Best *ALL-Season* Tire?

[01LGT]

Hello all...

It's time for some new tires on the LEG. It is currently running 205 55 R16 (91H) directional tires.

I am on the lookout for a really good performer in the winter (I live in Colorado), so snow/ice traction is a MUST. I am thinking about just going ALL-season....

So, who out there has what brand of tire on the same car I have and how do you like them? Are they good in summer as well?

Thanks in advance for any input guys.... I am so happy I found this site! :wink:

[Huffer]

Ok, first off, an ALL SEASON, regardless of it's claims, is going to be a compromise in one of the following areas:

1. treadwear (life of rubber)
2. wet/dry grip
3. snow/mud grip
4. noise
5. price

You will not find an all-season that can match a winter tire, in winter.
You might come close, depending on conditions.

My pick for a good all-season that is reasonably priced is the Falken ZIEX 512. It's cheap, has decent treadwear and can be used in light snow.

However, if you are encountering regularly heavy snowfall, or spend a lot of time offroad, then something more like a Nokian WR will be better suited - this is a dedicated snowtire, but can also be run yearround.

I happen to like the Hankook W300 as a good M+S tire with decent dry traction.

[01LGT]

... Right on man, thanks for the quick reply!

I understand I will be compromising some things by trying to get a tire that does a little of everything. I have always had good luck with Cooper Tires... maybe I should look into there tires for my application. I read up on the tires you posted up and the reviews are REALLY 50/50. I shoulda known that was gonna happen :lol:

There is always SOMEONE who won't like certain things for certain applications - yet you may LOVE it! To each his own I guess :wink: I'll just really try to read up on things b4 I buy....

Thanks Huffer!

[Huffer]

No worries mate - the best advice I can give to you is to talk to people that drive aggressively, do a mix of city/highway and own similar vehicles.

[peugoby]

My favorite all-season tires are Michelin Hydro-Edges.
They have decent dry traction, and are flat out the best tires I've driven on in the rain. No hydroplaning even on very poorly paved roads. They hold there own in the snow as well. They seem to last a long time, and are fairly quiet. I would give those a look or the Michelin X-radials.

I'd also look at the Pirelli P Nero Zero M+S. I don't know if they make them in 16" though.

[LegacyRob]

I have a co-worker that is running the Fuzion HRI on a Camry and liked them alot last winter, never complained about them at all. And they do a very mixed bag of winter weather driving. Another co-worker is running the Kumho ECSTA ASX on his Cadillac STS awd and liked them as well. Those are my 2 All Season tire recommendations. But nothing beats a winter tire. :grin:

[AussieDan]

I've driven on kumho ASX and continental extreme contacts. The conti's were better in the snow & on ice but had soft sidewalls and got noisy as they wore.

Neither can compare in winter to my Nokian RSi's, and based on those I would definitely recommend the Nokian WR if you're likely to see any serious snow, which seems pretty likely given your location.

I know a lot of people like the Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S, I haven't driven on them though.

That said, I would definitely recommend buying a set of dedicated winter tires, no all-season is going to compare. My Nokians have seen 2 winters now and they have at least another 3 in them.

Basically you'll end up buying 2 sets of all season tires in the time it will take you to wear out a set of winter and a set of summer tires, so why settle for a compromise?

[jeremod]

I'm running Cooper Lifeliners. They have a ton of sipes in the tread so they work very well on snow for a non winter specific tire. The dry road handling isn't as good as it could be because Coopers have such soft sidewalls but it's not bad.

Price isn't bad either.

[LeggoMyLeggy]

I've used Goodyear Tripletred's on another car and they're pretty good in dry (quiet), rain and snow (good traction). They're also rated for 80,000 miles. Highly recommend them. Unfortunately they dont make the size I need for what I have on the Roo.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... TripleTred (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Assurance+TripleTred)

/Leggo

[rougeben83]

For more winter-oriented all-seasons try Nokkian WR's

[01LGT]

Wow, I wake up this morning and find myself with alot of research to do... :lol:

Thanks for all the replies guys! I really appreciate it :wink:

~ D

[LegacyRob]

Wow, I wake up this morning and find myself with alot of research to do... :lol:

Thanks for all the replies guys! I really appreciate it :wink:

~ D

Don't forget to let us know which you decide on

[Plays_with_Toys]

FWIW, I'm using the falken ziex 512's mentioned earlier. They have been awesome in the dry. They do wander ALOT on the lighter grooved pavement you see on I-25, and other main roads (parker rd) though. They are good in the rain, and I have yet to drive them in the snow.

[Bimmerman]

I would recommend against all-seasons, personally. I have of Yokohama Avid set as my summer tires, and while they do work in the snow and rain, I don't feel all that comfortable driving with those tires in the snow/ice. For summer, the tires also don't have enough grip. They also like to wander on grooved concrete, and squeal much too readily for upgraded sway bars. Next summer these will be replaced by Bridgestone RE-01Rs, which are a summer only tire(and STS legal!)

For winter, I have a set of studded snows(Hankooks I believe....will check when I get home) which are mounted on the stock 14" steels. I really like these tires. My car is pretty much the traction king in winter, and is amazing driving up to Key/Brek/Steamboat to go skiing. In point of fact, these tires combined with my subie's AWD makes my car the pick of choice for winter driving among my friends, some of whom have 4wd SUVs-- it really is that amazing how much better the tires are than all seasons. I have yet to slide off the road, loose traction to the point of being out of control, or feel uncomfortable driving with these tires. Best part is: studded tires are legal in CO.

If it's in your budget, I'd say get a set of summer wheels and tires and a separate set of winter wheels and tires. Or if not, at least a set of true winter tires. All seasons(no-seasons) work when you aren't in a major storm or if the conditions are merely poor, but for anything else, there are much better alternatives.

My 02 cents.

[d1giPhux]

we get lots of snow here where i live.. i used Sumitomo HTR + and they were GREAT winter tires.. has no problems making it through more then 1+ foot of snow on various occasions. You can get them for about $62 each too.. super good for winter in my opinion.. very predictable as well!

[01LGT]

Cool - Thanks for all the replies :grin: !

I am thinking about getting a dedicated winter tire after thinking this through alittle more... We'll see :wink:

[deadlydave]

I never had the chance to run on my winter tires, but the summer tires I had on the legacy, Hankook Ventus RS-2's were superb. The lack of squealing around corners, awesome grip, and great looks, were worth needing a set of winter tires.

[Downshift1]

Pilot Sport A/S works pretty good for me

[subaru_terrence]

I used to run Zero Nero M+S...even when they were almost bald..they still grip pretty well. :P

My other set of RE070s were done..so I am in a market of new summer/all season tires now

What do you guys think about Falken 912, 452 and toyo proxes 4?

[01LGT]

I finally decided to get the Goodyear Assurance Triple treads. I have heard pretty good reviews on them. They are getting put on as I type this...

With the snow we got this morning - I was sideways in a ditch half on the road/half in the ditch (oncoming traffic side of course) looking out my drivers side window as a windshield... Kinda fun - BUT SCARY! So I took my car down to the local Discount Tire and they hooked me up with all 4 out the door for $540 + a $40 mail in rebate! That's a GREAT deal if you ask me for a 80,000 mile tire (even though I know I won't get half of that probably!).

Here's a pic...
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2007/11/gy_assurance_triple_ci2_l-1.jpg

[deadlydave]

niiice. Cool tread pattern too, :cool: .

[01LGT]

Thanks! I really like them so far... lol :) (even though I have only driven on them for like 3 miles!)

I did notice that my car pulling to the right has stopped with the addition of my new tires... Yay! I can only hope that the new shoes will help with the traction on the snowy roads... We will see.

I will update this thread next time a good snow storm comes through Denver - for anyone who cares :wink:

... till then!

[Huffer]

I see a lot of newer cars that are rocking the TripleTreds as replacement tires once the OEMs have worn out. They look like a good tire for wet/dry... but the sipes don't look so great for slush...

They have a lot in common it looks like with the Kumho Ecsta and the Eagle F1 designs...

If the car pulls a bit on the same bit of road, it might be because the tire is helping the car tramline on broken or uneven pavement... be careful in the winter.

[LegacyRob]

These are new and look to be pretty good as we
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic.jsp?sidewall=Blackwall&sidewall=Blackwall&tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+F1+All+Season

[Perdue]

I'd personally go for a set of steelie, or wheels you don't care about, and a set of Blizzak WS-50s. Most of the guys around here that have a set of dedicated winter tires run the WS-50s and get from 3-5 seasons out of them (3 if they're going to college in motown and come back here almost every weekend). To me, a dedicated set of winter snow tires is a good investment. I had P-Zero Nero M&S's in 215-40-17 on the legacy for one winter. They did ok in the dry, ok in the rain, and ok in the snow. They sucked on ice. Long story short, I paid a crapton for a tire that wasn't good for anything.

[Mr. Sociable]

Good choice of tires, I considered the Triple Tread's when I was shopping, but decided on the Toyo Versado LX instead. I like them well enough, have yet to drive them in snow...though I've heard nohting but good things about the Triple Tread's. :grin:

[jey]

What do you guys think about Falken 912, 452 and toyo proxes 4?

My friend had the Proxes 4 on his WRX and liked them. I liked my Continental ContiExtremeContacts, but I did overinflate them because they were squishy. I think this year I'm going to try the Bridgestone Potenza RE960s.

[Pipsta]

G'day... I live in Australia and believe it or not we get a lot of snow, rain, hail, and sun ranging from cold to very very damn hot. the only tires i can say that have ever managed all of these conditions and lasted a very long time is the Bridgestone RE711. they don't make them anymore but they are a recent tire so if you really want performance i say go hunting around all of the local tire shops. they are a FUNtastic tire and on my Legacy GTB they can be pushed REALLY hard on both gravel/dirt and tarmac roads. Trust me. they r really the best tire for a 15inch thru 17inch rim. they are also great on my stock (well relatively) 2.2lt Liberty (thats wat they are over here) in all contitions. REMEMBER... They are challenging to hunt down:) oh and you won't find a tire good for ice unless you make your own with a snow tire and a heap of nails.

[01LGT]

Just wanted to give a quick update as to how I like these tires...

I LOVE them!

(LoL)
:twisted:

... I don't see myself getting another tire for this car any time soon!

[Plays_with_Toys]

I can update mine too. The Falken Ziex 512's are downright scary in the snow. If I back up and put it into first without braking, I can slip the clutch and spin the tires. Sideways fun is just a thought away, and sideways scariness is just as easy unfortunately. But whatever. Take it easy in the snow and you'll be fine.