Need snow tires or are brand new tires good enough

I used snows on my RAV4 the first time last season. I used the OEM all seasons for the first two years. The snows definitely helped, but like Harv, I have about 500 miles on highways and then a driveway.

I also put them on around Christmas and removed them late March. I bought new steel wheels for about $60.00 each without the pressure sensors. I can live with the yellow exclamation point on the dash for the winter.

tom

TomCat wrote

the yellow exclamation point on the dash

LOL this was a factor in my decision!  

I'll check out the Nokians, but may go with the crappy duelers because I'd only need 2.


I've said it earlier in this thread -- the original Nokian WR was fantastic and I would buy a set in a minute if they were still available. In my experience, every one of their "improved" models since then was a huge step backwards.

It looks like that trend continues:

http://tires.about.com/od/Tire_Reviews/fr/Review-Nokian-Wrg3-Asymmetric.htm

Just to be clear, it is the Nokia Hakka R or now R2s that are recommended here.  Not the WRG3.  Big difference.  The Rs have been used on all wheel drive, and a couple different front wheel drive vehicles year round here in the southern Dacks.   Awesome.  And the R2 are quiet, unlike the Rs.

Hoser wrote

Just to be clear, it is the Nokia Hakka R or now R2s that are recommended here.  Not the WRG3.  Big difference.  The Rs have been used on all wheel drive, and a couple different front wheel drive vehicles year round here in the southern Dacks.   Awesome.  And the R2 are quiet, unlike the Rs.

For Harv and other flatlanders, the case can be made for the WRG3 as year round solution. Its not a pure snow tire, but it is probably much better than any all season tire in the snow. Its one of the few all season tires to get a true snow rating. These guys are based in northern michigan, have been nokian dealers since 1981 and rate the WRG3 second only to the R2 as a PURE snow tire:

http://www.marathonauto.com/tires/snow-tire-ratings-reviews.html

Also, if you look at the Nokian response to the the link Sponge posted they actually provide objective test results for the WRG3 that show it is indeed better than the tire it replaces.

I've never run Nokians so I can't speak from experience. I did way too much research though:) They seem like awesome tires. The R2 for me just didn't seem to be worth the money vs the continentals ($60 more per tire). The R2 also didn't seem as good on dry/wet pavement which is what I deal with a good percentage of the time on my commute. I did want a pure winter tire though as I do have quite a few days of snow, ice, sleet, etc. Being able to drive into a storm to get to/from the mountain when its dumping without white knuckles is also important to me.

I picked up a second set of OEM rims on craigslist for $200. My car is old enough that it doesn't have tpms sensors on the wheels so I don't have to worry about that and I can change the tires myself. Once the kids get a little older I'll make them do it so they are well trained to change a flat.

Hoser wrote

Just to be clear, it is the Nokia Hakka R or now R2s that are recommended here.  Not the WRG3.  Big difference.  The Rs have been used on all wheel drive, and a couple different front wheel drive vehicles year round here in the southern Dacks.   Awesome.  And the R2 are quiet, unlike the Rs.

Wait a minute. You've kept the Hakka R on all year round? How many miles did they last doing that?

Hmmm. I just might go in a different direction here.

Yes- year round on the Rav4, Corolla, and now a Ford Fusion.  Getting about 50k using them year round on both the Rav4 and the Corolla.  Just not worth switching the rims, time and expense.  

Also, on the Corolla, dealer advises always keeping the better tires on the rear on the Corolla.  Counter-intuitve to the steering thought but makes sense to prevent the back end from getting squirrly.   Then again with traction control should not be an issue on this front wheel drive car.

Hoser wrote

Yes- year round on the Rav4, Corolla, and now a Ford Fusion.  Getting about 50k using them year round on both the Rav4 and the Corolla.  Just not worth switching the rims, time and expense.  

I agree about the switching.  In the first year the dedicated snows were noticeable better on our driveway and noticeably noisier on the road.  After the second year they were pretty worn down.  The miles were hard to track since it was just winter driving, but it was definitely less than 20k.

50k is awesome.

So you guys think the Hakka R will be a decent highway tire?

I am a big fan of snows and think that if you are heading north it is worth the money.  I would even consider getting studded tires if I were you.  Get a set of steel rims to go along with them and you will save money in the long run changing them out yourself.  You never know when the day comes that you will need that extra tred.  Also,  the softer rubber creates better bonding to the cold road.

Last winter while driving up in early march we got caught in some bad freezing rain it was very scary I wish i had studded tires that night.

I read through this whole thread again and . . . I just installed a set of General Altimax Arctics winter tires on my CR-V. I'm gonna run them year round. I don't wanna deal with a second set of wheels, the heavy lifting, and the TPMS sensors.
I just hope it snows so much this year that I'm the only person who can make it to the mountain

I'm going with the crappy Bridgestone Duelers. Tires never rotated and the rears still have good tread. Two Bridgestones vs Four Nokians, just more within my budget.

Have to admit I'm surprised I got 35k out of the duelers on the front unrotated.

No comparison between all season tires and snow tires. Snow tires are an absolute much no matter what you drive. THey help you stop better, which nothing else can do as well.

PowderAssassin wrote

No comparison between all season tires and snow tires. Snow tires are an absolute much no matter what you drive. THey help you stop better, which nothing else can do as well.

I agree with you and I'm glad to hear you aren't getting too risky driving to the mountain on all seasons for all of those pow days.

ml242 wrote

I agree with you and I'm glad to hear you aren't getting too risky driving to the mountain on all seasons for all of those pow days.


HAHAHAHA.

I just put the continental extreme winter contacts on my car. My old tires were bald. Wanted to wait another month or two, couldn't quite stretch it. I didn't want to buy summers and then turn around and buy winters. They feel a little mushy. Not sure if its the warm weather or just how they ride. About $550 mounted. Tire rack has this installer here that will come out and mount and balance at your home or work for $22 a tire. Pretty sweet service. About the same price as mounting at a tire shop and no wait.

Harv make sure you put the new ones on the back. I know its counter intuitive, but everything I've read says put the best tires in the back. Helps the car track better.

Danzilla wrote

 Tire rack has this installer here that will come out and mount and balance at your home or work for $22 a tire. Pretty sweet service. About the same price as mounting at a tire shop and no wait.

Wow, that's pretty cool. Just had my windshield replaced at work, and thought, damn, if only others offered such a cool service.

I gotta get new tires as well, getting close to the legal limit of wear. I have been looking for a set of Yokohama YK-HTXs, but there damn hard to find. I have never needed dedicated snows on my Subis, Yokos work great. You just can't drive 70 in a raging snow storm

Danzilla wrote

HAHAHAHA.

I just put the continental extreme winter contacts on my car. My old tires were bald. Wanted to wait another month or two, couldn't quite stretch it. I didn't want to buy summers and then turn around and buy winters. They feel a little mushy. Not sure if its the warm weather or just how they ride. About $550 mounted. Tire rack has this installer here that will come out and mount and balance at your home or work for $22 a tire. Pretty sweet service. About the same price as mounting at a tire shop and no wait.

Harv make sure you put the new ones on the back. I know its counter intuitive, but everything I've read says put the best tires in the back. Helps the car track better.

The rubber compound is softer. That's why it feels "mushy". That's the major thing separating a winter tire from all season/summer tire. You absolutely should not run a winter tire outside of winter for that exact reason. Late fall is ok, but some people actually run winter tires in July.  They will cut their useful life down horrendously.  And you need to put 4 snow tires. Never run two. They help keep you connected to the road. No winter back tires on a vehicle = spin outs at the back end gets loose.

Another pet peeve of mine is all the idiots around here drive too fast for conditions. You never know where a patch of ice is. Vehicles in the ditch every storm. It's really sickening. In Quebec, it's law that you HAVE to run snow tires during winter. The first time I used snow tires on a vehicle that was horrific in snow I could not believe the difference it made. It was incredible.

I used to get only 3 seasons from my winter tires, but that didn't bother me for their utility not only in snow but also cold rain.

I've gotten over 5 years on my Bridgestone Blizzaks (albeit less mileage than before then) on my Magnum AWD. I think there's 4-5mm left and it's finally time to replace them now.  Mavis refused to replace them a couple years ago because there was still good tread left.

No question about snows when you live Albany and north (like me in Saratoga).

Benny Profane wrote

Danzilla wrote

 Tire rack has this installer here that will come out and mount and balance at your home or work for $22 a tire. Pretty sweet service. About the same price as mounting at a tire shop and no wait.

Wow, that's pretty cool. Just had my windshield replaced at work, and thought, damn, if only others offered such a cool service.

Back in the 90's I did an angel investment in a company doing oil changes that way, basically they came to your car, sucked out the oil,  changed the filter and filled it back up. It failed, people just were not willing to pay much of a premium for the service. The issue with tire garages is the wait. There are ways to make this better, but they just don't seem to get it.

PowderAssassin wrote

THey help you stop better, which nothing else can do as well.

And turn. Turning is important, too.