I have never used winter tires before for any of my cars. What is the least expensive quality snow tires that I can get for tC? What have you guys/gals been putting on?

We are getting 7 inches of snow in CT today. This morning, I was sliding all over the roads with the stock tires. I wasnt expecting great winter performance to begin with, but I thought I could just be careful and make it through the winter without spending extra cash. But this morning's drive was a bit scary. Is tirerack the best way to go?

Thanks

 

i had worn out needed to be replaced old tires on my 94 mazda, before i got the tC, in chicago winter and was ok. you just need to learn how to drive in the snow my friend. brakes are useless in the snow, and just drive slow enough that you have time to do a controlled slow stop as brakes will slide you around sometimes. good luck...

 

Personally I'd put on some blizzaks.. they come in to flavors.. the ws-50 which is a true snow tire.. but not that great on the highway (in between snowstorms when it's dry).. then there is the LM-25.. a so-called "high performance" snow tire.. basically it can do highway driving but also put up with snow.. i'd probably get these on my tC.. depends on how bad it gets in michigan.. hasn't been that bad yet.. I don't know what's the cheapest out there.. never thought of it like that, i just found what was good and bought them.. someone else might have a suggestion on the cheapest..

i wouldn't go to the tirerack personally.. they lure you in with great prices, but i've given up on them.. even on tires bridgestone offered with the 30-day test drive (money back if you don't like them) they tried to keep my money and i had to get bridgestone to yell at them to give me my money back.. they have bad service.. most of the tires i've gotten from them have been defective.. i think they sell blemished tires.. even though they'll deny it (someone will post here).. i continued to buy from tire rack thinking it'd get better (bad idea).. so after this last time i won't be shopping there again.. try a local tire store to you in CT..

 

I wonder if someone would be so kind as to take this whole winter tire thing and dumb it way down for an inexperienced lad like myself. Can someone just tell me a tire with good snow traction that will fit on the tC's stock rims (down to the model number), and how much they will cost me? Much appreciated!

 

hey span..

well i talked to a local tire shop.. belle tire.. they could get me the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 in a 215/45-17 size (stock tC size).. for about $150-160 a tire.. i forget what the price was exactly.. but that gives you an idea..

 

Unfortunately, there aren't too many choices in 215/45 17 that you could consider "inexpensive". Your best bet would be to "downsize" to a smaller rim/tire combination (like 15" or 16"). You'll see similar posts on this site that support this.

Although Omaha has been bitterly cold in recent days, we have yet to see a flake of snow. Thinking that we would aready be in the grip of old man winter like we were at this time in `03, I purchased a tire/rim package from the tire rack (I guess we'll see how crappy my tires are when I finally have them mounted). :?

Anyway, what I got are 16" steel rims (off a Toyota Matrix) with 205/55 VR 16 Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires. That set me back at about $700 total for everything (including hubcaps, lug nuts, mounting/balancing, and shipping).

I too have owned Blizzak WS 50's on my old `87 Camry, and they are great tires for the snow pack, but mediocre on dry pavement. No matter what people say on this site, I would strongly recommend not running the stock tires on snow, because they are not designed for it, even though they are M&S rated.

If you can't swing the cost of a package, start by visiting a local junkyard to see if you can pick up a set of 15" or 16" steel rims. The bolt pattern for the tC is 5x100. Then, shop around at local tire dealers, or if you have access to them, a warehouse club (like Sam's or Costco). These clubs sometimes have good prices on tires, and usually include a road hazard warranty (for nails or other foreign objects that tires like to seek out). Methinks it is a better idea to have snow tires on dedicated steel rims. It makes mounting much easier, and you save wear and tear on the stock rims.

Hope this helps.

 

It's probably easier to get 15" snow on steelies ($500 package from tire-rack) than to get 17"snows for stock wheels...saves the stock wheels from the harsh weather as well.

I got my setup from tire rack and had no problem at all...I'm glad I went that route.

I posted this earlier...hope it helps.

1st snowy drive w/ snow tires on tC w/ rear sway bar

I have 195/60R 15 Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's mounted on steelies. The car and the tires performed great.

We had about 4" of snow yesterday - packed onto the roads (no asphalt visible). I was able to play around w/ the car a little and see where it stands in the snow. Like the farmer - it is outstanding in its field.

* Accelerating from a dead stop: a little spin (of course) but better than almost every other car on the road. I sometimes start in 2nd gear to minimize spin - I don't think this puts much strain on the clutch as the wheels are spinning a bit and we have enough torque to handle it. I found myself accelerating the same as, if not better than, many AWD vehicles w/ all season tires.

* Cornering: I did this at slower speeds in a parking lot (20-30 MPH). The car is very predictable at this speed. The RSB allows for the ___ to feel a bit loose - but it will not really step out on its own. You can induce a bit of of a slide if you lift off the gas abruptly near the end of the apex. Otherwise the car handles well w/ snows.

* Braking: 45 MPH panic breaking on empty road was awesome! ABS worked AWESOME!! - Sounded god-awful but worked awesome! Breaking was straight and basically controlled w/ very little skidding (A huge improvement over my jetta w/o ABS). I really cannot express how well the ABS worked in the snow. Cornering at lower speed w/ ABS worked well too. I did this at about 20MPH in a parking lot. Cornering was pretty good while braking w/ ABS...a little bit of push up front but I was able to control my turn w/ the ABS.

Well - the car was great and very easily controlled w/ the snows on - no worries. I highly recommed snows if you live in an area that gets lot's O' snow.

I put winter wipers on as well as the summer wipers suck!...much better. Oh yeah, the two piece floor mats are great too - apart in seconds and no wet carpet mats.

Happy motoring and be safe.
Josh

 

I live in MA and just got done driving 60 miles to my college in about 4 inches of snow...about 1/4 of the way were unplowed back roads. I have to say, the tc did great. I have alot of snow experience and if you know how to handle a car in snow you will have no problems at all. Just remember to do everything slow and keep the car in as low RPM as possible...and practice.

 

Thanks for the replies! I called my Tire shop and they quoted me $177 a tire for the Blizzak's in the stock tC size. Ouch! Suddenly I understand why going with 15" rims/wheels for winter seems to be the cheapest route.

So tell me, do any of you have pictures of your tC sitting on it's 15" steel rims/winter tires? And doesn't 15's put the car too close to the ground (considering we're talking about dealing with winter driving)? I have to think it looks rather silly.

One last question: Are the optional 18" rims/wheels that Scion offers any better for winter driving than the stock wheels/rims? Just curious...

 

aren't the prices for tires for this car a shock?! ouch!
glad snow tires last longer than one season!!

 

I don't have any pics...but it looks how a normal $16K would look. It doesn't look bad...not as good as w/ 17's though.

I doubt the 18's would be better in the snow...typicaly wider is not better in snow...the 15's will narrow the tire a bit and offer better traction - more ability to cut through the snow being narrower and have less tendancy to "float" on the snow.

 

But would the 15s put the car too close to the ground? I am thinking about taking your advice with 15s and steelies. But I would imagine my nice looking car will become quite hideous

pictures would be super helpful

 

The car stays the same distance from the ground...the 15's have a higher sidewall than the 17's - it all equals out in the end.

I'll snap some pics after work...probably won't be up until tomorrow though.

It really doesn't look too bad...not hideous anyhow.

 

Thanks again guys for your replies.

From what I've learned today, I've been doing some pricing at tiretrack.com. The 15's with rims actually isn't much cheaper than the 17's without rims. Pricing for the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's was as follows:

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 15 inches with cheapest steel rims available: $468.24 (including shipping)

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 17 inches without rims: $546.70 (including shipping)


With less than $80 difference, I'd rather buy 17's and have nice looking rims/tires than save $80 and have plain ol' 15" tires with steel rims. Unless...

if I'm going to have a service department change my tires, do I need to worry about them not being on rims? I understand that if I was changing them myself, I'd want them on rims to make things easier for myself. But since I don't have a garage to do that, it doesn't really factor in for me - unless of course the amount they charge you for a tire change/balance is significantly more if the tires aren't on rims already. Anyone? Thanks again!

Edit: It just dawned on me that if I don't change rims/sizes, then 4 winter tires probably isn't necessary, correct? Just two 17's for the front? Thanks.

 

Never had them but I was wondering if there are any good chains to put on? Seems like I have only heard horror stores about chains and not putting them on properly.

Kevin

 

Yes...you will pay for mounting, balancing, and valve stems if you only buy tires. You will pay now and then again in the spring when you switch the tires out again.

- If you have a wheel/tire set you can switch them out yourself at the end of the
season. You can also sell them as a set if you want to.

You should buy 4 snow tires...if you only buy 2 for the fronts the car can get a bit squirrly.

I'm not sure if they use salt in MN (they do here). The sand and salt they use on the roads can wreak havoc on your stock wheels throughout a bad winter.

BTW - no pics yet...it was dark by the time I got home...sorry.


CHAINS: I have not ever used them, but have heard that if they are not installed correctly can come off and chew up your fender...and then when they fall off you're out a tire chain.

...and you have to install them when the weather is nasty...not what I want to be doing outside in the cold windy snow.

Happy holidays :D

 

Does the salt and sand really mess up the alloy wheels that bad? Do you mean like scratches and stuff? I looked at the pricing for steelies and tires, and now I am leaning towards just toughing out the winter with my stocks. Bad idea?

 

I got 4 Michelin Alpin 2's put on at costco for $129/tire (installed with roadhazzard).

I think the total was like $540 with tax etc. We had freezing rain here yesterday, then snow on top of it today, and it handled flawlessly on stopping and cornering etc.

Just want to add that snow tires don't give you the right to drive nuts, just hold you on the road MUCH better than stock. The Alpin 2's are also a "performance" winter tire, but very good none the less. The stock ones almost had me in the ditch on a previous snow storm here (Minnesota, gotta love it).

Costco had to order the stock size for the TC, waited about 2 weeks to get them. Just FYI.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a costco right by me. Maybe Ill check it out.

I am just in a tight money situation right now, so I trying to convince myself I dont need winter tires. But the drive to work yesterday was honestly a bit on the scary side because I didnt feel like I had adequate control. I have always been comfortable driving in the snow in my other cars.

 

Unless you live in an area which requires chains, you don't need them if you are running a winter tire (I think that the little mountain symbol on the sidewall of certain winter tires can substitute for chains where required). As was posted earlier, they are more trouble than anything else.

As for salt on stock rims, as long as you are conscious about keeping the rims clean (or at least hosed off) , you should be okay. The road salt/sand combo that is used on Nebraska roads is hell on any surface of a vehicle, especially the rims, which are usually not as well-protected as the rest of the vehicle. If you neglect the rims, they are subject to pitting, corrosion, and looking plain ____ty. Last night was the first night the salt trucks were out in force, and since I am still waiting for the big dump before I mount my Dunlops , my stock rims now resemble a margarita glass, so I will be taking care of that as soon as I finish typing this post.