Winter tires

[flymo]

After a good experience with Blizzak DVM-V1s on my Ridgeline, just ordered the same tire in 215/70-17 for the CX 5, on 17x7.5 alloys (rims were on special from an online retailer). The overall tire diameter is the same as the stock Toyo 225/55-19.

I went a size narrower and one step higher profile to cut through the deep snow - did the same on the Ridgeline and have outstanding performance. I have run Blizzaks for years and wouldn't drive anything else in the winter. They do wear more than a summer or all season tire on dry pavement, but what do you expect from a soft compound tire?

Flymo

 

[flymo]

a snow tire that will last a long time, and will do well on dry pavement, is a top priority for me. Obviously I also want a tire that can handle ice and deeper snow.

... Also, I was thinking about getting the tires mounted on the 17 inch rims the CX-5 came with, as this would be cheaper than buying a new set of rims. Any reason I should not do this?

Matt, while a heavy-lugged tire will do well in deep snow regardless of what rubber it's made of, for good performance on ice you need a soft compound, which means it won't wear as well. Pick your poison!

Regarding handling, I've found the Blizzaks (see earlier post) handle perfectly fine on dry pavement. In fact, when a set of Blizzaks is done for winter use (because the soft compound part of the tread is worn off) I leave them on for longer in the spring to get the last bit of use out of them.

Different rims is a great idea - get some snazzy rims for summer! It's great that the CX 5 faciliates this by having sensorless TPMS - that's one of the reasons I bought it.

Flymo

 

[MikeM.]

Matt, while a heavy-lugged tire will do well in deep snow regardless of what rubber it's made of, for good performance on ice you need a soft compound, which means it won't wear as well.

This is a common misconception.

Heavy lugged tires will fail miserably in most types of deep snow if they have inappropriate rubber compounds. That's because snow has very poor sheer strength and therefore the primary traction (even in deep snow) comes, not from mechanical gripping of the tread/snow, but from the co-efficient of friction between the weighted portions of the tread and the compressed snow underneath. The only significant benefit of a heavy lug in deep snow is when it is spun up it can sometimes dig down and eventually find pavement or a surface with more traction. But that will be counter-productive if there is ice under the snow. In my experience, a better strategy when designing a tread for snow traction is to have many thousands of biting edges, usually achieved by siping (either cutting a pre-molded tread or molded in during the molding process). While snow has low shear strength, the sheer number of a lot of small biting edges can, in the aggregate, provide a significant traction benefit.
And modern snow tires are making increasingly good use of this fact.

In some wet snow a heavy lug can be desirable because they tend to be more resistant to "caking", IE, the treads are resistant to packing with snow. But a tread design does not have to be a heavy lug to be resistant to caking. Sipes are naturally resistant to caking because they flex.

One other thing. Rubber compounds are a complex subject. I'm not a chemist but I do know that it's not a simple linear relationship from hard to soft compounds where one can say that a softer compound will necessarily wear faster and have more ice traction than a harder compound. There is a general tendency for that to have a lot of truth but some softer compounds are more durable than another harder compound that has less ice traction. And you can have a harder compound that is more durable but has more ice traction than a softer compound. It all comes down to the specific additives, chemistry, and curing process. And tire engineers are always looking for improved formulas to achieve better wear resistance without sacrificing traction. Some are better than others.

 

[flymo]

Thanks Mike, my intention was to give general and helpful advice, not to write a thesis on the subject or prove I'm somehow "more right" than anyone else responding.

Flymo

 

[MikeM.]

Thanks Mike, my intention was to give general and helpful advice, not to write a thesis on the subject or prove I'm somehow "more right" than anyone else responding.

Flymo

That's well and good.

I just don't consider "a heavy-lugged tire will do well in deep snow regardless of what rubber it's made of" to be helpful advice.

It perpetuates a common fallacy.

If I offended you by offering an alternative view then you probably shouldn't post your views on the Internet.

If it was simply the amount of detail you found irritating, feel free to ignore my posts in the future. I won't mind.

 

[Dez]

Has anybody heard about kumho winters?

 

[Dr_Watson]

Has anybody heard about kumho winters?

Not sure on winter, but they are a good mid range brand, similar to Hankook. Problem is that some of their tires are fairly poor, some are as good as premium tires (eg Ecstas) so with winter tires it could be a bit of a lottery unless you are lucky to find a good review comparing the make and model you would buy.

 

[Dez]

Anybody else experience Michelin xi2? I do mostly city driving in the gta. Just wondering if we get a winter like last year if these can handle the snow and ice.

 

[bamirault]

Anybody else experience Michelin xi2? I do mostly city driving in the gta. Just wondering if we get a winter like last year if these can handle the snow and ice.

I've had these Michelin winters now into their third season. Very happy with them in Ottawa. I find them to have excellent grip, excellent ride and good quiet. Thus far they appear to wear well. I have recommended them to others. You can do better in dry and wet, but they can't be beat in snow and ice. Being retired, I can usually choose whether to travel locally or remain at home. The GTA is a little further south and so wet/dry may be more what you see in your winter. You could go with Continental Extreme Winter Contact, or Nokian Hak RZ SUV if you get more wet/dry on your commute if you do one. I have had no problem personally with wet/dry performance, but my winter driving style is generally different from my summer approach.

I went with 16" rims from KalTire. The company is competitive rather that way cheaper, but features free seasonal change over for as long as you own then so I no longer have to do it in my driveway. Now I only rotate the Miata's.

Brian

 

[freelyfallin]

I'm planning on buying some Michelin xI2's and also another set of rims. Should I go with another pair of 17 inch rims? Or go down a size? Keep in mind I'm commuting a pretty long ways daily, and will be using these tires on longer trips.

I'm planning on purchasing these tires ASAP, so any input would be helpful!

 

[Woodys2718]

I just received my General Altimax Arctics, 16" steel wheels and hubcaps today.





Took a few more pics while filling up today.

 

[MercBeforeMazda]

I've just fitted 4 new Michelin Latitude Alpin LA2 tyres and they're excellent. Quiet and grippy in the zero degrees weather.