So I need winter tires...

i'm sick of it already. i toughed it out last year with my high performance all seasons, and i still had a hard time. i mean i love my GTI, but its just not that great in the snow and ice. we just had out first snow the other day, which wasnt even much, and i was already having trouble getting around, so i decided to get a winter tire setup. i was going to get blizzaks, but they're more expensive than i remember them being. here are the two im considering:

Continental ContiWinterContact Performance:
Continental ContiWinterContact TS810

General Altimax Artic:
General Altimax Arctic

both got really good reviews. the price difference is that the Contis are about 22 dollars more per tire. the trade offs i can see is that i feel the Contis are more suited to my car, as they are a performance winter tire for sports cars, whereas the Altimax Artics are not performance and the speed rating is only Q (99mph). i know i know, i shouldnt be going that fast anyways, and i usually dont.....regularly. but its just a peace of mind thing for me. the contis have an H speed rating for 130mph.

anyone have any experience with either of these two tires or any recommendations of something better for no more than 130 per tire?

 

I would go with the Continentals.

Are you going to have a dedicated rim set for winter?

 

not yet. i would love to, but i cant afford it right now. i thought about just getting steelies for the winter tires, but i dunno if i can even afford that right now honestly. i spent too much money on other people for xmas this year....lol. i'd like to just keep my stock 17's and run winter tires on them, and then have a dedicated spring/summer setup, but thats not in the cards right now.

 

By just looking at the tread pattern, I would say get the Generals. But there are a number of factors I don't know. Do you live in town where they plow regularly? Or out down an old country road where they may not plow for 48 hours after a big snow? How much snowfall do you guys get annually? Are you in a mountainous region with a lot of steep inclines, or relatively flat?

I don't have experience with those. I run Winterforce tires on my DD on the stock tires for the winter months ( I have a separate set of 19's with summer tires). But, I did just pick this up for 750 bucks. Gets around better than any set of winter tires on my RWD car:



I also have a set of 35" Interco TSL Thornbirds set up to buy for a steal price of $400.

 

check the reviews on tirerack before you buy.

I have Dunlop studless ice tires for the audi that i got a smoking deal on at Discount tire and love them. i have to head over there tomorrow to have them mounted up

 

I'd go with Continental...

 

yeah what im really trying to figure out is if the whole "high performance" aspect of the Contis is a legit advantage or just a "gimmick". this will be my first experience with winter tires so im not sure. always had quattro and my grand cherokee with Bridgestone Dueler HT Revos (unstoppable combo), so i never had to worry about any conditions raelly. the area i live in is quite diverse. i live right off of a main state road, that will be well taken care of. the down side is my girlfriend lives about 10 miles up that road in one direction, which entails going up lonnnnng hills and then going on some country back roads to get there. going down to my parents house is a 15 mile trip, which entails most "country" driving...twisties, hills, etc etc. so i want something well rounded that can take anything.

 

thanks. thats where im doing my research.

yeah thats what im thinking, but im just tring to figure out if theyre really worth the extra money. times are tough man, so i gotta save a buck when i can.

and then spend that buck on detailing stuff....

 

There are always great deal on steelies on craigslist and ebay. That's the route I would go if you can afford them.

Also try to get narrower tires if you can ... it really helps.

 

yeah i might see if i can pick up some steelies cheap at work or something.

 

I would go with the general..... when dealing with ice or snow, aggressive tires like the general will help grab more, especially if slush... now on solid ice, the more flush rubber you have the better...

 

thanks for your input. the only thing putting me off with the generals is that im worried theyre not specifically made for use on a "sports car", although it says they are. it just seems they would be more suitable for a sedan or small SUV or something...

 

another plus is that i will be able to order the tires from tirerack through my work, which im assuming will get me a little discount, which makes me think spending the extra money for the high performance continentals wont be so bad.

 

Sports car? I thought we were talking about your VW.


I kid, I kid...


To me, it looks like the General's will provide more traction/grip. Just don't speed. No need to put other innocent drivers at risk by driving faster than you should during winter months.

 

Blizzaks are great! I love my set. I picked up a set of stock wheels for $200 and slapped the Blizzak's on them and they are amazing in the snow/ice!

As soon as I get my new brakes on the stock wheels won't fit anymore

 

I just ordered the General Altimax Arctic on TireRack too. decent price

 

I just called a client of mine who rally races all year round near Whistler and he said if your budget allows, Nokians are the ticket with Blizzak WS60s a close second. Hope this helps.

 

I agree with 911 Nokians is the way to go, I purchased a set for my Volvo and these things are wicked, my Volvo (which I purchased for the wife and now I'm driving it) is rear wheel drive and my wife couldn't handle it so it's my winter vehicle now...any who long story short we got our second blizzard here in Calgary and the Nokians are holding up extremely well, I wold strongly recommend them, price wise I didn't find them too expensive.

 

didnt read all the previous posts to mine. the continentals are an excellent brand.

 

like i suggested to you before bill the blizzaks are what eveyone on the evo forums use. thats why i was looking at those. but budgets tight lol so im also in the search for a good deal. might do some steelies. saw a gti today with steelies, and to be honest didnt look too bad

also a quick tip for anyone driving in deep snow, let some air out of your tires. it will help for traction. say your tires call for 35psi, lower it to 32.