[Schoolbus]

I'm looking to replace the tires on my fiancee's VW Passat 1.8T. Does anyone have a good suggestion for a tire that will do good year round in central CT for a non-aggressive driver?

Here's the results from Tire Rack looking at 195/65R15 Grand Touring All-Season and Standard Touring All-Season:

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?..._%3D4


Thanks for any suggestions,
Mark


Modified by Mark Pogers at 4:28 PM 1-7-2004

 

[ganseg]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

Don't buy the Bridgestone Potenza 950s. Although they are all season, they are not acceptable in the snow. On my van I have Goodyear Allegras from Sam's Club. I think these are good for a year around tire. I also have had Yokohama YK420s and Firestone Affinity LHs that cost more than the Allegras but are too soft in cornering for my taste. (Don't confuse the Allegras at Sam's with the Goodyear Integritys elsewhere; the Integritys are soft in cornering.)

 

[darisgin]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (ganseg)

Good reviews on the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H; Consumer Reports recommends it (as they do the Falken Ziex ZE 512, which is much, much cheaper, but not available through Tirerack).
Consumer Reports alsso recommends the Dunlop SP Sport A2, which is pretty cheap.
Oh, and the poster above is right - CU trashed RE950's snow traction.


Modified by darisgin at 2:31 PM 1-7-2004

 

[RL331]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (darisgin)

I just bought the Toyo Proxes 4 all seasons. They came highly recommended and you cannot beat the price/performance aspect of those tires. I was deciding between the Continental ExtremeContacts and the Pirelli Pzero Nero from tirerack - they have the highest all season ratings for my size but I went with the Toyos. What size tire are you looking for??? I got mine at http://www.treadepot.com - can't beat their prices even to get them mounted local. I would look at the Toyos.
OOOPs realized you need 15s...try going a little wider like 205/60 15 or 215/60 15 you will get a little increase in handling too with the wider tire and it won't make too much of a difference if you get a good all season in terms of snow handling. If you look behind the gas lid I believe the 205 is listed as an alternate size.
For that size I would recommend the Dunlop Sport A2.


Modified by RL331 at 10:03 PM 1-7-2004

 

[ytqm]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

I would also check out the new Nokian WR, they are an all season with a snow tire rating. They have been getting rave reviews.

 

[Patrik]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (ytqm)

Quote, originally posted by ytqm »

I would also check out the new Nokian WR, they are an all season with a snow tire rating. They have been getting rave reviews.

I second that! I'm at the moment using them, and I live in the middle of Sweden. I was looking for a studless winter tire but ended up with the WR's. They're on their first winter at the moment so haven't that much experience of them yet, but so far I think they are performing fine for an all-season (or all-weather) tire.

 

[Altair 4]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (darisgin)

Quote, originally posted by darisgin »

Consumer Reports recommends it (as they do the Falken Ziex ZE 512, which is much, much cheaper, but not available through Tirerack). Consumer Reports alsso recommends the Dunlop SP Sport A2, which is pretty cheap. Oh, and the poster above is right - CU trashed RE950's snow traction.

Take the CR report with a grain of salt. Several years back, I bought two sets of Dunlop D60 A2's based on their recommendation, for two of our cars at about the same time.
What the article failed to mention was that despite religious maintenance and rotation, the tire would get less than 50% of the mileage quoted by Dunlop. It also failed to mention that the tires would get very noisy in the second half of their life and that holding balance would be an iffy thing. Yep, they stuck to the road well, they just didn't live up to any other expectation.

 

[Schoolbus]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Patrik)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!
Where's the best place (lease expensive) place to get the Nokian WR's? I've heard good things from other people as well. I see that TireRack doesn't carry Nokian.
Thanks,
Mark

 

[jntsfan]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

Mark, just want to confirm darisgin's comment on the Dunlop SP Sport A2. Put four on in December and love the tire. I loved the tire when it was called the D60 A2, which I had on another car. They're great in dry and wet and good in snow. Can't get much better than that for a jack of all trades. Got them for about $84 a piece at Town Fair Tire. Sears carries, as well.

 

[julianfang]

Your best bet for finding Nokian's is to go their website and find a local supplier.

 

[kevindow]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

Take a good look at the consumer reviews over at tirerack.com for the Bridgestone Turanza LS-Hs. I have these tires on my '98 Passat and love the quiet ride and excellent performance on wet and dry surfaces. These tires performed well when we received about 3-4 inches of wet snow in December.
Kevin

 

[anthrapass]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

I got the Dunlop SP Sport A2s in January 2003 and had to have them replaced December 2003 with only about 14,000 miles on them, and I'm not an aggressive driver (most of the time

). Got 75% from the warranty and replaced them with Goodyear GT-HRs. Haven't had them for too long but I'd definately recommend them.

 

[VeeDubDude]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

here's another vote for the Nokias. Nokia makes great tires. they might be a little more $$ but they perform well. i've run hakkas in the winter for years adn they've been exceptional. on my 01.5 GLX i ditched the Crapelin MXVs for Nokia NRVs. they were an excellent match for the V6. they were quiet, grippy, and rode well. i got rid of the car when i had about 20,000 miles on the NRVs. at that point i'd say i probably had another 25,000 - 30,000 miles on them but i wouldn't reccommend them for snow use. but i think quick wear is typical of grippier tires because of their softer compounds. my snow tires keep their tread forever. i used the same 195/65R15 hakka 1s on an Accord, A4, and my Passat. there was about 30,000 miles on them and they still gripped like new and had another couple of winters left in them.
i'm a big fan of the Dunlop SP A2 also but only in warmer, drier weather. they stick well and when they're new they tread water well. but i've found when it gets cold - 40^ and colder - the rubber gets harder and it significantly changes the tire. it gets noisy and seems to hydroplane easier. i've found them to wear quickly, too. i've had 3 or 4 sets on various cars and haven't gotten more than 25,000 miles out of them. i definitely wouldn't reccomend it for an all-season tire if you get any snow.
give the Nokia all season a try. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[drplastic]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (Mark Pogers)

I have been running Sumitomo HTR+ in 225/45WR17 on my W8 and they were great tires. Ultra high performance all season radials with a 360 treadwear rating and a AA, A temp rating!
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...R%2B

 

[GT17V]

Re: Need new all-season tires for the Northeast... (VeeDubDude)

Nokias makes great phones

My vote would go for the OEM Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus. Pricey, good all around, except for deep unplowed snow.
I also had good experiences with BF Goodrich Touring T/A HR4 (now discontinued, but still available). They are now replaced with Traction T/A.
I've heard good comments about the Sumitomo Srixon 4, and are relatively cheap.

 

[BobB]

Another vote for Nokian WR.....

I had them on my 2002 Passat last season (big snow season in NY State). And have them on my 2004.
These were my first winter tires and I am sold. I live on top of a hill and the traction in deep snow, slush, icy slush was exceptional. Gave me a lot of confidence in driving in bad weather.
They are also great in wet weather.... very grippy.
The best point for me is the fact that they perform very well as a dry tire, and with the HR rating are not unstable in typical NE turnpike speeds of 75-85 mph.
Very little wear at over 12,000 mile on them.
I will say that I personnally wouldn't use them year round since they are a bit noisier, expecially at lower speeds. However, if the driver isn't picky like me they would probably not notice it after a week on the car.
I am not sure if there is a "best" all-season tire. One way or another there will be a compromise. But from my experience and my studies The WR may be one of the better compromises.
I run mine from late November to mid April, then change over to my alloys and stock tires.
Bob