I have a 01' GS3, and this will be the first winter here in NY with the car.
Any suggestions as to what type of tire I can get that might be good for snow and for all year round as well?

I have a feeling that the Goodyear's that came on the car are just not gonna do the job.

Thanks,
David

 

I've been contemplating the same question for a long time now myself. The stock Goodyear's suck, and I can't imagine them doing any better this coming winter as the tread wear will be greater.

What I have been looking for is the same criteria. Based on much research, it probably looks like the Dunlop SP 5000 Asym's would be the best all around tire. The Yoko AVS db's are also excellent, but may not cut it that great in the winter.

If anyone has had any of these tires and can comment on winter performance, that would be well appreciated.

 

It's a few bucks more, but considering how much snow you guys will have to deal with and how long you have to deal with it (relative to those of us here in the sunny South), I'd suggest buying a seperate set of wheels/dedicated snow tires, such as a set of OEM takeoffs with Blizzaks.

If you've got really nice aftermarket wheels, you're probably not going to want to slush them up all winter, cover them with salt, slide 'em into curbs, etc. And any "all season" tire is an attempt to compromise between summer and winter conditions. Most such seem to be marginally better than high performance summer tires in winter conditions, but not much.

It is a more expensive route, but after a couple of years of NOT paying for remounting and rebalancing at least twice each winter/spring, your cost is amortized out pretty well. Plus, if you avoid ruining even one of your summer wheels by sliding into something, you've just paid for the seperate set!!

jmho

 

It's a few bucks more, but considering how much snow you guys will have to deal with and how long you have to deal with it (relative to those of us here in the sunny South), I'd suggest buying a seperate set of wheels/dedicated snow tires, such as a set of OEM takeoffs with Blizzaks.

If you've got really nice aftermarket wheels, you're probably not going to want to slush them up all winter, cover them with salt, slide 'em into curbs, etc. And any "all season" tire is an attempt to compromise between summer and winter conditions. Most such seem to be marginally better than high performance summer tires in winter conditions, but not much.

It is a more expensive route, but after a couple of years of NOT paying for remounting and rebalancing, your cost is amortized out pretty well. Plus, if you avoid ruining even one of your summer wheels by sliding into something, you've just paid for the seperate set!!

jmho

 

I agree with Moretorque. Living in Canada, we see a faire share of snow. During the winter month, safety is the most important thing. GS is a rear wheel drive car, so no matter how good of an all season tire, it's not going to do the job. I got my car last year and the past winter, I had some really close calls with the stock tire.

 

I live in Southwestern Ontario and we get our fair share of snow. My 2001GS300 is dressed as follows:

For the winter, I have a set of Dunlop Graspic tires... very good tire in terms of handling and road noise. I test drove a used GS4 with Blizzaks...seemed louder to me.

During the Summer, I use Dunlop SP5000s. Never had a problem... and the tread pattern looks great too. I do find that the SP's are very soft compound and I will be changing them within 10k miles.

The type of tire you use (all weather or otherwise) is only as good as how much snow you get and the profile (tire wall height) of the tire. If you get slush and an inch or two, then a 45 profile can be really hard to drive. My Graspic's are 55 series tires and I have gotten through 3 inches on the drivewar with no problem. Any more snow than that... wait for the plow!