That's great, you stick to your non-studded tires and enjoy them!
Winter tires
- Thread starter konifere
- Start date
I don't need your approval, I know what I'm doing at this point.
However it would be more useful for someone who's only lived in snow country for the last few years to not just dismiss a pretty extensive experience at this point as 'hogwash,' when someone asks for experience. I have more than you.
Studs work great. I already said that. I'm only talking about durability.
If I could get studs to stick around in a soft rubber tire, it would rule the world.
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We got dumps of a foot or more at once living above placerville (a lot closer to pollock pines) multiple times a season with many lower snow amounts in between, it's not like you are the sole person that has lived in "snow country". Hell, when we moved there 2 weeks later it dumped 3 feet at once, temps down in the low teens. Temps didn't often go that cold, but the snow did pile up and that wasn't the only time. And all that time, I was going up into the high country anyway, later on the race team, so yeah, I have a pretty good idea about sierra snow conditions.
The absolute dangerous I've seen was when it was raining, hovering right around zero...and then, while on the highway, it went below. Instantly things went to shit and cars start sliding, like turning on a switch. That's because our ground stays so cold. It can be above freezing, but that's going to freeze overnight no matter what or in the day if the temp drops, but to see it happen so fast is amazing (in a bad way).
I also had to go out after an ice-storm last year in Texas just to see all the cars in ditches, that was fun. I just stayed on the frontage roads on the side of the highway, not even going to try and mix it up with the idiots on the highway.
It was pretty common to have rain following hard freezes in Virginia. It would seem just about every redneck with 4WD would think they could still brake and turn with their mud tires on solid ice. The ditches would just be chock full of them. Averaged about 2 people a year that would straight line a slight bend in the road in front of my house and end up in my yard. Dumbasses would rip open their oil pans on some boulders and would still try to drive away.
Same in baltimore.
they also salt the living fuck out of the roads in that area
sucks if you beat the salt truck!
That's why I say AWD and 4WD are so great. They allow you to quicky out-accelerate your ability to turn and stop.
The county I lived in had a pretty laissez faire approach to services. Their official Parks Website pretty much said if you want land to do stuff on, buy a farm. Could be days or weeks for some roads to get plowed/treated if things didn't melt. Half the time my road got plowed by private rednecks with plows. I suspect someone in the McMansion development down the road paid them to do it.
remember diesel on the dirt roads to keep down dust?
I lived north of baltimore and commuted to school with my parents commuting a little farther into town. In the 90s it was absolutely the recent farmland turned into suburb hell, but still surrounded by farmland.
If it wasn't for farmer's hills I never would have figured out what a snowboard was for.
It's weird to think about now. You could actually drive on recent snow because it wasn't over your roof overnight. But northeast ice storms are something special. All that portland and seattle footage makes me want to watch the weather and plan some trips to push.
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Whenever I consider moving back I remember how I had to repair stray bullet holes in the roof and how the new owners cut down all the trees in the front yard and put up a 2' high plastic picket fence that enclosed nothing. Probably flies a confederate flag, but not sure if that is any worse than the fake fence.remember diesel on the dirt roads to keep down dust?
I lived north of baltimore and commuted to school with my parents commuting a little farther into town. In the 90s it was absolutely the recent farmland turned into suburb hell, but still surrounded by farmland.
If it wasn't for farmer's hills I never would have figured out what a snowboard was for.
It's weird to think about now. You could actually drive on recent snow because it wasn't over your roof overnight. But northeast ice storms are something special. All that portland and seattle footage makes me want to watch the weather and plan some trips to push.
it's the thought that counts
fauquier county approach....
one winter we got about 2 feet of snow and did not go back to school for 3 weeks.
I knew there would be some action if I asked about car tires.
Narrowed it down further to studded Nokian Hakka 10s or studded Michelins X-Ice North 4. From what I've read, those two don't lose much if anything on dry and wet roads, but gain a lot on ice, which is my main interest. Nokians end up like 30% higher price with the steel wheels, so I'm leaning Michelins (and I have never tried Michelins).
FIGHT!!
Narrowed it down further to studded Nokian Hakka 10s or studded Michelins X-Ice North 4. From what I've read, those two don't lose much if anything on dry and wet roads, but gain a lot on ice, which is my main interest. Nokians end up like 30% higher price with the steel wheels, so I'm leaning Michelins (and I have never tried Michelins).
FIGHT!!
We've run Michelin X-Ice for probably a decade or more now(?) on most of our vehicles (old Honda van, old Subaru Outback, new-ish Mazda CX-5) and they are my preference in our particular climate (CO Front Range), which involves dry roads most of the time during the winter with regular trips to the mountains which involve a lot of everything.
Their dry-road performance/noise is signifcantly better than the Blizzaks we ran for a couple seasons, and the snow/ice performance is very good. Only time the 2wd vehicle had issues was when it was glare ice on a hill - studs would have made that a whole lot better.
@SkaredShtles did you ever run Nokians vs the X-Ice Snow? Reddit isn't super excited about 'em
@kidwoo did you ever run Nokians vs Blizzaks on the same vehicle? or @Jm_ for that matter, from CA/AZ or AK experience alike?
@kidwoo did you ever run Nokians vs Blizzaks on the same vehicle? or @Jm_ for that matter, from CA/AZ or AK experience alike?
Nope - only X-Ice and Blizzaks.@SkaredShtles did you ever run Nokians vs the X-Ice Snow? Reddit isn't super excited about 'em
@kidwoo did you ever run Nokians vs Blizzaks on the same vehicle? or @Jm_ for that matter, from CA/AZ or AK experience alike?
TBH - after running all-seasons in the Midwest and here in CO for *decades* the grip of proper winter tires was such a revelation that the nuance between most winter tires would be lost on me.
I got the wife's rig a set of these last year at Costco.
Why not just get whatever Canadian Tire had on a decent deal and aren't rated absolute shite? As I recall, they rustre their deals fairly frequently. I even seen tu recall seeing Blizzaks on sale there.
I wound up with Continental Vikings or something like that. They're fine, no complaints.
I wound up with Continental Vikings or something like that. They're fine, no complaints.
The problem with Québec is that they have mandated dates for having snow tires on. So if it's a late winter or early spring, you still have to have your winters on regardless.
#sponsoredbybridgestone
on a silverado 1500 truck
both I had to rotate because the rears wore out pretty quick, but thats also hauling weight and neither were 10 plys.
and via this you favor Blizzaks?
edit: nvmd. with current models of each Nokian seems to be The Way. to Discount Tire I will venture once more.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3
In depth analysis of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3. Key performances such as ice, snow, wet & dry were evaluated.
toptirereview.com
You can buy the nokkians studded. No one will stud the blizzaks here because I guess theyre too soft.and via this you favor Blizzaks?
edit: nvmd. with current models of each Nokian seems to be The Way. to Discount Tire I will venture once more.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3
In depth analysis of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3. Key performances such as ice, snow, wet & dry were evaluated.
Unstudded, the blizzaks work better imo but you get hero tires for a season or two with the nokians before the studs wear out. Then you still have a decent snow tire underneath.
I just like the blizzaks because they still work okay damn near bald
I'd say I'd not worry about this kinda thing since I'll sell the car long before this happens
but it's my Land Cruiser, the only car I've had for a long period of time. off and on, at least.
because of course you will!
theres this company called rivian that has your name all over it
better than those teslas all the commoners drive these days
FWIW, my father has studded Hakka 9s since 6 years and he was amazed yesterday telling me that they still have 9/32" of tread left and all their studs. No cracks yet either (the Russian made Nordman that I have seem to use a cheaper rubber). He drives quite a bit too, I couldn't say how much mileage exactly, but they probably have around 50-60K kms. So the durability is there.
Naw, ran blizzaks on one of the cars I'm using the Toyos on, but since the blizzaks were not studded, no comparison is possible, studs are gamechangers here. The hakkas are usually highly recommended for winter tires though.@SkaredShtles did you ever run Nokians vs the X-Ice Snow? Reddit isn't super excited about 'em
@kidwoo did you ever run Nokians vs Blizzaks on the same vehicle? or @Jm_ for that matter, from CA/AZ or AK experience alike?
I have the R5 tires, they did swell on the VW.and via this you favor Blizzaks?
edit: nvmd. with current models of each Nokian seems to be The Way. to Discount Tire I will venture once more.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3
In depth analysis of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV vs Bridgestone Blizzak DM V3. Key performances such as ice, snow, wet & dry were evaluated.
I ended up buying the studded X-Ice North 4, if someone wants to know how they are (in a few months) just let me know. Thanks for all your comments and ideas!
Edit : it ended up being only 60$cdn more than the unstudded X-Ice Snow so I decided to try them.
Edit : it ended up being only 60$cdn more than the unstudded X-Ice Snow so I decided to try them.
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Have had Nokian, Pirelli, Blizzaks and Yoko for snowies and am back on Nokian.
Wife has Nokians on her car for summer (all seasons) and so far they have been great.
<edit> one thing on the snowies, due to climate change and no longer getting decent amounts of snow, I have gone from the open "Snow" style to the more closed friction "Ice" models in the snowies. R3?'s I think. This will be their 3rd season if memory is not glitching again.
Wife has Nokians on her car for summer (all seasons) and so far they have been great.
<edit> one thing on the snowies, due to climate change and no longer getting decent amounts of snow, I have gone from the open "Snow" style to the more closed friction "Ice" models in the snowies. R3?'s I think. This will be their 3rd season if memory is not glitching again.
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