Better Winter Tires??

[ds2chan]

can anybody tell me if there\'s any such thing as a \"bad\" set of winter tires?? I was looking through some of the tires that tires23 posted (pasted below).. since I\'m on a budget I was thinking of the Viking SnowTech for $600 even with the steelies.. it should be fine for casual driving and driving on the 401, right?? I mean, there\'s nothing wrong with them compared to the Hankook W404 or some KumHo tires, is there?? thanks for any help you can give me..

(this is the thread about the tires)
http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=3701

205/55/16
Viking SnowTech $400 - new snow tire by Continental
Hankook W300 $510
Hankook W404 $475
Dunlop Winter Sport M3 $750
...a lot more to come

+ $200 for steel rim package price OR contact us for 16\" nice alloy wheels.


edit: why is \"tell me\" a link?? I didn\'t do that.. I have no idea why it\'s doing that..

[SABIO]

i bought the Vikings. They are made by Conti. German made. They should be great in snow and give good traction when it gets icey.
The real expensive tires are a little better on icey roads and the highway, becuase they are stiffer and are made of a different compound.

Snow tires....cheaper...a little softer. Might lose some of the razor sharp handling

Ice/snow tires....expensive...stiffer. Keep your handling, a little better on highway.

Vikings I think are perfect. I should get them this week. I will take a couple close up pics....

[ds2chan]

thanks. but if I get the tires put onto my car now then it should be ok to drive it around the city and highways, right??

[majic]

Originally posted by SABIO


i bought the Vikings. They are made by Conti. German made. They should be great in snow and give good traction when it gets icey.
The real expensive tires are a little better on icey roads and the highway, becuase they are stiffer and are made of a different compound.

Snow tires....cheaper...a little softer. Might lose some of the razor sharp handling

Ice/snow tires....expensive...stiffer. Keep your handling, a little better on highway.

Vikings I think are perfect. I should get them this week. I will take a couple close up pics....

actually it\'s the other way around as wongpress explained


there are 2 types of winter tire - a performance one (good handling & stiffer at the expense of max snow/ice capability), and one for maximum snow/ice capability (at the expense of a softer compound and squirmy handling,


snow/ice tire: blizzak w-50, michellin X-ice, dunlop graspic DS-2, etc..
performance snow tire: michellin PA2, hankook w300, kumho kw17, dunlop M3, etc..

in any case, ANY winter tire is BETTER than a no-season tire.. as for putting them on now, you\'ll chew them up faster since they are designed to operate best at lower temperatures (especially the snow/ice ones) - look for a thread in this subforum where ppl ask when they should put the winter tires on or take them off

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by majic
as for putting them on now, you\'ll chew them up faster since they are designed to operate best at lower temperatures (especially the snow/ice ones) - look for a thread in this subforum where ppl ask when they should put the winter tires on or take them off

the only problem is I don\'t know what to do when putting the tires on myself.. that is, the entire process of rotating tires and so forth.. so I\'d like the guys at the shop to put them on for me but I\'m worried that they\'ll run out of the Continentals by the time I get in there..

but since I drive like a granny (slow and steady wins the race), would it be ok if I put my tires on a little early??

[majic]

Originally posted by ds2chan



Originally posted by majic
as for putting them on now, you\'ll chew them up faster since they are designed to operate best at lower temperatures (especially the snow/ice ones) - look for a thread in this subforum where ppl ask when they should put the winter tires on or take them off

the only problem is I don\'t know what to do when putting the tires on myself.. that is, the entire process of rotating tires and so forth.. so I\'d like the guys at the shop to put them on for me but I\'m worried that they\'ll run out of the Continentals by the time I get in there..

but since I drive like a granny (slow and steady wins the race), would it be ok if I put my tires on a little early??

you rotate front to back only .. so not really rotate.. anyway.. each time you take the tires off and store them for the season, get some chalk and mark them up (LF, RF, LR, RR) so you know where they came off from

when you drive, the tires heat up whether you granny it or peel out, it\'s called friction.. besides you can BUY the tires NOW, have them mounted on the steelies and INSTALL them at a LATER DATE (say when temps are closer to the 5C mark or when snow is in the forecast)

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by majic
you rotate front to back only .. so not really rotate.. anyway.. each time you take the tires off and store them for the season, get some chalk and mark them up (LF, RF, LR, RR) so you know where they came off from

when you drive, the tires heat up whether you granny it or peel out, it\'s called friction.. besides you can BUY the tires NOW, have them mounted on the steelies and INSTALL them at a LATER DATE (say when temps are closer to the 5C mark or when snow is in the forecast)

I was thinking of buying them now but I would feel BETTER if they put the tires on.. then again, I guess it doesn\'t take that long to change a tire anyways..

I know the answer to this but I just want to confirm but using the jack that comes with the car should be ok, right?? as in, it can handle the weight long enough for me to take my time in changing the tire. I guess for a short period of time it would be ok but not a long period, say to paint my calipers?? thanks again..

[majic]

Originally posted by ds2chan
I was thinking of buying them now but I would feel if they put the tires on..

i don\'t think you\'d feel anything ;) :p


Originally posted by ds2chan
I know the answer to this but I just want to confirm but using the jack that comes with the car should be ok, right?? as in, it can handle the weight long enough for me to take my time in changing the tire. I guess for a short period of time it would be ok but not a long period, say to paint my calipers?? thanks again..

lol.. you either know the answer or you don\'t :p which one is it? :D the jack is designed to hmm.. jack the car up so yah it\'ll support the weight.. it\'s recommended to use jack stands but the jack will do even for when you paint the calipers. it\'ll be a pain in the ass since it takes forever to jack it but as long as you secure the other wheels go ahead and jack it.. be aware that the wheels will potentially seize up and you will need a karate style kick (or just a rubber mallet) and hit the bottom of the tire to loosen it - if you kick it hard enough (or miss the wheel) you might kick the jack from under your car.. not a pretty sight..

when\'s your next scheduled oil change? sometime late october/early november? just ask for tires to be rotated then (extra 10-15bux i think) and get them to put on the winters instead of the no-seasons; i don\'t see why they wouldn\'t do it.. it\'ll take them a tenth of the time that it would take you, plus they\'ll torque them the right amount

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by ds2chan
I was thinking of buying them now but I would feel if they put the tires on..

i don\'t think you\'d feel anything ;) :p

funny guy.. it\'s now corrected.. :sarc



Originally posted by majic
lol.. you either know the answer or you don\'t :p which one is it? :D the jack is designed to hmm.. jack the car up so yah it\'ll support the weight.. it\'s recommended to use jack stands but the jack will do even for when you paint the calipers. it\'ll be a pain in the ass since it takes forever to jack it but as long as you secure the other wheels go ahead and jack it.. be aware that the wheels will potentially seize up and you will need a karate style kick (or just a rubber mallet) and hit the bottom of the tire to loosen it - if you kick it hard enough (or miss the wheel) you might kick the jack from under your car.. not a pretty sight..

when\'s your next scheduled oil change? sometime late october/early november? just ask for tires to be rotated then (extra 10-15bux i think) and get them to put on the winters instead of the no-seasons; i don\'t see why they wouldn\'t do it.. it\'ll take them a tenth of the time that it would take you, plus they\'ll torque them the right amount

that\'s the thing.. I know jack stands would be better but since I don\'t have any I guess I\'ll have to do it the old fashion way.. I read somewhere that you can lather up the axle(? I think that\'s what it\'s called; the part the tire sits on) with something so that next time u change ur tires they won\'t be so hard to take off.. where can I get some of this stuff?? I forget what it\'s called but I\'m hoping u\'ll tell me so I won\'t have to do a search.. :D

my oil change should at the end of november/beginning of december time.. the thing is, when I buy tires they say they\'ll put them on for me.. that\'s what I was hoping for.. as opposed to me installing them myself since the service comes with buying the new tires..

[Whos ur dadd]

Originally posted by ds2chan

the thing is, when I buy tires they say they\'ll put them on for me.. that\'s what I was hoping for.. as opposed to me installing them myself since the service comes with buying the new tires..

Many places will put on the wheel/tire combo onto your car for you as part of their price. Usually, you will have paid the install/balance of the tire on the rim as part of your purchase price.

Removing/installing a wheel is not difficult at all. On a scale of 1 to 10, it\'d be a -497. All you need are two arms and hands (preferably with all ten digits on said hands). And a torque wrench.

[SourcE]

I usually use a jack also, but WuD obviousely works out...;)

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by SourcE


I usually use a jack also, but WuD obviousely works out...;)

HAHAHA.. that was too funny..



Originally posted by Whos ur dadd
Removing/installing a wheel is not difficult at all. On a scale of 1 to 10, it\'d be a -497.

I know changing a tire is easy but hey, this is my first car.. I\'m trying to baby her and make sure I know what I\'m doing before I go doing stuff to her.. :p

[majic]

Originally posted by ds2chan

I\'m trying to baby her and make sure I know what I\'m doing before I go doing stuff to her.. :p

how\'s that for a \"mis-quotation\" :D :D :D

[Whos ur dadd]

Originally posted by SourcE


I usually use a jack also, but WuD obviousely works out...;)

You\'re gonna get jacked soon if you keep that up, buddy.

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by ds2chan

I\'m trying to baby her and make sure I know what I\'m doing before I go doing stuff to her.. :p

how\'s that for a \"mis-quotation\" :D :D :D

hey, if u want a smooth ride you gotta do things right.. :D

[TheProfessor]

If you\'re worried about them running out why not buy the tires now and ask them to hold onto them for you? If they won\'t do that, surely they\'ll let you bring them back at a later date and install them then for free.

I wouldn\'t put the tires on just yet.....you got at least four more weeks of safe non-snow driving IMO......and before anyone says that there could be some snow, even if there is it won\'t last more than a day.

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by PSIVIC


If you\'re worried about them running out why not buy the tires now and ask them to hold onto them for you? If they won\'t do that, surely they\'ll let you bring them back at a later date and install them then for free.

I wouldn\'t put the tires on just yet.....you got at least four more weeks of safe non-snow driving IMO......and before anyone says that there could be some snow, even if there is it won\'t last more than a day.

thanks.. u\'ve got a good point there.. plus, I never thought about asking them to install the tires at a later date.. I had the frame of mind where I would get the shop to change the tires the first time and then I\'ll do it myself afterwards..

[mwaters]

I agree with the buy now and put on later comment. Putting the snows on now will cause excessive wear especially if the temp stays above 20C as it has been the past while. You may find that whatever shop you buy from (or their supplier) may not even the snows in stock now anyways and you\'ll be waiting for a few weeks to receive them.