Hey all so since wrx's come with summer tires I am in need of a winter solution. What are people's experience with running all seasons year round vs summer and winters? I'm not a hard driver by any means
Get some popcorn and enjoy the show The difference is night and day, plus you might even enjoy driving in the stuff.
The only part I disagree is comparing OEM all season to winters....there are some great aftermarket all seasons.....I ran continental dws tires 2 years ago and loved them....great traction, but could lose it when I wanted to....last year it actually took effort to get the 2.0 sideways on the snows....thus proving better handling on snows (in winter)...sometimes I personally don't want all that traction
The OEM tires on his car are summers. They will do horribly in the snow. But some all seasons will do OK. Most people on here have a separate winter/summer set. I think a lot of people get a winter wheel and tire so they can easily swap themselves. I'd look used or grab a set of steelies if you want to keep it cheap.
Thanks for the responses. The all seasons would definitely be more convenient for me. I've read great things about the conti dws tires and would probably be my choice. The other huge pro is I could sell the summers for a pretty penny. But winters are great as I had them back in the day. How many people on here run all seasons and are happy with it?
my gf had been driving on AS tires her entire life (born and raised in MN) and was "happy" with them. I got her a set of dedicated winters 4 years ago and she has ran winters/summers since. The only AS I would run year round is something like the Nokian wrg2. Sure, you can roll around with less grip, but it's always when it's too late that you wish you had chosen winters/summers over AS.
LOL Is this reproducible? That tread design has me questioning whether it can keep the snow out of the tread in slushy conditions, but I'm a voice of reason so I believe you.
it would be if i didnt sell those wheels with the other black car last year.....i have been thinking of getting them again at some point though, since it seems that the weather is changing alot and tiring changing week to week can be annoying
I've had my snows on for quite a while now. They're kind of mushy, but it's not that big of a deal. I can get the traction control to come on when I roll into 3rd on dry pavement, but for day to day they're fine. Maybe it will actually snow one of these days...
I ended up ordering the conti dws all seasons. I'll test them out for a winter and if they aren't cutting it Ill buy used wheels and some winters. Ultimately everyone loves the dws tires and I'm not an extreme driver. Thanks everyone!
Well if I had to get a set of ALL Season (No Season) tires I'd get these: Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season. I'm not a huge fan of All Season tires considering we live in one of the most snowiest states in America. A tire designed for everything but really good at nothing. I was pleasantly surprised by these tires. I got a chance to beat the snot out of them at our last BMW OktoberFest at Mid-Ohio. Goodyear provided the tires and BMW provided two 2012 335i along with a nice tight technical autox course for us to test them out. I launched in them, drifted in them, stumped on them and went fast in them. I wouldn't of believed they were All Season's had they not told me. I've yet to drive another like it, but I still would not buy a set for any of my vehicles. But for the average guy this tire may end up saving your life some day. Very predictable with lots of confidence. I have dedicated tires for all my street cars. I believe in having the right tool for the job. While everyone's out praying and wondering just how and if they're gone make it home, I'm out playing. Everyone knows the situation best, purchase based on your own situation. Tests and stats are only as good you can understand them. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season
It's doesn't have anything to do with this. It has everything to do with winter road conditions and the fact that you drive on them. A large percent accidents in the winter happen to people doing their normal every day driving. Look at the cars in the ditch and the fender benders. Every day people, driving like they always do. Some could have been avoided with proper equipment. It won't always stop bad things from happening, but it could.
If you plan on getting a set of aftermarket wheels, then going the dedicated Summer/Winter route is a no brainer. You'll have a proper tire for each season and since you'll only be driving on each set 1/2 the amount of time you would be if you had all-seasons on year round...they'll last twice as long.
I was in reference to summer driving. I also work from home so if the roads are terrible I don't have to drive. It seems 50/50 everywhere i ask. Some swear all seasons will do fine and some swear by winters.
It isn't a question of can All-Seasons work. It's a question buying the correct equipment for the job.
Not true at all. I was torn and am still torn. I go back and forth. All seasons are easier, winters/summers are clearly better. What I'm looking to accomplish with opinions and real life experience with an AWD car is can I justify a second set of tires and is it necessary. I was looking to hear if people in fact ran all seasons and were satisfied or if it has been a bad experience rolling all seasons
Here is the thing. People have been driving on all-season tires in Minnesota for years. You have a perfect example from Sheen above. Myself and my wife were the same way. I grew up in a family that drove regular cars and rocked all-season tires. It wasn't until I picked up a set of winter tires that my mind was changed. I had 3 - 4 winters on all-seasons with this car. I switched to winter tires and couldn't believe the difference it made in the winter performance. The wife followed suit with her car, same experience. Guess what, we shared this with more family members. The next year they did the same thing. All of them drive winter tires now. I have yet to see an intelligent person say that they picked up winter tires, drove them and went back to all-seasons because there was no difference. Look, I can run mobile-1 in my car all day long. It's an oil, other people use it for their cars.... must be ok! Until you read all of the subaru forums and start to link mobile-1 to engine issue. Then you talk to local Subaru Techs and hear the same thing. Now you have experts and garage experts sharing some knowledge with you that goes against the "average opinion". Sure I might be fine, but why take the risk. Use the correct tool for the job... in this example use the oil that is best for you car.
Is it necessary? No. I'd be willing to say the majority of the cars on the road are only running all-seasons. I run winters and I'm a fan. Like I said before, if you plan on getting a different set of aftermarket wheels then you might as well dedicate one set to Winter and one to Summer. The upfront cost is more, but each set will last longer since you're only driving on them for part of the year. If I were you, I'd get some winters mounted on your stock wheels and then start the search for some different wheels to mount some Summer rubber on. You'll have all Winter to look and there are always good deals on wheels floating around here. There's a good deal on a set of 17x7 Prodrive P7s right now that you could swoop up.
My eyes are open. I'm going to switch my order to the general altimax arctics or the conti winter contacts
I have the General Alitmax's and I like them. Then again, I don't have much prior experience to go off of regarding other winter tires...so take that review for what it's worth.
I just called and switched my order to the general arctic. He said they were a great value and the reviews on tire rack are good
I am also using the Generals. I love them. The experience seems to be similar with my friends and family that own them. Xluben just sold his old winter setup and replaced them with another set of Generals as well.
So far so good with the generals. Better in the mud/loose (not frozen) stuff than the cooper weathermasters and firestone winterforces. We'll see if they do as well as the revo-1s on ice. We run winters from November through Mayish on 3 of the cars and AS during the warm months. Plan for the worst. Most AS do much better in a downpour than summer tires. Especially once you get into the ad08s, dunlap z1's, etc... The other 2 cars get 3 sets lol. Musashi, want to combine wheels/tires and make a giant fort?
A tool is only as good as the technician lol Ok glad to hear you're open to new ideas. Now that you're invested financially, also consider investing some time behind the wheel and learn how to drive with the winter tires. A good analogy would be would you rather be the few people on the football field with cleats or the rest with sneakers. We play this game twice a day, once in the morning and once in the later afternoon. While some ppl think the cost maybe too steep, I think it's priceless when it comes to the confidence it give you and piece of mind knowing that you and your family will be alright and will have a much better chance making it thru another winter. And for those who are still on the fence, don't base your decision on last winter. If we had that type of winter we wouldn't be having this conversation. The fact is MN is one of the snowiest states, it's just a matter of when we're going to get dumped on. If we're gonna have snow, might as well make it enjoyable, right!
Good point, I should have been more clear and said a dedicated Winter setup and then a non-Winter setup...not necessarily a Summer specific setup.
Here's a thread that has some good points on enhancing your winter tire performance. http://www.mnsubaru.com/threads/radiator-insulator.41014/#post-678762
My dad never thought you needed anything better then the an all season tire. I decided to drive for a couple weeks in the snow on my all-seasons on my first WRX before buying my first set of Hankook iPikes. The difference was so huge I never would have expected it.
+1 for I-pikes I love mine, I have a set on 16" steelies that I run for ice racing (if the lakes will ever freeze and we get snow this year). As well as my dd tire after the first big snowfall. You should see the places i've gone with a WRX, Ipikes, and stock suspension. Normally trucks would get stuck haha just another reason I love Subaru. To the OP, depending on what you are planning on doing with the tire, you should've based your decision on that as well as your financial situation. If you have money then by all means snow tires are an obvious choice as they are a night/day difference on the snow (and dirt ). If its just daily commuting you're looking to do its more of a safety concern than anything else. You could get by with a/s tires as many people out there are doing every year, but you have to drive more defensively and slow down a lot more in snow storms (not saying if you have winter tires you should drive fast). Are you getting an extra set of rims or just swapping tires on the current set?
The plan for now is to just swap them. I don't have the funds to buy another set of wheels right now. My guess is at some point ill buy new summer wheels and use the stockers for winter use even though I really like them. Shoes make the car though and it would be nice to not look like every other wrx
I never had dedicated tires before buying the WRX which came with summers. I bought a set of used 16" Impreza wheels and mounted the General Altimax. This will be my first winter with dedicated winter tires so I'm excited to see how they perform. One thing to consider that I didn't see anyone else mention is stopping ability. Traction off of the line and roadholding are important too but pale in comparison to being able to stop. The difference in the summer between summers and AS tires (and in the winter between winters and AS tires) can make all the difference in an emergency. A few feet can make the difference between crashing and not. Just more food for thought, even though it sounds like you've already made a good decision.
Didn't watch the vids but if its the one I'm thinking of there's a whole section dedicated to stopping distance. For those worried about cost, consider it an up front cost that will pay out in increased safety and possible insurance discounts. Really, the only additional cost is an additional set of wheels or the cost of dismounteing/remounting twice a year. 2 years of dismounting/remounting will easily pay for a set of steelies, used oem wheels, or new knockoff alloys. Tire cost is a non issue as the price range for as, winter, and summer tires is huge. Especially in a common size like most subarus run. You can get any type of tire for anywhere between 50 and 200+ dollars per tire. As mentioned earlier, the life of 2 seasonal sets will be very similar to the life of 2 sets of all seasons. High end summer tires are typically the most expensive of the bunch and wear much faster. Another reason we commute on as tires in the warmer months. Sorry, this rant is in response to some rtard on dereks fb wall saying cost is higher and winter tires wear faster.
"like" It's pretty incredible what just the softer compound and tread design will do. There's always an ice patch a block from my house at a stop sign where cars sit and wait up to a few minutes to turn left during commuting hours. I skid a good 10' in my 4runner the other day (M+S AS radials with a massive sidewall and some snow siping in the tread as well). Drove around the block, parked it, and took the legacy (on general altimax snows) instead. For giggles... and because the generals are brand new to me (and bc I'm an idiot).... I made a few loops and went over that same spot a few times with progressively faster entry speeds and harder, later braking. Only activated the abs on the last "try." So far I'm really happy with how the generals perform on ice compared to the revo-1s we ran in various sizes on various cars for 5 years. Keep us updated with your impressions.
Yeah, the nice smooth ride of snow tires is pretty nice. Even going from 17" summers (Star Specs) to 17" winters (Generals) the difference is very noticeable.
General Altimax Arctics are in for the Subie.. will mount them up later this week. 3 awd cars all with dedicated winters = WIN! I also like the Hankook iPike w409s, Nokian Hakka4/5/7s (So spendy, but so good), Nordmans (last year's Nokian Hakkas at sweet prices) The generals win for value considering the decent price, and they last so long. (Rebranded Gislaved Nordfrost 4.. still made in Germany!)
General Altimax are great tires. After interviewing for a job in MN back in 2005 when there was the freak 15" March Friday storm and driving back to Chicago on all-seasons in a RWD car with an open diff, I swore I'd never drive all seasons in Winter again. There's nothing like having extra traction, no matter what the conditions. I love that the Subi crew embrace that! Took out the 25mm front sway and went back to OEM today (after shearing the D-bracket stud, 18ft*lbs, WTF?!) on the '11 WRX. Took out the rear toe and dialed in an 1/8". Was lovely in the snow today!
