Fawiek
Member
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- 2018 CX-9 GT
Crazy thing with the x ice, apart from the additional grip, the MPGs remained the same as tires that came with the car. Unreal.
How do you pick winter tires?
- Thread starter mwinfredpp
- Start date
Going for 7th year on General Altimax on my Q50s. Nothing bad to say about them, really good. Bought some Blizzaks WS90 for the CX5, will see how fast they wear. Had some Nokian Ipike on previous car and were not best but good enough . For a perspective with no fluff, local shop here in Ottawa did a good You Tube video on it explaining some choices. Winter tires by Slick
SimpleCanuck
2022 Mazda CX-5 GS AWD (Canada)
I have used Blizzak WS-80's and WS-90's, and the WS-90's are lasting much longer than the WS-80's and earlier.
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- Denver, CO
I've had Blizzak WS-80, WS-90, and currently have Continental VikingContact 7. Overall the Blizzak WS-80 had the best performance, but the good part of the tread was toast after 2 winters. Here in Colorado we get periods of dry weather between storms and it just caused it to wear super fast. The WS-90 lasted an additional winter longer than the WS-80 before the good tread was gone.
With the VikingContact 7 I am going on the 3rd winter this year with them and they seem to have plenty of tread left. I'd say they aren't quite as good as the Blizzaks were when the Blizzaks still had the soft compound layer, but they are still very good and so far they have been lasting given the wide range of road conditions we have in the winter, not to mention temperature swings.
With the VikingContact 7 I am going on the 3rd winter this year with them and they seem to have plenty of tread left. I'd say they aren't quite as good as the Blizzaks were when the Blizzaks still had the soft compound layer, but they are still very good and so far they have been lasting given the wide range of road conditions we have in the winter, not to mention temperature swings.
I'm excited to try them, but I am hoping that the 2016 build date won't hold back on their performance too much. There is like 8 or 9/32nds tread remaining.
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- W WA
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- 2024 CX-5 Premium
Am I wrong in thinking that there is an inverse relationship between tread life and grip? My thinking is that extended tread life comes from harder rubber compounds and grip is better with softer compounds.
I never run my tires down to the indicator bars, tread life is less important to me than how the tires perform in marginal (wet, icy) conditions.
I never run my tires down to the indicator bars, tread life is less important to me than how the tires perform in marginal (wet, icy) conditions.
Glad to hear your VikingContact 7 wear well. Conti VikingContact 8 is new perhaps your next set?
My mistake - Your post was somewhat lacking in context
Those of you who have tried some of the popular winter tires... Is there any difference? Someone on here said that the X-ice tires last the longest.. I have the XI3's.
While the tread on them is good, they are a 2016 build date. They were mounted on a set of 16" aftermarket wheels that alone were worth the asking price. I'll take my chances on them this winter and see how the older tread fares.
But for the future... Can anyone recommend a winter tire with long lasting tread that isn't loud?
Me and a buddy years back both had Yokohama Iceguard... The tread life was amazing, and the tire was so smooth and quiet on dry pavement. I would consider going for those again in the future. Thoughts?
While the tread on them is good, they are a 2016 build date. They were mounted on a set of 16" aftermarket wheels that alone were worth the asking price. I'll take my chances on them this winter and see how the older tread fares.
But for the future... Can anyone recommend a winter tire with long lasting tread that isn't loud?
Me and a buddy years back both had Yokohama Iceguard... The tread life was amazing, and the tire was so smooth and quiet on dry pavement. I would consider going for those again in the future. Thoughts?
I have yet to find a long-lasting winter-specific tire.
Of the ones I have tried, the best grip for the first couple of years have come from two different winter tires: Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 (about 10yrs ago), and Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi (again, about 10yrs ago). Stellar grip on nearly everything that winter can throw at them. Of course, the models of tire have been updated since then. Can't say that either is likely to last beyond a third winter season, though; at least, on one set of each of these, neither did for me. Stellar grip, the first couple of seasons, then fading on the third season.
Given the "rise" of the all-weather tire compounds, about 5yrs ago I tried a set of Nokian WR G4. Used them all year long, including 4 winters. Very, very good. I'd estimate them at about ~90% of the winter grip of the Nokian Hakkas I had previously (though on a different car than the CX-5). The newer model is the Nokian Remedy WRG5. With a 60Kmi treadlife warranty. Replaced them at about 50Kmi of usage, since winter's coming up and I didn't want reduced control during the course of my 5th winter season.
I've currently got the Nokian Encompass AW02. It's got a tread format similar to the Michelin CrossClimate2, but with more sipes and a year-'round compound. They're better in the dry and wet than the WR G4 were. I've yet to have them through a winter, however, as I just got them a couple of months ago. I suspect they're a half-step down in winter-specific grip from the WR G4's I had previously. But in my area with less than ~18" of snow (total) in a season I think they'll be fine. Same all-weather, year-'round compound as the WR G4, with a 65Kmi treadlife warranty.
Might be an option, one of these all-weather type tires.
Can't compare the Blizzak or Ice Guard tires, as I haven't had them on my own vehicles. Though, I have driven tires with new-ish Blizzak. Good stuff for winter. But as with nearly all winter-specific tires, I rarely hear of experiences that they last many years beyond a couple of "good" seasons.
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I don't need any tires but I'm always interested in the latest tests. Thanks for the video. It's a European test and no Blizzak in this test but seeing that he declared the Conti VikingContact 8 as the winner seems to indicate it will be popular.
TyreReviews website -- has 2025, 2024, 2023 comparison tests, many one-on-one tests; basically, the website of write-ups linked to that youtube review.
Tyre Tests At Tyre Reviews - Tyre Reviews And Ratings
A Roundup Of All The Important Tyre Tests From Across The Globe, Helping You Select The Best Tyre For Your Car, 4x4 Or Motorcycle
www.tyrereviews.com
I agree 100%.
At the end of the day, you can have the best winter tires on your car, but the driver and differentials/AWD system tuning will be a limiting factor.
If you oversteer in slippery conditions, if you don't know how to counter-steer a skid; you're spinning out.
And of course, you can be a great driver, have a limited slip differential or a good AWD system, but if the tires aren't up for the task, that's even worse.
Reverting back to @madar statement. Don't overthink the tires. Just put on any new (recent build date) winter tires that have good tread on them and drive carefully.
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- Canada
I had Michelin Xice on a small sedan many years back. Great tires, and they were quiet, but I remember them wearing fairly quickly.
My experience with Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s is that they are a great, durable winter tire with good performance in snow. After 6 winters, they had between 5/32 and 7/32 tread left. However, they can be a little loud. I would have been comfortable running them for one more winter, but their performance definitely took a hit in the last couple of years of use.
