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questions about snow tires


do i need snow tires?
which brand are the best snow tires?
what size should i get?
where to get the best deal?
price range? :S

 
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You don't need snow tires but I definatly recommend them.
Size of the tire depends on the size of your rim... essentially you want the most narrow winter tires.
I'm running on 185/70/14 Dunlop Snow/Ice tires.
I bought them at walmart super cheap and they're amazing.

 
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I would say to get the stock size of tire. For me that was 185/65/15. I got the ones from Cdn tire called the Nordic Icetrac. I haven't driven in too much snow yet. I think they were about 80-90 each.

Oh yeah get all 4 or don't get any IMO

 
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do i need snow tires?

Its your descreation. If you feel that you need them, get them. My thought is, its better to be safe than sorry.

which brand are the best snow tires?

Nokians

what size should i get?

185/65/15 or 185/70/14 depends on what your car has 15's or 14's. More narrow is better like R1Style said.

where to get the best deal?
price range?

This depends what you mean by deal. Good tires are going to cost you more, shitty tires are going to cost less. Just remember, you pay for what you get.


Just for your info, I have Toyo G-02 observe winter tires. They are pretty good tires, cost me just over $100 a piece for 185/65/15. I don't know how much they are now since I bought these last winter. It should be around the same price.

For decent prices check out "Steelcase Tires and Mags" which I would recommend because they have good prices and are very professional there. They are super busy there, so if you call and they don't pick up, don't be suprised.

You can also check out "OK Tire". I think they have a website, and I believe they have several locations in the GTA. I'm not sure of this, but I'm pretty sure they have several locations.

 
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Just put my Nokians on Saturday, what a world of difference.
Best snow tire on the market.
http://www.nokianrsi.com/

 
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I used to go to OK Tire but they were very rude to my dad just the other day and lost our business... quite a loss, we have 4 cars in our immediate family and a big extended family

this was the location near weston rd & steeles
basically the young kid working there gave my dad smartass answers about his tires he ordered, so my dad figured because he knows the owner and has bought from him for yrs, he would just pass by on the way home and ask the boss himself and hopefully pick up his tires.

well, when my dad passed by, the boss basically told my dad to get lost and refused to sell to my dad anymore at all. the owner looked pretty dumb in front of all the customers standing in the shop since my dad said hed buy the tire and be on his way and didnt want any harsh feelings or anything of that sort. the owner was clearly saying the customer was wrong and blindly taking his employees story to be the truth as opposed to maintaining a professional relationship with his long time customer...

just a headsup, not the best guys around IMO...

 
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i've got the nokian hakka5 (i think it's the 5 series) 185/65/15... it'll be my fourth season i believe...
havent put them on yet.. but will soon...

i've noticed that past three years that whenever the first snowfall occurs... it wont snow again for another three weeks... so this year.. i've decided to wait.. since i didnt really drive on the first mini snow storm...

not sure if this will save my thread life... but oh well....


anybody know how to calculate thread life..?

oh ya.. the tires were amazing when i first had 'em... stuck on snow like butter on bread.. haha. zoomed by everybody... and i mean everybodyyyyy....

noticed the traction wasnt as good last season..... but it still managed. hopefully it'll keep up this coming season. probably get new winter tires next season.


and if you're wondering if it's worth it, it'll be worth every penny of it... literially. if im to have a minivan when im old... im getting winter tires on them as well if i have a choice.

 
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Sorry to hear that happen to your dad. They were nice to me. I guess I didn't go during the busy season though. I went there in October when nobody decides to buy winter tires.

I'm not really recommending OK Tire as a professional place, but I they do have good prices.

Anyways, Steelcase has better prices and treats everyone nice. Speak to Dave at Steelcase tires, he's a great guy to deal with.

I've bought my summer rims, summer tires, and my winter steelies at Steelcase. They even let you in the back shop to watch them install the tires. Most shops won't let you in the shop, so who knows what they do in the back. Though, their is a sign at Steelcase that says "employees only" or "No customers allowed in shop". I'm pretty sure they have one of those signs.

 
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should you get snow tires?

I think it should be illegal not too have em...its the reason why people drive so damn slow in the winter and why so many people are in ditches...I'm using artic alpines, they're ok I guess...but compared to summer rubber, world of differance...besides the places everyone suggested to buy, look on other forums for deals on used and group buys...

 
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Rule of thumb: The worst snow tire is better than the best all-season!

It makes a world of a difference to have snow tires IMO. You have more control and you feel very confident even in the worse snowfall. Last year, I had Toyo observe 03 (don't make them anymore) and I was very impressed. It was the first year I used snow tires. One day on a bad snow storn here in Markham, This guy in his Jimmy could get out of the parking lot. Kept slipping and sliding. I drove right by him in my dumped mk3 gti vr6 without getting stuck. It wasn't easy but i made it and the Jimmy didn't

This year I bought Hercules Signet winter trax for my civic and so far, they are pretty good. They grip better on dry pavement than the stock firestone but then again, any tire can outperform the stock crap firestones.

I paid $550 tax and installation/mounting/labour/etc... for 185/65/15 Hercules Signet Winter trax with 15 inch steelies. I bought them at Superior Tire chain.

 
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haha, I got 2 snow tires in front and 2 all seasons in the back? is there anything wrong with that?

 
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check wheelsdirect on mccowan and sheppard thats where i bought mine last year .. i bought toyo observe g02 with steelies and installed for 475 tax in last year.... you should check it out!!

 
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That is a no no
When you brake your front wheels can grab and slide your *** around.

 
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Agreed. There was an interesting peice in the TO Star about the importance of having all 4.

 
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I'll put snow tires on rear wheels after I install my camber kit. I have bad camber on rear wheels now so no point ruining expensive winter tires.

 
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Green Bay Tires on 60 Green Lane, just east of BayView...

They're 100% Chinese, but when you see lines and lines of asian people, it must be a good deal.

Bought Michelin Arctic Alpins 185/65/R15 + 15" black steelies for my 2001 EL ~2-3 winters ago, mounted for $720.

This summer I brought out the steelies, sanded down some of the rusty spots (along the weights they put on, and anywhere with curb rash, and repainted the steelies; good as new!

 
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dido.. 4 snow tires are the way to go.. or dont go at all

 
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Went to Tires123 in Mississauga (dixie/Matheson)
picked up a set of viking snowtechs p185/70 R14 w/ steelies for $460 w/installation, so far i cant complain about the tires, i've been driving alright especially with the nice dump we had last night ... Snow Tires are a must, ones designed for Ice i hear in toronto are better than snow, but either will beat the best all season ...