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Winter Tires

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by EyePrime, Oct 6, 2018.

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  1. Bridgestone Blizzaks

  2. Pirelli ICE ZERO

  3. Other

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  1. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    Hi everyone.
    My insurance company is pressuring me to get winter tires. (I was going to get anyway)

    It gets really bad here in Ottawa in the winter with our snow and ice storms, I find it weird because in the summer it's also 40 degrees Celcius which is 105 Feranghit.

    Anyways I was looking at https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/car/find-your-tyres/products-sheet/ice-zero-fr.
    My Costco is giving a rebate on these and they seem to be better efficient than the Bridgestone blizzaks.

    Looking at reviews the Pirelli's have better efficiency
    I think that the blizzaks have better grip but I also want fuel efficiency.
    Looking at reviews the Pirelli's have better efficiency

    OR is there a even BETTER tire?
     
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Michelin X-Ice Xi3 195/65R15/XL 95T all the way.
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've got the X2, very similar I think: very "well mannered" for a snow tire. We are almost always bare road through winter, black ice sometimes, occasional snow. Good tire for all conditions.
     
  4. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    I looked at the Michelin x-ice, I've been told they crack a lot though?

    Is the Michelin fuel efficient?
     
    #4 EyePrime, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2018
  5. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    Studded
    NOKIAN
    HAKKAPELIITTA R2


    The font just went out of control.
     
    m8547 and EyePrime like this.
  6. EyePrime

    EyePrime Active Member

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    Yeah, I've seen a test on those. They seem like a really good tire.
    They sound expensive and they fit the prime correct? I don't know about the studds though. Studds make the car really noisy, right?
     
  7. Blue-Adept

    Blue-Adept Active Member

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    Blizzak WS80. Had good luck with them on many cars. Cost is about $82 each at Discount Tire.

    Costco also sells them.

    Blue
     
    EyePrime likes this.
  8. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    My road is ice covered for the winter, studs stop you when needed, noise is rather relitive, turn the radio from 9 to 11 and presto, jungo, no more noise, if you don't ever have ice covered roads, great.
    With four studded snows the Prius is a snow beast.
    I also run four nokian studded snows on my ram ecodiesel.
     
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  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I recently bought a set of Xice3 for PRIME, I have not put them on yet. For my other car, a set of Xice3 have seen 2 winters (~12k miles) so far, but I don't see any crack, and wear is minimal (10/32 left) so far. As far as I know Xice is the only dedicated winter snow tire that comes with tread warranty at least in the US. This was my first studless, before that I only used studded winters. Xice is so smooth, quiet, and comfortable, absolutely no mpg loss, and as Mendel mentioned, they shine when there is no snow or ice on the road which is for me over 90% of time in winter. They are very grippy on wet surface be that just plain rain or slushy melting snow, and very capable on deeper fresh snow as well. They are not as good on ice or packed snow compared to studded tires I used before, but still far better than any all season, especially compared to OEM eco tires. Studded tires I've used were cheap no name and General Altimax Arctic, despite on different cars, both lasted ~5 winters or 30k miles. They were superve on ice and packed frozen snow and did OK on fresh snow. The biggest problem with studded tires were for >90% of time when there is no snow or ice on paved surface, they were just so noisy and uncomfortable, also not as good grip on plain rain and dry pavements. For less than 2-3% of times during winter I really needed maximum grip on slippery ice and packed snow, studded tires were overkill. I was so glad when I switched to studless. That said, I don't have experience with Bridgestone Blizzaks nor Pirelli ICE ZERO, so I can't compare them if they are better or not. I would give other tires a try if I have opportunity, but I only have two cars and need tires every ~5 years or so, there is no way I can use more than a few different tires during life of a car. I was thinking of trying Nokian R2 studless before purchasing Xice3, but in the end I found a fantastic deal on Xice from Discount Tire Direct. I got them with set of tires and alloy wheels, mounted and balanced ready to be just installed on my car all for ~$400.

    I have never heard of insurance company requiring winter tires, but if you don't want to get separate set of rims and don't want to bother with twice a year tire change, you should be able to go with ALL WEATHER tires that has mountain peak and snowflake logo on them. Nokian WRG3 and WRG4, GOODYEAR ASSURANCE WEATHERREADY, MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE+, Vredestein Quatrac 5 are the examples available in US market. I have never tried ALL WEATHER tires with mountain peak and snowflake mark instead of usual M+S for ALL SEASON tires, but next time I need to buy a set of tires on a car that has no dedicated snows, I may give that a try.
     
    #9 Salamander_King, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
  10. Spidey71

    Spidey71 Member

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    I also ordered the X-Ice 3's on separate rims. Had the x-ice 2's on our Kia Rondo and they lasted 4 winter seasons which I was happy with - especially since our winters typically run from November through April. Very quiet tire and capable on snow and ice. That said, I think the Blizzaks are even better because the rubber compound is softer and treads are more spread out. I didn't get them because mileage is less and where we live in the mountains, the snow trucks stopped dumping salt on the road because of the deer/elk/moose/sheep licking the highway and changed over to sand and crushed stones and the Blizzaks would be picking up way more road debris than the Michelin's and the road noise under the Prime isn't the greatest already.

    Edit: The Xi 3's also come with a 60,000km/38,000 mile treadlife warranty, which is the only winter tire I've come across with a tread warranty.
     
    #10 Spidey71, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
  11. DMC-5180

    DMC-5180 Active Member

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    Studded snow tires are meant for areas of the world where, when it snows, the snow usually stays long term for the winter, rather than melt in 48 hrs. It also depends on how your local municipality deals with snow removal on roads. Some will just plow and drop sand in key areas. Others go full on ninja with Salt/brine mix. If you live in an area the uses lots of salt on the roads, you don’t need or want Studded winter tires. Stick with a traditional winter tire or highly rated all-season.

    Nokian (non-studded) Hakkapellita R2’s are probably the best winter tire you can get. They have improved them to the point that they actually increase your mileage 2-3 mpg (over factory Fuel saver tires) while still providing superior winter driving performance. I have a set ready to put on my Gen 2 in a couple months. I got a great deal on them back in late February which was likely an end of season clearance sale ($215 for 4 including shipping) I also bought an extra set of factory wheels from a salvage car that had virtually New tires on them and have put 30k on those so far. So the wheels were free when factoring the value of the like new tires. I’ll swap them around Thanksgiving.

    My previous Winter tire was a set of Blizzak WS 80’s. These served me well, but also caused a 4-5 mpg loss.



    iPhone X ?
     
    #11 DMC-5180, Oct 7, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
  12. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    I used to have Michelin EnergySavers but but got rid of them when they were only about 60% worn, but micro-cracks started appearing on the sidewalls, so I found another summer tyre! My tyre-experts warned me that although Michelins have a good reputation, their tread tends to outlast their sidewalls!

    As far as snow tyres are concerned, I went with Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80s on steel rims (…reasons and methods described in numerous threads passim) and BTW "All Seasons" are IMNSHO a compromise, i.e. they're a JackofAllTrades but MasterofNone! My advice is to read and learn as much as you can. Now is a good time to buy! If you leave it too late, the prices will go up, and the availability will go down, and as always, YMMV! :rolleyes:

    My summers will be coming off in about a month having just completed their fourth season and about 30k miles. The Blizzaks will be going on for their fourth winter (they have about 14.5k miles on them at the moment, and look hardly worn)
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I took a look at our X-ICE just now: can't see any cracking, either on sidewall or in the grooves. Our stock Michelin Pilots HX MXM2 215/45R17 (in comparison) do have moderate cracking. The X-ICE were purchased in November of 2010, and have manufacture dates a few months earlier.

    I notice no difference, going from Pilot HX MXM4 215/45R17 (with Green X label), to the X-Ice2 in 195/65R15 (also have Green X label). So I would say the mpg penalty is minor, equivalent to the penalty of going from 15" to 17" all seasons.
     
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  14. J Kyte

    J Kyte Junior Member

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    I have experience with Blizzaks (on my 2016 Prius) and X-Ice on a former car, a 2005 Echo.

    The Blizzaks are great in a wide variety of winter conditions. (And we get them all in N.S.: dry snow, wet snow, packed snow, slush, flash frozen standing water, black ice, torrential rain, freezing rain, ice fog, etc.) I would estimate my average fuel consumption went from around 4.5 to closer to 5.0, but part of this was also the colder ambient temperature. They do not roar like older or cheaper winter tires, and handling on dry roads was good.

    However, in my experience, they wore very quickly. The fronts wore enough to lose that handling shine after the first season. The next year, I put the less-worn rears on the front, and they were bald by the end of the second season. Please note that I keep the car aligned, check the tire pressures frequently, put them on late and take them off early to avoid warm weather wear, and do not drive aggressively. By comparison, the all-seasons the car came with have no excessive or irregular wear, and are finishing their third season with significantly more miles on them. However, two things might make a difference for you: Ottawa is, on average, about 6 degrees colder than Halifax in winter. Also, I drive 2,000 to 3,000 kms per month. If you drive less, they will last longer.

    The X-Ice were great for fuel economy, noise, packed snow, and ice. However, in the deep slush and standing water we are prone to getting here, they hydroplaned easily due to the less blocky tread. The fact that Echos weigh a scant 2,050 lbs was likely a factor.

    Based on these experiences, and the east coast climate, I have decided that my ideal winter tire is blocky enough to bite into deep snow/slush and avoid hydroplaning, preferably with a harder compound to avoid rapid wear in our mild weather. Studs will hopefully help with the harder compound on glare ice. This criteria, and a review of tires by the Canadian Automobile Protection Association, led me to the Gislaved Nordfrost 200, studded. I ordered them from PMCtire online and they came to $536 delivered.
     
  15. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    A couple of things to keep in mind--
    --There is no industry standard measurement for Low Rolling Resistance. It means whatever the marketing department at the tire maker wants it to mean.
    --Every tire design is a compromise. If you want better ice grip, you want softer rubber. Softer rubber will wear faster and be less fuel efficient. All Weather tires will meet the Severe snow Service test but won't have as good winter traction as the best true winter tires. And, expect shorter summer tread life. That said, the All Weather genre is getting better. I put Cooper Discoverer A/Tw all weather tires on a Tundra, and they worked out very well. 50k tread life warranty on those, so more rapid summer wear. Cooper doesn't have an all weather tire in our Prime size.

    We have Blizzaks for the CX-9 and Michelin X-Ice3 for the Prime. The Blizzaks are great, and I expect short dry-road life. The X-Ice3 hasn't been put to a bad winter test yet, but the reports I've gotten on it are very good. They have been very good on frost & thin ice last winter, as well as wet roads.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The limiting factor regardless of the snow tire, is the minimal ground clearance. The one time I always get into trouble is getting in and out of road side parking spaces. The roads are more-or-less plowed, but the sides are often full depth, even having pushed up snow from the plows. The tires, any kind of tire, become less and less effective as the snow deepens, especially heavy/wet snow.
     
  17. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I’m a user of Nokian R winter tires (current gen is the R3 but you can probably find R2s). Worked flawlessly in Alberta winters for 5 years (sold to a friend who got one more winter with it).

    Michelin X-Ice fires are good too (xi3 is the current gen).

    If you get more ice than snow, studded tires will help. If the city clears efficiently, then you won’t need them as studs can increase braking distance on dry pavement. They are also noisy on dry pavement. I see them in greater use in the Maritimes.
     
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you can find Nokians, and are averse to the hassle of extra rims, they have some "all-weather" options, for year 'round use, with the snowflake/mountain symbol. I think they're a bit of a compromise though. Depends on your situation.

    Tires | Car, Mini-Van, Cross-Over, Truck & SUV Tires

    Our daughter uses the Nordman on her Pilot, year 'round.
     
  19. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    The Toyota dealers in this region are running a promotion for tires...4 for the price of 3. As always, be wary of add ons. I'd buy extra wheels elsewhere, lug nuts, if needed, to fit the new wheels elsewhere (lug nuts for Toyota alloy wheels aren't a good fit for "normal" wheels), check the total price against the usual suspects...Costco, Walmart, Discount Tire, whatever is in your region.
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    There's a Corolla steel rim that works, was about $70 apiece for me in 2010. They are 100% compatible, and the hub opening is not oversized.

    Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S)
    steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)