I just bought a 2000 Civic Si and it came with Goodyear Eagle F1 summer tires.. it's supposed to snow this week so I want to go ahead and get some all season tires for the winter (and for when the F1's wear down)

Stock tire size is 195-55-15 but I think I'm gonna go with 205-50-15. Tire Discounters says they can have Toyo Proxes in my size by tomorrow.. the Kumho's will take a bit longer. They quoted me $109/tire, including balance, rotation, mounting, and a free alignment.

Tire Rack doesn't carry Toyo's, but they have the Kumho ASX's in 205-50-15 for $62/tire. However.. that obviously doesn't include shipping or mounting (which our local Tire Rack distributor quotes at roughly $30).

Considering it's supposed to snow later this week.. time is a bit of an issue. Any suggestions?

 

Get tires in the stock 195/55-15 size, not 205/50-15. (Remember, narrower tires grip better in snow - and that's what you're getting the all-season tires for, right? )

I recommend that you buy an extra set of wheels for the tires (steel wheels are inexpensive). That way, you can swap between your two sets of tires yourself, and you won't have to bother having them mounted and balanced twice a year. Also, if you buy wheels and tires at the same time, they come already mounted and balanced at no extra charge. So you'll be paying a little more for a set of wheels, but you won't have to pay anything at all for mounting and balancing.

Incidentally, I see that the Tire Rack doesn't have 15" steel wheels for your car, but they can give you a 14" package that their website says fits, using 195/60-14 tires. The package they recommend is four tires (Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50) plus four 14" steel wheels for $432 total, with free mounting/balancing. You can get similar packages from them with 195/60-14 or 185/65-14, either of which will be fine on your car. (I'm using 185/65-14 winter tires on my GS-R, which has the same stock 195/55-15 tire size as your Civic.) And, as noted above, you won't have to pay for mounting/balancing at the start and end of each winter.

If you want an all-season tire, then I recommend the Kumho ASX. My experience with the Tire Rack (I'm about as far from them as you are) is that if you order them by mid-afternoon, the tires arrive the next day.

However, if you plan to use these tires only in winter, then you might want to consider getting a winter tire rather than an all-season tire. Remember, all-season tires are designed to be a compromise for folks who use the same tire all year round. They're not as good in winter snow and cold as winter tires, but they're better than summer tires. Similarly, they're not as good in moderate to warm weather as summer tires, but they're better than winter tires.

If you need to use the same tires all year round, then all season tires are a good choice. If you're going to change tires so that one set is used only during winter, then I would advise getting winter tires.

As for winter tires, there are really two categories of winter tires:

(a) tires that will give the absolute best performance on snow and ice and in extreme cold, but whose ride quality on warmer days is so-so. The Tire Rack calls these "Studless Ice and Snow" tires. These might be a better choice for an area that experiences harsh winters, such as Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis. Tires include Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 ($88 at the Tire Rack for 195/55-15), Dunlop Graspic DS-2 ($70), and Michelin X-Ice ($89).

(b) tires that not quite as good as the above on snow and in cold (still winter tires, still very good, but not AS good), but with better ride quality when it's not so cold. The Tire Rack calls these "Performance Winter" tires. These might be a better choices for an area that experiences mild winters, such as D.C. or St. Louis. Tires include Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 ($113), Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 ($106), Dunlop Winter Sport M3 (no price shown on Tire Rack website, may be out of stock), Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 ($108), and Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSport ($83).

 

Thanks for your very detailed and thorough response! Lots of information that I wasn't really aware of. I have read many reviews saying that these Eagle F1's wear pretty quickly, so I will probably end up using all seasons in the summer as well.

With that said, I ordered 205-50-15 Kumho ASX's to be delivered to a "Tire Rack installer" tomorrow. With the cost of the tires, shipping, mounting and balancing, it came out to $344.44. Not a bad deal IMO

 

you should of listened to nsxtasy when he said to get a narrow tire. I live in Montreal and when it snows it snow and there is nothing like winter tires. They are trying to pass a law here to have everybody use winter tires for winter and if they dont it could be 500$ fines. Trust narrow + winter tires = ownage of the snow and ice. You would of got more grip with 185/65/14 then those 205/50/15. But your choice and be safe.

Dave

 

I understand the theory of skinnier tires being better in winter.. but I guess I should have been a bit more detailed in my view of "winter"

When I say it's supposed to snow this week.. that really just means some flurries and maybe the occasional ice patch. If there's ever a large accumulation of snow (where dedicated snow tires would make a big difference) I'll just be leaving the car in the garage.

And for the 9/10 days that it should be dry this winter, these all seasons should give me a bit more "performance".

Winters in Chicago and Canada are about 10x worse than Northern Kentucky