I'm looking to get a set of winter tires for my 2007 Civic LX coupe. The stock size is 205/55/16, but I will be downsizing to 15"s to save money. 195/65/15 and 205/60/15 seem to be very close to overall stock diameter.

I live in Seattle where it there is snow on the ground maybe 7 days of the year, but the temps do stay below 40 for most of the winter. I plan on taking my car up to the mountain passes to go snowboarding at least 4 times this winter season.

I've read the reviews on these tires and it seems like they are all just as good as each other. I am leaning towards the Dunlop Wintersport M3's mainly because they include a $50 rebate and are Performance Winter tires compared to the other three which are Studless Ice and Snow. I am willing to sacrifice some snow/ice traction for normal wet/dry traction.

I am just looking for opinions before I make my decision.

Here are my choices according to Tire rack:

195/65/15:
Bridgestone Blizzak Revo 1 $66 each
Dunlop Graspic DS-2 $67 each plus $25 rebate
Dunlop Wintersport M3 $68 plus $50 rebate

205/60/15:
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 $69 each

 

There are a lot of excellent winter tires on the market. They tend to break down into two groups:

a) tires that have the very best traction on snow and ice, but have so-so ride and handling on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, Dunlop Graspic DS-2, and Michelin X-Ice. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "studless ice and snow tires".)

b) tires that have good traction on snow and ice and in cold, although not quite as good as the previous group, but they also have very good ride and handling characteristics on days when it's not so cold; examples include the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25, Dunlop Winter Sport M3, and the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2. (The Tire Rack calls these tires "performance winter tires".)

The choice between these two categories depends on the climate in your area, how much highway driving you do in the winter, how much you care about ultimate snow/ice grip versus ride comfort, whether you have another vehicle to use in the worst of winter, etc. Oh, and the tires in category (a) are usually significantly less expensive than category (b), which may be important. For example, I want the best snow/ice traction and I don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort and handling for those three months a year (mid-December to mid-March around here, although this year's first big storm hit earlier than usual), and winter weather here in Chicago can be fairly nasty, so I have category (a) tires. But your priorities may be different, and you might be better off getting the category (b) tires.

Seattle has a rather mild climate, so most folks might be able to get by with all-season tires, rather than either category of winter tires. However, the fact that you go snowboarding in the mountains means that you have a specific need for winter traction. (Not only will you be in the mountains, but you'll be there when snow is on the ground.) I would lean towards the performance winter tires, to give you reasonable grip and handling in Seattle when it's typically not all that cold (normal highs in the mid forties) as well as some winter capabilities. However, as you may have noticed, the performance winter tires tend to be a bit more expensive than the studless winter tires. Of the tires you mention, the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 is a performance winter tire, and the others are studless winter tires.

Oh, and I wouldn't say that the tires all perform the same. In my experience, the Bridgestone Blizzak and the Michelin tend to be a bit better than the Dunlop. But they're also more expensive; whether they're worth the higher price is up to you.

Putting myself in your position, I would probably go for the Dunlop Winter Sport M3. It's the performance winter tire category that probably fits your needs better, and the price ($55.50 after rebate plus shipping, at the Tire Rack) is very attractive (compared with, say, $83 plus shipping for the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 performance winter tire at the Tire Rack).

Just to throw out another choice, if you wanted to go with a studless winter tire, Discount Tire has the Michelin X-Ice in 205/60-15 for $89/tire, with free shipping, and Michelin has a $40 rebate, and Discount Tire has $100 off a set of tires through this Saturday. That means your net cost for those would be $54/tire shipped, which makes them about $12/tire cheaper than the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 when you take shipping into account. And the X-Ice is one of the very best studless winter tires around.

Oh, and Discount Tire has two other options in 195/65-15: the Hankook Winter iPike W409 ($60) and the Yokohama Ice Guard IG20 ($69). I don't know anything about either one, except that the $100 off promotion through Saturday means their price works out to $35 and $44 per tire including free shipping.

 

Thanks for all of the usefull info. I guess between now and Saturday would be the time to pick the tires and take advantage of the $100 rebate. So many choices, so little time.

 

I'm stuck between three sets.

Hankook iPike w409 studdable
15" steelies
$212 shipped mounted and balanced

Hankook Icebear w300
15" steelies
$236 mounted and balanced

Yokohama Ice Guard IG20
15" steelies
$260 mounted and balanced

I'm leaning more towards the w300's because they look like they would perform better on dry/wet not-so-cold conditions. They also have good reviews all over the net. I haven't been able to find any reviews on the Yoko's. I want to put these on in late november and leave them on until mid feb. I'd go with the Michelin X-Ice combo, but I don't see myself using these very often to warrant it.


Modified by EK k kay at 11:50 PM 10/17/2007


Modified by EK k kay at 12:05 AM 10/18/2007

 

Tough call. My rule is if you drive on snow for >50% of the time then go for them.....obviously 7 snow days wouldnt even come near being worth it. But if you're using them for Mountain Driving so you're less likely to slide off the cliff and can trade off dry handling then winter tires are probably for you. Just dont be surprised when they squirm on you, nor expect miracles. Improved driving technique gets you a just as far as the tires.

cough cough, if they fit
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/2129305

 

The thing is I've never really had any problems driving in the snow with my old 99 civic hatchback with kumho spt summer tires. That's probably because there wasn't much snow on the ground other than some slush. I've never driven on fresh thick snow before so I don't know what to expect. I am getting a new job which will require me to commute 1hr on the freeway and this is going through an area that gets hit the hardest with snow each season.

My 2007 civic has a fresh set of bridgestone turanza el400's which I haven't heard too many good things about, but they get the job done. I'm starting to think that I am wasting my money on winter tires which I probably will be fine without.

 

The Turanza EL400 is an all-season tire. Given that you live in Seattle, which has relatively mild winters, you can probably get away with all-seasons rather than winter tires, which are really overkill since you don't live in a place that has a lot of bitter cold and snow. (If and when you need to replace them, you might consider a better all-season, though.)

 

Yeah I think I am going to pass this time around. It's kind of hard to let such a good deal go by though, but I guess my money would be better spent elsewhere. I'll just grab a set of snow cables in case I get stuck.

 

word. I got the hankooks with 14" steelies for my civic and it was only $176 shipped to my door. You woldn't be able to find just the tires that cheap anywhere.

the $100 off applies to wheels and/or tires and so if you buy both it is $200 off.
When you are getting wheels that only cost $37 thats a pretty damn good deal. So really I'm getting these for like 55% off.