this year when i got my 2010 STI, i put a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS. these tire seem to work really well. the best thing i guess is to use winter tires, but this way i can get around good in winter weather and don't have to break the tires down again in the spring. when it comes to winter tires my son and i have used the Nitto winter tire and the Hankook Ice Bear W300. both of these tires were awesome in the snow.
Well, I'm a fan of dedicated winter tires. They just work better. But, with this winter in mind. You'd probably be safe buying some Contipros or something if you're looking to buy now. Im not expecting much in the way of snow for the rest of the season, but that's just my opinion
I also prefer winter and summer specific tires. It's pretty easy to find a reasonably priced set of rims that would fit your STi off of the forum here or on NASIOC. Most people use the stock rims for winters and a pick up a nice pair of rims for summers. If you want to keep the stock rims in good shape for resale or trade in, just do the opposite and run the stock rims in the summer. The difference between a good set of summer rubber and all seasons is the most noticable to me. The lack of sidewall roll and the increased grip when cornering on a good set of street tires in a night and day difference when driving with a slightly heavy right foot. Then again, the winter specific tires are really a big difference too on snow and ice in the winter. It costs a bit more to own two specific sets of rims and tires, but in my opinion, if you enjoy pushing the limits of your car a bit in either season, you won't be sorry that you spent the extra cash!
IMO tires are the most important mod you can make. If you can afford the car you should be able to afford the tires that make it the car it is.
Winter Rims and Tires - Best idea! People talk about the wear of winter tires but I can bet that you wouldn't even notice if you ran them early fall or late spring. Case and Point.... The wife had a Camry with 200,000+ miles on it. We knew we were buying a new car for her but had to buy her tires. I am a believer in having a winter and summer set, but i wasn't about to buy new rims for a car that is worth less than $1,000 .... also a car that we knew we were selling (at that time we thought sooner than later). So being that it was late fall we picked up a set of Ipikes (dedicated winter tires) for her car. Well she ended up driving the car for 2 summers, winter tires on the whole time. Guess what, the tires are still on the car. We gave the car to my sister and the tires still have a ton of life left in them. I was certain that the tires would wear to nothing because of what everyone has said about them. Now we know it is a softer rubber... but truth be told you won't wear them like you think you would. Granted we are talking a camry vs an STI... but still you will be fine.
No the point is that your tires aren't going to wear away to nothing just because it hits 70*. However, everyone acts like your tires will melt above 50*. Yes the wife does not drive like I do. However, she still drove it plenty of 90* + days for 2 summer and the tread life on them is great. LOL, fixed ^
I'll bet there's a big difference in winter tire wear in 90* weather based solely on driving habits... I wore the crap out of some WS60's on my old civic. But yeah, be nice and it's no problem. FWIW, I drive my camry like an STi.
I only have two complaints, when is it going to be summer and second when is it going to be winter. Having the right tools for the conditions creates options in a tough situation, but most importantly you can get a taste of what the car was intended to do in the first place. Enjoy!
Just because you can't visibly see the wear and the tread "looks" fine, the softer compound does wear off of the outside in warmer temps despite how you drive them. If you buy cheap ass winters, then fine. If you pay nearly $1,000 for them, then pay attention to the temps and your cornering speeds. Or be smart about it and take them off and put the summers on. Cornering on winters is like driving on mashed potatoes, not sure why anyone would do it.
Oh yeah... also forgot to mention the "performance winter" option. They tend to be a little stiffer and less inclined to excessive wear in warmer conditions. My PA3's do well in quite a range of temps. That came in handy after we got our first "snow" followed by two weeks of 40-50 degree weather.
I think you two are misunderstanding my point here. ^ Agree with you ^ Still have two sets but don't freak out if it is above 50* one day out of the week. When it is summer tire weather put them on. Otherwise rock the winters (late fall - early spring). I always feel weird when i switch to my winter tires for the first week or two. I always change lanes and take corners like my summers are still on. It can be eye opening adding that extra roll to the car... similar to a body roll
Hahaha, i understand you too. I would leave a pair of "winters" on too instead of spending money on something else, especially if i was selling the car. But i just don't want the OP to think that if he buys a $1000 set of Hakkas, that he can just run them in any temp with no consequences.
Yeah I totally agree with you. It is a stupid thing to do... UNLESS your car is a rust bucket that you are getting rid of. Otherwise, 2 sets of tires @ the right temp/time of year = happy car/happy driver
living in city limits?/just getting into the Subaru game? good all seasons will be fine. outside city limits when roads do not get plowed often? winter tires, all season tires, and summer tires.
Winter Tires > All Season Tires This is during the winter (below 45*) in Minnesota no matter where you live.
^ agreed I throw on my winter shoes fairly early in the fall, roll on them well into spring every year, and have driven them all warm winter long this yr. AFter 4 yrs and a lot of highway miles they still have decent tread left but they aren't the most "aggressive" winter tire out there. I did make the mistake of driving my summer (not all-season tires) on snow once. I put off swapping them in the fall one year bc of no snow predictions and was surprised by a few inches of snow one november morning.... will neeeeever do that again! Felt like I was driving slicks coated with tire shine and astroglide.
