Choosing All-weather Tires

Dr.Faustus · Post by **Dr.Faustus** » September 6th, 2005, 3:16 pm

Hey all,

I am looking for new tires for my '92 MX-3 GS that is 99% stock. This car is a daily-driver and I drive on snowy and icy roads all winter long (ski instructor). I have Michelin Pilot XGT V4's on it right now and previously had BF Goodrich Touring T/A's (as I remember), both of which were decent tires.

Winter is coming soon and my Michelin's are wearing thin. So, I'm looking for suggestions on all-weather, sport tires. I'm running stock rims so the size would be 205/55 R15.

One possibility is the BF Goodrich Traction T/A - does anyone have experience with these?

Thanks,
Dr.Faustus

V8KOMX3 · Post by **V8KOMX3** » September 6th, 2005, 5:58 pm

im looking at bridgestone g-009 I believe that is the name. I know a few guys that use them and say they are a great year round tire.

fieromx3 · Post by **fieromx3** » September 6th, 2005, 7:11 pm

well if u can find the right size tire x-ice are supposably very good for the snow and ice only i dunno how they would be in summer. if u can 205/15 than thats good u dont need a 55mm sidewall even with a 65 would be good

95 rs · Post by **95 rs** » September 6th, 2005, 7:46 pm

the traction t/a's are awesome for all season i totally recomend them. great in the snow and ice and well they are great sporty tire for summer also with a 210 kmh speed rating or 240 kmh speed rating i believe it depends on what size you go with on that. i give them 2 thumbs up im getting them for my rs with a 205/60r14.

Dr.Faustus · Post by **Dr.Faustus** » September 7th, 2005, 4:13 pm

Have been doing some more research and price shopping. I'm currently leaning towards the Yokohama Avid V4's. They are top ranked on TireRack.com for All-Weather Performance radials. And the Yoko's are cheapest locally, which is a plus.

It's also occurred to me that I haven't gotten many miles out of my Michelin's. I need to look at the original purchase info and warranty and see how fast they have really worn. I'll see if there is any possible re-imbursement / discount / etc. to be had there.

I expect to make a purchase in the next week or so and will post then.

Thanks,
Dr.Faustus

Gro Harlem · Post by **Gro Harlem** » September 7th, 2005, 7:18 pm

falken zeix 512's...

cheaper than most & rated the best. I agree, ive been using them for the past 3 years, better than my shitzstones, yokohamas and pirellis.

their wet traction is unparalleled to any other tire i've driven on. its almost as if the roads aren't wet. I also had no problem driving in snow with these, but didnt' get too much experience with them since it didn't snow much this past winter.

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » September 8th, 2005, 8:53 am

Personally from experience, I'm a firm believer in snow tires for Canadian winters, but since that's off-topic for this thread, I'll leave it at that.

Dr.Faustus · Post by **Dr.Faustus** » September 8th, 2005, 3:34 pm

1. There is definitely NO mileage warranty on the Michelin Pilot XGT's. They've been a good tire, but only getting about 30K miles out of them isn't impressive.

2. Gro, who rates the Falken zeix 512's best? I'll check them out, just curious as to who rated them and against which competition.

3. Nd4SpdSe - Snow Tires. Good point, snow tires are definitely best on snow and icy roads. I'm chosing the "compromise" all-weather tires because:
A) Even with my ski instructing, most of my winter driving is on dry pavement.
B) I've only gotten stuck with all-weather tires once and that was one VERY snowy morning (~6 inches of snow) when I got up the road ahead of the snowplow. Now I have cable-chains

C) $. I'm not excited about buying a second set of rims and tires.
D) I would be (pleasantly) surprised if this winter is as snowy as last.

Thanks,
Dr.Faustus

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » September 9th, 2005, 8:40 am

Just out of curiousity, where do you live Faustus?

I didn't want to do into the whole spiel about why I like winter tires better. Although I got stuck only once (kinda) in the 626 with all seasons, I had gotten a wet of winter's when I bought the Mx-3, and I couldn't believe the difference, I was instantly hooked on them. Since I started to put the Mx-3 away for the winter since last winter and bought a set of winters for the 626. The best part is that each set of tires should last about twice as long since they're only driven had the year.

It your choise, but I wanted to throw out the idea for you, but since you don't get much snow, you probably won't need them

Dr.Faustus · Post by **Dr.Faustus** » September 9th, 2005, 2:36 pm

Just out of curiousity, where do you live Faustus?

I live in Northern New Mexico at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. So, while I drive up a mountain every winter weekend, my daily driving is in a high desert town. If I lived in the mountains it would be a different story (I would probably have a different car too). Dedicated snow tires aren't as logical where I live as they would be in Canada or even 25 miles north or west of here.

Thanks again,
Dr.Faustus

Dr.Faustus · Post by **Dr.Faustus** » September 20th, 2005, 6:38 pm

Got the new Yokohama Avid V4S's installed, balanced, etc. As I don't race/ autocross/ run skidpad tests I can't definitively compare these to the Michelins. But... there is no noticeable increase in road noise (could be quieter?) and they feel very stable on a tight freeway onramp curve that I drive weekly.

So far, so good. In a couple of months I hope to see how they handle snow.

Dr.F.