Winter Tires Poll

Okay, since it's snowing for the second time this year in the Northeast, and has already dumped heavily this season in Colorado, it might be fun to have a small poll in order to tabulate the winter tires that fellow Rennlisters are using. Moreover, the vast experience of everyone in the forum should contribute to a solid recommendation when all is said and done. For simplicity, I have just listed the tire manufacturer and series, excluding the specific model number. We can just assume that most people will be buying the latest model and or fit. For what it's worth, I just bought the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3 (on my 18" wheels no less). Good luck this winter and may the traction be with you.

Ed, I live in NYC and am reluctant to get snow tires...rolling on stock pilots right now with decent tread. Just hoping to not be caught in a snowstorm. My cousin has an 02 cab and is desperate for snow tires...he's lookin' at getting some cheap hankooks($40-$60 less than blizzaks/per tire) since he was told they work decent in the snow and blizzaks seem to be sold out at many retailers.

I drove on summer tires my first yr with my C4S, it did ok, just ok, and that's with awd. Do yourself a favor and get some rims and snows.

I dont drive the P car in the snow but do use Blizzaks on my M45

Never drive an AWD car in the winter with summer tires. It's all about grip, specifically grip under braking. Here in CO, you cannot believe the idiots driving around in trucks, SUVs, Subarus and Audis in the winter with summer tires. Sheesh. FWIW, I drive on the Dunlop Winter Sports. Great tires for our climate.

Winter tires aren't just for snow. The traction of summer tires starts to exponentially fall below about 50 deg F. Winter tires grip MUCH better in the cold on dry pavement than summer tires!

Jammy, I feel your friend's pain. Trying to find winter tires in the Northeast is near impossible. I think only Hankooks are available through Discount Tire Direct and Tire Rack may not have had any fronts at all. A couple weeks ago when I bought my Goodyears, I was fortunate enough to find some fronts from Discount Tire in Minnesota.....their last 2 in the REGION. Suffice it to say, when I need winter tires again (hopefully in a long while), I am ordering in October.

Teflon, by the way, you're spot on. The rubber compound in summer tires basically turns to glass in cold temperatures and its traction is severly diminished even on dry pavement. Winter tires is a big help in cold temperatures whether one intends to drive on snow or not. Just trying to eek it through without them can be very unfortunate if you happen to need the extra traction just even ONCE. I say they are well worth the cost and trouble. Besides, the tread pattern looks cool and offers a little variety now and then.

FWIW, I have the p 240 snow sports, excellent tire. My friends TT cab has the Blizzaks', after riding in it recently, I think the 240's offer slightly better traction by my butt meter. Has anybody else noticed a significant difference?

I'm running 17" Dunlop's on Boxter rims on my C2 cab. We had our first real snow fall on Friday (about 5") and I had no problems at all. Stan

I've been running the Icebear W300 in the second year now - both on my Porsche and the Mercedes and am really satisfied with what Hankook has delivered. In most of the tests on winter tires they come up in the Top 5, especially on dry snow. I must admit though that the prices I get are unbeatable since a friend of mine works for Hankook