Winter tire reviews?

[Ride92]

So My wife and I just welcomed our first child on august 14th, a little girl! With that being said since we moved back to wisconsin I have been wanting to get some winter tire for my P5. My wife has an A4 quattro so that's no problem. I was able to get some 14" steelies with 5x114.3 bolt pattern and 67.1 hub bore from a guy on craigslist that he had on a mazda3 for $80 for the set of four. I test fit the wheels on the front and they clear the rotor and all the wheels look straight and in decent shape. I may repaint them after this winter but for now they are good enough. My question is what studless winter tires would you all recommend? We can't have studded tire in wisconsin so please leave those out of it. I've been looking at the Nokian Hakkapelitta R's, Michelin X-Ice XI2, and the Falken Espia EPZ's. Those tires are on a great deal through discounttiredirect.com ebay store where you get a $100 prepaid card for buying a set of 4. Prices are $428, $416 and $308 respectivly each offering the $100 rebate card. I would like to retain some drivability on the dry but mostly am looking for safe tires to transport our little one. Please give me your opinions on winter tires and hopefully this can turn into an all inclusive resource post for those looking at winter tires. So let us know what you've had, what you've liked, disliked ect. Thanks

 

[tweety2300]

Are blizzacks studded? I've heard nothing but good things about them.

I'm waiting to see how the ones that came with my 323 do

 

[Ride92]

I don't believe any blizzaks are studded

 

[Cosmic Wonder]

I ran General Altimax Arctics on my MS3, my wife has them on her winter set for her Mazda3 and I've just ordered a set for my P5. Here on the west coast they work very well (rain) and extremely well for those trips up the mountain to Whistler.

 

[Balls]

I have used Nokian's for the last couple winters (dont remember which ones, sorry) and have been satisfied so far. My favorite however are the Winterforce. Don't remember who makes them but they are fairly cheap and work fantastic. I have used them on my previous 2 cars and never had anything but good things to say about them. I would have purchased them for my p5, but my boss surprised me by putting the Nokians on for me. Not gonna be picky about what tires I get when they are free! Btw, congrats on the baby!

 

[CheeseHelmet]

+1 for General Altimax, I have a 14" set for my P5. They're really good tires, they grip very well and they don't make much noise. Not to mention they're made in Germany!

185/70R14 fit perfectly on the P5 with stock suspension.

 

[Cosmic Wonder]

CheeseHelmet, just out of curiosity, how do they handle in that size? I'm going with 195/55R15 for mine (picking them up this week). I know it's winter and winter isn't the time to push our cars usually if we're running snowies but do they handle fairly well?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

CheeseHelmet, just out of curiosity, how do they handle in that size? I'm going with 195/55R15 for mine (picking them up this week). I know it's winter and winter isn't the time to push our cars usually if we're running snowies but do they handle fairly well?

They handle like what you'd expect for a 70% sidewall

There's a large difference between my summer and winter tires, but it's only for 4 months out of the year so I don't worry about it. And Like you said, in the winter it's not really a good idea to be going quickly around corners.

The one benefit of using such a high sidewall is the added softness of the ride which is awesome around here for the spring pot-hole season.

 

[reut1]

another vote for altimax arctics in that same size. i have them and love them so much! putting a fresh coat of paint on the steelies hopefully this week.

 

[204vividPro5]

...

I've been running Michelin X-Ice Xi2 and I love them! Great traction, I've been running them for 2 seasons and tons of tread life left

 

[Ride92]

Well I broke down and and bought the Nokian Hakkapilitta R's. Found an amazing deal online, all for for about $400 plus $100 prepaid visa card and free shipping. Paid about $70 to have them mounted and balanced, kinda a fiascoe but that's another story. A local guy quoted me at almost $600 for the set installed on my 14" steelies so I think I got a good deal. I'll update this again once I get them on a few miles on them.