Wheels for Snow Tires

Initial Review, 13,000 Miles on Tires
May 12, 2012

These are much better than the OEM Bridgestones. I bought them for the extended wear rating and quiet ride, and they exceed expectations in both cases. They performed very well on a 2000 mile multi-day trip with a very full load. That said, I wish they handled better. Transient response is quite slow - turn the wheel, wait half a beat, and the car finally starts to turn. It feels like the tire is rolling over on the tread blocks during spirited cornering, and the quiet ride turns into yowls of protest. Wet weather performance is outstanding, and the tires are predictable approaching the limits of traction. I have not tried them in snow, so can't judge how they handle such conditions. If I wanted a really long-lasting tire, I would buy these again. If I want something that handles more precisely at the expense of tread life, I'll look for a more sporting tire.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 30, 2012

These tires were on my car and slightly used when I purchased it a year ago. About 12,000+ miles I've added. Dry traction is very good. My 95M Miata handles extremely well with these. Dry traction is very good. These tires loosen up quite a bit when wet. Actually just loose enough to make wet road driving alot of fun at about the speed limit on spirited scenic drives. If your up for that. They reject hydroplaning rather well. Was forced to drive all winter with these in nothern WV. They performed better than expected in the snow on a rear wheel drive vehicle, but you better be a good driver to avoid getting stuck. However, even my spouse could handle snow under 1 inch and plowed roads. We did burn up our rear tires in >3 mild months of winter, we contend with many hills to climb. And we did climb them in the snow with these tires all winter. I'd reconsider using these if being used on a true performance vehicle with muscle. My stock 95M Miata can spin them at will and powerslide with mildly spirited driving if just a little wet. Fun for me, but dangerous at higher speeds/horsepower. These are one of the very few all-season tires available for the stock 95M Miata BBS rims. 195/50 15. Upon an inspection today I did find an outward bulge the one of my sidwalls about 2" in diameter. QC may be an issue? Overall for the price, I'm quite pleased with the performance of these tires. Can't completely say how much of it is the car and how much is the tire. But these tires are giving me exactly what I expect from my Miata and I can afford to burn them up having a little having fun. Also, they look good enough. I'm buying 2 more rear tires. Zoom-Zoom

Note: these are directional tires

Dry Traction = very good+
Wet traction = ok, safe at moderate speeds, good highway, easily pushed to fun limit
Snow traction = just good enough
Hydroplaning rejection = very good
Braking = good

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
May 14, 2012

I have run all brands over the years, This was the first time to try Yokohama tires, I live in Lake Tahoe Nevada, I get the most varied conditions, Lets start with, ice,deep snow,light snow,heavy rain,highway and off road conditions, sand on the beach in Baja,beach launching boats in Baja,I also tow a 15k 5th wheel and many boats, One trip to Cabo San Lucas towing the 5th wheel on roads in Mexico,so in otherwise put to what I would call an extreme test.Buy them and don`t look back,

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
May 16, 2012

40,000 miles is all i got off my set of tires but the ride was like back in the 70's in a big caddy(well almost)The ride is great with low road sound,the tires do roll over the side wall alittle if you push them to hard,now my van will only go 107 mph then it starts to cut off(i do not do this speed very often)I was testing the tires on a clear highway.this tire will handle better if you add air plus it will get much better gas millage but after 32psi you loose ride!I have a very bad back so bad that i traded my motorcycle that hade 200 miles on it and a 3/4 ton 4x4 with 50,000 miles on it for a mini van,but it worked out as now i have a wheel chair.If you want ride this is the tire for you!If you want a tire that will last look somewere else.When i was growing up there was a saying goodyear is good for a year and that is still true as you will not get 90,000 miles out of these tires they tell you that so you will come back and get a new set and they prorate the old tires plus you have to prove you had these rotated every 3,000 miles (I think it is )so i do not rotate mine untill i change out the snow tires(I only drive 5,000 miles or less a year)so for the money its worth it for the ride for me.I will hit puddles because of the none hydroplaning is great!

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

THIS IS MY SECOND SET OF KDW's FOR MY 2006 SCION xB ... THE FIRST SET WAS A 215/45-17 BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RIDE QUALITY AT THE TIME , AS I WAS DOING 90 MILES A DAY ROUND TRIP OF MOSTLY HIWAY DRIVING ... I ROTATED THEM EVERY 5 THOUSAND MILES AND RAN THE PRESSURE AT 40 PSI AND THEY WORE PERFECTLY SMOOTH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BASICALLY NO TREAD AT ALL ...

SO FOR THE SECOND SET I DROPPED THE SIZE TO A 215/40-17 , AS I WASN'T DRIVING THE LONG ROUNDTRIP DAILY ANYMORE ... YES THEY ARE A BIT STIFFER ON THE RIDE , BUT NOTHING THAT BOTHERS ME AT ALL ... SO FAR THEY DO FEEL A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE ON THE ROADS AND TURNS THAT I ENJOY PLAYING ON ...

I HAVE JUST OVER 1 HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON THE CAR , AND I USED THE FACTORY STEEL WHEELS FOR WINTER DUTY WITH A SET OF SNOWS ALL THE WAY AROUND ... MY GUESS IS ABOUT 40 THOUSAND MILES BEFORE I REPLACED THEM ... THE OTHER AWESOME BONUS WAS WITH THE REINFORCED SIDEWALLS I HAVE NEVER BENT OR DAMAGED MY RIMS , I RUN A SET OF KONIG HOT SWAPS ...

I'D HIGHLY RECOMMENT THESE TIRES TO ANYONE THAT WANTS A FUN , GREAT HANDLING TIRE ...

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
May 06, 2012

i have a Buick rendezvous awd i have winter snow tires with wheels and factory wheels with this tire for summer. very good tire I'm more on the aggressive side of driving and have put them through the paces. very good tire would buy them again. i drove with firestone winter forces for the winter and was glad to get the smooth and quit ride back

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
May 10, 2012

I have had these tires installed on my RAV4 for a couple of years and I would like the share my experiences with them. Given that I live in MA and we have poor road conditions and pretty extreme weather, I am sure I have put those tires in many tests.

For the first 2 years they worked like a dream: Wet, Dry, Snow, there's barely a difference for the way I drive (going slower on heavy snow, of course). I drove about 300 miles during a huge snow storm (all 300 in heavy snow) and my car was as steady as a snowmobile with these Tires and 4WD, and never lost traction in rain.
When running over a deep puddle with speed, with the original tires my steering wheel will go crazy and the car will go out of control, which was the major reason why I switched. With these tires, my car go straight and steady. If you live in an area that rains a lot, I would highly recommend these tires.

In Winter 2010, I was in NYC and we got caught with the biggest snow storm for NYC in a century. Most sedan were buried in snow when it was 3-4 feet high, while my car was one of the very few moving objects on the street. It almost felt like I was in a Video game on a Snow Rally track, but once again the tires and 4WD combined made driving possible, when other car owners were busy digging their car out, I drove by with a smile on my face.

After all the miles on the tires, Treadware is very significant and now it performs poorly on light snow, my car starts skidding with only an inch of snow even with 4WD. Still performs great in rain / wet / dry surface. I will not blame the tires as it seems to be right time for new ones anyways, and I am definitely choosing the same tires again unless I find a good deal on another decent tires. I don't want to overrate them, but they are good enough for me to write this long review to praise them, in compare to the OEM Bridgestone Dueler which is a total trash.

Initial Review, 17,000 Miles on Tires
May 05, 2012

Bought these tires to replace the Toyo tires which were OEM, and were 235/55R-20 in size, an odd size which offered limited choices and high prices. Michelin was about the only choice I had at the time, which were twice the price with no milage warranty. These new Pirelli's were slightly larger, and some dealers told me they would not work, would cause all kinds of problems, it would screw up my speedometer calibration, damage the AWD , etc. To make a long story short, I am extremely pleased with the tires; the ride and handling is excellent, they are extremely quiet, and at the present rate of wear should last 60,000+ miles; it took almost 500 miles of driving to wear the little nubs off the tires. We don't take corners on two wheels in the Murano, but the tires handle great and track straight on the interstate. The Toyo's only gave me 24,000 miles. We haven't had much snow so I couldn't say how they will do in the white stuff, but judging from the wet traction I think they will do well. I can't praise these tires enough, I'll buy another set when it's time to replace them.

Initial Review, 4,000 Miles on Tires
May 16, 2012

We recently purchased the Continental tires and had them put on our vehicle in Waco, Texas. We drove home to Canada through torrential rains and really tried out the tires in Wyoming. We never drove below 70 miles/hour and were more than impressed! Most vehicles drove at a snail's pace and we felt very safe staying closely behind a large truck at the indicated speed. Much better than the Kumho that were on the car originally. We also ordered new wheels and snow tires from Tire Rack to put on the car in the Fall and can hardly wait to try these although we expect that the Continentals will be just fine. The wheels were FANTASTIC and very cheap!!! Service form Tire Rack was better than excellent. We are first time customers and will definitely be back, especially since we have children and grand children living in the USA. Our order that was sent to Waco came perfectly on time and the tires + tires/wheels were wrapped-up beautifully. We'll be back Tire rack and Continental. J.H. Lethbridge, Canada.

Initial Review, 43,000 Miles on Tires
May 13, 2012

Replaced OEM Bridgestone RE92s with these at 58,000 miles. Most dramatic change I have ever witnessed in any vehicle I have ever owned. Excellent handling all conditions except ice and deep snow (rare here.) Good feedback, generally quiet, treadwear on my all wheel drive vehicle has been excellent. Probably have close to 10,000 miles tread left. Very adept dry weather handling for an all season tire.

Initial Review, 27,000 Miles on Tires
May 06, 2012

I was very surprised at the winter/snow performance of these tires. I drive a 2002 Mustang GT, which can be interesting with a dusting of snow but I drove through all the the snow we had the winter before last in NY. I did not have a single problem. For winter driving on a rear wheel drive car, I would suggest these tires.

Wet driving was better than expected as well.

They are not as responsive as the O.E. tires on dry conditions when cornering but do offer a slightly softer ride.

The tread life could be better but there are always trade offs for getting what you want out of a tire. I wanted to make sure I be able to drive my car in all weather conditions, which these tires accomplished nicely. Since I am not driving the Canon Ball Run to work everyday, the performance was not an issue.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
May 01, 2012

I'm on my second set of REVO's the first set I had was on a 2wd dodge ram xtended cab longbed. These tires worked great on that truck, I got about 50K miles out of them. Now I have a set on a 98 RAM 4x4, and with regular rotation they should last a while. It's hard to gauge wear because I have snowplow on this truck and I tow a lot, including farm use off road. I don't expect to get 50K with this kind of punishment. These are great in snow, and better than average on ice. Mud is not a problem when in 4 wheel drive. I don't go offroad seeking mud, so my experience is limited to having to go through a sippee hole on the farm that I can't find another way around. Road nosie is slightly noticeable around 45 mph, but at 55 to 75 you can't hear them over the wind noise. The ride is better than average for an all terrain tire. They aren't Michelin's afterall. I bought them for their traction and lack of obscene road noise. The don't seem to adversley impact gas mileage either. I will continue to buy these as long as the driving habbits warrant an all terrain tire. I woudl nto buy these for somethign that never goes off road. I run Michelin LTX M/S2's on the wife's suburban, which never goes off road.

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
April 29, 2012

This was this o.e. tire on my tdi sportwagon, with only minimal mileage on tires the wet traction and light snow traction was not good,yes it is an all-season tire which means poor snow capabilities. The wet traction may be compromised by the torque of the tdi, but I think Bridgestone could do better in the rain, maybe more of a directional type tread pattern for better water evacuation. I replaced w/4 snowies and the car was a different vehicle! Hint to vw why not make an wad sportwagon tdi! Now that spring finally arrived I ordered new 17" wheels wrapped in summer tires!. 2 sets of wheels and tires is the only way to go living in the northern tier of pa, the tire rack continues to be incredible to deal with. Thanks

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
April 16, 2012

Wore them on my focus for a whole winter. We didn't get lots snow so I was often driving on asphalt. Nice traction in snow and on ice. However, they are somewhat poor on dry and wet pavement. They wear out quickly. I will be able to get 4 winters out of mine considering the driving style I have.

They are wonderful in tough winter weather.

I will definitely install my summer wheels sooner next year.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 19, 2012

Installed on aftermarket wheels with H&R sport lowering springs and konis on a euro model. They do well in the rain and the dry performance is very good considering the long life compound used and the relatively low price up front. I think they are slightly louder than average due to the harder compound at highway speed, but I'm willing to put up with a little noise if they last a long time. With an aggressive alignment, you will have to rotate them more often, but then you would with any tire in that situation. They did not do well in deep snow as they became packed pretty quickly- but with a light snow they did just fine with my limited slip rear end.

I would read people whining about these (or any) tires failing after 15K on them (on some front wheel drive car or minivans in super hot or cold climates) with caution. Like all tires, when they are on cars with alot of weight and steering on a front wheel drive vehicle in temp extremes- they will require more maintenance, frequent rotations and general care. Tread separation, blown-out sidewalls and etc. indicate design or quality problems. 50,000 mile tires that "wear out" in 15K? Likely due to "user error."

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

I live overseas, so these tires were sent to a DPO. Just like when I ordered full wheel assemblies for my Civic four years ago, these tires arrives much faster than expected. Tire Rack has been outstandingly good to me and my cars, and I don't see myself ordering from anyone else anytime soon.

These tires are terrific! Great traction, great ride stability on rough roads, and great handling. I haven't had the chance to see how they handle snow and ice, so hence my N/A on winter/snow driving. They handle fine in the rain, about as well as I would hope and expect.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
April 23, 2012

Have >40K miles on tires and still have 30% tread on rears and 90% on fronts (car is rear wheel drive). Ride is smooth, comfortable, and quiet on wet, dry, ice and snow. Tires absorb road imperfections well. Good snow and ice traction in PA weather. The price is excellent for the tire I got.

Initial Review, 73,240 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2012

These tires came with the car when purchased new. OEM tire pressures are low for my liking on the Malibu and we wanted to maximise fuel economy. I adjusted presures to 42psi front and 38psi rear. For comparison only, vehicle was driven in the SF Bay area, in and around northern Cal for the first half of the tire life with the second half in Phoenix Arizona. The 08 Chevy Malibu is not a performance car and is not meant to be driven like one, niether are these tires. If you want a performance car and tires buy a Corvette, Camaro, GT500 Mustang and hit the track.
The Chevy Malibu has been operated as it has been designed along with the tires that were put on it. They handle very good in wet and dry conditions and are very pradictable with good feedback through the steering wheel. In the twisty mountain roads such as driving to Yosemite in Northern Cal or up to Jerome in Northern Arizona these tires performed very well with no issues, even in light snow conditions. At Freeway speeds from 55mph to 80mph they handled great. City mpg was at 23mpg, freeway 31mpg with these tires. Tires have been rotated every 5 to 7k miles and wheel alignment checked if a problem was noticed such as a drift or pull when driving.
If a tire shop tells you not to buy these tires because there are better ones out there, they are just trying to push what they want to sell. Not what's best for you, your car and what it was designed for.

Initial Review, 23,000 Miles on Tires
April 14, 2012

Well, I thought that I finally would have a good set of factory tires that would be something that lasted awhile on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was dead wrong! These things are cheap and not made for this vehicle. It could be because it is a cross-over tire that they placed on a Jeep that weighs over 5,000lbs. Then again, that isn't my problem, but the ones who designed and solid these as "great" tires to Jeep. Never, ever spun a tire in light snow in a Jeep before. That is then again, until I had these tires. Also, if it snows over 3 inches beware! The tires load up! I lost the front end of my Jeep in a parking lot with a "slight" grade to it while leaving work.(Embarrassing!) I thought that my four wheel drive wasn't working correctly. It was nothing more than a bad set of tires that caused the problems. If you think that you are going to get good tread life out of this tire, think again! All four tires are worn down to the "replacement bars!" 23,000 miles on these tires!(21,000 miles were on the Interstate) What a joke! And if you are wondering, these tires were rotated every 6,000 miles, and the Jeep was aligned once since it came off of the truck. Still, these things wore like they are designed to be a 25,000 mile tire. Last but not least, the sidewalls to these tires are soft, very soft. You have to over inflate the tires just to get better handling and to stop "roll" when cornering. I am a sportsmen, and do go off road on occasion. However, after seeing the performance of these tires, I would just park next to the side of the road and walk! In my opinion, great tire for a car weighing in around 3,400 lbs. Anything larger than that, with "AWD," or 4x4 should look else where for a more suitable tire.