Vette Boy

when was this, back in the days of wagons? I've lived in Chicago since 1969, never had a set of studded snow tires, (much less, snow tires). I always had a rear wheel drive V-8, this is my first car with trac control.

rheiy

If you were driving back in 69, studded snows were still legal in Illinois Ruff ride but very effective.

NT2SHBBY

just had to prove it before...

I drove around in the 14-16" of snow that fell and the car did AWESOME!!!! no traction issues at all in snow mode.


my only problem was clearance when it came to side streets that weren't plowed. For clearance problems I just used the v8 power and my bumper as a battering ram.

Snow is no problem for the GS with snow tires

geelex4

What up fellas, I am from New york and the snow that recently fail was hell for me. I thought I was going to have to park the car and get another one. I am going to try the snow tires... I have 20's on it now...profile is like 30....those wheels spins out everywhere. I'll get the new tires and tell you guys the result...Question though, does it matter if you have 17 or 16 inch rims. I just can't see my GS ON 16...

Plus my neighbor next door told me his gs300 don't get stuck cause he can switch from front to rear with his shift ****..Now I don't know how true that is...those of you who has the answer post it.

looking to lower my gs, are coilover better or just springs..I wanna still get a soft ride..holla

NT2SHBBY

16's look fine to me

doug_999

16s are better for snow for two reasons
1. Skinnier tires do better in snow
2. Higher sidewalls protect the rim better against those nice potholes that develop in the winter

If you get the right 16s (see N2SHABBY) it will look fine. I went with another set of stock 17s that I picked up from Steve at Carson Toyota.

Remember, there are two types of snow tires - performance snow and just plain snow. The performance ones (Blizzak LM-22s, Dunlop M2/M3, Pirelli 210s) do well in dry and fair in snow - the snow tires (Blizzak WS-50, Dunlop Graspic) do better in snow than in dry.

BTW, your neighbor is a few fries short of a happy meal.

3dog

iTrader: (1)

I have to add this to what Doug said.
With the Blizzak WS-50's they are actually at their very best when it is just a sheet of ice. It just boggles my mind after all these years of sheer panic on ice that I can drive like the ice isn't even there. Of course when it is just snow they aren't quite as amazing, but still do very well.


16's slice thru the Snow better than 17's. I just use the stock 16's that came with the car, I've got my Blizzaks already mounted on them. Takes me about an hr to change all 4 wheels. I put them on when the forecast is for Snow . And I take them off just as soon as the Snow is gone.

I want some of whatever your neighbor is smoking.
He is putting you on


Have fun in the snow

3dog

geelex4

Thanks fellas, I think I will get the blizzack 50..I was wondering which one to get.. I knew that cat lying . he has a gs300...regular base model, I got a platnum edition gs400. I'm a bigger *** for even thinkin bout it. he didn't know if his car was front or rear.... thanks again guys.

3dog

iTrader: (1)

There are a couple of things about the Blizzak WS-50s that you should think about.

The special ice gripping rubber is on the outside layer of the tread. It disappears thru wear and after about 15,000 miles the incredible ice gripping tread is gone and you are left with a good snow tire. If you leave these tires on for 3 months each winter you will go thru this part in about 3-4 years. There are tread wear bars on the tires to tell you when this happens.
I think the ice gripping value of these tires is so incredible that I would replace them at that point.
We only get the occasional snow storm here in Seattle so I put them on maybe a week or two each winter.

If you don't get snow very often and want to leave the snow tires on all winter, then you might want to check out some of the other types that were mentioned. They don't have that tread with the special ice compounds so you don't have to worry about wear as much. But they do not do as well on ice, and when it is icy that is what I'm concerned about.

These ( Blizzak WS-50s) are not tires that are high performance on dry or just wet roads.
Pushed hard around curves on dry roads they feel like you are driving on mushy cardboard. If you don't drive aggressive they are okay. I take mine off when the snow is gone.

Some of the others are rated a lot better for performance driving. I've got my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for that. When it is bad I want the very highest level of protection I can get, so that is why I put up with the downside of the Blizzak WS50s

Contact Tire Rack they test all the tires mentioned and have the best prices.

Have fun in the snow


3dog

durightman

Yeah I live in Maryland and we got a few inches, but I still throw the rear out in corners. Straight away driving in the snow the car is perfect. I have a set of Pirelli 210s. Maybe I throw the tail out because I am taking the corners too fast . Still pretty decent tires though I move right along past other drivers.

doug_999

Everything Ivan says is correct. My only word of caution is that the advice I have received over the years from Tire Rack tends to be biased towards the higher priced tire. When I was interested in my Blizzak LM-22s I was also considering the Dunlop M2s which I had heard great things about. I was assured by the sales person that if I wanted the best winter performance snow tire the LM-22 was the way to go (at $25 more per tire than the Dunlops). After mounting them and using them fro two seasons and then looking at the feedback on Tire Rack's web site, I know that I did not get good advice. The Dunlops are superior - both in my opinion and others who have them.

Same thing happened with my wife's snow tires - they convinced me to go with the Bridgestone Winter Dueler. Turns out this is a truck tire and made my wife's RX ride like crap. When I called the sales guy back he said that I had wanted a strong sidewall and a lower probability of rolling over and therefore he recommended that tire. The only problem is that I never said that. When I questioned him about the other snow tire available for the car that was based on a car tire and not truck, he admitted that the ride would be superior but said "we are out of stock so you couldn't have it anyway." I sure wish I had had the option rather than him making the decision for me based on stock.

Do I still order from Tire Rack? Yes. Do I now research my own tires and take their advice with skepticism? You bet.

fhumphrey04

I drove in the snow up here in reno and I dont think I will ever do it again unless I have chains.

It figures that we get the biggest storm in 100 years the one year I buy a rwd car

vasgs4

I just got my GS400 and I have never driven in the snow with rear wheel drive more than like 30 feet. I must say, the GS handle itself pretty well. I lost control going 70mph on the freeway and the car just beeped and completely evened itself out. I have to admit sometimes its kind of hard to start moving when it's more than 5 inches of snow on the ground, but once it starts, I have no worries. I drove a crown victoria a few days later in the snow and I feared for my life! The GS was definetey a good buy. I have had the GS for about 2 weeks now and I have absolutely no complaints, I am very happy with my decision to purchase it.

04GS300

Drove in DC about 2 weeks ago in the snow w/ factory 16s. She did pretty well but there were a couple of slippery moments. I'm pretty sure I'm running summer tires Mich Pilot HX MXM, but they could be the all-season Pilot HX MXM4. Yeah yeah, I know...didn't plan on driving in the snow at all, but I got caught out and had no choice. She did better than I thought she would...just stay away from inclines!!!

jtanoyo1

LOL, and some of you shriek in horror hearing that I live in Indonesia.

Sun, 90F weather and a chance to wash and wax your car 365 days a year....what more can a person ask?