Ok, so I now see the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's for $177 each which isn't much more than the Continentals. Given that, would the A/S 3's be the better tire? There aren't a ton of reviews on them yet so it is hard to compare.

 

I'm running michelin pilot sports a/s right now and they are a great tire. but for michigan winters im still apprehensive about leaving them on. my last car was a g35x sedan and i loved it in the winter with blizzaks. i will be doing the same with my coupe

 

I would really like to avoid having a second set of wheels/tires though that have to be stored somewhere when not in use. I made it through an Upstate NY winter with the crappy stock tires so I am not too worried about sticking with All Seasons.

 

Fair enough, but for me there is a difference between "making it through" the winter and "owning" old man winter! I passed a hummer in a ditch once in my g35x, poor lil soccer mom, but i couldnt help but laugh

 

Yea, there is no doubt that winter tires are better in the snow, but I didn't really have any issues this past winter (and we had a decent amount of snow). I am much less worried about myself than all of the other idiots around me.

So IMO, it doesn't matter how fast I can zip by people when at any moment they can lose control and run me off the road. If I ever come across a killer deal on a second set of wheels that I can keep snow tires on then I may do it, but for now one set of tires is fine. Plus it is not like I am running Watkins Glen or anything in the summer so I don't need a true high performance tire anyway.

 

Jury still out on the A/S 3's, but we should know more once we complete a full test here within the next few weeks.

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I will hold off on buying anything for now. I should be fine with the tires I have even though there is not much tread left.

 

I too will be buying a new set of all seasons. My priority is getting the tire that performes best in snow. I can't have another set of wheels/tires for winter so I need a good set of all seasons. I know the jury is still out on the sport AS 3 but do people anticipate they would out-perform the conti DWS in snow. How about sport AS plus vs DWS?

 

Just prediction, but unless the AS3 steps up its game a bit on the a/s side I don't see it being better than the DWS in snow. The DWS is a hard performance a/s tire to beat winter wise, but does lack a bit on the dry handling and steering response. That's the price you pay for better a/s ability. I doubt Michelin will pull that much from the dry traction/steering response to up the snow side. The AS+ has always been a great sport tire with light/moderate snow ability and my guess would be similar for the AS3.

Stay tuned!

 

So it looks like the DWS is the best choice for me if the AS3 performs the way the other pilots traditionally do?

 

If snow is a concern, yes. Until I see a tire survive a full winter season it's hard to predict how it will perform.

 

I am still torn on which tires to go with, here are the ones I have it narrowed down to and the prices for them:

Nitto Motivo - $611 shipped
Toyo Proxes 4 Plus - $605 shipped
Continental DWS - $699 shipped
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's - Unknown, but most expensive

The Nitto and Toyo are basically siblings, since Toyo is the parent company and they have a very similar tread pattern. I like the look of the Motivo better though. The DWS is obviously the most popular for people on this site, but I am trying to determine if they are worth the extra $100 or if I will get a very similar performing tire in one of the other choices.

I have to think, whatever I choose will be way better than the stock tires anyway.

 

^ very true. just go and get the DWS already. they are awesome tires for the money. and if you are looking for a tire that will perform in a pinch when in snow, they are the obvious choice out of the group. they still handle great in the dry and wet, much better than stock non-sport tires.

i have a set of DWS for my "winter" setup. we don't get much snow here, and if it does snow the G stays in the garage if i can swing it. that's what the wife's CRV is for. the DWS have gotten me through a couple suprise snowfalls though.

 

Well this is my daily driver and we get snow quite often in upstate NY so I want to try and get the all season that has the best snow traction.

I know that winter tires are the right way to go, but I don't want to have two sets of wheels/tires and having to find a place to put the off season setup.

 

so if your focus is on an A/S tire that has decent winter capabilities, the DWS is your best choice.

just be sure to adjust your driving habits to account for cold temps. that's the big impact on A/S or summer tires - when it drops below about 7C the rubber compounds harden and you lose traction. with the DWS and AWD on your G you should have no problem accelerating in snow, but stopping and steering is a bigger concern.