Snow Tire confusion
 

I've had my 2006 Chrysler Crossfire Limited Coupe for a little over a year. I went through last winter ignorantly with my stock summer tires and it was miserable. Easily the worst car I've ever driven during the snow. That being said, it was my fault for driving with the summer tires.

So, yesterday I went "snow tire shopping". I was quoted anywhere from 1200-1600 bucks for some Blizzak's +installation. I went to Tirerack.com and found 2x types of tires: Bridgestone Blizzak's AND Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D.

So, which should I chose?

2nd question. I'm keeping the same rims because of some curb scrapes on 3 of the rims from my last winter debacle and plan on replacing those in the spring. That being said, tirerack.com recommended different tire sizes for snow tires: 225/40-18 for the front and 225/45-18 for the rear. Would the rear tires fit the original wheels? I know that you can add something and subtract something from the size and still fit a tire on the rim, but I'm confused.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Check out the Eagle F1 All Season tires. You can get them shipped from tirerack.com for under $750 and they are very good A/S tires. I had them on my Trans Am for the past few winters.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

They only recommend 18"s for the rear if your planning to use tire chains. I use 18"front and 19" rear blizzaks for the winter .

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

I've been scouring the forum for different tire's and saw a few posts of those. I'll do some reading on them. My main concern is getting stuck in the snow. I thought about buying some winter hoopty to get me through the Kansas City winter, but tires even though are ridiculous in price are cheaper and more reliable for the winter. I live at a bottom of a steep hill and had a miserable time trying to get up it last winter in my summer tires.

How are those tires compared to regular snow tires during the winter? They do a pretty good job of clearing out the snow here off the streets, but my job doesn't give "snow days" and there are plenty of times during the winter that I had to leave for work prior to them clearing the street.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Ok, wonderful.

Do you like your Blizzaks? They are pretty $$ but I'd rather spend the money on good reliable tires than save a few hundred that won't be much better than my summer tires.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Summer tires are useless in winter weather and are not recommended for use in temps near freezing. All season tires would probably be ok but not as good as snow tires.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Snow Chains...good point. Any good suggestions for quick and easy chains to get on and off? I would just need to get up a hill and would just have them on for that long before I took them off.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Check tirerack I think they have something called the Autosock. Don't know how it works though. If you use 18"s on the rear you will need a set of 18" rims for the rear. I'm not sure if there would be enough room for chains on the 19" rims.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

I have not had Blizzaks on my Crossfire, but have put them on many company cars and they grip well. (I manage a fleet of 750 vehicles) They are a little soft on the handling side and wear more quickly than other snows but they are among the best for snow and ice. As for your fronts I would us a good all season tire, the Goodyear F1's, Michelin Piolot or the Yokohama Advan S.4.'s. All I can say about all the tire chain talk is that most people are better off not using them. You need to ensure they are properly located, tensioned and don't stretch during use or you'll be painting your precious baby in the spring.

Just my opinion.......

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Yeah, I think I'm just going to splurge on the Blizzaks. I'll just buy the tires and add to my current rims. After the winter, I'll buy new rims for my summer tires. I don't have the option to get stuck in the winter with my job and I've been told that we are going to have a rough winter here. Thanks for the assistance.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Well, I went to purchase 4 shoes for my car and I got this? Can someone explain what this means?





The following tire you have selected has a higher load rating than the vehicle's Original Equipment (O.E.) tires. This typically results in increased ride harshness, which some customers may find undesirable.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/navig...llet_trans.gif To select a different tire, REMOVE the tire from your cart and search for a tire with a load rating that matches your vehicle's O.E. rating. To purchase the tire you have already selected, KEEP IN CART / CONTINUE.
Item Description Qty Price Ea. Total 225/40R18 XL Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25
Blackwall
for 2006 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe Limited 2 $185.00 $370.00
Item Description Qty Price Ea. Total 255/35R19 XL Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25
Blackwall
for 2006 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe Limited 2 $272.00 $544.00

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

The oem tires are XL load rated. I don't find the ride any different then the summer tires. I think they feel better then the summer tires, but then again I have a SRT-6 so it's a harsh ride wth any type of tires.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

I also have used both the Dunlops and Blizzaks on Mustangs which are also rear-wheel drive cars that aren't really great in Winter. Of the two, the Dunlops lasted a lot longer and had just as good traction as the Blizzaks. I was VERY disappointed in the Blizzaks longevity. Two seasons and they were shot!

With teh Crossfire, I went two winters with the Conti all-seasons - not great, but the winters were pretty mild. Last year I put Yokahama Advan S-4's and this is what happened to me the first time it snowed...

http://home.comcast.net/%7Enicholas....ages/crash.jpg

When I finally got home after 5 1/2 hours and getting towed the last couple miles, I immediately went online and bought 4 Pirrelli Sotozero tires - 18's all around with the different sizes as recomended by Tire Rack. I really like these tires. We only had a couple storms after that, but they dug right in and held well. They also have a better "performace" feel than the Blizzaks did - they always felt mushy to me.

I would never try to use the Yokahamas in snow again - they were the worst all-season tire I've ever had, but they are terrific in warm weather (although they are a bit noisey).

Here's the Pirellis with the wheels I bought to go with them...

http://home.comcast.net/%7Enicholas....s/SSPX0004.JPG

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Have you gone to http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/mo ?

Try 5X112 or Mercedes Benz in the auto parts search

You can find some nice used sets there, I found a set the guy sold his XFi
and still had the snows,

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Intersting new generation snow chains

http://www.scc-chain.com/Traction%20...ac_ZChain.html

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

my 2nd year on winter dunlops love them ,some sand bags don't hurt either.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

I've not tried these, but loosecannonxf said the Nokian tires might be something to look at. Here is a link, but I did a their tire selector and they won't have anything for the 19's on the back.

http://www.nokiantires.com/


The local dealer told me that Chrysler is recommending the Dunlop 3D Sport.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

In general, snow tires work better when they are narrower. I'm not sure, but there may also be a traction benefit to higher profile tires.

Re: Snow Tire confusion
 

You'd be having a good day if you threw the chains and only had to repaint. I can't even beleive they would put something like that in the owners manual. This isn't an International Scout.