Help me pick a winter tire

[costermonger]

Picking up my DMV1s tomorrow.

Hopefully I can't review them for a good two months yet.

 

[fredbuteau]

Keep in mind that a big variable in a tires performance in many types of winter conditions (including deep standing water, slush, etc.) is the percentage of void to tread. A big groove (void) simply increases the weight per square inch on the remaining tread and helps evacuate water and slush from the contact patch. A common strategy is to size winter tires narrower in order to increase the weight per square inch of the tread that contacts the running surface, a void, such as the center groove, essentially does the same thing. Additionally, circumferential grooves increase directional stability by encouraging the tire to track true on soft surfaces.




Nonsense! I've spent a lot of my 35 years of driving on snow and ice (avid winter sports enthusiast) and "bad conditions" cannot all be lumped together into one category. There are an almost infinite number of winter conditions that can be treacherous and, in my experience, no winter tire is good under all conditions. Tread design is a compromise between different conditions.

If I had to generalize a tires performance based only on tread pattern differences I would say a highly siped tire with a circumferential groove like the Michelin xi2 is generally better than average on compact snow and ice (but again, much depends upon the rubber compound, sidewall characteristics and specific snow type). In deep, fresh snow at or below the freezing point, generally not so good due to packing and clogging of the tread.

I wish I could make a recommendation but, the fact is, winter tire technology and design has been changing so fast in the last decade and it takes me two to three winters to wear out a set so, when I'm in the market for a new set, I am not picking from models I have experience with. Furthermore, performance in most "bad conditions" is more due to the specific rubber compound used and the construction of the sidewall rather than small differences in tread pattern. For that reason it is difficult to tell how a tire will perform based only on the tread pattern. The good thing is that most winter tires available today are leaps and bounds above what was available 15 years ago. Regional and weather differences should also play a large part in winter tire selection. The snow, ice and road conditions in Quebec are much different than the snow, ice and road conditions anywhere in Pennsylvania or Washington for that matter. This is a very real difference.


Until a few years ago, I would select my winter tires based solely on which ones were most likely to have the highest traction on the kinds of snow and ice I typically encountered. While I ended up with some tires that could really rally hard under many treacherous winter conditions in my part of the world, I found it did me little good because everyone else was the limiting factor. I realized that any decent snow tire would work well enough to get me safely from A to B. I also noticed that the tires I was selecting really sucked on bare wet pavement (which comprised over half of my winter driving). Sure, they had adequate traction on bare, wet pavement but the cornering became mushy and the tires wore out too easily when pushed hard on wet corners. I'm really happy with my current winter tires, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice WRT in 225/65/17 because they are more than adequate on all kinds of snow and ice I've encountered but really rail the bare and wet corners (dry corners too) and have better steering feel and corner traction than the all season OEM tires. Much of it is personal preference, geographical differences, balance of snow/ice to bare pavement, balance of treadwear (durability) to ice traction, etc. Some people are happy to replace their tires every 8,000 miles if it will get them the winter performance they crave, others want to trade ultimate winter performance for a tire that will last multiple seasons.

I think you're absolutely right... It all depends on driving conditions, driving style, temperature, etc etc.

As I said in my last post :

Of course, depending on your driving and your needs, the Michelin may be better suited for you... This list is based on mostly city driving (which sees the worst conditions) with the occasionnal trip to see family or friends.. The "always-on-the-road" sales rep might be better off with the Michelin or the WRT...

It all depends on what you primarily use the tire for. As I'm in Qubec, Canada, we get pretty bad weather (15" snow in one night), it gets cold (-20 or -30 at times) with the occasionnal warm eastern front (which can melt ice and snow causing a nice brown slushy mess).. So for that reason, I quote a tire the will perform well in ALL these conditions.

A lot of tire's quality goes in the rubber compound... That's why I don't mention Hankook, Sailun, Khumo, Federal, GT, Firestone, etc etc. Even if the Hankook had the same tread pattern as the old Nokian Hakka 5 (which was rated best tire 3-4 years back), it WILL NEVER be as good, simply because of rubber technology.

I agree with you on this though... A winter tire will always mitigate risk on a specific surface.. There is simply no "perfect" winter tire. It's all a matter of where you put your compromise.. Yet, some are better than others.

My .02$

 

[Rob Ciniello]

Honestly , I think they are all good tires. It all comes down to the driver. Having winter tires doesn't make you invincible. And having awd does to make you unstoppable. At the end of the day it's up to the driver. I've had all season all my life and have been fine. If your going I go with winters is go for best value for your buck. I think the general altimax are a fantastic tire with goo reviews. Very goo value

 

[Rob Ciniello]

Damn spell check

 

[Rob Ciniello]

A buddy of mine works at a Mazda dealer. He is getting me a set for my cx5. 600 plus tax for tire only. That's a sick price. Amazing. I have a aftermarket csa 17 inch rim 5 bolt. They were on my older protege. If they fit on the cx5 I will mount the winter altimax on them and save on buyin a steel rim.

 

[lalalala125]

Check out Nokian Hakkapalita

I drove Blizzak and other "excellent" winter tires here in Qubec, and they handled certain conditions well, but I found the Nokians (not studded versions) best for cold temps, snow accumulation and snow on top of black ice conditions. FWIW... They may be a bit more expensive, and my tire guy always reminds me that since theyare Finnish, you don't want to put them on till the last minute to avoid unnecessary wear. However, they really seem to be the best for this size SUV/CUV.

 

[davegt]

One of the most popular tires here in Corner brook Newfoundland is the Firestone WinterForce. great tire. Seems like the best winter
tire I have ever used. Not a lot of places get the amount of snow and ice as we do. With it being a valley and and not seeing pavement for a month or
two we need good tires. Im on my 2nd set.

 

[phoned]

I got the Bridgestone winter salmon KSI's in 17".. I had 15" on another vehicle and they were quite good. They are not directional so will likely perform a bit worse, but are decently hard and will be able to be cross rotated if desired, so I should be able to get a bit more life out of them (which is a bit more important than absolute performance). They did very well on ice and deep snow so far. The CX5 seems really controllable in these conditions compared to my older vehicle which was 1000 pounds lighter.

 

[costermonger]

I also had Winter Slalom KSIs on my last car, had no complaints. They stood up quite well, minimal wear considering the km I put on them.

 

[tatsu]

I just bought a set of General Altimax Arctic 16" size from www.discounttiredirect.com

 

[madar]

Just installed a set of the DM-V1 tires a week ago. I'm amazed at how quiet it is.

 

[Monterra]

Just panic switched post ordering from Mich Xi2 to Dunlop 3D for essentially even $. Why panic? Anything Michelin I've owned (never winters) has generally sucked and the CX deserves a good handling tire- I'll sacrifice a tad of severe weather traction for better handling 90-95% of winter when it isn't snowing.
size chosen: 235/65-17 mounted on cheap MSW 7.5" alloys despite TR's pleading for me to go with 225/65 recommended size. I seriously thought about using the narrow OE 19s on Pirelli Scorpion Winter for my snow set up then get 8" aftermarket 18s on spec Xs for summer- which I may still do if can sell my OE 19s. Anyone interested?

 

[Rob Ciniello]

My old protege 17 inch csa rims fit on the cx5. I bought general altimax arctic and had then put on my cx5. Very smooth ride. No noise at all. Great tire for the price.

 

[Tom95134]

Had the Nokian WR A3 last winter, and it was awesome. Leaving in the Alps, almost 3 months of snow and ice, and never been surprised.

Just ordered for the Nokian WR SUV 3, brand new model.

Where i leave, we are a lots using this manufacturer.

Nokian Tyres

I can't say how they would be on the CX5 but I put Nokian WR on my Prius when I would head up into show country and they are fantastic. They are All Season but give you a feeling that you have full snow tires. If course the Prius doesn't have a lot of ground clearance.

 

[costermonger]

DM-V1s put on today (on stock 17s). No snow so not much of a review, but impressively quiet compared to other winters I've used.

 

[CDN_ZOOM]

I am sure no one wants to think about winter at this time of the year. However I have been meaning to update this thread for a while now. In the end after much research I ended up purchasing a full set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 tires for my CX5. These tires performed phenomenally this past winter and i would highly recommend if you are looking to pick up winter tires this year.

On a side note My wife and I had a baby the first week of January just after the massive ice storm hit southern ontario. We live up on hamilton mountain and based on the winter so far and the amount of snow I was obviously nervous driving down the mountain to the hospital, doctors appointments etc. The CX5 with these tires didn't slip once and plowed through the snow easily and I felt fully confident behind the wheel. Great combination!

 

[Jrgee72]

What is the tread wear on the blizzak's compared to others? I commute from St. Catharines to Burlington and most of the winter the highway will be clear so it will be pavement and I don't want a tire that will wear out to fast.

 

[metalfab]

Nokian tires are great, had a summer and winter set.

 

[kefun]

I am sure no one wants to think about winter at this time of the year. However I have been meaning to update this thread for a while now. In the end after much research I ended up purchasing a full set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 tires for my CX5. These tires performed phenomenally this past winter and i would highly recommend if you are looking to pick up winter tires this year.

On a side note My wife and I had a baby the first week of January just after the massive ice storm hit southern ontario. We live up on hamilton mountain and based on the winter so far and the amount of snow I was obviously nervous driving down the mountain to the hospital, doctors appointments etc. The CX5 with these tires didn't slip once and plowed through the snow easily and I felt fully confident behind the wheel. Great combination!

what was the deciding factor for you to get these?

and did u get rims? I'm picking up my CX5 GT Wednesday and will probably need to get ready for winter tire package anticipating this years winter to be similar to last years…

 

[quant]

what was the deciding factor for you to get these?

and did u get rims? I'm picking up my CX5 GT Wednesday and will probably need to get ready for winter tire package anticipating this years winter to be similar to last years…

Although it is the summer, I have been looking at winter tires already. Being in New England, last winter was tough. I did not get snow tires on my last car, just got the Cx-5 GT this past week. Going to go with the Blizzak's, my parents had them on one of their cars and they performed great.