At first I was urging for the Kumho 712s as a cheap, durable summer tire.

But then I don't have much money to invest in winter tires. The roads are usually plowed within half a day and at worse, I can always take my dad's CRV (on Hakka2s). There were only 4-5 occasions where winter tires were absolutely necessary.

Usage: Daily driving (to - from school, weekly outting with GF, maybe track days out of the season)
Style: Mid-aggressive (usually calm, unless want to impress)

Unless someone convince me otherwise, Ultra High Performance All Season it is.
Looking at the Falken Ziex ZE-512.

Thanks guys, you HT is the best.



Modified by Azxster at 9:01 PM 2/20/2006

 

I personally think your nuts not running a winter tire in Ontario, I run Blizzaks for winter and Azenis for summer (on order), however if you truly think you don't need a winter thats your choice.

Common "all-seasons" are Toyo Proxes 4, Falken Zeix 512 and others.

I think your better off coming up with $200-$300 and buying even a used set from torontocivics.com or other local forums. but hey, your choice.

Not only do winter tires grip snow better...they stop faster on icy conditions too, too many people think winter tires are for deep snow and they are wrong....very wrong. I look at $300 in tires as a cheap insurance, since deductible is $500 and thats not even considering the increased insurance rate "if" something happens.

again, your choice...just trying to make you aware of why winters are more valuable...even with plowed roads and ever increasing price of insurance here in Ontario.

I have heard good things about the Zeix 512's though. and i've used the Toyo Proxes 4, but never in snow so can't say how they are. check tirerack.com for reviews, if may help you

 

Sigh, I guess your right. And this time, I wont overkill with Hakka 2, instead, I'll get some Wintertrac (CTire) or MagnumPaws (Walmart).

The ES100 are expensive at 725 a set, then Kumho Ecsta SPT at 650, ZRi at 580, 712 at 530. What do you guys recommend for long lasting summer tires?

 

I agree that winter tires are better. (You didn't mention this, but winter tires also grip better even when the roads are dry, but the temperatures are frigid.) They also let you get summer tires the rest of the year, which will grip much better. So you won't be sacrificing performance in order to grip on the bad weather winter days.

In winter tires, I think it's worth getting a major brand. Even the Dunlop M3 is less expensive than Blizzaks. But the best winter tires, like the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, are still pretty cheap (around USD70 for the 14"/15" sizes). And besides, you can buy them once and they'll last you for a bunch of years, because you only drive on them for 3-4 months per year. Oh, and you can get a cheap set of steelies for around USD150.

As for summer tires, get the Kumho SPT or the Yokohama ES100. They both perform well and last a long time. Don't get the Kumho 712, which is crap, or the ZRi, which is okay but not as good as the SPT or ES100. BTW, those prices sound REALLY high. What size tires are you getting? In the States, the SPT sells for USD54-63 in the usual 15" sizes at the Tire Rack, which is only CAD248-289 for a set of four. If your prices are that much higher up there, get them from the Tire Rack; even with high UPS prices and duties, you'll still be paying a lot less. Or have them delivered to an installer just across the border from you, and drive there to get them put on your car and drive back.

(P.S. The best performing all-season tires are the Kumho Ecsta ASX and the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. But you're still better off with winter tires in winter, and summer tires the rest of the year.)

 

1010tires.com and tiretrends.com also both are in canada, so if your worried about cross border shipping those 2 sites may be the way to go.

I get my tires from the US via family/friends and have them brought up here to Ontario as a "gift". My Azenis for example, 2 are in 1 person name which is under the $200 border limit, the other 2 are in another persons name.

Winters Nov to March, Summers March to Nov is a great set-up. By late Oct, sticky tires just don't like the cold and so I switch to winters as NSXtacy stated, cause winters remain soft and grip in the cold.

Yes its more upfront expense, but the expensive summer tires last longer since they are only on the car summer months and its safer/better performance with dual purpose tires.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alwaysoverkill &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1010tires.com and tiretrends.com also both are in canada, so if your worried about cross border shipping those 2 sites may be the way to go.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Both of those are in BC. Those in Eastern Canada may also want to check Talon Tire, which is in QC so shipping costs may be lower.