Winter Tires
 

Choices for winter tires on a minivan.......

Local CT is out of stock. Costco is out of the Blizzaks. Kaltire recomended Yokahama Ice Guard IG20 over their own brand Artic Claw.

Anyone heard anything good or bad about the Yokahama tires?

Re: Winter Tires
 

Some mixed reviews

https://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Revi...d+IG20#Reviews

Re: Winter Tires
 

Even Blizzaks get mixed reviews;) Everything with more than about 5 total reviews gets mixed reviews on the internet as a general rule. its the nature of the beast, it attracts the dissatisfied so they can vent and warn others (remind you of any fora you know?).


Having had Blizzaks, Goodyear Ultragrips, Canadian Tire Nordics and Michelin Alpins on various vehicles, personally Ive found the blizzaks to be the best in the worst of the snow and ice, and thats really why you get winter tires. They are not as quiet as the Michelins, which are more of a performance tire anyway, but they are pretty civilised, and in the crap they grip noticeably better.

If it were me Id mail order them from somewhere that has them cheap (well, less expensive) and get them installed locally if I had rims already. Rims can often be found locally on the cheap, kijiji, breakers yards, even dealerships.

Re: Winter Tires
 

I was all set to leave the rims at Costco today to get the Blizzaks fitted until she told me they were out of stock. The Michelins are well over $200 each which does seem just too much and there does seem to be something of a theme with some of the reviews that they are good on tread wear/comfort/noise but possibly at the expense of snow/ice grip.

When I looked at mail order prices a couple of weeks ago once the shipping cost was added there didn't seem to be a huge saving. Did you have a prticular website in mind?

Re: Winter Tires
 

I had Yokohama studded winter tires on a Subaru Forester a few years ago and they were fine. The summer Yokohamas were shite.

$200 is too much? What price safety? Be thankful you don't have a truck that requires $350 per corner spending on it.

Re: Winter Tires
 

We've had Yokohama's in the past, when we lived up in Maine, don't know if they were the same ones.

The studs on them were shit though, spat quite a few out and they were as noisy as hell, but over all, they did last quite a decent amount of time and they were very good in the snow/slush.

Re: Winter Tires
 

Its not usually a great saving, but if they have what you want.

In GST free alberta, BC based TireTrends.com might be worth checking, otherwise Tirerack.com in the states is usually the best bet, although I think 1010 is part of the same operation

Re: Winter Tires
 

Amen

edited to add don't know much about minivans but am sure have had arctic claw on the runaround before and they were ok.

Re: Winter Tires
 

I swear by Nokian's.

Re: Winter Tires
 

+1
I had them on my golf. They brilliant.

I got some himalayas for just under $600 including fitment and balancing. No complaints in the snow so far.

Re: Winter Tires
 

We have Michelin x Ice. Way better than the Blizzaks were.

Re: Winter Tires
 

The Hakkapeliitta have some good reviews from the guys on the rig.

Re: Winter Tires
 

Those tyres are the best, but they aren't half expensive...

Re: Winter Tires
 

I have Michelin X Ice, not as good as the Blizzaks were.

Re: Winter Tires
 

How do you know which tyres are better than others? If they're cheaper, great, if they last two winters, wonderful, but in terms of grip I can hardly tell the summer tyres from the winter ones (there's just the one stop sign I have to run when it's icy and I'm on summer tyres). Do you really mount one brand, time yourselves around a car park and then mount another set?

Tyres aren't like handbags, something where brand differentiation counts, there are huge differences in quality and you know when you have a good one. They're just something to stop your wheels grinding on the concrete, get whichever ones are cheapest.