Help choosing tire plus "maybe" wheels!!

I'd get the hankook ones that everyone seems to be raving about (they scored very high in the recent consumer reports article thats been floating around here). They're rated very good for snow, and they're cheap, they're also all-season tires. Not sure if they come in 17 inches though.

If they don't come in 17 inches, i'd probably go for really cheap 15 inch wheels that look decent... and get snow tires with it. No ones going to be looking at your car when they're trying to stay on the road without snow tires. Besides, all that road salt will make your "cool looking" 17 wheels look like encrusted salt speckled wheels in no time.

 

I would see if you can find another set of the factory rims (2 each) and mount the new snows on them. That way you can have a pair of snows in the front for winter and a pair of all season's when you swap them back.

 

I don't think mixing and matching tires are a good idea, could make the vehicle more unpredictable to control... woudn't want to fishtail on snow.

 

I have used four different tires on my 2004 Prius (166k miles). The Nokian WRs were great but a little noisy. The WRg2s now on my car are just as good (slightly less traction in snow, just as good on ice/wet) and are quiet. Both achieve noticeably better MPG and ride quality than the OE Integrity tires.

The Nokian WRs cost me just over $400 (2.5 years ago) and the WRg2s cost me about $500 9 months ago including installation. Both were 185/65HR15s. Either you are being over charged or the larger touring rims are not worth having.

JeffD

 

In the Consumer Reports November 2009 issue tire tests, the all-season Hankook Optimo H727 scored higher than the Nokian WR g2 on snow and ice (and performed as well or better on snow and ice than most of the snow tires tested), and costs about 40% less than the Nokians.

Note that the Hankooks do not come in the Touring's OEM 195/55R16 size (most of the tires made in that size are run-flats).

But they do come in the next closest size of 205/55R16 which a lot of Touring owners opt for because of the much greater variety of tires available in that size.

Unfortunately, you might have some trouble finding the Hankooks in the 205/55R16 tire size right now because:

(1) it's a fairly new tire,

(2) Consumer Reports' recommendation and ratings of the tire (second highest rated passenger all-season with S & T speed ratings, and highest rated performance in snow and ice of all all-season tires), and

(3) it's winter (highest rated performance in snow and ice of all all-season tires).

Gripston.com, which normally sells the Hankook in the 205/55R16 size for around $90-$95 with free shipping and no tax, is currently out of stock in that size.

TireRack.com sells it for $103 plus shipping but no tax, however its current stock in that size is limited.

But maybe you can find it at a Sears store or elsewhere for a reasonable price.

* * * * * *

In any event, check out the Consumer Reports November 2009 tire tests -- they're the most recent and comprehensive tire tests out there right now:

Consumer_Reports_Nov._2009_Tire_Tests-1.doc

 

I think that one strong factor in deciding on your strategy is how long / how many more miles you expect to keep the car.

I have an 09 Touring with about 5,000 miles. For me, new rims and dedicated snow tires make perfect sense. If I struggle through winter with the OEM's, it just means they'll wear out sooner. If I alternate with dedicated snow tires, generally, I'll get twice the miles from the OEM's.

After looking at reviews + scarcity of the best rated tires, I opted for Michelin X-ice tires and am very, very impressed by their performance. It's actually hard to get the traction control or abs to come on.

I drove the car on a parking lot with ~ 1 inch snow cover first with the OEM's, and did sharp turns, panic stops, etc. to see how they were. Later that day, I was back with the new Michelins, and the difference was night and day.

So, my vote isn't to necessarily buy Michelins, but to buy dedicated snow tires and wheels. I bought 15" OEM wheels -- partly due to price and availability, and part because that has been said to be a better winter combination than 16" ers. Someone else would have to comment on this.

As for 15" vs 16" vs 17", I guess I'm a throwback. I like the Touring, but don't myself see much difference in appearance between the 16" and 15" ...

As to Consumer Reports, the Hankook recommendation is in a category designated as " These tires offer high levels of performance in most key categories including dry and wet grip, hydroplaning resistance, handling, and at least average or better grip on snow and ice." The way I read their recommendation is that the fully red circle is determined vs other tires in that category. I don't read it as saying they'd still get a full red circle if compared to dedicated snow tires.

CR said: "Best for severe winter performance: These tires offer high levels of grip on snow and ice," and then rated the Michelin X-Ice first in category. I don't think they included any all seasons in that test group, which suggests to me that none of them can match good quality dedicated snows.

I'm pretty familiar with the second listed tire in the all season category -- the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. We chose those for a car and van of two family members (I'm the guy in the family who could afford to buy them tires...). They can get away without dedicated snows. Report from them on the tires is they're far better than whatever tire they were running before, but also said that ice and snow performance is very good but not great.

 

I would agree with you except for 2 small things - VSC & TC. The car should not get in to that type of situation with those features.

 

Re: Help choosing tire plus "maybe" wheels!! I got'em!!

On my Touring's oem tires, I had a problem with wandering (which I found often corresponded to the presence of rain grooves), and found that the problem pretty much went away when I raised tire pressures from stock levels. So far, I'm not noticing it with my snows. By the way, your car looks great.