Tips on buying winter tires??

BenchmadeBoy

BenchmadeBoy

Joined
Sep 4, 2005
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Hiya. What should I know about buying winter tires? We have a '96 Ford Ranger and a '07 Rav4. We've never bought winter tires before and I thought it might be a good idea. I'm in Manitoba, Canada. Winters can get pretty slick here with lots of ice and snow on the roads. As well, we'll be doing a mix of city and highway driving, if that helps. Any brands to avoid? Average cost? How do I know if I'm getting a good deal? How do I store the regular all-season tires and when should they be switched out? Any advice appreciated.

cheers
 
Tire rack dot com. They make it pretty easy. They've got the filters for winter tires, they let the users review the various makes and models. Then once you've decided, they ship them to a local installer, and they let you choose which one. They even give you the local installer's prices for mount and balance, valvestem, disposal fee, and alignment. If you want to buy a set of take off steel wheels for the winter, they'll even mount and balance them for you before they ship them to you.

These guys were a family of autocross and scca racers that couldn't find the performance tires they wanted in any store locally, so they started their own business. Since, they've become the largest tire store in the world, and yet their customer service has always remained high. I've never had a bad experience with them.
 
For the Rav, you might think about getting some Bridgestone Blizzaks.

I had them on my Rav under a different name, (bridgestone humenahumena Dueler I/T or something) and they were great. I had excellent traction in snow and ice, as well as heavy rains. I was lazy one year and didn't take them off for the summer and they drove really well with very little wear.

Then some punk came along and slashed ONE of them and I couldn't get a new one, because, and I'm not kidding, the factory had burned down that made those tires. I gave up and bought new tires.

So to this day I have three Duelers sitting in the garage, within spec of new and I feel bad throwing them away because they're excellent tires. I also don't really NEED winter tires. So, they sit without a fourth brother.

As I recall, the name change had more to do with a new factory than it did a redesign of the tires. The tread is the same, and the compound looks the same. The first 45% of the tread is a cool soft cell compound that to the finger feels a little like a racing slick or one of those soft brown mountain bike tires, and is really grippy. Amazingly, they are not loud tires for all the grip, and like I said I had very little wear that one summer I didn't take them off, though of course I did avoid driving them on really hot days.

As an added bonus, they look really nice on the car.
 
IMHO -- Get a set from Tirerack mounted on some utility/inexpensive wheels. I think they are less likely to be damaged, ruined, bent, folded, or spindled when they don't get removed and installed twice a year, or when stored.
 
Hey BenchmadeBoy:

Fellow Canuck here. While I've been driving for 20 years, I only last year broke down and got winter tires in January (before that I made due with all season, not only here in Toronto where I now live, but also in southern Quebec, where I grew up, too).

They have made a tremendous difference in traction and stopping ability.

I got them at Canadian Tire, on sale. I got their Nordic Goodyear ones. They're a good price, good performance. I recommend them. I have a car--not a truck--so I don't know if they'd fit your vehicle.

You can look at them on Canadian Tire's site. http://www.canadiantire.ca/

Good luck.

Matt
 
Lawlor69 said:
Hey BenchmadeBoy:

Fellow Canuck here. While I've been driving for 20 years, I only last year broke down and got winter tires in January (before that I made due with all season, not only here in Toronto where I now live, but also in southern Quebec, where I grew up, too).

They have made a tremendous difference in traction and stopping ability.

I got them at Canadian Tire, on sale. I got their Nordic Goodyear ones. They're a good price, good performance. I recommend them. I have a car--not a truck--so I don't know if they'd fit your vehicle.

You can look at them on Canadian Tire's site. http://www.canadiantire.ca/


Good luck.

Matt
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Thanks for the advice man. I have been thinking Canadian tire or Costco. I had my all-seasons put on there and they have been great. Quick service and good price.:thumbup:
 
=Voodoo= said:
here is the best brand imo

http://www.nokiantires.com/
Click to expand...

i had these on a Lexus GS300, one of the very very worst cars in the snow, and it was GREAT. i forgot which ones exactly, but they had holes to put studs in if needed. I agree as well as one of the best snow tires. i think they're made in Finland

i also had Blizzak LM1s on a GS430 for 2 or 3 seasons, very pricy, i think it cost me $700-800 but performed nowhere near the Nokians.

either way, i am sure you can find a set of cheap OEM wheels either from the junkyards or new from tirerack to mount the snow tires. under $200 i'm sure, that way you can put the wheels on yourself. my shop would charge from $40 to $60 to install tires and in 2 years you get your money's worth.

store them indoors.
 
Blizaaks work great on my 2-wd Toyota pickup. I drove up the ski hill about 30 times per year and never had any problems. Just the Bizzaks and 200 lbs of sand in the bed.

My former wife had them on her Subaru Outback and they were awesome.

I've heard good things about the Nokias too.
 
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