buy the softest compound out or if you can accept decent grip on those days and have them last longer. Once you buy a GOOD set of winter tires you will wonder why you risked your life and car on lesser rubber.

On a different track, last fall I put a set of Michelin X-Ice on the significant others Benz. 15K on them and still pretty good traction and decent tread left. BUT you can't compare performance to others listed above because this is a 5000 lb rear wheel drive land yatcht, not a nimble front heavy/drive VW (that comes complete without any warranty that you can use).

FINAL COMMENT: Buy them NOW and get them on a separate set of wheels. Once the first snow hits, they sell out in a day and you will wait til Christmas for the new stock to get in.

[Red90]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

On that last sentence. The week after snow hits, you will NOT be able to buy winter Nokians. They only bring in one shipment a year. Once they are gone, you get to wait until next year. Really make sure you get them in the next couple of weeks.

[Silverstoned]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

I have goodyear ultra grip ice and they are a really good tire in 15" Shop around to different tire stores as the price might very (shop rate is different) and check at Costco for steelies if you can't find anywhere else Was loking at the Michelin artic-x but was not sure the reviews as they were a new tire

If you have a VR6 or a 1.8T with the larger front brake callipers, you will have to go with VW 15" or aftermarket 16". Aftermarket 15" will not clear the front brake callipers.


FWIW, I had the GoodYear Ultragrip Ice, and they worked very well in deep snow and slush, but wore down fast, and felt 'sqishy' on dry pavement. I'm running the Pirelli 210 snowsports now, and they seemt o work well. Quiet on the highway, descent cornering on dry pavement, and only a small sacrifice in deep snow and polished ice.

Jeff

[AWD-FLY-GUY]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

Though it's been mentioned, I truly feel that it is important to reiterate the fact that Winter in Calgary is not the same as winter in Banff or Golden.

I live out in McKenzie Lake, and work a M-F Job where I commute Via Deerfoot. Snow in the communities side streets as mentioned before, often stays for quite some time, but the main arteries are often dry after a day or two.

Though I would definitely run dedicated winter tires on your vehicles, it seems like a lot of people buy so much more tire than they really need, and enjoy flossing their "manhood" about it.

It all comes down to driving location. If you're a weekend ski bum, and live out in the burbs. I can justify forking out the extra cake for the big dollar gear, or go studded even. But for those of us that are purely commuting city dwellers, there is no reason you cant get away on mediocre range snow tires, especially since a lot of people dont like forking out 4 digits on snow rubber.

Last year on my MK2 I ran Kumho IZEN Studs (w/o studs) and they were great for everything I encountered in both the city and heading up to Lake Louise during a blizzard. My Audi had bald all seasons on it last winter too, and with Quattro, had no issues getting going, but stopping was quite the quarrel. Was like 4 hockey pucks.

This year I plan on running either the KW17's or KW19's. Why? Because I feel they are a good performing tire for the Money, and for what we get in Calgary, I cannot justify forking out double the cost for realistically, only marginally better performance in daily driving..



If cost is no object whatsoever, then disregard my above post, just remember not to belittle those who are more thinking more practically on a budget.

[Cordialtea]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

I'm in Edmonton and I live outside the City, I want a Winter tire that can handle Snow, Slush, Ice, Cold etc...

Has anyone bought from the TIRE WAREHOUSE? Not yelling Just capitalized to draw attention to it.

Judy

[Lars]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

[QUOTE=Silverstoned]If you have a VR6 or a 1.8T with the larger front brake callipers, you will have to go with VW 15" or aftermarket 16". Aftermarket 15" will not clear the front brake callipers.


I got 15 " steelies at Costco $47 a rim and had no issues with them fitting over my calipers car has the 1.8 in it to. VW wanted $140 or so a rim know what you mean about the ultra grips they do feel a little "squishy" but they seem to go anywhere (once you turn off the traction control )

I'm guessing you mean the GLI's with the Brembo brake kit...

[Tromping_Maniac]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

BF Goodrich Winter Saloms!!!!!!

[Silverstoned]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

I'm guessing you mean the GLI's with the Brembo brake kit...

Nope, the generics did not fit my '03 VR6 front callipers. I was under the impression that the 1.8Ts had the same front callipers as my car but maybe that's not the case.

Jeff

[VRado6]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

Only the GLi's and GTi AE's need 16" steelies to clear the brakes. On regular Golf's and Jettas, 1.8T and VR6, 15's will fit.

[RONDAL]

Re: Winter Tires, Which One?

nokian hakkapalita.

most amazing snow tire i have ever driven on. keeps my mazda on the road every winter and have NEVER been stuck, even after getting myself into all kinds of a mess looking for snowy streets to play on. they survived a winter in fort st john BC which gets a **** load of snow and icy conditions.
there is sand in the rubber so they grip well on ice