Quiet tires that chew through the snow for < $75/corner

[FoxPro5]

After 70k on the stockers, they are finally shot. No way I'm getting them again.

Locally I have Discount Tire and some of the smaller Goodyear and Firestone shops. I'd prefer to swing in and get it done rather than order them online and all that jazz.

Need grip and prefer the quietest tire i can get. Wear is not a big deal as they are only on the car 5-6 months per year.

Suggestions?

 

[delguini]

you can get a lot of cheapy tires at that price, but the quality wont be there.

do you have steel rims or are you using your 16" mags?

 

[FoxPro5]

you can get a lot of cheapy tires at that price, but the quality wont be there.

do you have steel rims or are you using your 16" mags?

Not too worried about it. Just need a sturdy winter tire.

Stock 5 spoke 16" wheels on 2003 Pro5

 

[Tom03es]

A cheap tire that chews through the snow AND is quiet at the same time. While we're being unreasonable, why don't we ask for the same tire to put down 1.0 G skid pad numbers too.

I have some Hankook iPikes. They aren't loud, but they aren't quiet either. And they've worked good in the snow so far. In 15" size, they were about $75/corner. Before that I had some Semperit Sportgrips. They gripped pretty well for being as old and hard as they were.

This late in the season, you might be at the mercy of whatever is left in stock.

Good luck.

 

[tonybonekhang]

I'm a little confused. Are you looking for snow tires or all-season tires?

I work at tires plus/firestone. I'd recommend stepping down in rim size for two reasons - smaller tires(cheaper) and ease of changing over through the seasons. What I did is picked up a set of 14" steelies (~$20 a piece from junkyard) and then bought some Firestone Winterforces. Of course I got the tires for dirt cheap with my discount but even regular price they are only $44.XX a piece.

I got 185/70/14's while the recommended size for stocker rims are 205/50/16, I believe. A size like that will easily cost twice as much as the 14's. The 14" steelies and tires come out cheaper than just a set of 16" tires. Besides in the snow you want a narrower tire to cut through the snow. A wider tire tends to float more.

So far I've liked how the tires have performed. I've driven through 6-8" snowstorms without a problem. Actually feels so good and grippy that sometimes I want it to snow just so I can drive through it.

 

[FoxPro5]

Just need pure winter tires. I already have a set of 17's that I run when the snow isn't here.

If asking for quiet and grippy is too much, I need the grip first.

Thanks for the advice on the smaller rim and tire, makes sense. But I don't need 3 sets of wheels/tires and have no reason to get rid of the stock wheels.

 

[Tom03es]

But I don't need 3 sets of wheels/tires and have no reason to get rid of the stock wheels.

Who says you have to get rid of them? I have 3 sets of wheels for my car. I even have the factory tires still. When I get rid of this car, I plan on getting rid of it with the factory tires (that have like 35,000 miles on it- the chassis will probably have more like 175,000 miles on it though when the time comes).

If you do the math on the 14" wheels and tires, it might surprise you that you'll either break even or come out ahead of the 16" tires by going to the 14" wheels/tires. Maybe.

 

[tonybonekhang]

It'll be cheaper to go with 14"

You'll actually get better traction and less noise with a skinnier tire.

The top coat on the stockers won't last long with the salt on the roads. A season or two and it'll start bubbling like crazy.

A good reason to let go of the stockers if you don't want/need them anymore is to sell them to fund the new tires. You might even get an even trade!