Winter tire report card.

[fastivaca]

We finally go some snow worth talking about and got to "use" my winter tires.

They're Continental Viking Contact 3's 155-70-13 on 13"x5" Mazda alloys.

Here's my observations:

- they are very sure footed in the snow especially noticeable when crossing the pile that collects between traffic lanes
- really good when starting from a dead stop, say at a light
- grippy on ice
- fairly quiet on dry pavement
- can't comment yet on tread wear as I've only had them on for about 6 weeks
- would I buy them again... definitely
- would I recommend them... definitely

I will probably go with a 165 tire when it comes time to replace them though; either that or find some narrower rims. There have been a couple of time it felt like the tire was "falling over". Mind you, that was when I was trying to corner like I was on my summer tires :lol:

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Ian!

Possibly bad news: the Canadian tire place I was going to order these Contis in 165/70-13 no longer had them when I checked back!

I ended up buying Nokian "W"s in 175/70-13. We've only had one small snow--about an inch--since I got them. However, they feel extremely sure footed and good for accelerating and braking AND cornering on slick roads. Like you, I'll report back after more snow falls and I get to really test them out.

These Nokian Ws are "all season" tires but are rated for "M & S." In other words, snow tires.

So far so good, and the total price on the car was $305. That came with four "free" oil changes as well. To me, those would be about a $50 value!

I got them at Grismer Tire in Columbus, OH on Wilson Road. They installed them, plus did my first oil change, in under an hour.

They are mounted on my Aspire alloys: 13 X 4.5". They fit well, though I would have much preferred the "stock" 165/70-13 size.

My tires are marked "Made in EU." (I guess the "European Union" crap will predomniate now.) Probably Finland, where the company is located. The downside is that accleration is definitely slower and I think my fuel economy has gone down slightly. More height, more weight, wider tire, and a larger cross section is at fault here, compared to my old Hercules 165/70HR-13s. I'll switch back to the smaller tires come warm weather and split use of both at 6 months of the year.

I really wanted those Contis, but they would have cost me $350 just to have shipped to Columbus! So I think I got quite a deal here.

Karl

[nattyphysicist]

Canadian Tire Nordic, 145/80/12. They´ve been really good, even on snow covered highway going 80 kph. I also find them to be very grippy on dry pavement during cornering. They are vague in a straight line as you might expect. They were $35 each!

[Icedawg]

Bridgestone Blizzacks are better than anything else in my experience. In the rubber to ice class of ice racing we use them almost exclusively. I tried Michelin X-Ice two years ago and went from running second to dead last between two races, due to much increased understeer. Others have tried the Nokians and been very disappointed ice racing. That said, I use the X-ice on my street car, a Mazda MX3 and they work well. But where it counts on the track, the Blizzacks have a shorter stopping distance, better grip, and much less understeer. Yhat performance should transfer to the road too. Tirerack tested several winter tires and and rated the Blizzacks as the best, even above studded tires.