Winter Tires

[tanman]

My" local" dealer -only an hour away-recently mailed me a flyer
advertising 4 Nokian tires with steel wheels for my '03 Baja.I really like
the tires but are steel wheels really that expensive?

 

[Diva]

How much are they advertising the tires for? The wheels?

June

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
Here, it's around 40.00 CAD a piece.
Nokian is GOOD winter tire.
Tony

tanman

 

[tanman]

LOL!How about a price!$869.00 for 4 nokian hak2 with steel wheels(215/60r16)

 

[Tim Reeve]

For comparison purposes, I recently bought 4 rims, plus 4 winter tires for
CDN$670 from Canadian Tire. The Subaru dealer offered their set at CDN$1020.
Definitely a better quality rim and tire, but economy has to play a part! I
would suggest that the dealer is not the cheapest alternative, but they do
have other qualities. It's up to you to decide if you are willing to pay the
extra.
Cheers,
Tim

 

[Diva]

Which Nokians are good for winter roads where perhaps salt hasn't been put down yet when I drive off in the morning and are all slick from driving snow, and which are slushy later on in the day when I drive home? I keep hearing about Hakka Q's but aren't those for ice? I don't think I want ice tires.

June

Hi,
Here, it's around 40.00 CAD a piece.
Nokian is GOOD winter tire.
Tony

tanman

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
I put Michelin Arctic Alpin on my kids' Impreza. Son drives RS manual,
daughter drives TS auto. Going into 3rd season and it's doing OK.
I just put them on last week in preparation for snow. We already had one
snowfall. Daughter used to go up to Whistler mountain ski resort. She
used to drive Mustang with chain on rear tires. Scared hell out of her
once skidding out on the winding road. Since Subaru, no more trouble.
She worked there as a volunteer instructor for kids. Now she is back
home(Calgary) going to medical school. She will be driving out
to Rockies(Banff, Panorama, Nakiska) for skiing on week ends.
Tony

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
Canadian tire has free life time tire repair, rotation. Your purchase record
is on their computer so when you go for say a flat repair, all you have
to do is tell them your name and phone number. I am not a fan of
Canadian Tire but there is some good deals to be had for many things.
Tony

 

[330xi]

that price is outrageous

we are using the subaru mag for winter with snows and bought nicer mags for
summer you can get 15" UNDER $ 200. each CDN and ad nicer summer rubber as
well and ends up about the same as the dealer's steel wheels and snows

you can also up size for summer if you like, we went to 17 inch wheels for
summer and the handling is great and not much difference in price.

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Diva]

Thanks, Tony. I'm in Michigan in a very flat great lake area. I keep hearing about these and also Nokian. I'll probably go with the Michelins since they are probably easier to find.

June

Hi,
I put Michelin Arctic Alpin on my kids' Impreza. Son drives RS manual,
daughter drives TS auto. Going into 3rd season and it's doing OK.
I just put them on last week in preparation for snow. We already had one
snowfall. Daughter used to go up to Whistler mountain ski resort. She
used to drive Mustang with chain on rear tires. Scared hell out of her
once skidding out on the winding road. Since Subaru, no more trouble.
She worked there as a volunteer instructor for kids. Now she is back
home(Calgary) going to medical school. She will be driving out
to Rockies(Banff, Panorama, Nakiska) for skiing on week ends.
Tony

 

[blh]

Be careful of too good to be true deals. Steel wheels from Canadian
Tire and other similar stores (Cosco, Walmart,...) are kind of one size
fits all. What I mean is the obvious measurement will fit such as the
size of the rim (i.e. 15" or 16") and the number of bolts and the bolt
pattern size BUT other very important specs are neglected. For example,
in order to fit as many kinds of cars as possible, the center hole of
the wheel is likely larger than the hub of your Subaru, that is the
wheel will not fit exactly around the hub but will be resting on the
five bolts instead. The wheel is only properly centered once all five
lugs are torqued in. Notice that your factory rims/wheels fit perfectly
around the wheel hub, that is the rims/wheels do not rest on the bolts,
the wheel is centered even without lugs. This is very important
especially if you drive your car on rough roads. It will have the same
affect of not having balanced tires on your wheel. The other thing is
the wheel offset may not be exactly what is needed for you car and
depending on the kind of tire you have mounted on them, the tire may rub
against the suspension or wheel well.

Trust me, I learned this the hard and expensive way. Anyway, I am not
putting down Canadian Tire but sometimes a little more money up front
saves you a lot in the end. After buying four sets of wheels and snow
tires in the past four years, I stumbled onto this internet store from
Montreal that another newsgroup recommended, www.talontire.com. They
sell steel wheels that match the exact factory specs (often they are the
factory wheel). They will courier you the tires mounted and balanced
onto the wheels (with nice details such as steel valve caps) to you door
for not much more than a place like Canadian tire (if you are not in
Quebec, they don't charge you PST).

Bao

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
In extreme cold little ding on the rim can cause a major damage.
Steel rim for winter! For the price of 4 nice mags, you can buy 4
winter tires on 4 steel rims.
Tony

 

[330xi]

i have driven mas in winter for over a dozen years on subaru and bmw and
never damaged a wheel

we get many cold minus high twenties and low thirty days over the coarse of
a winter

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
You call that cold?
Put a - sign in front of your numbers.
When you see slush forming inside your battery, that is cold!
Tony

 

[Tim Reeve]

Thanks for the link, Bao, I wish I had seen it before. They are offering the
same tires that the Subaru dealer is pushing at $225 per tire for only $130!
Definitely worth knowing about. My only concern would be after sales support
from a remote location, but that is true of many things today.
Cheers,
Tim

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
I never buy tires at dealer. My neighborhood tire shop has 4 for price
of 3 tire sale twice a year(spring and fall) When I need a set I buy
them then. It includes free installation, life time rotation/repair.
Also my friend runs tire import/wholesale business. I can go to his
warehouse and get whatever I need for wholesale deal.
Tony

 

[Stu Hedith]

Thanks, Tony. I'm in Michigan in a very flat great lake area. I keep hearing about these and also Nokian. I'll probably go with the Michelins since they are probably easier to find.

June

June, I have experience with both. I had a '98 GT sedan. I had the
Hakka Q's on 15" alloy rims for that car. NOT an ice tire. Maybe
better on ice than some comparable snows, but definitely NOT lacking in
the snow department. My '98 was an auto tranny, with no LSD in rear.
Last winter we had a huge snow storm christmas night in the northeast
(NH). I had been trying to sell the car and wanted to take for one last
spin in the snow. My neighborhood was unplowed and we had 12"+ on the
ground. Once i got down the diveway (plowed) and got in the street i
didn't want to stop for fear i wouldn't get going again. I was plowing
snow with the front bumper. It was being pushed aside and up on the
winshield as well. I did a loop ~2 miles before returning home. What a
hoot. Great snow tires. My wife's FWD Accord and our A6 quattro wagon
have the Michelin Arctic Alpins. I think the Nokians are better in the
snow. However, I found the Michelins to be quiter and handle better on
dry roads and they are plenty capable in the snow for a sane person. We
drove the Audi packed to the gills up to the white Mtns in the same
storm, later that night. 6-8" on the highway, often with no tracks to
follow. No traction problems, though the Audi is a much heavier car. I
found the Nokians a little "squishy" in the corners on dry roads. As
for wear, the Nokians and the Michelins have been through 2 winters and
all have plenty of tread left. I had to call around town to find people
that carried or could order the Hakka's but i found them to be
$10-$15/tire cheaper than the michelins. Hope this helps.

Stu

 

[Felix Crashalot]

Anyway, whatever rims or tires, DO use winter tires during winter.
It's like day and night!

A couple of things:
- the cheapest winter tires are better than any four season, security
wise.
- a set of winter tires means no compromise on summer tires.
- Canadian Tire Wintertraks or Icetraks are cheap, they do the job,
but they handle like crap. (still better than any four-season)
- once the rim is properly centered, the pressure made by the bolts
secure the rim to the disc, and the center hole does not matter in
making the assembly more solid. So a careful nut tightening technique
makes up for any center hole misnatch.
- keep your winter tires properly inflated, even a little bit more.
It will avoid scrapping both the tire and the rim on potholes.
- I love the Pirelli Snowsports. They're not the best in tests, but
they handle like good summer tires. Better than my Michelin Harmonys.

 

[Stu Hedith]

I was able to get 4 of the Subaru 5 or 6 spoke (I don't remember) 15"
alloys from local junkyards for $235 total for all 4. That's not much
more than steels at that point.

Stu

 

[Diva]

I really appreciate all of this information, Stu. I read your post with great interest and am saving it for future reference. I am going to start looking around for my snows and steel rims in the coming week.

June

Thanks, Tony. I'm in Michigan in a very flat great lake area. I keep hearing about these and also Nokian. I'll probably go with the Michelins since they are probably easier to find.

June

June, I have experience with both. I had a '98 GT sedan. I had the
Hakka Q's on 15" alloy rims for that car. NOT an ice tire. Maybe
better on ice than some comparable snows, but definitely NOT lacking in
the snow department. My '98 was an auto tranny, with no LSD in rear.
Last winter we had a huge snow storm christmas night in the northeast
(NH). I had been trying to sell the car and wanted to take for one last
spin in the snow. My neighborhood was unplowed and we had 12"+ on the
ground. Once i got down the diveway (plowed) and got in the street i
didn't want to stop for fear i wouldn't get going again. I was plowing
snow with the front bumper. It was being pushed aside and up on the
winshield as well. I did a loop ~2 miles before returning home. What a
hoot. Great snow tires. My wife's FWD Accord and our A6 quattro wagon
have the Michelin Arctic Alpins. I think the Nokians are better in the
snow. However, I found the Michelins to be quiter and handle better on
dry roads and they are plenty capable in the snow for a sane person. We
drove the Audi packed to the gills up to the white Mtns in the same
storm, later that night. 6-8" on the highway, often with no tracks to
follow. No traction problems, though the Audi is a much heavier car. I
found the Nokians a little "squishy" in the corners on dry roads. As
for wear, the Nokians and the Michelins have been through 2 winters and
all have plenty of tread left. I had to call around town to find people
that carried or could order the Hakka's but i found them to be
$10-$15/tire cheaper than the michelins. Hope this helps.

Stu