Picked up a STI last spring and it's getting to be that time of year so does anyone have some knowledge on the best winter tire ? I live in the south east metro drive from cottage grove to oakdale for work so everything gets plowed fairly quick although I do have to go to work in the middle of the night once in a while. Do I go performance winter or dedicated winter? I was thinking the Michelin ice x3? Or do I go with the cheaper general altimax studable? Or is there something that's a better option? Thanks for the input
Lots of people run Blizzaks on here and love them. I have Continental extreme winter contacts on my car and love them! How much are you willing to spend on tires?
I had Blizzaks on my 2004 WRX and they were great but I went with General Altimax Arctic for my 2016 STI. Went through last winter and very happy with them - they grip like crazy and quiet on the highway. Went with 17", and 17 7.5 Monte Titano MT6 wheels all from Tire Rack, little over $1000 total
I'm willing to spend enough to get a good tire. I have heard a lot of good things about the General Altimax Studable and since they are on the cheaper side which appeals to me I was leaning towards them but if some of the more expensive ones are way better I would be willing to spend the extra money. I'm just having a hard time deciding do I need snow/ice tires or would I be better off with performance winter tire?
I enjoyed the cooper weather-master tires. Good price and if you care about this kinda thing made here in america,
Solid choices: Continental Extreme Winter Contact (discontinued but they came out with a new model...Winter Contact SI or something. I would imagine they are a great tire as well) Michelin Xi3's General Altimax Artic's (decent without studs, ice traction could be better, but pretty good bang for the buck. Don't stud them if you live in Minnesota) Mediocre choices (IMHO): Bridgestone Blizzaks (they are very "floaty" on dry pavement. I think the Conti's or Michelin's are better choices) Also, be sure to check out Tire Rack's testing results. They have a lot of great, direct comparisons between the popular tires with data to backup their conclusions.
I'd recommend not getting performance winter tires. Had them before and they were ok in the snow but the heavy slushy stuff they struggled and were downright scary on ice. Nokian Hakka R2 if you are willing to spend the coin. General's if you are on a budget or Hankook Ice-Bears. Blizzak's are good too but I personally don't prefer them due to when they are half worn the compound down there is pretty much an all-season tire (the ones I was looking at). I'm running Michelin X-Ice3 now and they are nice. Only reason I'm running these is a coupon deal made them $200 cheaper than a set of Nokians when I bought them. If it wasn't for that they were almost the same price and I'd be running those instead.
Definitely look at the testing reviews. It's a good way to find a balance between snow, slush, ice, and dry pavement. In the city, the streets are for the most part, dry in the winter. Those few days after a storm are wet. No reason to get studded tires here, plus they're illegal I believe.
I been on Hankook, General, Hakka, and Bridgestones over the last many years... Hands down, the Blizzak was the worst. It didn't do anything well; dry? no, wet? no, snow? no, ice? no. I have had them on the '00 RS and the '08 FX35. I ran Hakka 3s on the '00 RS, and more recently the R2 on the RS5. Not cheap, but they were the best overall tire of what I have driven. I ran the Generals and the 'Kooks (i-Pike) on the '04 STi, and I now have the i-Pike on the '07 WRX. I think the 'Kooks are the best of all the above in snow, but both the Generals and Hankooks were a bit lacking in the dry (but, that is compared to the Hakkas). So, take what you can from that... Tire Rack has tons of reviews, but you need to realize who is posting those reviews; there certainly is a lot of crap to wade through there.
Altimax arctics are fantastic. You don't need a ****ing racing tire for super aggro driving yo in the winter when it is dry out. I also had a fantastic experience with the GT Radial Champiro Ice Pro.
Most (some) of the responses here are spot on. I have owned and driven vehicles with all three below. Nokian Hakka's - Sell a kidney, but worth every penny. Simply the best all around. Altimax's -Budget friendly, excellent in snow and as good as a non-studded tire can be on ice. However, on dry they tend to get loud and squishy. (It's a winter tire, what can you expect?!) Xices - Between the above two on budget. Of the three here, it ranks last in snow performance, but very quiet and dry road manners are better than the two above. (READ: Less aggressive than other two) You really can't go wrong with any of them - just depends on your budget/preferences. You've made the correct choice to even purchase winter tires. Can't tell you how many people I see driving around here in January with their OEM summer tires. SMDH. Just plain scary and dangerous.
So I've run my Blizzaks on my 13 WRX and my 15 STi. I bought the new WS80's. I love them. They handle amazing in all weather conditions except for heavy slush. Night and day difference in the snow from the stock tires of the WRX. I've heard good things about the General Altimax too. You can't go wrong with Blizzaks IMO. I paid a little too much for mine ($1500) brand new with a dedicated rim for winter. They even handle decent in the corner and don't feel that mushy.
Nokian Hakapetelli (possibility have the name spelled wrong) But they invented the snow tire! A little on the pricey side but that is the best snow tire to put on a Subaru PERIOD. So there you go! Sorenson Automotive, Inc. Subaru Specialty Repair Services 12500 Nevada Ave South, Savage Mn 55378 (952) 736-9200 www.sorensonautomotive.com
I have run the Blizzak WS-50, 60 and 70s, the 80's went to a more all season tread design and everyone I have talked to that has run them said they are nowhere near the grip and do not have the stopping capability on ice of the earlier model Blizzak's. I ran the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 tires on my 2013 Evo X and 2015 STi, they were well worth the money and were not as "spongy" as the earlier series Blizzak's were on the sidewalls, so I would recommend them. If you can get and afford the Nokian Hakkapelitta's then pick those up instead. My selection based on todays selection of winter tires after having owned and driven 3 EVOs and 2 STi's over the last 12 years - 1st - Nokian Hakkapelitta 2nd - Michelin X-Ice Xi3 3rd - Blizzak WS80 4th - maybe a Dunlop Winter Maxx or Yokohama iceGUARD You would be best served to read the tire miles reviews on Tirerack and sort those reviews by region (keeping the focus on the Eastern and Midwestern states) that have the heaviest snow and ice, then sort those reviews further by AWD vehicles to see what people with similar cars have experienced.
