Hey everyone! Fall is banging on the door which means winter isn't far away. As previously, we are also seeing many more tires and sizes than usual being discontinued or simply not being produced this season.

Popular tires for moderate to low snow climates, that see more plowed roads than highways, tend to be the Bridgestone Blizzak LM60 and Dunlop Winter Sport 3D. Both are considered very equal to each other in snow traction and in dry road handling/cornering and were the tires of choice in this category. The LM60 moves the balance closer to the snow traction side while the Dunlop does slightly better in dry. Both an ideal choice for someone having trouble deciding between the high performance snow tires that sacrifice a lot of snow traction and the Q/R rated snow tires that trade off too much in handling and dry grip.

Persons living in more rural areas or heavy snow climates lean toward the Blizzak WS-70 or Michelin X-Ice Xi2. I've noticed when driving both that the added tread depth of the Blizzak helps deep snow traction on those early unplowed mornings. The X-Ice is a bit happier on ice surfaces and tends to handle a bit tighter on clear roads due to the 2/32nd's difference in depth compared to the Blizzak. Michelin will be introducing the new X-Ice Xi3 this year also. We are currently testing that tire against others

I would not wait too long, it's better to be proactive than reactive. Ordering early when most products are still available lets you choose what you want to buy rather than being forced to settle for what is left over. Best to be ready with products in hand before it snows so that you can put them on when you are ready, rather than waiting for a shipment to arrive after the first snow. We should have most inventory available now to mid Oct. Tires and wheels purchased together are mounted and balanced at no charge to make changeover easy and we do offer the oem pressure sensors.

You can view full winter tire and wheel packages here Tire Rack Winter Packages.

Remember to mention "Neal ext 624" in the comments section of your online order. This way I can review the order and process it faster. As always you may call me direct as well

 

Speaking of getting new tires, what is a reasonable price for mount and balance? Shop is asking $155, but I am seeing much more affordable prices offered. Is this just the price we pay for having a sport car?

 

I'd say around $25 per tire is average for those sizes. May have to add a little depending on if the shop charges for TPMS service also.

 

Hey Neal,

I'm considering a set of winter tires this year. I live in Maryland and drive a G37S. My driving is 95% highways to work and all roads should be plowed.

I'm looking at an 18" setup and tirerack only offers 4 options in 225/50/18 size. Bizzak LM-60, Graspic DS-3, Ultra Grip Ice WRT, and X-Ice3.

The majority of the time in Maryland, its just cold with ice spots on the road, but the roads are clear. I tend to drive 80 mph on the highway so I dont want a tire which is going to be completely mushy and unresponsive.

The LM-60 is the only tire available in the "performance" winter category, but the X-Ice3 has the same speed rating. I think the DS-3 and WRT with their lower speed ratings will probably be too mushy for me.

My preferences are:
1) Cold dry handling and braking as the majority of the driving will be highway 80 mph driving in traffic.
2) Ice traction as we tend to get more ice on the roads than snow.
3) Light snow traction. If it ever snows more than a few inches, I will stay at home and wait for the roads to clear. I wont be climbing hills in 2 inches of snow or driving across country roads which arent plowed.

Help!

 

Even though the Michelin has the same speed rating, the B-Stone will handle better due to its tighter tread design. You're basically describing a performance winter tire and the LM60 would be the best there.

 

Neal,

I have a 2012 G37XS coupe, and it will see it's first Chicago winter shortly. I'm looking for a wheel/tire package, not so much for tires (as the cars is AWD), but I don't want to drive my Enkei's in the Chicago winter.

My question is this....
Your website selection menus don't specifically indicate my car (X Sport). And, I need to be sure that whatever wheels I select will clear the Akebono's. and, I assume I should drop from stock 19s to winter 18s?

Thanks,

Rich

 

Let me check with our guys here and I'll let you know.

*Update*

Use the 2012 G37Coupe Journey Sport Package listings. That's based off the 2011 G37XS we actually measured.

 

how much are tpms sensors usually and do you sell them?

 

What specific year/make/model do you have? They can vary depending on the year.