I LOVE snow tires.

In reply to frecks:

Funny you say that, as the wintersport 3d is my favorite winter tire ever, and I've tried almost everything.

yep, I put my Generals on Thursday night. Just in time. People are always amazed by a Firebird passing them in the snow. this is the second season for this set, we'll see how it goes.

AngryCorvair wrote: In reply to frecks: Funny you say that, as the wintersport 3d is my favorite winter tire ever, and I've tried almost everything.

I should note that my comments about the General Altimax Arctics being better in the snow doesn't stop me from liking the Winter Sport 3D tires. I actually think both tires are perfect for their different use cases. The GTI is sporty & I love that I can still drive it that way on dry roads with the Winter Sports while still being able to get around in the snow. The Miata was bought to be a winter beater & isn't nearly as powerful as the GTI, so the Generals are great for dealing with the really rough weather in the Miata & I can drive the GTI on nicer days.

I'll be going to the local tire stores today to see what's available for my Astro. They don't list many choices on line in a 215-75-15 size anymore. I had a set of Winterforces, but I'd like to try something else. We'll see what they can get for reasonable money. The other cars have Yokohamas,Bridgestones, and Michelins. Clearly, I'm not brand conscious.

Do you guys put the snow tires on all four corners or just the drive wheels?

Just another voice in the Arctic Altimax chorus. I put a set on last year (all four) to replace the Wintersport 3Ds that had worn beyond utility. Yeah, the Generals are much softer and less planted on dry pavement, but they're so much more effective than the Dunlops in the snow that it's worth it. The only annoyance is that you've got to wait until it gets cold to put them on, and pull them off once it warms up a bit - you can almost feel them starting to melt when the pavement starts to get anything more than cool.

gearheadmb wrote: Do you guys put the snow tires on all four corners or just the drive wheels?

I go with all 4 corners on cheapo steel rims so I can swap between winter & summer tires as I please. I found a good deal on craigslist for the Miata & I went with new from tirerack for the GTI.

gearheadmb wrote: Do you guys put the snow tires on all four corners or just the drive wheels?

Always all 4, 2 on a RWD and you can't stop or turn worth a damn, 2 on a FWD and you have a very ill handling beast that will spin easier than it would on 4 no seasons.

My 1993 Loyale 4WD wagon came with 4 ooooold 13" Blizzaks that still had decent tread. Put that car in 4WD and it would plow through 18" deep snow like it wasn't even there, despite it's 85hp. I specifically left for work early the one morning just so that I could get there before the payloader cleaned the lot, so I could hoon in the snow a little. The only downside on that car is that the handbrake works the front calipers which meant you had to Scandi flick it instead of handbrake slides.

FWIW, I never had any problems with my first Civic ('76, w/ 12" rims LOL) when I ran just the fronts with snow tires … but then I wasn't pushing it like a race car on the highway either

One other thing to note is that a narrower than stock size snow tire helps a little with forward traction and cutting through deep snow. They're also cheaper and helps open up more options when tire shopping. I've got 175/65/15's on my Focus right now for instance (stock is 195/60/15). A taller than stock tire also helps with giving more ground clearance, but has other disadvantages.

I've got X-ICE2s on my NC Miata. They're great. I ran Continental snows on my NA Miata and they were equally great.

In reply to sethmeister4: If you ever move to a snowy area, it's very entertaining to have an unstoppable car with snow tires(especially a sports car) while the ignorant people slide into curbings, etc. with their 4wd trucks and suvs.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: In reply to sethmeister4: If you ever move to a snowy area, it's very entertaining to have an unstoppable car with snow tires(especially a sports car) while the ignorant people slide into curbings, etc. with their 4wd trucks and suvs.

Guys, you need to choose better verbage, when talking about snow tires, lest you contradict yourself.

I've got some Continental ExtremeWinterContact tires last year for the Focus. Overall very nice. No issues.

I've thought about putting something better than all seasons on the truck, but I drive so little and 4wd tends to cover for most getting stuck issues. I just tend to take it easy so I don't slide around.

This morning the guy at the tire store winced when I told him the size I wanted (215-75-15), but he can get them from Cooper. So,I'll be trying some Cooper Mastercraft Glacier-Grip IIs this winter. I've never had Coopers before, so we'll see how they work out.

DeadSkunk wrote: This morning the guy at the tire store winced when I told him the size I wanted (215-75-15), but he can get them from Cooper. So,I'll be trying some Cooper Mastercraft Glacier-Grip IIs this winter. I've never had Coopers before, so we'll see how they work out.

Don't sweat it. I can assure you that the least effective winter tire on the market (whichever one that happens to be, I have no idea) still has a bazillion times more snow grip than the very best all-season.

In reply to gearheadmb:

All four, on spare rims so I can bolt 'em on at a moment's notice. I hate going to the tire store.

Always always always have snow tires for all four wheels. I've had winterfire(pre winterforce), wintersport M3's and altimax artic on the corolla. the winterfire's kept me and my little daughter safe for 80 miles on an untouched highway with 4 to 6 inches of snow at 45 miles an hour. They will always hold a place in my heart. The wintersport M3's are a compromise, but not one I liked. Not enough snow or ice traction. Too close to a soft all season in the bad weather. The altimax artics I like so much I'm on my 2nd set for the wifes van. Oh yeah, the wifes old altima had Pirelli winter tires, I forget the designation. They were good on snow and dry, worst on ice I've ever had.

My XC90 and its several year old Goodyear ultra grip ice tires concerns me. I fear getting rearended at slick intersections all winter.

My oath, does that thing go, steer and stop.

I'm seriously considering putting studded snow tires on my Wrangler. I kept the stock 16" steel wheels after I put 33" Duratracs on aftermarket 15" wheels.

The stock tires that came on it are P225/75R16. I'm looking at General Grabber Arctic LTs but they are E rated. Any recommendations? I'm kinda lost when it comes to snow tires...

I'm surprised by the negative comments on the Altimax Arctic dry road performance. I mean, sure: the tread squirm is pretty bad, but they still grip like mad once the tread squirms over a bit. It's like driving a car with super soft sway bar bushings. Once you get the car leaned over and settled into the turn, it does exactly what you'd expect.

I've bought at least three sets of them now - cheap, amazing in the snow, great on wet roads and dry as long as you can adjust to the generally splashy feel.

Mezzanine wrote: I'm surprised by the negative comments on the Altimax Arctic dry road performance. I mean, sure: the tread squirm is pretty bad, but they still grip like mad once the tread squirms over a bit. It's like driving a car with super soft sway bar bushings. Once you get the car leaned over and settled into the turn, it does exactly what you'd expect. I've bought at least three sets of them now - cheap, amazing in the snow, great on wet roads and dry as long as you can adjust to the generally splashy feel.

For myself, all of my cars have stiffer suspensions and/or bigger sway bars than they had when stock. The tread squirm and the soft sidewall make for some uncomfortable cornering sensations on dry roads when combined with the quicker responding suspensions. It goes: steering input-tread quirm-sidewall flex-GRIP!!! It's that sudden grip causes stiffer suspensions feel suddenly unsettled for just an instant, and makes the car a little unpredictable should a fast emergency manuever be needed. For my cars, the Michelin Xi3 is the ticket with much superior cornering behavior on cold dry roads (which is what the greater percentage of winter days are in Oklahoma) while giving up very little in snow and ice to the Altimax Arctic. I do think for most completely stock cars, the Altimax Arctic is probably the greatest snow performer you can get at any price point, short of ponying up BIG bucks for the Nokian winter tires.

stanger_missle wrote: I'm seriously considering putting studded snow tires on my Wrangler. I kept the stock 16" steel wheels after I put 33" Duratracs on aftermarket 15" wheels. The stock tires that came on it are P225/75R16. I'm looking at General Grabber Arctic LTs but they are E rated. Any recommendations? I'm kinda lost when it comes to snow tires...

Studs are only good on ice, they are noisy, wear out fast on pavement. Just get a set of ice/snow tires.

In reply to iceracer:

Well, the Duratracs do great in snow but I'm more concerned about ice. My commute is about 15 miles on a 4 lane highway out into the middle of nowhere. The wind blows snow onto the roadway where it melts during the day and refreezes at night. Its terrible.

I'm not really concerned about noise since the road noise in a Wrangler is pretty much deafening anyway LOL

I'm just looking for the most traction I can get when I gotta be at work at 4AM, road conditions notwithstanding.