Yer kiddin' right? Don't floor it from a dead stop? Taking off is hardly the problem. The problem is when you're doing the speed limit on the highway and the car is completely out of control because the front tires are unable to maintain contact with the road. The rain performance was so bad on my car with those criminally dangerous tires that I had to park and wait for the rain to STOP the first time I drove the car. If there were buckets falling, NP, but there was only the lightest of drizzles. I was absolutely stunned with just how bad they were. I'm delighted you're happy with your tires, but mine were worse than the worst generic blue light specials I've ever experienced.

 

Well first of all, a +$100 increase in manufacturer's cost would then be marked up by the manufacturer and the dealer, meaning it was a much larger cost to the consumer. And if you add $100 here and $100 there, you price yourself out of a class.

When there's a certain amount of money to spend you spend it here or you spent it there.

Ben

 

Would a Super High Performance Tire such as the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 or Falken Azenis Sport be better or worse than the stock Michelin XGT-V4 in the snow?

Let me know,
Ben

 

M/T ET Drag's tend to clear up traction problems.

 

Worse. Any tire designed for dry traction usually cannot effectively self-clean. So your tread fills with snow and you find that out when you try to start/stop/turn.

Buy some +1 wheels and tires for the summer (with high performance wet/dry tires) and keep the steelies for stock size snows (even generic ones can be pretty good). This is what I've done, and I'll never go back to one set of tires. All "all-season" means is that every aspect of their performance is compromised in a feeble attempt to make them usable in all situations.

Even though the initial cost is higher, it is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you're spreading your miles across two sets of tires.

 

What this guy said.

The local climate clearly plays a role here, but in general the best way to go is just like he said. I run the 17" summer tires in the summer and drop them quick when the MI snow flies, in favor of 15" snows on steel wheels. No part time tire jockey gets to destroy my wheels every fall/spring, and I save a bundle not having the rubber moved back & forth. It's a no brainer.