A7 Prestige Winter Wheel and Tire Recommendation?

[ACHiPo289]

Thanks!

[ACHiPo289]

I hit "enter" too early. I meant to ask about the weather the Xi is superior than the Conti ice and snow offering for Portland weather?

I watched the TireRack videos and read the reviews, and I'm more confused than when I started. The Blizzak WS seems superior to the Michelin Xi or Conti, but it doesn't look like I can get the Blizzak in my size, which leaves me choosing between the Michelin, Conti, and Goodyear, which I can't find any info out about. The videos and reviews did convince me of the superiority of the winter tires for winter conditions, but I still don't understand why there's so little differentiation between A/S and winter tires in the user scorecards.

Also, are there really only 3 wheel options at 235/55R17s, or is it just because it's so late in the season?

Sorry to be such a pain. Let me know if I should take this to email.

Thanks again.

[Gary@Tirerack.com]

No pain at all! You'll be committed to these for at least a few seasons so I understand wanting to be thorough. Brake clearance is tricky in 17" so there are not many wheels that clear them, thus the limited selection.

Since the survey results are only scored compared to other tires in the same category (ie snow tires are only scored against other snow tires), the survey data isn't valid to compare different categories of tires. Unfortunately this makes it difficult for someone who hasn't experience winter tires to show how much better they really are. The difference is dramatic, especially on ice.

For Portland, I assume you see more packed snow, ice and wet roads as opposed to a lot of deep, loose snow. For that type of driving, the XI2 is your best bet. If I'm incorrect about the snow conditions and you're frequently in loose/deep snow then I'd lean towards the Conti Extreme Winter Contact instead.

Winter http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR8&...nter/index.jsp

[Reggie]

http://youtu.be/EaksWCnHaDM

Gary this is what they can get in Portland

[ACHiPo289]

Originally Posted by Reggie

http://youtu.be/EaksWCnHaDM
Gary this is what they can get in Portland

Reggie,
You're spot on.

Gary,
You're correct in that we don't get deep snow very often (and if we do I'm fine with staying home). In fact we don't get bad weather very often, but when we do it's often ice/slush/snow right around freezing, which is amazingly slick. I grew up in the midwest driving on snow and ice on all seasons. My first winter in Oregon I was following the DOT truck that was flipping the "traction devices required signs". A few miles later the spedometer was still at 30 but the car wasn't moving. Ever since I've been very respectful of the combination of hills and ice/snow at 31-33F as it makes for a nearly zero friction surface.

Most people here either run studs or stay home on the few days of slick roads we get here (or show up in a video like Reggie's). I'd rather not do either.

I've seen a couple reports of cornering traction issues with the XI2 in slush/snow, but all reports are glowing on handling and breaking on ice.

Thanks for your explanation of the scorecard ranking. That now makes sense.

Evan

[ACHiPo289]

Folks,
Thanks for all your help and suggestions. I'm leaning toward the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R on 18s. While they won't handle nearly as well as the Dunlop 3D or 4D, et al, they're the one tire that I can't find anything negative about (other than dry handling and price).

Now on to search for wheels...

[Reggie]

Look at the Hartmann wheels

[ACHiPo289]

Originally Posted by Reggie

Look at the Hartmann wheels

They're at the top of my list for new wheels, but I'm really hoping to find some good used OEM wheels since they're likely to get beat up a bit anyway with the volcanic ash they use here.

Thanks again for your help.