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Definitely use steelies / winter tires for the winter months. A set of all seasons + winter tires lasts at least a season longer than 2 sets of all season tires. This is due to having to throw the all-season tires out quite early.
For A/S tires, I recommend two tires:
Continental Pure Contact with EcoPlus - this is a good tire. Quiet, good for fuel economy, and superb treadwear
Michelin Pilot A/S Plus - this is a high performance all-season. I bought these because my car handles quite well so I wanted something sporty. It handles like a summer tire but still has 45,000 mile warranty. Summer tires have garbage treadlife.
Option #1 is better if practicality is what you are after.
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking that I might get a cheap set of steelies and winter tires and run that setup from mid/late December until late February or so, then switch back to summer tires for the remainder of the year. I realize that an all-season won't give me ideal performance in ALL seasons, and if next winter is anything like this past one, I'll definitely benefit from some dedicated winter tires.
Pass on Summer Tires. Summer tires are for dedicated sports cars. The average vehicle has no business wasting $$$ on terrible tread life.
I run Continental ExtremeContact DWS on my Infiniti G35x. I've actually run two sets of these tires. The first set went 70K miles before needing to be replaced. Currently at 20K on my 2nd set.
Up here, in the northeast, they have been great in the snow with AWD. Getting dedicated snows has never crossed my mind as i've gone out in deep snow (enough that i plow through it rather than drive over) and the car has never gotten stuck. Now, the AWD might have something to do with it however.
Rain performance is great. I've driven 70MPH in pouring rain with confidence.
Dry performance is good for an average commuter car. I drive aggressive, and wear has been even all the way down to the wear bars.
Forgot to mention that it's the LTZ trim with 17" wheels, so it's 205/50-17.
No fair, not only do you have a large selection of summer sport, all season performance, and winter tires, you also have 8 different low rolling resistance tires by very good brands! Low rolling resistance tires will help increase your fuel economy if they weren't standard on your car.
Up here, in the northeast, they have been great in the snow with AWD. Getting dedicated snows has never crossed my mind as i've gone out in deep snow (enough that i plow through it rather than drive over) and the car has never gotten stuck. Now, the AWD might have something to do with it however.
A FWD car with a set of winter tires can tackle pretty much any set of winter conditions. I used to think All Season tires were "good enough" until I bought winter tires. The difference is significant. All-wheel drive helps you get going but does nothing for stopping in snow and ice.
If you are looking for a tire you can run all year that will work in harsh winter conditions don't get sucked into buying a tire just because it is designated as all season. Tire makers can designate racing slicks as all season if they want. I would recommend going with an all weather tire that has the mountain peak and snowflake symbol on it.
I'm looking for a good all-season tire. I may consider getting a set of winter tires on steelies for the harsh months, but for now I need something that'll last me through the seasons. Price isn't a concern but I do want something I can get a good number of miles from.
I know next to nothing about tires, so educate me. What should I be looking for? What brands should I avoid? Are there any new/special technologies that I should look out for?
FWIW, this will be for a 2012 Chevy Sonic hatchback.
First, lets get the nomenclature right. The so called "winter" tire is just the old snow tire. I live 10 miles away from you and for the winters we have here, snow tires and mounting and dismounting them are unnecessary hassles. A set of all-season tires will do just fine. On those days that all-seasons won't cut it, you probably should be staying home anyway.
First, lets get the nomenclature right. The so called "winter" tire is just the old snow tire. I live 10 miles away from you and for the winters we have here, snow tires and mounting and dismounting them are unnecessary hassles. A set of all-season tires will do just fine. On those days that all-seasons won't cut it, you probably should be staying home anyway.
I typically can work from home, and after thinking about it, I'd have to agree. Seems like the best best is to pony up for a good set of all-seasons and be done with it, and WFH when the weather is extra bad.
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