Next winter Im buying Blizzak snow tires!!

Yes. Of course I drive a Porsche 944, so it's utterly worthless on ice without snow tires. YMMV. I'm running Dunlop Winter Sport M3s as Tire Rack had them at a deep discount last year (don't drive the car that much, they should be good for a couple winters.) I picked up some used and ugly rims so I can swap them myself.

nate

I'm in the chicago area and have gone from all seasons to swaping. I had upgraded my front brakes years ago and just used two original rims for the rear snow tires and bought two more rims that clear the front calipers for the front. Way better than all seasons.

using pirelli winter sports... got the wheels and tires from tire-rack.

Is buying some doff rims something your would strongly advise doing? Or just having the tires swapped to current rims and back each year ok?

I live in Canada where winter tires are needed and worked in garages for a number of years and the best is to have spare rims and tires. The tires suffer some amount of damage every time they get removed, do it enough times and they leak or need tubes.

The shops around here offer sales on rims when it's winter tire season usually.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos:

Depends on your local costs. Around here a single tire mounted and balanced is $25 or more, so that's $200 a year just to swap - I think I probably did pay about $50 apiece for the rims, so in two years they pay for themselves. plus if you have chrome or aluminum rims, road salt eats 'em up.

nate

Hi,

Westchester County, NY, 1999 Honda Civic.

I got some Bridgestone Blizzack WS-50's about three years ago now. Live on a hill and could never make it up. Used to havce to walk up to my house and leave the car ant the bottom of the hill. Max gradient

1:14. After installing the Blizzacks I can make it up the hill through 6-inches of snow.

Bought from Tire Rack and had them mounted on a set of rims by tire rack. When they arrived I just pop them on.

Great for snow. Pretty good for ice. Somewhat squidgy for fast handeling, but you don't buy snow tires for zooming around anyways.

Yes. I recommend them.

Best, Mike.

OK thanks

Sounds like I better plan on a set of rims as well

Done deal..... have put a note in my online calendar to start looking/buying next October. Or...should I look in the summer when rims might be cheaper, etc?

snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Southern Ontario, Canada. The very heart of the rust/snow belt.

Have 4 snows for each car mounted on dedicated wheels. No idea what brand. Cheapest I could find.

Snow tires are indispensable around here. However, have not noticed any real difference in performance on snowy roads from brand to brand. Make 'em skinny, give 'em big lugs, and they all seem to work about the same.

Now, ICE tires, those are different...

Wow

How is the breaking power on snow and ice? Much improved?

So skinny is the bog factor in snow, huh?

What do tires need for ice conditions? Snow ties MAY not make good ice tires?! That true?

You can buy the snow tires already mounted and balanced on inexpensive new steel rims from places like the tire rack. My dad did this and it's worked out fine.

snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I would recommend used OEM wheels. Aftermarket ones may have the wrong offsets, which can shorten wheel bearing life.

Visit (or call around to) local wrecking yards.

Summer or winter, used steel wheels are the same price, but may become less plentiful as fall approaches and people prepare for winter. Spring may be a good time to buy: Lots of wheels left over from winter collisions, but nobody's buying winter tires then.

Well, you have to pay money to have someone else swap them, and you can't store them inflated if you take them off the rims.

If you keep them on a second set of cheap rims, you can change them yourself.

I could not imagine living up north and NOT using snow tires in the winter. It's suicidal.

--scott

Where I live, snow tires are almost unheard of around here.It almost never snows around here.I do know about that snow and ice though.I lived in Martinsville,Indiana in 1947, Bozeman,Montana in 1956, Salina,Kansas (but that was in the hot dry Kansas summer time) in 1957, and when I was in the Army, Scott Air Force Base,Illinois in 1963. cuhulin

There are studded tires (little metal studs in the tires) available too.For icey roads.And tire chains and similar devices.Those tire chains make a slap slap noise. cuhulin

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote in news:575-47C5BBFD-86@storefull-

3251.bay.webtv.net:

Studded tires are not legal everywhere. They are not legal in the Canadian province of Ontario, where I live.

Apparently there is a move afoot to legalize the new-fangled modern design studs which don't tear up the road, but that hasn't gone anywhere yet.

As for chains, don't you have to take them off once you hit dry pavement? That would be pretty inconvenient.

I remember back in the 1950s, one time my dad and I were going to visit somebody out in the country.His pickup truck (1954 Ford) wouldn't make it up that muddy hill road, he put some tire chains on the rear wheels of his truck, no problem, the truck went right on up that muddy road.I was about 15 years old at the time.I was amazed. cuhulin ................................................... Nienty nine miles of muddy roadddd,,,,, ..................................................