Tire Rack Consumer Reviews

Initial Review, 150 Miles on Tires
January 15, 2009

I don't drive the Firebird much in the winter .... maybe 1000 miles maximum .... so I usually just leave the summer tires on year 'round. This year, however, has been HORRIBLE from a weather perspective, making the roads a real bear with the summer tires still installed. I finally broke down after failing three times straight to make it up the hill to the cul-de-sac and decided to purchase some dedicated winter rubber. It seemed from the reviews that these Dunlops worked well on RWD cars (mainly BMW reviews), so I decided to purchase the Dunlop Winter Sport 3D package w/rims. Although I've only put about 150 miles on this package, I've got to say the difference in how the Firebird responds to the road conditions is like day and night (or Jekyll and Hyde....). The tires enable me to climb the ice and snow covered roads like it's almost dry pavement. I've noticed that coming down the hills the ABS almost never activates, and starts from a dead stop (uphill, sitting on ice spots) are absolutely no problem with minimal if any wheelspin. In fact, with this tire package, my RWD play-toy handles the bad stuff almost as well as the 4WD Rainier my wife drives. To say I am pleased with the improved performance of this car in winter conditions is an understatement. It’s not like driving in the summer on the SZ50’s, but for the lousy road conditions we’ve had this winter, they get the job done.