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I live in Chicago and the only thing I care about is driving in the bad weather. I can't get winter tires because I will have no place to store the other tires.
All of the ratings so far have been bad for Good Year, Bridgestone and Firestone.
I don't know what to do. I don't care about noise or gas mileage, just arriving safely.
Thanks
Oh, and there's a huge Toyota forum (toyotanation?), so I'd check there & Tire Rack.com (they favor performance tires, but have a huge number of reviews on almost every tire made). Also, determine what your needs actually are - will you be out in the snow/slush, or just rain/sleet? Good luck!
This time of year you could buy a set of Blizzak snow tires, use them through the winter, when they are about half-worn, they revert to a different compound and are essentially the same as a "regular" tire.
If you use up one set a year that would be ideal.
Realize that any "regular" tire will grip OK in snow while the tread is deep, but once they are about half-worn the snow ability is about nil.
two winters ago, I bought cooper Lifeliner's. We had a big snow, and I plowed the crap out of those drifts. Felt unstoppable. My car is a little heavier, 1994 buick lesabre. Front wheel drive though.
They make another brand that lasts 75,000 to 80,000 miles called CS4. Little pricey for my student budget but the lifeliners have performed admirably and I have yet to pick up a nail. I've got 20,000 miles on them now. Winter tires for cars are kind of unnecessary I have found. As long as you have tread, you should be fine.
If you have 14's on it, it's going to be a pain to find anything like a "winter tire" for it. The sold an alternate with a 15" rim. If you have that your options open up, but not by much. If those don't interest you, michelin makes their X-ice brand in both sizes. So I'd ask your local tire shop to pick them up. little pricey however. around 150 for 1.
I work in a tire shop. A cooper dealer, but we order for customers all the time to get michelins hancook and the like.
The only person that answered on the Echo Toyota board said Nokian Hakka. I called about them and the salesman said you must get 4 tires (I only need 2) and for 4 they will cost $600.00. They don't have them in Chicago so would have to have them sent here from Michigan and installed. The 2 new tires on the front are Good Year Eagle LS. Is it a must that I get 4 tires instead of 2? The Good Year have low ratings.
This is getting very complicated.
My tire size is (I think) 195/60/15. The 15 is for sure.
The Nokians are very, very good (and $$) tires for your application. I can't help but wonder which Goodyear you keep referencing as "low ratings" however, as there are several excellent choices in the 15" size. I'd also check Continental & Goodrich. FWIW, a quick check on TireRack finds three well reviewed choices, all under $90/tire.
The only person that answered on the Echo Toyota board said Nokian Hakka. I called about them and the salesman said you must get 4 tires (I only need 2) and for 4 they will cost $600.00. They don't have them in Chicago so would have to have them sent here from Michigan and installed. The 2 new tires on the front are Good Year Eagle LS. Is it a must that I get 4 tires instead of 2? The Good Year have low ratings.
This is getting very complicated.
My tire size is (I think) 195/60/15. The 15 is for sure.
You don't "need" to get 4 tires at a time. I do, it makes my life easier because I generally don't have to worry about two different sets of tires. Also, when you rotate them, you may wind up with two different tires on an axle, which can also mess up your winter performance. Good tread on the left and crap tread on the right won't help.
After doing extensive research and talking to a dozen different people on various car forums we settled on Hankook. I forget the model right now but having them on a car last year in the deep snow up in WI was great. Never had an issue with traction and braking, corning was very good.
I'll get the model number.
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