bryanb124

Yikes...I can't beleive how bad my car is with just a couple of inches of snow on the ground...even with ECT on I have quite a time getting up the hill on my street.

Here is my question...what are the best non-studded snow tires I can get in 17"? I have heard of Blizzaks, but have never used them...I would like to get a set for next winter and run regular street tires during the spring/summer/fall...

thanks for your opinions...

later

Bryan

oldguy

Spend some time at www.tirerack.com and read the comments.
My experience with Blizzacks on my 98 GS400 was that they are excellent snow tires, ON SNOW, and like driving on marbles on dry pavement. Can't remember the model, but not the newer design.
With my 01 GS430, I have Dunlop wintersport, and they are fine dry and less good on snow. But, as it is dry mostly, it's a better tire for me.
These are all 16's.
I was reading on their site a couple days age, and read about the Michelin pilot a/s. They read really well, in the comments of actual owners.

doug_999

Good idea. The stock tires on the GS4xx are SUMMER only.

There are two different Blizzaks. WS-50 and LM-22.
The WS-50 is the killer snow/ice tire. Has little suction cups on it for ultimate grip. Two downsides - 1) it is squirmy in dry conditions and 2)after those suction cups wear out, it turns into an all season tire not a snow tire.

The LM-22 is a performance snow tire - meaning that it is much better in the dry but trades some snow/ice traction (everything in life is a trade off).

The Dunlop Winter Sport M2 have gotten great reviews and seem to be a competitor to the LM-22. But they are an older tire compared to the LM-22 and in theory the LM-22 should be slightly superior (this per tirerack).

Now, for wheel size. You will want to get a separate set of wheels for these snows. Otherwise the mounting and unmounting the tires will cost more than the separate set of rims. Remember this important fact - the skinnier the tire, the better it works in snow and ice - yep, skinny is good. That combined with the fact that 16" wheels have a taller sidewall (better for hitting those nasty winter potholes), means that a 16" wheel is the best for snow tires.

OK, that said,
after having 16" wheels with Pirelli Winter 210s on my BMW and
1. Hating the look of the 16" wheel
and
2. Hating the snow performance of the 210s

I went with a set of 17" 2002 model rims (From Steve Ganz at Carson Toyota) with Blizzak LM-22 tires. Since I drive on the highway a lot, I didn't want the wander, squirmyness that can happen with the WS-50 blilzzaks and since I like the look of the 2002 17" GS430 rims, this was the combo for me. Since you have time, you can start watching e-bay for a deal as well (there seems to be an abundance of almost new GS wheels out there).

Overall I'm happy.

BTW, best snow tire I EVER had was the Pirelli Winter Ice Asimmetrico. But I don't think they make that tire in the size you need.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

Doug

squarehat

I know BMW recommends Hakkapeliita (spelling) as a good low-profile snow tire. I'm not sure if Tire Rack carries them, Bavarian Autosport does if the GS happens to share a common tire size with one of the common BMW sizes.

elclassico

the snow button shouldnt be used, makes things worst. have you tryed it on normal?