I am new to the forum (though I have been lurking for a few weeks reading everything I can!) We just bought an 2005 SRT. Unfortunately we have to replace the tires. I have spent hours reading through threads on the board and looked up many of the tires recommended. However, I notice that the majority of them are listed as summer tires on tire websites. Is there such thing as a tire for our cars that does good on ice/snow (mind you, I don't plan to drive it in deep snow or on really icy roads but I had it out the other night and the roads were a little icy and it was TERRIBLE!!)? I know NOTHING about tires and cars (and never cared to learn before). However I LOVE this car and want to learn everything I can about it!! Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!

 

I guess it depends on whether you would want a separate set of tires for Winter and a set for Summer. If you are looking for separate sets for winter and summer I would suggest Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60s for winter and Hankook Ventus V12 EVO K110.

If you are looking for one set of tires good year round, then I would suggest looking into different sets of All-Season tires.

 

Can you use winter tires in the summer?

 

Not suggested. You will see excessive tire wear because of the temperatures for which the winter tires are designed.

 

Continentwl Touring Contacts were OK in light snow for me this winter. Never tried them on ice, though.

 

Hands-down, I recommend the Continental DWS. I'm running OEM wheels, and a fat (285/30/19) tire in the rear with no issues.

Dry traction = 9 out of 10... They aren't R-Compounds, but fantastic grip for an all-season.
Wet traction = 10/10. Like wearing slip-resistant work sneakers on a wet floor... you simply stick.
Snow traction = 8/10 in anything less than 4". Anything more than that, stay home...
Ice traction = it's ice, silly. All rubber spins

Occasionally in TN we get a phenomenon called "freezing fog"... basically, the road surface "frosts" like the yards do. See "wet traction"... haha.

I'm blown away with these tires and I've been quite rude to them. They've carried me through the Dragon, up to 150mph, and through 3" of snow... all done masterfully.

You'll notice a slight drop in transient cornering response over the Michelin PS2, but that's about my only gripe.

 

I used the Continental DSW for the first time this winter. Their traction was great was great in the snow ... especially with a couple of cases of paper in the trunk.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!!

 

If you expect snow and ice go with the Blizzak's or a similar tire. All season tires are a compromise. The compounds for all season tires are not meant for really cold weather so you lose grip as the rubber gets too colder.
Real winter tires do a much better job on ice, these winter tires are only good for a few years as the surface rubber is softer than the underlying rubber. When this surface wears off you have harder rubber and consequently less grip in cold weather.
This soft rubber is very apparent when the tires are new, turn the steering wheel too much backing out your drive or doing something similar will leave a black mark on the drive. The tire design is different and noisier.
Anyone using All Season tires on a light rear wheel drive car and saying they are good are fooling themselves and have not driven in real winter conditions on real winter tires. A real winter tire is like night and day when compared to the All Season tire in snow, ice and cold weather.
Take the advice of a Canadian Eskimo not a driver from Mississippi.

 

Silly question.

Isn't winter about over?

Please say yes.

 

Yes it's almost over, another two or three weeks and my car will emerge from the garage. If it sees its shadow it will be good, not like the groundhog thing.

 

The name of the type of tire should have answered that question.

BC.

 

+1 and on an SRT that soft outer layer is going to disappear in a hurry, especially on the rears

Edit: I drive mine year round and for optimum performance, use a seperate set of winter and summer wheels+tires. I have been using blizzaks for my snow tires on multiple rear wheel drive vehicles from trucks to german sedans and coupes and have not had a problem with the tires (only problem in most of the cars is ground clearence)

 

Yes, winter should be almost over, but since I live in Michigan there is always the possibility of several more good snow storms. I was thinking ahead though, for next winter. The tires on the car now need to be replaced soon, so I was trying to figure out if I should buy all seasons or a separate set for summer and winter (which I suppose would be ideal, but I'm not sure if I can afford that this year).

 

If you are going to be 'pushing' your SRT and trying to get the most from it on the street or track, I would highly recommend getting good summer tires for now, because by the time you actually have them mounted and balanced, hopefully the snow will be over, and if not, driving in one light snowfall, if necessary, will not be as bad as your bald tires now.

Then next winter think about getting some good snow tires, I know I bought my blizzaks in August and got a hell of a deal.

If you are just going to drive around town and dont plan on tracking it, you could go the all season route and probably be satisfied with one set of tires. The main problem with the all seasons, IMHO of course, is that they are not fantastic in the snow, or when trying to really push it, but they are a good all around tire.

Hope this helps.