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Old 11-06-2010, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Homer Alaska
1,055 posts, read 1,868,714 times
Reputation: 854

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Snow in a coastal area is completely different then snow in northern Minnesota! I need to buy studded tires. Is there any particular brand or tread pattern that I should consider? Ice conditions and hillsides are the big concern for me in Homer. I am a fairly awful winter driver under the best of circumstances! Once I dig my car out, I need to go shopping, tires, winter boots, aluminum snow shovel, basically all winter gear. I can't believe we left it all back in MN.
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Old 11-06-2010, 01:56 PM
 
Location: Lyon, France, Whidbey Island WA
20,834 posts, read 17,093,761 times
Reputation: 11535
Firestone Winterforce studded get very good reviews. If you want the uber best ones the Nokian studded are the ticket.
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Old 11-06-2010, 02:17 PM
 
4,989 posts, read 10,018,605 times
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Nokian and Hankook are the popular brands up here, but they are also the more expensive ones. I've also run the more inexpensive brands like Mastercraft and they are just fine as well.
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Old 11-06-2010, 02:43 PM
 
Location: Lyon, France, Whidbey Island WA
20,834 posts, read 17,093,761 times
Reputation: 11535
More information than you could ever want. Winter tire ratings.

Consumer Survey Results By Category

Tire Rack does not carry Nokian Tyres so those are not included. I worked extra shifts last year to buy the Nokian studded SUV 5. Superior and competent on snow and ice.
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Old 11-06-2010, 08:22 PM
 
Location: Bliss Township, Michigan
6,424 posts, read 13,243,334 times
Reputation: 6902
I'm fond of Cooper tires.
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Old 11-06-2010, 08:37 PM
 
Location: Palmer
2,519 posts, read 7,031,543 times
Reputation: 1395
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nephler View Post
I'm fond of Cooper tires.
I have cooper discoverers, 31/10.5/15, with aggressive studs on my beater toyota. I feel sometimes like I can go anywhere in the winter. I just went up a steep trail today in about 6 inches of wet snow with ice under it...I made it but don't want to do it again.
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Old 11-06-2010, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Bliss Township, Michigan
6,424 posts, read 13,243,334 times
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Cooper's may not to the smoothest ride, but the durability can't be beat, I feel anyway. I've had Goodyear, BFG's, Michelin, Perelli, to name a few, and I always seem to come back to Cooper.
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Old 11-06-2010, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Not far from Fairbanks, AK
20,292 posts, read 37,164,114 times
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It does not make much difference which snow tires you buy if they have studs. I would buy the cheapest I can at Sam's Club, Walmart, or Sears. Taller tires (size 15, 17, 18, and so forth) usually last two or three seasons before you have to re-stud the tires. The studs on tire sizes 13', 12" and such don't last very long because of the faster tire rotation on the roads. Just make sure that you buy tires that can be re-studded a couple of seasons later, but sometimes re-studding is as expensive as new studded tires. Most people remove the studs by May, and use the same tires through the summer.

Now if you are buying snow tires without studs, then there are a few favorites, and one of these is Blizzak (made by Bridgestone). Nokian tires are also quite good, somewhat similar to Blizzak, at least as snow tires go. Both have relatively soft rubber, which is good for winter but not for summer.

The bottom line is that it makes no sense to spend a fortune on studded tires, since all studs wear out relatively fast. But if the idea is to buy snow tires without studs, then you may have to pay a lot more for quality, looks, or performance.
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Old 11-06-2010, 11:40 PM
 
Location: NP AK/SF NM
681 posts, read 1,206,422 times
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Some of the tire dealers around Fairbanks (don't know in your locale) will run some pretty good deals on the Blizzak tires in the fall. Something like "Buy 3 get the 4th free" or some other discount like that. Hmmm...who would ever purposely intend to buy just 3 anyway? The Blizzaks combined with the AWD on my Ford Escape make for excellent traction. Great for those glazed intersections we seem to have around here.
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Old 11-06-2010, 11:52 PM
 
4,989 posts, read 10,018,605 times
Reputation: 3285
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayinAK View Post
The bottom line is that it makes no sense to spend a fortune on studded tires, since all studs wear out relatively fast. But if the idea is to buy snow tires without studs, then you may have to pay a lot more for quality, looks, or performance.
That's what I have deduced over the years. The whole "studless" tire thing is a money scam, pure and simple. It seems like half the time I walk into one of these tire stores, they are always trying to sell me on the latest Blizzak-umpty-fratz, that oh by the way cost $200+ per tire! They always seem to have some latest study that somehow "proves" that these new studlless tires actually are better than tried and true studded winter tires. Now, the same salesmen are on video saying that studs still provide the best traction...

Quote:
Studded tires are always going to give you the better traction, mainly because you have the metal gripping into the ice rather than just a friction between rubber and ice,” said Johnson’s Tire Service assistant manager Paul Mariaucci.
First snow buries tire shops in customers - ktuu.com
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