jetman

Living in the snowy Northeast, I decided to put winter tires on my ES350. My dealer made a valid point: If you're going to keep the car for more than a few years you're probably going to buy a second set of tires anyway. Why not buy a set of dedicated winter tires which will be more effective in snowy conditions, thereby extending the life of your original tires since you won't be using them in the winter? Made sense to me....

My dealer gave me pricing on both the Bridgestone Blizzack WS70 and the Michelin X-Ice Xi3. Surprisingly, the dealer price was actually less than Tire Rack's price. The dealer recommended the Blizzacks, but when I read the reviews online I noticed that, while the Blizzacks are a great tire in snow and ice, they are noisy and don't drive that great on dry pavement. The Michelins Xi3s are a brand new tire so there aren't many user reviews, but test results by Tire Rack are impressive. Also the Michelins have a 40,000 mile treadwear warranty, while the Bridgestones have none. I decided to go with the Michelins. Although price wasn't the major factor, they were actually cheaper (with a $70 mail-in rebate) than the Blizzacks too.

It's still 50 degrees here, so I can't report on the tires' performance in winter conditions (I'll do that when the time comes). But my first impressions of the Michelins is in how quiet these tires are for a winter tire. I would say that they are nearly as quiet as the Michelin Primacys that came with the car, which amazes me since usually snow tires are loud - these are not. As for the ride (I've only driven on dry pavement), I do think that the ride is slightly "mushier" than the Primacys - I think that Michelin needs to use a softer rubber compound to make these tires effective in the colder winter conditions. The best way to describe the ride is as if you're driving the car with the tires slightly under inflated. Still an acceptable ride, though.

I'm interested in whether other forum members who live in snow country are planning on putting winter tires on their ESs, or whether you are planning to stick with the all-seasons that came with the car. And, if you are going with winter tires, which brand of tire do you plan on putting on?

UncleBen

I am getting TOYO Observe Garit KX. This tire has walnut shell microbits that dig and bite into the ice surface. Wet or dry, icy or snowy roads, this tire outperforms any other tire I've tried, short of studs. The compromise is that it is a tad noisier than other winters. I had them before on the Camry ... so for me, it was an easy decision. You can read up on it on the TOYO web site.

Cheers!

jetman

I've always been wary of studded snow tires. I remember when I was a boy my father bought studded snow tires for the family car (I think it was a 1963 Plymouth Belvedere). Come springtime, my dad noticed that the blacktop driveway was full of little pit marks where the tires had driven on. He was not a happy camper.

I think I'll stay away from the studded tires for that reason alone. But if I'm going to have winter tires on my car for 4 1/2 months I really want something that rides fairly quietly - the Michelin X-Ices certainly do that. We are supposed to finally get snow on Saturday; I'm eager to see how they perform.

UncleBen

The Toyo tire I mentioned is not a studded tire. I always use the one side of the driveway and after seven years, both sides of the driveway look the same, no pit marks anywhere.

UTAS

Studded tires of the 60's had tungsten studs, which chewed up the roads and highways - eventually, these were outlawed in the Midwest, at least in WI.

The walnut impregnated tires of today will be easy on the pavement, with better grip on snow and soft ice.