jdanielca

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Co...terContact.htm

usually an SUV tire but cmon our cars are as heavy as some small suvs... so what you think about putting these on 19"s for the winter?

Nospinzone

A few years ago I bought the Continental WinterContact SI (Snow and Ice) tires for my wife's 2001 Jaguar S-Type. I have to say they were the worst winter tires I have ever experienced. Over the years I have purchased the Blizzaks and Michelin Artic Alpins for her car. We have a short small hill when you turn onto our street. The Conti tires struggled to make it up (and sometimes didn't) while the Blizzak and Michelins did it with no problem. Why I ever wasted my money trying those Continentals I can't explain. I actually swapped them out early because I didn't want my wife driving with such a substandard tire on snow and ice.

Maybe those 4X4 WinterContact are better than the regular WinterContact SI, but I wouldn't buy them.

abs

It has been some time since I've purchased dedicated winter snow tires however over the years I've had experience across a variety of vehicles with Michelin Arctic Alpine, Goodyear snow (can't recall the model), Dunlop M2 snow, and Bridgestone Blizzak (can't recall the model). I ran the Dunlops on an Audi Allroad, the Bridgestones on an LS430, the Michelins on a Nissan Maxima and the Goodyears on a Honda Civic EX. The Michelin tires were really good in the snow/ice and actually handled better than the All Season tires I had on that vehicle the rest of the year despite the fact that these Michelins were dedicated snows! I was beyond impressed with them. I'd assume the latest generation is greatly improved. The Blizzak tires on the LS430 did very well in snow and ice, I would say the best of any in those conditions, but the handling left a lot to be desired with a very soft sidewall typical of snow tires. These had the best traction of any snow tire I've ever used. The Bridgestone rubber compound designed with little air pockets in the tread that create biting surfaces as the tread wears is truly brilliant, especially on ice. The Dunlop M2 handled well, but were not great in the snow/ice. The Audi AWD system was very good so it helped to compensate for the traction shortcomings. On the other hand, the handling was very good for a snow tire. The Goodyears were not good at all in the snow and ice (this is going back a lot of years so take with a grain of salt). So, depending on your needs and the amount of snow and ice you expect to see as well as how high you prioritize handling, I'd have to recommend either the Michelin, Dunlop or the Bridgestone for a snow tire.

Nokian also makes some interesting and highly regarded dedicated winter tires.

Also, check out this website in the USA for ratings/reviews: www.tirerack.com
This one too, Canadian site, they get a lot of snow up north: www.1010tires.com


Good luck.