Winter Tires - kind of iffy on these general altimax artics

[Kershaw]

so i just had a set of general altimax artics installed on my lachs car. literally the first time i hit the brakes i slide on those tires. the first time! they are 195/60/15 i think. pretty narrow tires. the very next day i to steer on to the shoulder while braking because i wasnt going to make it. (rush hour traffic sucks.)

granted... my zinno ix has azenis rt615s and my rx8 has toyo t1rs, so im definitely used to grippy tires. but this is a bit ridiculous. i run 225/50/17 bridgestone blizzaks on my rx8 during the winter, and while they are no where near the toyo t1rs i never have a problem with emergency braking.

so am i just off my rocker here or do other people think these tires are not that great? im considering putting them up on craigslist and buying a set of blizzaks for my ix.

[AndrewBird]

Learn how to drive in the snow? :shrug:

Also, narrower tires are generally better in snow as they don't float over it as badly. Similar to how a tire hydroplanes over water.

[nrubenstein]

serious winter tires are fucking terrible in the dry. on an iX, you can easily ge away with less extreme tires. swap them out for Hankook W300s or Michelin PA3s if you need tolerable handling. (Both are available in 195/60-15.). ive been pretty happy with the dirt cheap Hankooks, although the Michelins are probably a better handling tire.

[E30SPDFRK]

I had a set last winter, worst tires I've ever owned. Have you taken them up to highway speeds yet?

[dannyyisntt]

I run Dunlop graspic's on my ix and love 'em.

I say:

(A. Get a good set of winters.

(B. Learn to drive in the snow and/or ice.

Leave good distances between you and the person in front of you, slow to a crawl before the stop sign or light, avoid jamming on your brakes or basically trying to stop fast when it's slick out, and most importantly watch out for other people.

[325ix]

serious winter tires are fucking terrible in the dry. on an iX, you can easily ge away with less extreme tires. swap them out for Hankook W300s or Michelin PA3s if you need tolerable handling. (Both are available in 195/60-15.). ive been pretty happy with the dirt cheap Hankooks, although the Michelins are probably a better handling tire.

Honestly, the ix doesn't need winter tires. I drive on crappy all-seasons and am fine. It gets a little sketchy some times but, if you are a competent driver, you will be fine.

[dannyyisntt]

Honestly, the ix doesn't need winter tires. I drive on crappy all-seasons and am fine. It gets a little sketchy some times but, if you are a competent driver, you will be fine.

While I agree with this statement, it's a ton of fun to have almost endless traction in the ix during poor weather. However, I'm young and dumb, so I spend my winters going places in my ix that I shouldn't attempt to go.

Plus Theres nothing like passing full size trucks and other awd drives, while driving the ix, like they're standing still as they struggle to get up that snowy hill.

[redhatpat]

Brand new tires will come with a release agent to help get them out of the tire mold when they're made. Drive carefully for the first 100 miles or so to wear off the release agent then you can drive on them normally.

I don't have any experience with these tires, but from the pics I googled, the tread pattern looks really good for winter driving.

[bcausey]

Maybe stud them?
For the price those graspics are studless and comparable to the blizzaks - I would even go as far and say they grip a little better in the snow. Downsize is they do wear quick
185/65 -15 are $79 a piece at tire rack.

[Eecen]

When you slid was it dry, fresh snow, slush, ice?

(A. Get a good set of winters.
(B. Learn to drive in the snow and/or ice.

Leave good distances between you and the person in front of you, slow to a crawl before the stop sign or light, avoid jamming on your brakes or basically trying to stop fast when it's slick out, and most importantly watch out for other people.

Step one is always work on the driver right?

Snow tires are nice, but they won't help you much if you're mashing the brakes on slush or ice. Pump the brakes, like you pump your boyfriend, when it's slippery out. Don't just ream it in there with no warning.

[dannyyisntt]

Maybe stud them?
For the price those graspics are studless and comparable to the blizzaks - I would even go as far and say they grip a little better in the snow. Downsize is they do wear quick
185/65 -15 are $79 a piece at tire rack.

I bought my graspic's used and have been running them for 3 seasons now (October-april) and still have a good amount of tread left. I can show tread depth if anybody questions this.

I've never owned blizzaks, but I can contest that the graspic's are awesome in snow, but could be better on ice. Also they're good in sand and mud....

[Kershaw]

jesusfuck, everyone is telling me to learn how to drive in the snow. rofl!

1. i live in md. we dont get snow till january. last year we didnt get snow till march and it was 70 on christmas.
2. no, the first time i slid i was leaving the tire shop and it was 60 degrees out. so that heat coupled with what redhat said might make sense. they seem a bit better in 55 degree weather after a bit more miles. but not much. the blizzaks would get a bit greasy at 70 degrees, but still be pretty damn ok. better than, im sure, most of the crap people run on their cars with 80k mile warranties.
3. studs are illegal where i live.
4. i know how to drive in the snow, kthx. been doing it for 4 years in a rwd lsd sports car. i've even gone into snow banks to get around stuck cars so i can lay fresh tracks for them to drive on. snow tires + lsd = win. even if my rx8 is rwd with a gigantic snow plow of a body kit.

ty for the input. i think i'll do what rubenstein suggested and buy a set of decent all seasons for next year. this winter i'll just rock them.

[jhgriff]

The warm weather is the problem. Winter tires provide the best traction below 45 degrees F. Above that temperature, all seasons are far superior. The rubber is what makes the difference. The rubber compound is different for a winter tire, in that it remains flexible at much lower temperatures than a summer tire, or even an all season tire. However, the downsize is that they turn into butter when it warms up.

My advice is that if you are really concerned about winter traction, get a set of steelies and put the winter tires on those. Then store them in your garage, basement, etc until the snow falls. Run the all-seasons until you have to change out the tires and wheels for the winter set. You'll get better performance from your car, and your winter tires will last longer.

[dlhoovler]

I have the Altimax Arctics on my 325, 185/70 on bottlecaps. I actually love them--they are fine for me in dry, wet and snow. Even without an LSD I've only had a wheel break loose a couple of times in the snow, and that's on the hills in and around Pittsburgh. Keep in mind my "summer" tires are crappy Uniroyal all-seasons in the stock size, so the Generals actually seem like an improvement, even in the dry!

I suspect the problems you had were a combination of the temperature and the release agent, as has been suggested. As an example, I swapped the snow tires onto my wife's car on a warm day and activated the ABS during a not-too-hard stop on the test drive. In colder weather they're fine.

-Dave