Dude, come on. Missouri is not exactly known for its snow.

I would also point out that if you want to know who makes the best of a particular something look to those who a) depend on it to save lives or win races and b) pay for it out of their own pocket.

As such there is no question that the SnoDrift rally in northern michigan where they are actually known for snow and where they allow no spiked tires or other such traction aids is a pretty fair place to see whats what.

I have been up there and I have tested tires and driven the stage roads. If you want to throw down and have some sort of traction test feel free to talk but there is a very good chance that your talking about bringing a knife to a gun fight.

These tires you talk about may be very good for all I know, the thing is I know that the Blizzaks and Hakkapeliitta's are as good as it gets. In short you could only hope to be as good, no way in hell are they better.

 

Ok, I just thought of a way to settle this if you want too. We can meet up at SnoDrift, I bring my tires and you bring yours. We go find a bit of stage road, just a few miles will do and we see who covers it quicker. No spikes, no other traction aids, just rubber vs. rubber.

Guy who cuts the better time pays for the other guys trip and rubber?

You game? I'd LOVE to have a free set of Hakkas and trip to the race.

 

i agree with dsycks...blizzaks or hakkapeliita's are the way to go, but my choice is the hakkapeliitas...if you have never heard of them here's the website...

http://www.nokiantires.com/en/tire_h...?season=winter

i have them on my car and they are ridiculous...and not loud

 

I do not mean to rain on your parade, but your logic is flawed. The smaller tread blocks of the Blizzaks, along with their rubber compounding with its almost suction cup qualities, allow for better snow tractions and really let the tires dig in and grip. Larger tread blocks are meant for dry weather or more high performance/track tires, which is why you see the larger tread blocks on race tires, and tired like the OEM Yokohama tires of the Evo. Those larger blocks are meant to put a more solid footprint on the ground under high stress cornering forces like track events. The larger tread blocks in the snow do not allow the tire to really get down and dig or 'bite' into the snow, but instead make the tire ride on top of it. The tread pattern and smaller tread block size of tires like the Blizzak WS-50 with its lower speed rating, and the Blizzak LM-22 and LM-25 with the higher 'H' speed rating, are designed to dig into the snow, and then disperse any snow from the tire tread for added grip. Tires like the Blizzak series do this continuously so that you are always getting maximum snow and ice traction. In addition to that, the Blizzak series, and others like them, have subtle slits in the centers of the tread blocks that aid in this grip, and are shaped to add grip while not weakening the tread block.

I have no experience with your tires, and have never actually heard of them, but I have a lot of experience with most other snow tires out there including the complete Blizzak series, Hakkapeliita's, Dunlop Winter Sport series, Nokians, and several other tires both in heavy snow and actually on an ice rink, and can attest to their performance. Having family in the snow belt of Ontario Canada really puts any tire to the test with some of the heaviest snow falls in North America, and the Blizzaks have never let me down, even when I have put them on cars that were never meant to be driven in the snow. If you really want to test tires, do it during one of those Canadian snow falls when 2 feet of snow falls in one day. Best of luck to you, and stay safe.

 

did you just agree with yourself?

 

Hands down best tire for snow.

http://www.nokiantires.com/en/tire_h...?season=winter

 

I'm hoping the dude takes me up on the offer he proposed.

I'd love a free set of Hakkas.

 

I got 2 questions... how much are these Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi's? are more narrow tires preferred over stock sizes? someone had told me that by getting something skinnier will help dig into the snow better, but i could be wrong.

 

That is 100% correct. Most of the time when you order a winter wheel and tire package (or just tires) you want to go down a size if possible. Now, that being said, not all applications allow this to happen, but generally you want to do this. It allows the tires to cut through the snow and really dig down and grip.

 

Second that. You should see the tires some of the rally cars in canada and northern europe run... the things are crazy skinny.

225/45/17 is a nice tire on a stock rim for winter.

 

more traction, better stopping comes for Surface area of tire meeting snow. More snow bunched up in the tires threads the more force their is stopping the car. its common sense really, if your slidding down a hills on snow, the more you dig in faster you will stop. Avalanche has bigger tread than these blizzaks, therefore better traction and stopping power. take a look at the tread design they didn't overlook that either.

anyways, your insane to want me to drive to this place. for one Im not taking off work just to prove my point, I rather use my time off for a hawaii vacation. thats childish.
you can think "oh he wont come because he is to scared, yada yada yada..
but that not it at all, like I said if your in my area I will be more than happy. but im not wasting my time to do childish prove this game and go way out of my way.

 

Ok, put your money where your mouth is. Name the spot where we can be sure there will be snow and we will go your tires against mine. Please feel free to get the widest tires you can find as I'm sure you know more than every cold weather ice and snow rally team on the globe.

You sir have proven yourself utterly uninformed and it will be a pleasure to have you buy me a set of Hakka's.

Name your terms and lets figure this out.

 

i have heard nothing but good about the blizzaks thats what i am gonna go with

 

There is so much wrong with your argument I do not know where to begin, since it seems logic has escaped you. In order to get your surface area to the ground and provide grip, you need to have a tire that is designed properly in the first place. You can take a drag slick with a ton of surface area (following your 'bigger is better' logic) out in the snow with a much thinner Blizzak or Hakka and the thinner two will beat the larger tire any day of the week. Tire design is everything. Larger tread blocks are meant for higher performance tires under high cornering loads, NOT for winter tires. Heck, take the stock Advans for the Evo. Larger tread blocks, but horrific in the snow. Switch to thinner Blizzaks with smaller tread blocks and suddenly you are a WRC champ with all the grip in the world. I am sorry my friend, but you are incorrect here.

 

That is incorrect. Smaller treads (not threads) mean more edges to dig into the snow. In dry conditions, where rubber can actually grip on the road surface (asphalt), more contact patch is better. In snow/ice/slush conditions where rubber does NOT grip well on the road surface (snow/ice/slush), you need to find traction through other means, and that is digging through the snow - you can't do that with big fat treads because you've minimized the number of edges that can dig into and through the snow.