Whats a good tire for Winter/Summer?

[iconicrocket]

Is it a good idea to get a set of all-season tire for ALL the seasons. Wouldn\'t you save money by buying one set of tires that performs well in all seasons. I know it would probably be more expensive for 1 set, but then again you don\'t have to buy 2 sets for winter and summer, AND have to mount them twice for each year.

Does this makes sense to anyone.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by iconicrocket


Is it a good idea to get a set of all-season tire for ALL the seasons. Wouldn\'t you save money by buying one set of tires that performs well in all seasons. I know it would probably be more expensive for 1 set, but then again you don\'t have to buy 2 sets for winter and summer, AND have to mount them twice for each year.

Does this makes sense to anyone.



it all depends what type of driving you do.

if you take it easy all year, then a no-season tire will suffice.

however, it probably works out cheaper in the end getting 2 sets of tires (winter and summer) since each set lasts \"twice\" as long.

[majic]

^^^ what he said.. you prolong the life of each \'set\' by swapping them. you can do it yourself or pay 10 or 20 bux in a local shop and they\'ll do it for you.. i think at avante it cost 15bux but don\'t quote me on that.

you also increase your safety in the winter by having a dedicated tire. in all honesty you won\'t know what you\'re missing until you get some winter shoes for your 3. some of our members got into accidents and just after spending $1000 to fix their car they got winter tires b/c the RS-Ass aren\'t reliable at all. next winter i\'m getting some winter tires for my mom and then all seasons for summer (she doesn\'t need a performance tire)

also, unfortunately there can\'t be a tire that\'s excellent in all areas, you\'ll have a \'jack of all trades\' that\'ll be mediocre in wet/dry/snow

cliff\'s notes [MBN(tm)]: get a dedicated set of winter tires and you\'ll save $ in the long run.

[Xenon]

I recommend having two sets of tires. One for summer driving and a dedicated winter tire. There are some main reasons:

Tire Wear
Having two sets of tires extends the legnth of time you will have your tires (time life, not tread life). Since the driving is distruibuted between two sets over time, there will be less wear per year on them.

Grip
Most importantly in the winter, grip will improve the performance of your car in their respective weather conditions. Handling and ride will be improved. In the winter, multiple tests and research has shown that no all-season performance tire comes close to even the most inexpensive winter tires when it comes to grip on snow and ice. Expecially with the lack of grip found on the Eagle RS-As in winter driving, snow tires are highly recommended. As for the summer, if you have a dedicated high-performance tire for the summer months, you will maximize the abilities of your car. the improved grip over all-seasons will allow you to corner and turn better.

Side Notes:
You may want to consider having winter tires and summer tires on separate rims. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, it\'s easy to install and remove. Just jack up the car, take off the old tire, and put on the new one. Secondly, your summer rims will be protected from ice and snow in the winter. Not to mention salt. Don\'t let your pretty aftermarket or OEM rims get damaged by winter salt. Let the steelies take the beating. Getting separate rims also allows you to downgrade your tire size for the winter, saving you money. A good example is if you have the 17\" rims that come with Sport GT/GFX models. I saved over $120 buying 16\" winter tires vs 17\" winter tires. And last but not least, if you decide to use the same set or rims for summer and winter... you risk damaging the rim every time you put on or take off a tire. At least if they are separate, you don\'t have to take the tires on and off, saving your rim and your tire.

For the record, my summer tires are the OEM Mazda3 GT 17\" rims with the stock Goodyear Eagle RS-A\'s. My winter tires are 16\" Hankook W400 Winter Radials on a generic steelie rim.

I hope you find this helpful, and sorry about the long essay.

[iconicrocket]

Your essay was informative.

Just wondering now whether Tire23 or Espec have winters tires on clearance once we start to hit spring and summer. Hoping to get some deep-discount, since I have to wait 8 months to use them. :D

I have new 17\" tires on since I got the car only last week. No need to think about replacing them for another year or so. But definitely what you suggest, I should be looking to get some decent snow tires for winter.

[majic]

Originally posted by iconicrocket


Your essay was informative.

Just wondering now whether Tire23 or Espec have winters tires on clearance once we start to hit spring and summer. Hoping to get some deep-discount, since I have to wait 8 months to use them. :D



i HIGHLY doubt it.. they usually stock just barely enough for us - no point of them having sit unsold till the next year (mind you, they are on other forums as well not only TM3.. but still)

you might want to check out the guys over at tiretrends.com (https://www.tiretrends.com/snow_specials.php) but when i checked they didn\'t have our sizes but you could find something CLOSE if you don\'t mind your speedo being off by a bit.

[///M]

Originally posted by majic
you might want to check out the guys over at tiretrends.com (https://www.tiretrends.com/snow_specials.php) but when i checked they didn\'t have our sizes but you could find something CLOSE if you don\'t mind your speedo being off by a bit.

They have W300s in 205/50/17 according to the link.

Their prices aren\'t bad either - 225/40/18 winter tires for $144.03. My 17s cost more than that!

[nifty6]

I suggest going with 16\" rims and winter tires. With 17\" there is not much room between the tire and front wheel wells, snow might buikd up between the tires and wheel wells which might effect steering. just my 2 cents

[///M]

Won\'t make a difference since with correctly sized tires the overall diameter will be the same 16\" or 17\" regardless.

[mwaters]

Agree with comments above. 2 sets are the way to go. Once you get a decent set of winter tires and use them in the snow you\'ll totally understand why everyone is recommending this. Steel wheels and 16s are also a good idea.

The RSA are garbage compared to many others in the high or ultra high allseason category. I switched mine to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S the same afternoon I picked up the 3 and the car handles much better. I look forward to trying them in heavy rain which is where they should excel vs the RSAs. I\'ll be getting steel 16s and winters when the snow starts to fall.

[Flagrum_3]

Originally posted by mwaters


Agree with comments above. 2 sets are the way to go. Once you get a decent set of winter tires and use them in the snow you\'ll totally understand why everyone is recommending this. Steel wheels and 16s are also a good idea.

The RSA are garbage compared to many others in the high or ultra high allseason category. I switched mine to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S the same afternoon I picked up the 3 and the car handles much better. I look forward to trying them in heavy rain which is where they should excel vs the RSAs. I\'ll be getting steel 16s and winters when the snow starts to fall.


Hey mwaters, agree with your above points and was also thinking on the Michelins.Can you give us the heads up/review on those tires (in the rain,handling etc;)and what was the cost?

Thanks.


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[maldini]

Originally posted by autoexe


Won\'t make a difference since with correctly sized tires the overall diameter will be the same 16\" or 17\" regardless.

You mean 205/60/16 tires will fit on the 17\" stock rims?

[majic]

Originally posted by maldini



Originally posted by autoexe


Won\'t make a difference since with correctly sized tires the overall diameter will be the same 16\" or 17\" regardless.

You mean 205/60/16 tires will fit on the 17\" stock rims?

umm.. no XXX/YY/16 tire will fit on a 17\" rim without deforming it to an undriveable state ;)

EDIT: what autoexe meant is 205/50/17tire will have the same overall diameter as 205/55/16 tire

[mwaters]

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 205/50/17, treadwear is 400 I beleive.

I have only had these for 500km and I\'m still letting the engine break-in a bit before going too crazy. I\'ve been very impressed with these tires so far. Excellent grip on dry roads and very good grip in the wet. I have not been able to break these loose in wet/dry conditions. Road noise is slightly more than the RSAs but nothing annoying at all and the improved performance far outweighs this small negative. I have yet to drive in heavy rain but Tirerack gives these tires a great rating.

Cost: $235 installed + tax. Yes they are expensive but I would buy them again based on performance to date.

I was able to negotiate a refund for my RSAs (only 100km on them) of $100 per tire which helped with the purchase.

I\'ve driven on a number of high perf tires, including Gforce KDWs, RSAs, Bridgestone 730s, Firestone sz-50ep and a number of Yokos. I have been most impressed by these Pilot Sports so far.

[Flagrum_3]

Originally posted by mwaters


Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 205/50/17, treadwear is 400 I beleive.

I have only had these for 500km and I\'m still letting the engine break-in a bit before going too crazy. I\'ve been very impressed with these tires so far. Excellent grip on dry roads and very good grip in the wet. I have not been able to break these loose in wet/dry conditions. Road noise is slightly more than the RSAs but nothing annoying at all and the improved performance far outweighs this small negative. I have yet to drive in heavy rain but Tirerack gives these tires a great rating.

Cost: $235 installed + tax. Yes they are expensive but I would buy them again based on performance to date.

I was able to negotiate a refund for my RSAs (only 100km on them) of $100 per tire which helped with the purchase.

I\'ve driven on a number of high perf tires, including Gforce KDWs, RSAs, Bridgestone 730s, Firestone sz-50ep and a number of Yokos. I have been most impressed by these Pilot Sports so far.




Thanks mwaters for the early update:) From my experience using Michelins, your wet traction should be excellent.As for the noise \'More Traction=More noise\' IMO.

They are a little pricey but you\'ll probably get extreme kms\' out of them which would undoubtably cover the extra cost.

Keep us updated!!

Thanks again.


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