I'm looking for winter tires in the 195-65-15 size. We get snow here once in a while, but most of the time, they will be driven on salted wet/dry roads. What would be a good tire with great snow traction, but one that will not wear out quickly due to being driven on pavement?

 

If you want a tire that lasts 50,000 mi, then you're looking at allseasons. BUT, even a good allseason will be questionable after 30,000 miles of wear in any type of snow or slush, so I recommend making the decision based on handling preference rather than tread life. If you make the reasoning that a full blown snow tire's sloppy handling is not worth the traction gains in the minority of snow you see...then I can buy that.

You can read the FAQ in the wheel and tire forum that gives a fairly good overview of the pros and cons of allseasons vs winter tires.

I had fairly good response with the Kumho Ecsta ASX in the winter before I went with blizzaks due to interstate and mountain driving.

FWIW, my blizzak LM-25's have lasted me 15,000 miles and are now just getting to the wear bars. A lot of that driving was on dry roads.

 

The first thing you need to realize about winter tires is that they are normally only used in winter, about three months a year. (Around here, in Chicago, I usually swap them on around the second week of December, and off around the second week of March, although I can do it in my garage so I can wait until I actually need them.) So you're not going to be putting all that many miles on them each year. If you drive 1K miles a month - a typical figure for most people - that means you'll only be putting 3K miles a year on them. At 3K miles a year, you're not looking for tires that will last you 50K miles!

You should really be getting tires based on their ability on snow and ice. In Detroit (where you live) and Chicago (where I live), we average 40 inches of snow a winter, and that's plenty enough to make it a concern (unless you have another vehichle for the worst snowstorms).

The tires that deal with snow and ice the best are the ones in the Tire Rack's "studless" category. These might last you somewhere around 15-25K miles before they get worn down to the point (around 6/32" of tread depth) where you wouldn't want to use them in winter. So that means one set will last you 5-8 years, at 1K miles a month, which is plenty of time.

The best "studless" tires IMHO are the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 ($81/tire in 195/65-15 at the Tire Rack) and the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 ($92/tire). Those are your best choices.

Buy them as soon as you can, as they start running out of winter tires this time of year.

 

What's the difference between stud and studless winter tires? Can I buy studless tires and run them effectively through out winter? I was thinking of the Firestone Winterforces but tire rack says they're stubble. Sorry to high jack, but I'm looking for some winter tires too.

 

Any experiences with the Michelin X-Ice Xi2? Tirerack has no reviews on those. Are they worth the extra money over the Blizzaks?

Edit: I found a test of the X-Ice and Blizzaks, and the X-Ice rated better in snow traction. I'll go with those. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Studdable winter tires are designed to accept the installation of metal studs for greater snow/ice traction. However, tires with studs are illegal in most of the "snow belt" states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, etc).

Studless winter tires are designed to grip well on snow and ice without needing the installation of metal studs. In fact, studies have shown that in most winter conditions, studless winter tires will give you better traction than studdable winter tires with studs installed in them. So there really isn't much point in getting studdable winter tires.

The other category of winter tires is performance winter tires. These trade off a little bit of traction in snow and ice for better handling when roads are not covered in snow and ice and on warmer days in winter. Performance winter tires may be a better choice for those who live in climates that get snow, but not as much as our coldest cities (or for those who are willing to trade off some snow/ice traction for better handling).

 

I wouldnt put studs in em unless its gonna be REALLY BAD, but ive always used studdable without the studs when i lived up north, and they've been great..

 

The "studless" tires are better on snow and ice than studdable tires without studs. As well as with studs, in most winter conditions.