MisterSpoot

Well, my dealer should have his OTD sheet in a week for my MR, so it's only about 5 more months until I have to consider sticking on something for the white stuff.

We get mostly low snowfall since we're off the coast (4 - 6" is common), though a lot of slush tends to happen with mixed precipitation, and black ice like no tomorrow -- especially when it rains first.

Obviously the best answer is winter tires. Blizzak's. Alpin Sports. Or if I wanted to "go crazy", get a set of NOKIANs. The alternative is all-seasons. My Eclipse has Continental ContiExtremeContacts, and they did much better than the OEM Goodyear Eagle RS-As in the white stuff -- the one time I did lose it, I was able to pull myself out of the spin and avoided a 3-car accident already sitting in front of me.

Obviously the Conti's will give me much better dry grip and treadlife. They're only on 4 months of the year, tops. Better to go all-season than Winter?

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I guess the other item is wheels. Nothing less expensive and available in light-grey aside from the Kosei K1 TSs? The Kosei's are pretty slick, but I don't need anything crazy for winter wheels -- just the proper clearance and a matching color. Thanks folks.

EvilBlueEvo8

iTrader: (26)

wow thats funny. i was interested in reading the thread cause i too am looking for winter wheels/tires. i started reading the post and i was thinking that the weather you were describing was exactly the weather that i have during the winter. i look at your profile on the side and i laugh because i see that you are from new bedford which exlplains why i thought the weather was the same. i'm in swansea (15 min away). lol. amusing.

MisterSpoot

What a coincedence. Regardless, what did you run during the winter (assuming you drove the Evo around), and how did it fare?

I'm figuring the Conti's should be adequate at best. They work well on the Eclipse which isn't a fantastic handler at that. I figure between a superior suspension setup, AWD, and the ACD's "snow" torque-bias mode, it should give me snow grip, but still be tossable when there's nothing on the ground. Running straight winter tires is never fun.

sillyxmico

hey im also in the boston area....well i used blizzaks during the winter months and they were excellent...kinda pricey though...and the road noise was way quieter then the advans...

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

There's no doubt about it, winter tires will provide the best snow and ice traction available. However, there is a trade off in handling and tread life. Being soft is what makes them so effective, but also has the mentioned set backs. Typically, one will get about 2 seasons, or 15K miles out of a snow tire. The Blizzak is one of the best tires for the worst conditions.

An all season tire will work as well, but not as good as a winter tire. If you prefer better handling and tread life they are the better choice. Remember you have AWD which makes you a step ahead of the game already.

So the question is, better life and handling with less snow traction or excellent snow/ice traction with less life/handling.

EvilBlueEvo8

iTrader: (26)

i didn't use anything because i didn't have the car. i just got it at the end of march. i haven't decided what i'm going to do yet. i may just forgo buying new tires this winter and only drive it when there isn't snow on the ground and just get rides because i would ideally like to pay off the car by next winter and put it away and get a pos or something for the winter.

tahoeacr

iTrader: (3)

Neal,
I'm looking more at 205/50 Blizzaks on a 17x6 rim. Cheap rim, can care less about looks/weight. Need WRC type traction for the storms I get sometimes. Any help is greatly appreciated.

meanmud

iTrader: (74)

selling my stock wheels w/Blizzaks 235x45x17

less than 2K miles on the Blizzaks - PM me if interested.

jbrennen

iTrader: (1)

I used Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 tires in the stock 235/45R17 size all winter long, and never had weather issues. I loved the tires. Back in February, I trophied at a very wet National ProSolo SCCA autocross event while driving on the snow tires and then later the same day -- on the same tires, still at the 40 PSI pressure I used in the autoX -- drove 150 miles through a raging snowstorm with absolute confidence. Amazing versatility and performance.

I mounted my winter tires on Enkei RPF1 17x8 wheels which were under $1000 for a set of 4.

bullfrg

iTrader: (42)

The M2's are what I wanted when I got my car in December, but unfortunately, the winter tire choices were pretty slim at the time. I ended up with the Conti Extreme Contacts and they turned out to be just about perfect for the weather here in Idaho when combined with the Evo. I am very happy along with quite a few others.

possman

I'm also in the Boston area. I got my Evo in October, just in time to get my winter tires. Because I just dropped all my cash on my ride, I couldn't see myself getting the whole wheel/tire package. I did however get Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSports. I really like them, handled well in all of the weather that was thrown at us last winter. They were a little pricie but, I think they were worth it. Just my .02. Good luck with the car!

phish52

I have a set of alpins, and I've been very pleased. I even took them to the track and autoxed on them, they held up great. Plus I've drivin in snow sleet you name it, I live in IL, so they have been tested!

Kyperion

iTrader: (2)

If you do not get a ton of snow. I ran Sumitomo HTR+ from tire rack last winter. They come in the corect size, do wel in the snow and are also relatively inexpensive.

lithe

iTrader: (3)

I was recommended the Ultra High Performance Pirelli PZero Nero M&S Allseasons...looking at the Tirerack comparos they did better than the ContiExtremes. Snow doesn't stay long enough on the road around me to warrant a dedicated snow tire...if roads are usually dry around you I'd get the Pirelli's.

Don't dull that Evo blade