Winter Snow Tires

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2013

While only 10000 miles have been driven on these set of winter tires, their first impression has been a very good one. Traction in deep snow is remarkable, the ride is quiet, and grip and performance are predictable. I did notice that the ride is stiff, however, but among other parameters, this is not a concern. Looking forward to gathering more experience during the 2013-2014 winter season.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

Tires are used on 2002 (manual trans) and now 2003 (automatic) Honda CRV AWD, these tires are a very cost effective, albeit somewhat noisy, way to get winter traction in snow and slippy conditions. Moderately aggressive tread pattern, durable, softish compound still wears much better than I expected (4th winter now still in very good shape especially considering they spend almost all od their time on dry or rainy roads, the car is the primary "got to get to work car" hence snows over all season tires in our somewhat unpredictable though not usually severe winters) studdable if you need it for lots of ice traction and pretty dang inexpensive. We had a 17" snow over night not long after I got these meats and the little CR-V was a TANK, I expected wheelspin but got so much traction I "plowed" the local street as a real plow never comes and also used the trucklet with these tires to clear the gutters for the snowmelt to be able to get to the drains. I purposely tried to beach the little CR-V but the tires pulled right through both the powdery snow then the melting slop with ease. These tires rock for the price and are pretty stout and long wearing in my opinion (about 15000k miles so far and look like they have still several winters left). Do be aware of noticeable tire noise/drone though. Just add stereo and forget it...

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2013

Tread life isn't bad until you start autocrossing on them, then they start to wear, but that is true of any tire :) Also totally ----s driving on these in the snow. They aren't meant for that, but when you get a freak snow storm in May, what ya gonna do? Typically I run these tires May - Oct and a set of winters Nov - April...

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
April 14, 2013

I bought these tires from shop as Continentals that i wanted were not available. Levis in buffalo recommended these and I'm glad he did. very smooth ride on highway and great traction in severe rain. We just finished winter and never had a worry driving through any snow conditions. i would buy these again.

Initial Review, 75,000 Miles on Tires
April 15, 2013

I have 205/55R16 size tires on my car. Brand new they're no better in the snow than my 97,000 mile old OEM Michelins that I replaced! Sliding and spinning everywhere no matter how slow you go. I had them "road force balanced" when new and rotated them every 4000 miles along with watching how they were wearing to adjust tire pressure accordingly. Longevity is excellent but they're absolutely terrible in the snow. I now have 75,000 miles on these and they're at 3/32". They handle corners better now that they're almost slicks. I've been driving on these through 2 winters now. Was hoping to get a good compromise between cornering and snow capability. I'll just get a set of performance tires to get me through the next 4-8 seasons. I might as well get the tires I want if all-seasons don't work any better! I'm not about to waste money on winter tires.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

We got about 9" of snow today and these tires made me feel safer than I ever have driving in a snow storm. When other people are slipping, these tires keep me rolling without an issue. They're as sturdy and surefooted in light, powdery snow as they are in the heavy, wet stuff we got today. In fact, I drove into a parking lot with about 6" of untouched snow, and it was like nothing for my tires. I've had Blizzaks in the past, and I'm not sure they could've handled that scenario without some spinning. I am a nervous winter driver, and I am so relieved to have a tire that makes me feel more confident on my long commutes to and from work in rural areas.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

These are the absolute best in daily street tires!
Saying I am a “spirited” driver is an understatement.
Handling and cornering response is excellent.
These tires are excellent under dry conditions and leave all other tires in the dust under wet conditions. The wetter the conditions, the more dust!
I am amazed at how well these handle in extremely wet conditions.
I can’t say anything about winter conditions as I use 4 Good Year Ultra Grip Ice snow tires. which are the FINEST snow tires made!
Tire wear has been above average, at a minimum, especially considering the “spirited” driving style.
I have these on 3 of my cars for summer & 4 Good Year Ultra Grip Ice snow tires on the in the winter.
I refuse to settle for anything less!

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

Great winter tire, but like most winter tires they wear quickly if you drive them on dry pavement. I have had these tires on for three years of Wisconsin winters and have gone through countless snow storms with no issues. Honestly I feel safer driving my 2wd truck in the snow with these tires than with a 4x4 vehicle. I could only imagine how well these tires would perform if they were studded also.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

Have only 2,000 miles on these tires, but so far so good. They are amazing in the cold dry and have gotten me through a huge blizzard this year. Ultimate snow traction is less than studless tires but the tradeoff is well worth it for the dry weather performance. I would definitely recommend to other C63 drivers.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

Excellent winter tires for my truck. They performed well in all conditions (dry, wet, snow, ice and slush, as well as cornering, acceleration and stopping). In deep snow, my truck did some fish-tailing as I had no weight on bed and I could feel it pushes the front wheels through the snow. Once I turned the 4x4 on, the truck went like a charm through the snow and didn't flinch a bit. After one winter with 10k miles, there is a noticeable tread wear on rear wheels compared to front wheels which still looks like new. Will have to rotate them after 5k miles next winter.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I bought these tire for the 2011/2012 winter season. The first winter I had them they were brilliant. Supurb grip in any snow condition. I plow parking lots but yto get to work ( where the plow truck is) is 22 miles. when I would travel to work I would pass 4x4 trucks as if they were standing still. I also never bougt a set of all seanon for the rest of the year. They feel a little soft in spring, summer, and fall. But they do the job. Noise: there is some but expected. just a slight hum nothing drastic. once again it is winter in chicago and the tire still have good tread, even though I drove druring warmer months. I took the malibu out during the first big snow and the tires still preform very well, not as good as new but pretty close. It is very difficult for me to get it to spin-out it just want to hug the road as if there was no snow.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

I live in Long Island NY and we just got hit by the blizzard, where I live got hit the hardest and we got 34" of snow. I work 40 miles away from home and I left during the worst of the storm. I was passing stuck suv's and trucks left and right. I cannot believe how great these tires are. As I was passing cars that were stuck I can just see them staring at me wondering how is that little civic passing my 4wd suv? well all I can say is winter tires, that's how. I did not get stuck once, going up hills and through deep unplowed roads. I am sold on these tires for life and I will always buy them from now on. If you have a lowered civic, or just a basic fwd car I HIGHLY suggest these. Everyone knows how bad this blizzard was and these tires made it great for me. I was even passing plow trucks that got stuck. I have these tires in low profile 215 45 17 tire size so I can imagine how much better they would be with a larger sidewall but these are the best winter tires money can buy!! Highly suggest you buy them if you have a fwd car or truck!!

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 24, 2013

I have these on a Rear Wheel Drive V8 Caddy and I could not be happier. I live in NE Ohio, so snow is not an uncommon occurrence, and dedicated snow tires make all the difference in the world.

Keep in mind, these are snow tires, so don’t put them on too early or leave them on too long. Know that even ½ throttle will over power them if you have a real motor and corners should be taken with a little more care than with the summer shoes.

Noise is no issue, it is winter – your windows should be up anyway – and if noise is a problem, it’s not the fault of the tire - you just need a Cadillac. I
I would definitely buy these again, and this is a much better solution than buying an AWD car with their lower MPG and heavier handling.

Initial Review, 1,600 Miles on Tires
February 09, 2013

This is the second set of winter tires that I've owned. The first were Yokohama tires that were really quite good. When I bought another vehicle, I decided to go with these because they were the #1 rated tire on in their category on Tire Rack, had plenty of positive reviews. They are really great on snow, wet and dry pavement, the only complaint I have is they seem to be worse on ice then the previous winter tires. We had more ice than usual on the roads this winter, otherwise it wouldn't be that much of an issue to me. If you get a lot of snow, these an excellent tire. If you get a lot of ice, you probably want to pick something else. I considered about a half dozen different tires when I was shopping, and these were a really good bang for the buck.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These came as original equipment on my Acura TL with all wheel drive and stick shift. I did not switch over to winter tires this year, and in light snow, I detected no loss of traction at all. I normally run separate winter and summer tires, but these tires with the all wheel drive are a good compromise for year round use.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

These are the best snow tires I've owned, over an 8 car career so far. They handle snow and ice just fine, and drive like good all seasons when on dry roads (which is most of the time, even in the middle of a VT winter). My ratings are all for a SNOW tire, not a sticky summer tire. But even considering they are a snow tire, I think they handle almost as well as a good quality all season, and I drive my Mazda pretty hard. I'm replacing the Mazda with a Ford Focus ST, and plan on getting a set of these for the ST. I'm sold.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2013

Excellent snow tire especially when paired with an all wheel drive sedan. The car stuck to the road like super glue(TM) in every winter driving condition. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 09, 2013

Bought these to replace my worn out Pirelli Scorpions. Thinking spring had arrived I pulled off my Blizzak WS-70's and put these on. As luck would have it, 3 days later we got hammered with almost 2 feet of snow. Very quickly found out how good my Blizzak's really are. Calling these "All Season" tires is being optimistic. Traction in loose snow (after roads were plowed) is marginal at best. Cornering in loose snow caused the front end to plow and the traction control to activate immediately. Deep snow (unplowed roads) resulted in lots of wheel spin and darting. To be fair, I didn't buy these for winter driving and I did get a chance to evaluate them on dry roads prior to our spring snow. Road noise is low to moderate. Not as quiet as my Pirelli's but not annoyingly so. Haven't seen wet roads yet so I can't comment on how these do on them. Dry traction feels good but there is a small amount of sidewall squirm that you can feel in cornering. We have a lot of rutted roads thanks to the use of studded winter tires and these tires wander around when you get in a rut. It's not uncontrollable but it does make me feel a little loose compared to the OEM tires. I only have 500 miles on the tires so maybe they will get better as they break in and the roads warm up. I'll write a followup review in another 1000 miles to see if this is the case.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 04, 2013

I drive my 328i to work most days, and live in Edmonton, Canada - where we can get all four seasons in an afternoon, and our winter takes its toll on everything. I bought the Michelins because they were held out to be a great combination of ride, handling, traction and wear. They replaced the rock hard run flats that came stock with the BMW - yikes... Anyways, I was very impressed with the Michelins on everything, from dry straight to twisty wet - except the ice. At anything below freezing, the Michelins turn into hockey pucks. It makes driving more fun, but less safe!!!

I would absolutely recommend these to fellow BMW drivers, but would also recommend that they look at some of the lower cost alternatives - like the Pirellis, Contis or even the Kumho Ecstas. I will likely take a look at replacing these with a 4 Season (NOT all season) tire like the Pirelli or Kumho 4S - just so long as I don't have to take a huge hit on performance. As it is, the Michelin is a fantastic "almost" all season tire, and if I lived in Europe or south of the Snow belt, I'd buy it again. Or maybe I should just move to So Cal...

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

Great snow tire, have long curved,multilevel,downhill driveway and have never had a problem getting out. Have had on 3 winters, might get another year of wear.