all-season AWD tires for snow

[runcyclexcski]

I live in the Bay area (no snow), and I go skiing to the Sierras every
weekend (tons of snow). So, snow tires don't make sense, since I don't
want to change the wheels back and forth every week. I've been able to
get away with all-season cheap Falcon tires: they, for some reason, let
me go w/o chains when a storm hits (even though they require chains on
anything except "AWD with snow tires"). T

he problem is that the Falcons have lasted for only 30K. So, I am on
the market again, and looking for smth that would be more durable. Is
it realistic to find decent all-season AWD tires that would not suck on
snow, for under $100 ea? E.g the code "205/55VR16" - does it imply that
it's a AWD tire, or does it only specify the diameter/width, and AWD is
some other coding? I once got 4 tires replaced in emergency at some WY
shop in the middle of nowhere, and later found out that they have
installed tires not rated for AWD ("M-rating" if I am not mistaken).
Don't want that to happen again.

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[runcyclexcski]

oops, I forgot. the vehicle is an Impreza Outback.

 

[M.J.]

I live in the Bay area (no snow), and I go skiing to the Sierras every
weekend (tons of snow).

I live in Reno and for a very long time I used to travel weekly
to San Francisco.

I would be coming back to Reno late at night approx.
10:00-11:00PM. Winter road conditions at this time of day,
or should I say night, are almost always nasty on I-80, so I
needed tires that would behave well on snow/slush, but not
be winter tires, per se, as Reno sees little snow, and Bay Area
none at all.

I solved the tire problem/dilemma by purchasing "rain" tires
(Michelin RainForce). These were excellent in rain, and
also very good in slush and snow. Eventually I got an AWD
Subaru but for a long time these and a set of Spikes-Spyder
did the job.

I would strongly suggest you look around for rain tires!

These are all-season tires with a slant for cooler weather,
that is, thread design is good for slush, and the rubber
compound is formulated for cooler weather. As I recall the
RainForces weren't very expensive either. I am sure you could
find something for less than 100$ that would fit the Impreza.

Anyway, this is probably your best bet for all-season type tires.
Check Tirerack.com I think they list some rain type tires.

M.J.

 

[M.J.]

I live in the Bay area (no snow), and I go skiing to the Sierras every
weekend (tons of snow).

I live in Reno and for a very long time I used to travel weekly
to San Francisco.

I would be coming back to Reno late at night approx.
10:00-11:00PM. Winter road conditions at this time of day,
or should I say night, are almost always nasty on I-80, so I
needed tires that would behave well on snow/slush, but not
be winter tires, per se, as Reno sees little snow, and Bay Area
none at all.

I solved the tire problem/dilemma by purchasing "rain" tires
(Michelin RainForce). These were excellent in rain, and
also very good in slush and snow. Eventually I got an AWD
Subaru but for a long time these and a set of Spikes-Spyder
did the job.

I would strongly suggest you look around for rain tires!

These are all-season tires with a slant for cooler weather,
that is, thread design is good for slush, and the rubber
compound is formulated for cooler weather. As I recall the
RainForces weren't very expensive either. I am sure you could
find something for less than 100$ that would fit the Impreza.

Anyway, this is probably your best bet for all-season type tires.
Check Tirerack.com I think they list some rain type tires.[/QUOTE]


I forgot to add, you may want to look for rain tires with
a more aggressive type thread. I've had these:

http://www.accctiresonline.com/rainforce.htm

Some rain tires thread can be very smooth, as the Goodyear Aquas,
These would probably not be as good on dry snow. Choose a more
aggressive thread.

M.J.

 

[mulder]

I live in the Bay area (no snow), and I go skiing to the Sierras every
weekend (tons of snow). So, snow tires don't make sense, since I don't
want to change the wheels back and forth every week. I've been able to
get away with all-season cheap Falcon tires: they, for some reason, let
me go w/o chains when a storm hits (even though they require chains on
anything except "AWD with snow tires"). T

he problem is that the Falcons have lasted for only 30K. So, I am on
the market again, and looking for smth that would be more durable. Is
it realistic to find decent all-season AWD tires that would not suck on
snow, for under $100 ea? E.g the code "205/55VR16" - does it imply that
it's a AWD tire, or does it only specify the diameter/width, and AWD is
some other coding? I once got 4 tires replaced in emergency at some WY
shop in the middle of nowhere, and later found out that they have
installed tires not rated for AWD ("M-rating" if I am not mistaken).
Don't want that to happen again.

Any comments would be appreciated.

There is no such thing as an "AWD" tire. Tires are either summer-only
(warm weather compound), all-season, or winter. Most all-season and
winter tires will have the "M+S" rating for "mud and snow".
All-season tires are by necessity a compromise, but depending on the
conditions you drive in they can serve you very well if you get the
right ones. The best all-seasons will give very good performance in
dry and wet conditions as well as decent performance in light to
moderate snow. However for driving in heavy snow you're best off with
full-out winter tires.
Based on my experience here in NY, as well as that of many others, I'd
suggest you look into a set of Pirelli P-Zero Neros. They are the
highest rated performance all-seasons and should serve you well in
whatever conditions you are likely to encounter except perhaps very
deep snow.
Also I'd recommend a call to Tire Rack to discuss your tire needs,
they can clarify some things for you about how tires are rated and
make some suggestions.

 

[Zuben el Genubi]

I live in the Bay area (no snow), and I go skiing to the Sierras every
weekend (tons of snow). So, snow tires don't make sense, since I don't
want to change the wheels back and forth every week. I've been able to
get away with all-season cheap Falcon tires: they, for some reason, let
me go w/o chains when a storm hits (even though they require chains on
anything except "AWD with snow tires"). T

he problem is that the Falcons have lasted for only 30K. So, I am on
the market again, and looking for smth that would be more durable. Is
it realistic to find decent all-season AWD tires that would not suck on
snow, for under $100 ea? E.g the code "205/55VR16" - does it imply that
it's a AWD tire, or does it only specify the diameter/width, and AWD is
some other coding? I once got 4 tires replaced in emergency at some WY
shop in the middle of nowhere, and later found out that they have
installed tires not rated for AWD ("M-rating" if I am not mistaken).
Don't want that to happen again.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Another tire worth considering is the Nokian WR. They have an 80,000km
wear warranty AND a "severe weather" rating. I use them on my STI up
here in Toronto for 3 seasons, and put the OEM Potenzas on for the
summer. I do a lot of gravel backroad fun driving, and they work well
there, and they're also good in snow, although I've never been sure how
much of that is due to the AWD. On dry pavement, they're a little
squirmy compared to the Potenzas, but not all that bad, and only when
you approach the limit, which is rare on the street (at least for me).

Nokian is Finnish, and I think of them every time I see that commercial
on TV where the investment guy is watching them tire testing on ice, and
the other guy says "Russia is right over there, isn't it?".

....Ron

 

[seanwilliams58]

Full disclosure - I work for Goodyear - that said, I encourage you to
go to a site like Tire Rack and do a comparison on all-season tires. A
leading consumer magazine rated our Assurance with TripleTred
Technology the best overall -- I've had them on my Honda Accord for a
year and a half, and they are simply outstanding in the cold, slush,
rain and snow of northeastern Ohio. They also perform very well in
summer conditions -- i.e., the handling is very good. The sort of
combination driving you describe is the whole reason for the Assurance
TripleTreds to exist -- there is also an SUV version of the tires --
Fortera with TripleTred -- that I have on my Honda Element -- in case
you are rolling on a larger vehicle.

A word on winter tires -- they are compounded especially for colder
weather, as well as being agressively siped and blocked for wet, slush,
snow and ice. I've had great success with the UltraGrip Ice tires -- my
first winter here I replaced my Michelins with the winter tires, and
until driving on Assurance, I intended to switch each winter. For you,
as a weekend snow-driver, they're impractical.

I offer this information in the spirit of offering help -- and
encourage you to research carefully even as I hope you'll give Goodyear
and Dunlop a good look.

 

[revyakin]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I did look at TireRack and did not
like their classification - touring, grand touring, perfomance, high
perfomance, utra high... etc E.g. I looked at the Yokohama AVIDS (they
get decent ratings), and "High performance" cost less than "Touring".
Also, the definition of "performance" was confusing ("perform" well in
what? snow? rain? dry? aggressive driving?). I want long tread life,
smooth ride on the highway, and decent handling in the snow/rain, and I
don't care about being ahead of everybody when the light turns green.

 

[Stefano]

I live in the bay area as well.
Last winter i made a few unrecommended trips to the sierra with the
stock STI wheels.

I changed those out with the Kuhmo ecsta ASX. Its an all season tire i
just picke dup for relatively cheap form a local store. With those, it
was actually difficult to get the car to slip in the snow.. even heavy
snow conditions. I know this becuase i made a concerted effort to find
the limitations..
In the dry, the tires will squeal a little bit if you drive like a
jerk in the mountains.

I commute from the santa cruz mountains out to the valley everyday..
My only complaint about these tires was that after the winter was over
and the full on summer set in, the tires started to deteriorate
faster..
I got more than 8 months out of these tires which is good considering
how i abused them.

Since winter is just about here again, i may try another set of these.
Hope that helps.

 

[DK]

Full disclosure - I work for Goodyear - that said, I encourage you to
go to a site like Tire Rack and do a comparison on all-season tires. A
leading consumer magazine rated our Assurance with TripleTred
Technology the best overall -- I've had them on my Honda Accord for a
year and a half, and they are simply outstanding in the cold, slush,
rain and snow of northeastern Ohio. They also perform very well in
summer conditions -- i.e., the handling is very good.

No affiliation with Goodyear here. I put Assurance TripleTred on
my wife's Forester in April. Amazing tire. Grip in wet conditions
is exceptional, also feels very solid dry. Based on this and on
reviews, I'd expect them to perform much better than the OEM
Bridgestones (at the very least!).

Too bad Goodyears does not make the size that would fit
on my old Impreza...

 

[Grolch]

Try the Goodyear Triple treads
Tirerack.com and consumers reports both have them rated as the TOP
all-season tire. I have them on my 04 Forester and can honestly say they are
the best tire I have ever driven.

 

[y_p_w]

On 20 Sep 2006 21:28:32 -0700, (e-mail address removed) wrote:

There is no such thing as an "AWD" tire. Tires are either summer-only
(warm weather compound), all-season, or winter. Most all-season and
winter tires will have the "M+S" rating for "mud and snow".

True. However - there's no real standard for whether or not a
tire really is suitable for "mud and snow" other than the
manufacturer's say-so.

All-season tires are by necessity a compromise, but depending on the
conditions you drive in they can serve you very well if you get the
right ones. The best all-seasons will give very good performance in
dry and wet conditions as well as decent performance in light to
moderate snow. However for driving in heavy snow you're best off with
full-out winter tires.

Absolutely. Many of the highest tread-life tires are all-seasons.
In general I find that Summer tires tends towards higher performance
versions with overall lower tread-life. There are exceptions.

Based on my experience here in NY, as well as that of many others, I'd
suggest you look into a set of Pirelli P-Zero Neros. They are the
highest rated performance all-seasons and should serve you well in
whatever conditions you are likely to encounter except perhaps very
deep snow.

I have those, and am getting rid of them this weekend in favor of
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position in the stock WRX
P205/55R15 size. If you read my thread on "inside shoulder wear",
I noted that the inner shoulder was wearing prematurely and
couldn't be accounted for with alignment readings alone. They
were relatively quiet and handled well, but I think I'm ready to
try something different. I got 19K miles on them, but they looked
like they could go 45K miles on the center of the tread.

The P Zero Nero M+S doesn't look like an all-season tire, and I
really don't think of it as such. I did OK in some fresh snow when
they were new, but I'm not sure if that was really a good idea to
market them as all-seasons. The tread pattern is identical to
their P Zero Nero (Summer) tire, although a Pirelli rep said the
main difference is in the carcass (which reduces the contact patch)
and the tread compound used (won't harden as much at cold temps).
It's not even moderately siped like most all-seasons.

<http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=PZero+Nero+M&S>

When I got the P Zero Nero M+S, I wasn't all that concerned with
winter performance, since I live in the SF Bay Area. I was primarily
looked for long treadwear, good handling, and wet weather safety.
Two out of three ain't bad. I did try taking my ride up to the Sierras
just out of a sense of adventure.

If you're really looking for a good brand-name all-season tire in the
same category, here are a few that I've considered (in P205/55R16):

Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (pricey though)
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
Dunlop SP Sport 5000
Continental ContiExtremeContact
Yokohama ADVAN S.4
Yokohama AVID V4S

Also I'd recommend a call to Tire Rack to discuss your tire needs,
they can clarify some things for you about how tires are rated and
make some suggestions.

There are no tires I know of that are specifically designed for AWD
vehicles. Even many off-road tires are identically supplied on the
2wd and 4wd versions of light trucks.