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Anybody ever get these Canadian Tire winter tires -- Nordic IceTrac? I know Canadian Tire tires are outsourced to Michelin, BFGoodrich, and other manufacturers, but I want to get an opinion on how good these are? I have Michelin Arctic Alpins on my car, but I'm helping my brother look for some winter tires for his SE-R Spec V.

 
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its good, i had it on since last november, well, much much much better than the stock firestone, i only changed the front and than i turn too fast on corner while snowing than i drift and did a 180 cuz my rear firestone sucks, go for it very good for the price

 
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Haha.. well its generally advisable to do all four wheels.

 
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how much are they, including installation and balancing?

 
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i bought canadian tire wintertires last friday for $69.xx each....(i think it was icetrac....maybe wintertrac)
balancing and install was $9 per tire....


anyone in Vancouver need these?
they're brand new, never used, and mounted on OEM Civic rims...(rims were once installed but never used either)

my car might be a total loss and i might not need the tires anymore cause parents won't let me get another civic...

 
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I was in crappy tire today checking out the winter tires, I could tell just by feeling the compound on the store brand Nordic IceTrac that they were not as good as the Michelin Artic Alpin's that were next to them. The Michelin rubber felt much more sticky. From what I've read the cheap winter tires are not worth the bit of money you save.

I am planning to buy a set of Michelin Artic Alpin's soon, although I was told to also consider the Goodyear Ultragrip Ice which are pretty much the same price, anyone have any experience with them? I don't want Blizzak's cause I've heard they wear really fast and ride rough and are more ideal for heavy snow areas, which we don't really get here.

Also anyone know a place to get good tire prices for Michelin/Goodyear in Burlington/Oakville/Hamilton area?

Crappy tire has the best price I've found so far on the Michelin's because they are giving $50 off if you buy a set of 4, however I'm cautious to buy any tires from crappy tire again since they sometimes have brand name tires that are only sold by crappy tire and aren't as good as the ones sold through tire dealers etc. (I bought a set of Goodyear Eagle GPS a few years back for my old car from them and later found out about that)

 
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winter rubbers from crappy tires is much better than using all season tires...

i guess they're not as good as some of the name brand ones but in BC, it doesn't snow that often...it's just the icy roads...

also, won't really soft rubber tires just wear out really quickly? how long do stuff such as blizzak last? a tire dealer once told me they're expected to last only 1 winter....

 
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Blizzak are real soft, so ya they will probably last you 2 seasons tops, depending on how timely you remove them and how much dry warm weather you have during winter. Artic Alpin are supposed to be more like all-season, don't wear as fast but still good snow traction as long as the snow isn't tooooo heavy.

Since this is Canada east though, I'm confused why we're talking about winter in BC [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
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Well I have had Michelin Arctic Alpins for last winter and they're great. They really make a difference in snow, slush, ice. My only gripe with them is that they whistle when driving in wet/rain. They ride smooth and are quiet in the dry, maybe even more so than the stock Firestones.

 
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i have nokia's hakka's 1 and i like them alot they are way better than the michellin alpin's even better than blizzak's and almost all of us here have it. i would recommend them to everyone!

 
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do those have studs boo?

 
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I've never seen them for sale anywhere around here, where did you get them from? How much $$??

 
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The Hakka 1s are more hard core winter tires than Michelin Arctic Alpins, as such they will have squirmy handling, noise, and a harsh ride when it is anything but bad weather. I think the Michelin Arctic Alpins are better suited for Toronto-like winters, occassional snow storms were absolutely not a problem for my Michelins, yet when the roads are cleared (nearly 90% of the time), the ride like all-seasons and actually have decent grip considering their role. But if you're going to do some backroads winter rallying... then the Michelins aren't for you!

 
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hehehe..thats right i did ...gun it with the nokia's when it was snowing really bad and i was like a tank. hahahaha
and yes they are loud but hell i got my summer tires and winter tires are for winter.. everyone is gonna have shiet rides anyway's

 
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Nokian Hakka 1 tires are absolutely the best SNOW tires and Michelins/Bridgestones can only be classifed as WINTER tires. Like, if you want the ultimate summer tires, you want S0-3 or T1-S and for snows, you want Hakka1. They are not expensive anyways. Besides, buying snow tires is like buying insurance. It is probably worth all the $ with one snow storm.

 
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Consumer reports just released an updated review of Winter tires for their Nov 2002 issue
They seperated the ratings into H rated and Q rated winter tires

The top H rated winter tire in their opinion was the Goodyear Eagle Ultragrip GW-2. I phoned around and it is available in my stock wheel size (185/65 15") and the price isn't too bad either, $125 each incl everything but tax (instl'd and balanced)

Mich Artic Alpin was the #2 Q rated after Kuhmo I'zen Stud KW-11 which I don't think I've seen sold here. Mich AA is a few bucks cheaper than the goodyear, but not significantly.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW was rated 5th (or 2nd last) in the H rated category and given the best snow traction score in that group but points off for poor handling and braking. There was also a Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q in the other group, also 5th place.

After seeing this review I'm seriously considering getting the Goodyear GW-2. If anyone wants me to paste more of the review let me know, it is only available to subscribers on their website (my dad is a member)

However I've also been steered towards the Toyo Observe by a couple tire shops I've talked to, and also the mechanic I deal with quite often. Toyo wasn't included in the CR review though. Anyone have any opinions on Toyo Observe as a winter tire? It is T rated and about the same price as the Goodyear and MichAA

 
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anyone know a decent price for the Michelin AA in the GTA area?

 
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Best price I've been quoted is $118 installed and balanced, + taxes for size 185/15 15". I've been shopping in the Burlington area.
Actually Canadian tire is charging $129 but will give you $50 off on a set of 4 so that's probably the best deal going, as long as Canadian tire is selling the same AAs, not some cheap alternate version (see my Goodyear Eagle / Canadian tire experience earlier in this thread)