Ok, time to place my order for winter tires via Tire Rack. These will go on my 2013 Subaru BRZ using 16" steel wheels. I drive about 100 miles a day, all highway.
My choices are:
Continental ContiWinterContact TS830 P ContiSeal at $564 per set
Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 at $592 per set
Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II at $476 per set
Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 at $476 per set
Given my highway use, I’m not really sure which one to get. I don’t want an overly loud ride. Likewise, given my high mileage, I’d like a tire that will last the whole season.
Where do you live? How cold is it there? Do you get lots of snow, lots of ice, or both? In other words, consider your driving conditions.
If it’s not super cold there, and you get a tire made for extreme cold conditions, it will wear out faster in more mild conditions, as the rubber will get softer.
If you’re expecting lots of snow, a more aggressive tread should be considered, like something uni-directional.
I’m not going to do a bunch of research for you, I’m just pointing out some of the factors you should consider while doing your own research.
I live in NH. It’s usually in the 20’s during the winter.
We do get some bad storms here. It’s not too uncommon to get 6" to a foot in a storm, however the roads clear within a day. Generally, if a storm is coming, I stay home.
I’d like a tire for those in between times. Say I go to work, and a storm comes early, or I need to get somewhere before the roads are completely cleared.
Given all that, I’m still not sure what to get. I’m hoping if people have used the tires listed, then they could give personal experience.
Friends in NH love their Blizzaks, but I suspect that any of these would be pretty good. The top of the line I usually hear is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta, but they have a few varieties.
Ive used Falken EuroWinter’s the last few seasons on my Subaru Legacy and have loved them. From everyday bad commutes in the NY/NJ area to getting into the unplowed, icy trailheads in the Adirondacks and Catskills, they’ve been great.
I have Blizzaks on my Mustang, and do a lot of winter driving here in Chicago, and up in Wisconsin. Very good tires, though, yeah, they’re a little loud (not sure you’ll be able to entirely avoid that with winter tires).
I’ve got the Pirelli’s for my BMW. We’ve not had significant snow here in the UK since I got them, but I can say they’re good in the wet and not noticeably noisier than the regular tyres.
I have a set of Blizzaks which I mount in the winter and they’re less noisy than my summer tires (RE50A originally and Pilot Super Sports, currently).
That said, I’m not sure how sensitive you are to noise. What tires do you normally use on the BRZ? And all things said, proper traction and longevity should be fine (and more important, anyway). Once you’re driving with the winter setup in actual cold weather, they should last a good bit of time (I’m going on my 3rd season and mount them in consistent 30* F weather).
I just had a set of Dunlop Winter Maxx winter tires installed on my '07 VW Rabbit (MK. V Golf) and I love 'em, they’re a heavily siped studless tire with a basic nondirectional tread, and they have incredible grip on snow AND ice, the only bad thing I can say about them is they occasionally want to follow a rut when in icy slush, but if you gradually counter steer, they’ll break free of the rut
They were about $70 per tire, so the price was reasonable, they’ve already paid for themselves in safety and reliable handling, the Golf is a little tank in the snow anyway, so putting snows on all four corners just makes it better…
I live in Seacoastal Maine, so we’re driving the same conditions, I strongly recommend the Winter Maxx (even if they do have a stoopid name…)
I’m not sure what brand/model we are using, but I can make this suggestion. Spend the money on a second set of rims. If you aren’t fussy about fancy looks, they aren’t that expensive.
Our local tire store will switch the tires on the car for free, if they have their own rims. If not, there is a charge, each time. In addition, there is a wear and tear on the tires, each time they get moved on or off of a rim. So twice a year, two sets of tires.
I think that’s the OPs plan, they mention 16" steel wheels though don’t explicitly state its a new set of wheels. I just did exactly that, ordered a set of pre-mounted Blizzaks from Tire Rack, and swapped them myself.
Oh, I’m a bit late here–I was a bit hasty in reading the OP. I’ve got Pirelli Sottozeros on my Mazdaspeed 3. On the other hand, I have no point of reference, having never had winter tires before. They’re not noticeably louder (my bike rack is the main noise source on the 3), and so far, I’ve not skidded off the road with them. So, I’m happy enough.