Hancook tires

If your dealer recommended only a pair of tires and not four snow tires, then he's not worth the tires he's trying to sell to you.

I think just about every decent tire dealers now recommend 4, and many will not sell you just two.

If you want to be in on the cheap, try the Kumho Izen KW11's. They're quiet and capable in snow and ice, but best not to drive agressively with them. :-)

GTA dealers I've had good experiences with: Tire Depot, Steelcase, AIM (Automotive Import Market).

Victor

Thanks Victor,

I probably wasn't clear - it was recommended that I buy four snow tires for my car. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for the info!! I'll check those dealers out as well and see what they have to offer.

While price is a bit of a concern - I don't want to spend $1400 for snow tires/rims if I can get a better price I don't want to compromise saftey/handling too much. A fine line I know.

Cheers

I don't think they ship to Canada, but a good place to research tires is Tire Rack:

have good reviews, by Tire Rack and by people who have bought the tires.They have a lot of information on winter tires. snipped-for-privacy@madmousergraphics.com design, print design, photography

I had a set of Hankook snows on my 78 99 waaaaaay back which I then transferred to my 85 900 waaay back. I'd buy again, but I'd heavilly recommend Bridgestone Blizzaks. I had them on my 87 9000T and have moved them to my 97 900SE when I sold the 9k (sad day).

I was quite surprised when I was able to order a set of steel rims for my 97

900 from Firestone, they were $50 (Canadian!) -each-, 3 years ago, about 1/4 what I was expecting, per. Do some phoning around, you may be surprised at what you can find locally without having to deal with hassles and shipping, and $ conversions, and Customs, etc, when ordering from TireRack. (BTW, when I ordered my steel rims, Firstone only had listings for 9-3's, but I knew the rims sizes and offsets were the same.)

Good luck

-Chris In Ottawa

I live in Ottawa sooo.... I've heard good things about Hancook. I've used Hercules snow tires from Deals for Wheels on my last Saab (94' 900), and I was happy enough to purcahse another set for my wifes Acura. They make a good snow tire. I would have bought some for my Saab but they didn't offer good pricing in my size. Another alternative ( which I have just purchased for my 2000 9-5 ) is the Dunlop Graspic which you can buy at Walmart. I paid under $100.00 per tire for a 215/55R16. An excellent price for a true snow tire with good reviews. Whatever tire that you select, check to make certain that the siping ( the slits cut into the tread blocks which create improved bite ) is the full depth of the thread. Many tires are not. My understanding is that Blizzak snows perform wonderfully for one season, but once the outer layer of softer rubber compound wears, the tire looses it's grip ( though there are several Blizzak models, and this might not apply to them all).

$1400 sounds like a lot...

The 205/55/16 Kumho's that I have run less than $400 for the set. If you're going with 15", they'll be even less.

16" steel rims (if you can still find some that'll fit on the 9-3 or 9-5) run less than $400 as well for the set. I know Steelcase ran out, Tire Depot didn't have them, and AIM had two sets when I called them 2 weeks ago. 15" will be slightly less, and likely available. I think Canadian Tire has them, but you will have to ask for the Saturn L series.

So, if you don't care on looks, it can all be done for $800-$900 tax in.

Victor

We lost the engine to our SAAB this past summer, and I am trying to sell the snows that I had. They are 2 month old Artic Alpins mounted on steel rims with wheel covers. only $300 and buyer to pay shipping from 89511 zip. (I'll even deliver to the Tahoe Truckee area) These are incredible snow tires and make the SAAB a very safe car on snow and ice.

Dave