Dunlop Graspic DS-2 tires initial impressions

Thanks for the review. We need more postings like this one.

 

I run the Graspic DS-2 on my Prius here in WInnipeg. Last winter they worked VERY well in snow and everything except polished ice. They were still way better than the Michelin Harmony on polished ice, but a Nokian studded tire would have better ice traction.

The car rides a bit softer thanks to the softer sidewalls. Oddly enough, this does NOT effect highway tracking. Turn in is a bit delayed and mushy.

On a given stretch of Trans Canada where I would expect 5.1-5.2 l/100km the Graspics would give 5.3-5.4 l/100km, an acceptible trade off. No difference in city fuel economy.

I had better go to the condo storage room and check on them. Thanks for reminding me.

 

Well it looks like I won't be using the Graspic DS-2 this winter after all.

This morning around 7am - while making breakfast - I had a knock on the door. Since my condo has secure entry, whoever wants to visit has to buzz in, and I can see them on the security cameras.

It was the building manager and a Winnipeg City Police officer. Looks like we had some vandalism. About a week ago a contractor was hired to paint the lower level party room and the storage units. I haven't been in my storage room in about a month.

Nobody talks about it, but there are also hidden security cameras in the halls, storage areas, stairwells, etc. They look like clocks or thermostats. Whoever the contractor subbed to didn't know that, and they tried to clean up in the storage area. Lifted some items, damaged other items.

All my winter tires were slashed, so they're ruined. The contractor was also along and especially after being presented with hours of video evidence, was more than willing to pay in full for all stolen/unrecoverable items, and those items damaged.

So now I have to find winter tires again. Kind of worried I may have to wait, that surprise blizzard that went through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba two weeks ago appears to have caused a run on winter tires.

Hopefully I can find a half-decent tire before the snow is here to stay.

 

Jay sorry to hear of the hastle you are forced to deal with. Cameras in clocks and therm's? Lucky for you, but who would have guessed? Cameras at ALL in Winnipeg would be a suprise to me...I have a picture to our neighbors to the north as peace-loving, low crime ridden, polite people. I guess things change everywhere. Even my much loved backward island of Hawaii is ICE (Meth) infested thereby leading to much petty crime. Glad you will be reimbursed. Just one more thing to complicate your daily routine.

 

John:

Actually, Winnipeg is the Car Theft Capital, Assault Capital, Break In Capital, and Homicide Capital of Canada. A very disturbing claim to fame, no?

I worry that tourists from the U.S. think as you do, don't take the proper precautions, and wake up the next morning to find their vehicle broken into or outright missing.

I've calmed down quite a bit. The contractor has called around and gotten a handle on some Yokohama Ice Guard 10 winter tires. I think our forum member "c4" has spoken highly of them. Should have them tomorrow or Wednesday.

The surveillance video is interesting. Also disturbing, makes you feel violated.

Jay

 

Sorry to hear about your tires.. I've never tried the Yokohamas (I drive another Japanese brand- Toyo), but the Yokohamas are on my "list of interest" due to the little nylon filaments that I believe they call "mini studs" in the compound of certain of their winter tires (very similar to the bits of walnut compound for improved ice traction in the Toyos).. Unfortunately, the Toyo model I wanted is not available in a size/load rating combination suitable for my Classic, so I've been considering what tires to get this winter.. Unfortunately, becaue tires last so long you really don't get a chance to try and compare many brands.. The auto magazine and tire store comparisons are useful, but they generally test brand-new tires and you don't get a sense of how well the tires wear or how their performance changes with as they wear.. This was my main concern about the Bridgestone Blizzaks- they seem to be quite decent when new, but you never see the magazines doing reviews on 2 year-old tires to see what happens when the soft rubber is all worn off (my expectation, based on winter performance of all-season compounds, is that they'd probably be outright dangerous once the compound is worn- I was actually looking forward to Jayman's experiences with his Dunlops this winter as they are basically a less-expensive clone of the Blizzaks).. My experience with the Toyos was that I could still expect superior winter performance right down to the wear bars (11/32nds down to 2/32nds)..

I was prepared to order the Nokian RSi this year, but despite the other inconsistencies in the article and the poor reputation of CR in general, the recent CR reports gave me pause as they were the first real test data on Nokians compared to North American brands (vs mounds of glowing, but totally unprovable anecdotes), but another article from a magazine in Norway rated the Michelin X-Ice (which was the CR top performer) as neck-and-neck with the Nokian (whereas the Bridgestones were way down on the list; most of the other tires on the list were not brands/models available in North America), so I decided to give the Michelin tires a try- the $50 rebate going on right now didn't hurt either.. The tire store does have a return policy, so if they don't work out, I'll still have an opportunity to exchange them.. I'll update the group when I've had a chance to play with them a bit..

 

Where did you find the plain steel rims?

 

On that topic, the Vag och Transport forskningInstitutet (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute) did such a study but with MUCH older tires - 10 years old - compared to new ones.

With studless tires, you're entirely correct in that the tread becomes hard and no better than "all-season" tires on ice. In Sweden you MUST run "approved" winter tires in winter conditions, it's a legal requirement.

There is an interesting study on this here:

http://62.119.60.67/templates/Report____27...x?reportid=2460

Don't worry about 1/3 of the report is in English so you should be able to get the gist of what Olle Nordstrom is saying. I'm sure our Swedish friends can also offer impressions.

 

The rims are "15 x 6.00 JJ" and appear to be a very common rim size. I got new generic steel rims in a "dual pattern" hub.

Try asking for a Corolla or Matrix rim instead.

 

Tirerack is planning to post that it's okay to use Matrix steel rims. I've ordered WS-50s and steel rims from them and am waiting for shipment. I looked high and low for steel rims -- found no good source in the Boston area. At Tirerack steel wheels are $34 not including shipping.

 

Does anyone know what the lifespan of the WS-50's are compared to the DS-2's?

 

Thanks for the response.

I just checked with Tire Rack and found that they do have some Matrix takeoffs available but they are 16" (stock on the Matrix) rather than the stock Prius 15".

 

Yeah. The sales guy called me this afternoon and told me that Matrix rims are 16 inch. I gues I'm going to get cheap alloy rims for $64; I'm tired of looking for steel wheels.