Scott R

Thanks for the input Michael (Taysdad).

chillsc, what is the exact size tire you went with? Did you also use a narrower width?

Here's an article which talks about downsizing your tires when choosing winter tires:
http://factorytire.net/tire-tips/cho...t-winter-tire/

That article uses an example of someone with a stock 225/45HR17 tire and states that they might choose to go with a minus-1 size of 205/55R16 or a minus-2 size of 195/65R15. It sounds like decreasing the width (225 down to 205 or 195) is where most of the supposed snow-traction benefit is, so I'm a bit unclear as to the pros/cons of changing the diameter (other than cost savings of using a smaller tire).

chillsc

Scott,

Wheels: 16 x 7.5 5 - 114. $109ea

Tires: 225 / 55R16 Blizzak WS60. $122ea

This is what they recommended at Tirerack in South Bend, In.
They sell a lot of tires, and could have 'up sold me'.

Happy with the purchase.

Scott R

Thanks chillsc. Yes, I just finished an online chat session with Tire Rack and they recommended that tire size. I didn't ask about 17" sizes, so for 16's, it sounds like 225/55-16 is the main option (he mentioned another variation as being possible, but I forget what it was, as he said that they didn't have any tires available in that other size).

The rep I chatted with recommended the Yokohama IceGuard IG52C ($98/each) or Michelin X-Ice XI3 ($129/each) over the Blizzaks because, he said, the WS60 ($118/each) is the only Blizzak available in that size and it's an older design. he said that he thought the newer WS70 or WS80's were probably good, but they didn't come in the size I'd need. Of course, that's one guy's opinion and I haven't looked at all of the reviews/ratings available on their website yet.

I'm also thinking hard about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. I see that those come in the size I'd need. I'll have to check on the price (Tire Rack doesn't sell Nokian).

One other question for you guys...let's say I decided to sell my SC430 within the next year. Is that 225/55-16 a pretty common size that might be more likely to fit on another coupe I might end up with, or is it a total crap shoot as to whether or not they'd be "compatible"?

chillsc

Scott,
While the newer design (WS80) Blizzak's are probably a better design, they aren't available for our cars. I've been using Blizzak WS60's on Allante for a few years, same size, and they have worked very well for me.

Scott R

Thanks again chillsc. Another update:

The Michelins I mentioned aren't available at my local distribution center, which could be a problem for me, as I'm looking to do this (*IF* I do this) soon, due to an upcoming work road trip I have. It looks like the Blizzaks and the Yokohama IceGuard IG52C are in stock locally, though.

If I bought thru Tire Rack, I believe a local auto shop told me they'd charge me $100 total to install whatever tires I brought them. The Tire Rack rep told me that the distribution center would mount/balance the wheels and tires (but not mount to the car) for free if I bought both through them.

I also got a price quote from a local Nokian dealer. The Nokian Hakkapelitta R2's would cost me $155/each (another $20/each to put them on my car). He advised me to pick out the wheels I liked on Tire Rack and they would upcharge $10 to get them for me. There's some advantage to me of going with the Nokian dealer, as I wouldn't need to get the tires myself, which would be a hassle since that would require that I have my wife follow me over with her SUV to carry the tires (but I'll still need her SUV to bring my Continental ExtremeContact's back from the Nokian shop to our house, so it probably doesn't amount to much of an advantage one way or the other).

The guy at the shop selling the Nokians also seemed to try to steer me towards getting Nokian WRG3's which are all-weather tires ($220/each in the stock 245/40-18 size). I suspect that would be a big improvement over what I've got right now for *this* winter, but I worry that whatever winter advantage they have now would get "worn down" quite a bit after using them through the upcoming summer. And they might not ride as well in the summer as my ExtremeContact's, either.

But I am thinking about going with the Nokian WRG3 SUV models for my wife's Toyota Highlander and not dealing with switching out summer/winter tires on her car. Unfortunately, as awful as her current Toyo Open Country A2's seem to be at stopping in the snow/slush, I hate to ditch them now since they still have a lot of tread on them. The guy at the local auto shop I use also recommended getting new all-season tires for my wife's SUV, rather than dedicated winter tires (he recommended some Continentals that he got for his wife's SUV, but the specific model weren't available in the size I'd need).

Ah, decisions, decisions (and I haven't even given much thought yet to the wheels I might want).

Scott R

One other thing to think about...if I'm thinking of getting dedicated winter tires, should I be considering studded tire options as well? Studded tires are permitted in CT, NY, NJ, and PA (which would be the main states I'd anticipate needing to drive through) during the winter.

Taysdad

Scott,

Just for another data point, I ordered (4) 225/40/18 Nokian H2 tires from Tiresdirectonline for $680 shipped to my house. This size allowed me to use an unused set of rims that I already had and keep a pretty similar look to the tire/wheel vs. going with the 16/17 rims (which I did consider too). I think either is probably a good option and you'll love having dedicated snow tires.

Michael

Scott R

Hmm...I found a tiresdirectonline.com website, which had no online store. They are based in FL and when I called the number, the woman who answered just said "hello". Odd. She had never heard of Nokian, either, and she asked if I was in FL which also left me wondering if they ship out of state. I'm thinking I found the wrong place. Do you have a link?

Scott R

Update: You guys are probably going to laugh at me, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to get new tires for my SC430 after all. The reasons I even initially started thinking about getting winter tires was:
1) I had a business trip planned in the next couple of weeks where I was going to have to drive to PA and be there for a week.
2) My wife originally told me to take her Highlander, but after driving it in the minimal snow/slush that we got in CT last Saturday, I got worried that it wasn't safe to drive in the snow (notably when braking it would slide).
3) I assumed that if my wife's AWD Highlander was dicey in the snow, mine would probably need extra help (i.e., dedicated winter tires).

Well, I think I mentioned that the last set of tires that I bought (around April, 2013) for my SC430 were Continental ExtremeContact DWS. These are all-season tires, so they're certainly not ideal for winter driving, but I apparently had forgotten that I must have done some snow-driving research back when I first decided to purchase these. The DWS stands for Dry/Wet/Snow, so these tires actually are designed to be OK in the snow. Something I don't think I knew about when I first bought them is that Continental actually imprints the letters D, W, and S on the pavement-facing side of the tires, and when the letter "S" fades away, it's supposed to signal to you that the snow-handling aspects of the tire are no longer optimal. Similarly, when the "W" fades away, they're not as good in wet weather.

So I just grabbed a flashlight and took a look under my car. It turns out that I can still see all three letters. As such, I think I'm going to roll the dice and take my car on my trip to PA. I'm still hoping that there won't be any real snowfall on the days that I'll be driving there and back.

Sorry to waste everyone's time here, but I don't consider it a waste, because it's all great knowledge for when I do eventually decide to buy some dedicated winter tires. Another factor for me is that every year I hem and haw about whether I should trade my SC430 in for something else (just because I'm kind of bored with it and want to try something new - I bought my used 2002 SC430 back in 2008). So I didn't like the idea of dropping close to $1000 on a new set of tires/wheels when I knew that there was a possibility that I might decide that this coming year was the year I was actually going to go ahead and trade it in for something else.

The first winter I went through with my SC430 I had a different set of tires and had a terrible time even getting out of my driveway (slightly inclined heading up to the street). Since owning the ExtremeContacts I've also put a bag or two of ice melter in the trunk and I definitely think the added weight helps a lot. I had to use up one bag for ice melting duties last year, and I'm in need of melting some more ice now, so I think I'll take that bag out of my trunk and try to find some 25lb cast iron weights to replace it with.

Side note: My wife tells me that she really likes her Highlander and has no desire to trade it in towards anything else anytime soon, so I am going to get her some better tires, but hers still have a *lot* of tread on them, so I might still try to get it through next fall before we replace them.

OBP

Scott I am not laughing at you cos I do not want you to go through what happened to me last winter. My Conti DWS had the S showing too. I had to abandon my SC half a mile from my house cos it could not make it up a hill with 2 inches of accumulation. The DWS is better than many all season tires in the snow but our RWD with the engine in front setup for our cars is a real disadvantage in snow. Get the cheapest winter tires ( from a well established brand ) and they will be better than the best all seasons on snow. just my 2cents.

Taysdad

OK - this is what happens when old people try to do things from memory...........it turns out its "discount tire direct". They even sell on eBay under the same name.

DiggerJim

I'm on the north side of town near Granby.

There is a red (the older bright red color) SC I've seen in Avon and a blue one in Bloomfield. There's also a silver one somewhere nearby because I saw it up at Autobon's across from the little airport. One of those things I never noticed until I got one; now I'm seeing them all over

BTW, someone said they don't make the new WS80 Blizzaks for our cars. I got a set just before Thanksgiving at Costco - BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK 245/40R18 97H WS80 BW SNOW TIRE Item #894885 although I notice they don't have them listed online now so maybe Bridgestone has run out of them for the season. We're supposed to have a couple of inches again tomorrow so I'll get another test. I drive over the mountain every morning and come back in T-ville up that steep hill every night. Haven't thrown any weight in the back but I might if I run into any problems.

Coleroad

Just a reminder, now is the time to get your winter tires. Usually sometime in October they stop offering rebates and discounts till late winter early spring. I've started buying mine. The summer tires I drove year round in Houston aren't going to work here in Kansas. Even if it don't snow this winter, the summer tires would still be slicker than snot on a doorknob in the freezing temperatures.

Paul Alfre

Greetings all. I recently replaced my 95 SC300 with a 2007 SC430. I have 2 sets of SC300 wheels left over and I was thinking of using one set for snow tires. Some people in this forum have mentioned using 16" wheels for this application. Can anyone confirm the SC300 16's will fit an SC430? Any recommendation of a tire size? I also have an old set of SC430 "pie plate" mags I could use for snows if that a better choice. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all! Paul