Shahul X

iTrader: (3)

I couldnt agree more.... any suggestions... Blizzak?

-Shahul

xtnct

iTrader: (33)

I'm not Neal, but he concept is simple. You have dedicated tires for the winter and dedicated tires for the summer. Winter tires are made to work in the winter seasons, summer in the summer. By choosing the proper tire for the job, you are at an advantage over other people using all season tires, or even improper tires all together. This benefits your safety on the roads. I look at it as in insurance invenstment, as I have an edge over most other cars on the road in braking, handling, snow fall, etc. My car is better equipped to avoid than others.

Winter tires and summer tires have different design, tread, rubber material, etc. all designed to work in its environment. There is little comprimize. You get an advantage in the dry winter months too, as the rubber compound is made to stick better in the cold as opposed to summer or all season tires.

Now, as there are different summer tires, there are different winter tires. Some are made to work in pure snow, some on ice, some are winter tarmac performance tires, etc. Since I live in the burbs, and not in the country, I usually like to opt for a winter tire that is designed to work best in the slush, the wet and the dry as this is my most common condition. For this reason my preference lies with the Michelin's over the Blizzaks, which are slightly better in pure snow but not as good in other conditions (from my personal experiences). Go to tire rack's site and compare the winter tires they have... pretty neat.

The reason most people get extra rims for the winter is to reduce the hassle. You don't have to go to a shop and have tires remounted every season (which can get expensive too). You just swap the wheels in your driveway like a flat but on all 4 corners.

In some cases, people use stock rims for winters and get nicer and bigger rims for the summer. In most cases, steel rims are used for winters as they are stronger (for potholes) & cheaper. Alloy rims tend to get their finish destroyed very fast due to rocks and salt all over the place and tend to bend easier.

The ultimate setup for the snow is a narrow tall tire. But since we don't drive in the snow 100% of the time, I usually try to decrease the width one or two sizes and up the aspect ration by one size (5% increment) as you still need to have ok traction on the dry roads. What size you get should depend on your most common condition.

A lot of people moan about the price of the winter/summer combo as you need 2 sets of rims and tires. Yes, initially you need to spend on that investment, but in the long run it is not much more expensive at all. After all, you are now driving on 8 tires as opposed to 4 tires so they will wear out 1/2 as fast as one set of tires. You don't risk damage to your nice alloy rims in the winter so costs of replacement can factor in as well. Lastly, you have an advantage over other cars on the road!!! This is the biggest advanatage!

I hope this helps...

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Unfortunately, The Tire Rack cannot sponsor any group buy discounts (not my personal policy guys sorry). Instead, we sponsor a lot of races (SCCA, One Lap Of Amercia, etc). That is where our sponsorship comes in

Xtnct has provided good information. However, I would be careful in how you decided to decrease the size of your tires. Rotational size, load ratings, and wheel size are all factors to remember when re-sizing tires. We have been talking about this on another post, you might want to check it out.

205 winter tire on stock rim?

By design, All-Season tires are a compromise intended to provide acceptable traits under a wide variety of conditions. However, that compromised goal prevents them from being a master of any one of them. The All-Season tire tread designs and compounds that are engineered to provide extended mileages and durability under the summer's sun are less effective in winter's freezing temperatures, and through snow and on ice. Specific winter tires deliver much better snow and ice performance than All-Season tires because their tread designs and tread compounds are engineered to master those conditions, while summer tires are engineered to deliver better handling in the rain and on dry roads.

We all know that tires are a compromise. One tire can't be the fastest on the track, most controllable in the snow, and longest wearing. The Ultra High Performance tire that grips the track with tread temperatures of 200° is incompetent as its tread compound becomes like "hard plastic" at below 32°. Today's 80,000-mile tires require tread designs and compounds that maximize long, even wear... not winter traction. And while many of today's all-season tires address some of these issues, they still emphasize longer wear, a quieter ride or greater performance...not winter traction.

Only winter tires are designed to excel in the colder temperatures, slush, snow and ice that many parts of the country experience for three or more months a year.

It's also important to note that the recent advancements in electronic driver aids, such as ABS and traction control don't provide more traction. They only help prevent drivers from over braking or overpowering the available traction of their tires. The only thing the driver can do to increase traction...to actually get more grip and control... is install better tires

Tire Rack Winter Tech

RaX

Neal, a while back our Mitsubishi representative mentioned the following in regards to a winter tire:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...5&pagenumber=2

Any word on this Yokohama tire? That's the one I'll be waiting for. Thanks!

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

RaX- We are carrying the Yokohama AVS Winter tire specifically for the EVO customers. Currently, I have them in stock, but production and stock is limited. The tire has an asymmetric tread design and is produced in the O.E. size. I am trying to get more information on the tire as I type. It is not showing on the website because it is a specialty type tire, so ordering would be best over the phone

chrisitr

Hey Neal, do you of a tire that I could use year round that would work decent for rallyX? I know I can't get any real rally tires on the evo. I'm going to have another set of wheels with some R-compounds for autox. I want to use the all seasons for rallyx and daily driving. Got any suggestions?

RaX

Sounds good Neal. I'll give you a call when I'm ready to buy.

zstryder

iTrader: (19)

If a group buy or something goes through, I'm in!

fury656

iTrader: (6)

Didn't see this was in the Tire Rack forum. Sorry

Diesel

iTrader: (8)

what's the price on the Yoko winter tires...?

tswift

iTrader: (26)

Let a little independent dealer get a go on this. I'm working as we speak on putting together a deal on winter tire and wheel packages. No prices yet. But I will be selling the Toyo Observe winter tire.

The sizing will be one of three choices.
215/45-17
225/50-17
225/50-16

These tires are made with Black Walnut shells to give extra grip. If you've ever seen a black walnut, you can't crack it without a hammer. Sounds odd, but it works. My Rep uses the on his car and says he hasn't had a lot of snow, but said he's used them for two seasons and has over 15k on them and they still look excellent.

Once I get the info I post a quick note then post the sale in the vendor forum.

xtnct

iTrader: (33)

tswift: Thanks. Will you have the corresponding narrower rims to go along with the narrower tire options or are we on our own?
Did you find a 16" rim that fits over the EVO front brakes (just wondering as you listed a 16" size above)?
Thanks.

Willyd

tswift:
Took a look at the Toyo Canada site and the Snowprox s950 looks like the best choice to me. They also have a 235/45 size available. Will you be carrying those? Or only the sizes listed above?
Thanks

Diesel

iTrader: (8)

tswift... your sizes are limited there....

where are the 235/45's...?

xphillipjrx

An Illinois tire dealer quoted me $675 for a set of Michelin Pilot Alpins. This is the price installed without tax. 15 people are needed to get this deal. Can Michelins or Yokohama AVS Winter tires be found cheaper?