im planning on buying the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 Blackwall for winter only 2 tires. i cant really afford to buy all four at since i just had a kid, which are really expensive. and at the check out of tire rack it says that not buying all 4 are not recomended. i was j/w if having the blizzak tire on the front and some other bridgestone stock tires on the back both in 195-55-15 mounted on steelies would hurt anything on the car. only plan on using them for a the season, then its back to my blades w/ rt-615's.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wezzel19 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i was j/w if having the blizzak tire on the front and some other bridgestone stock tires on the back both in 195-55-15 mounted on steelies would hurt anything on the car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, if you get into an accident. And that's what can happen when you mix winter tires with non-winter tires. In snow or frigid cold, the front tires will grip while the rear ones won't. This is a condition called "oversteer", in which the rear end of the car will want to swing around on you when you're turning. DON'T DO IT.

If you're going to get a set of winter tires, buy four. If you can't afford four Blizzaks, get four of something cheaper; for example, in 195/55-15, you can get four of the Dunlop Graspic DS-2 for $275 after rebate, which is not all that much more than two Blizzaks ($182).

If you can afford to be using the Azenis and replacing them every 10-12K miles, then you can afford to get a second set of tires and wheels, either for winter tires just for the winter, or for all-season tires that you can use year round.

If you still have a set of all-season tires, you may be able to get by with those, without having to get a set of winter tires.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wezzel19 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im planning on buying the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 Blackwall for winter only 2 tires. i cant really afford to buy all four at since i just had a kid, which are really expensive. and at the check out of tire rack it says that not buying all 4 are not recomended. i was j/w if having the blizzak tire on the front and some other bridgestone stock tires on the back both in 195-55-15 mounted on steelies would hurt anything on the car. only plan on using them for a the season, then its back to my blades w/ rt-615's.
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Buy all 4. I just put them on my car (same size = 195-55-15) and they feel VERY STRANGE to drive on at first. There are such extreme differences btw these and stock tires I would imagine it would be quite dangerous to mix the two together.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Torquelessb18 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Buy all 4. I just put them on my car (same size = 195-55-15) and they feel VERY STRANGE to drive on at first. There are such extreme differences btw these and stock tires I would imagine it would be quite dangerous to mix the two together. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, in warmer weather, winter tires are not as responsive as summer tires or even all-seasons; they feel "mushy". So on warm days in the winter, if you mix winter tires on the front and other tires on the rear, you will have the reverse problem ("understeer"); when cornering, the car will have a tendency to "plow" straight ahead when you try to turn. At least with four matching tires, they may not grip as well on warm days, but the car's handling will remain neutral.

 

ok good to know! im in search of tires that grip well in the snow, but are reasonably priced. you mentioned the Dunlop Graspic DS-2, is there anything other winter tire that i can compare to that would be all four 300$ shipped give a take a few bucks??

my azenis were bought back in my bawlin' days before i had real responsibilities. next set of summer tires are probably going to be some nitto tires. still havent decided, i still have at least 5k left in the azenis

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wezzel19 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok good to know! im in search of tires that grip well in the snow, but are reasonably priced. you mentioned the Dunlop Graspic DS-2, is there anything other winter tire that i can compare to that would be all four 300$ shipped give a take a few bucks??</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's the least expensive studless winter tire sold by the Tire Rack. Other than that, you'd have to shop around.

 

You should check out your local classifieds. You will find some used winter tires that people are selling because they have purchased a different car that uses different sized tires/wheels.

Just be very careful doing this, you can save a lot of money but you can also purchase some absolute junk. Look for tires that have been used one season at most, measure the thread depth, and compare that to what they are new. Keep in mind that winter tires are usually done at about 50% tread depth.

Just a thought.
-matt

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by old man neri &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You should check out your local classifieds. You will find some used winter tires that people are selling because they have purchased a different car that uses different sized tires/wheels.

Just be very careful doing this, you can save a lot of money but you can also purchase some absolute junk. Look for tires that have been used one season at most, measure the thread depth, and compare that to what they are new. Keep in mind that winter tires are usually done at about 50% tread depth.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Also, don't take anyone's word for a percentage of tread depth; make sure they measure it. Winter tires when new typically have 11/32" or 12/32" of tread depth. As neri correctly notes, the Tire Rack says that they lose their winter capabilities at about 6/32" of tread depth. I've seen people claim anywhere from 50 percent to 75 percent tread left on winter tires at 6/32", when in fact they are done at that point.