All Seasons Vs Snow Tires

[Mtnman]

Pretty good. I think the mich pilotspt plus were a little better, but I haven't ever broken loose on the dws. I have had them squeal in turns, but never let go, so all in all id say that the dws are fine. I drive aggressively, andd also just put in new suspension that makes me want to take the turns faster than I did with the michelins. Really, they only sqealed when I was "testing" the new suspension, so it might not be fair to compare that to the mich . Also, botond just got the dws and posted that he thinks they are great traction, fyi.

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[T.Bird]

Thanks for the info! I'm glad to see that a couple of members have gone with the DWS.

[BCS_ZHP]

I've used the DWSs for the last 3 E46s, absolutely great dry & wet tire. However, they aren't so good in the snow. I'm in DC and we get that wet thick mess, not a fluffy snow. About all they were good for was to get you home and wait for the roads to be plowed the next day.

And then there's tire wear, since you can't rotate the 135s the rear tires are going to eat quickly. Had to replace one rear at 7K miles due to a nail so did both rear tires and on the one I good one saved, half the tread was gone. That was on the coupe, the conv has more miles (9K) on the same tire and is still 2/3rd's tread.

[az3579]

Nice! I plan on ordering these next week from tirerack and picking them up from the warehouse in Hartford. I've been researching for a couple of months and these have GREAT reviews.

Don't order from TireRack. It's not worth it for us that live in CT; after shipping and taxes, you're nearing $100 more from Tire Rack for this set compared to somewhere else. Even since you're picking up, you still have to pay for gas and taxes, which is still more than you should be paying.

Try discounttiredirect.com. Their prices are much better because of free shipping, no tax.

[T.Bird]

Hmm, I'm altering tire sizes slightly and from what I had seen even with taxes, tirerack was about $40 cheaper than anywhere else (and my wife already works in Hartford). I'll check again though, thanks!

[danewilson77]

Hmm, I'm altering tire sizes slightly and from what I had seen even with taxes, tirerack was about $40 cheaper than anywhere else (and my wife already works in Hartford). I'll check again though, thanks!

I love Tirerack.....plus...it seems like I can get tires in about a day with them. I will always check Discount Tire (affiliate link) first because it's now an affiliate though.

[llll1l1ll]

You get them in a day because they ship from Delaware.

[danewilson77]

You get them in a day because they ship from Delaware.

Yup. Knew that.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[quikryptonite]

Exactly.

The skinnier the tire you have the easier it is to cut through snow and reach pavement. If you have a wide tire on the car it will float on top of the snow and you will do nothing.

My winter setup is 225/40/17. The guy I bought my winter setup from threw in a box of spacers. Do I want to use those, or would it be better to go square in the snow?

[UdubBadger]

Personally I think the approach needs to be not "snow" but "winter" tires vs A/S and I say that because the focus should be on the temperature the rubber compound can function properly at. Then you can decide if you need "snow" traction or not.

A/S rubber only works down to about 20-25 deg until they become bricks and lose most traction. Snow or not, you'll not get much cornering or stopping out of them. Winter tires are designed to work at temps 45 and lower so if it's 10 deg out, your tires will grip like they're a set of Pilot Super Sports in mid August (well maybe not but you know what I mean). It's advised if you live in an area that sees sub 30 deg weather often to have winter tires, especially on a car like a ZHP where taking corners is 1/2 the fun of driving it.

Then after that, you can decide how snow will factor into the equation by selecting either a performance, studless ice/snow or studable winter tire.

I have done AWD and A/S up in Madison and while I was fine, the car didn't handle nearly the way it should and though I got by, it was mostly by overusing ABS, DTC and the power distribution of the AWD system.