Tires? What do you recommend?

[AlanS]

I need new tires on my 2013 S60. Currently have Hankook 215/50 ZR17. Should I go with same? What is a great, reasonable cost tire for all seasons. I live in NY, have snow in winter, but it's plowed regularly. Any thoughts?

[BlackBart]

I've had really good luck with the round ones.

[AlanS]

Hey BlackBart...that's the best you can come up with?

[BlackBart]

Today? Yes.

But seriously, if you're in snow country, an "all-season" tire does none of the seasons really well (or well at all). If you have the budget, you can get a spare set of factory steel wheels or used alloy wheels for a dedicated winter set of tires. Easy to swap and free with no mounting and balancing.

You might do some browsing for suitable tires here at Tirerack.com.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSear ... rmance=ALL

I entered your 17" size for a search. You can sort results by category. They can also ship to a local shop to you for mounting.


* Also.... avoid Chinese tires and Euro-sounding tires that are in fact Chinese (Example Laufenn) The Korean and Taiwan brands have good reputations. The Bridgestone Blizzak is a VERY good snow tire with no studs. The General Altimax Arctic is a good bargain snow tire (General is part of Continental, a good tire). You probably can't lose with Michelins. Goodyears are generally overpriced.

I can't keep up with all the models out there. You can read the reviews / tests / and comparison charts on TR for a specific category of tire and learn a lot. You may find it has "decent, decent, good," and then a lousy rating in some critical category. If that's an important attribute I want it to have I write if off immediately. I like a good average of excellents and very goods and price.

If you shop only by long mileage, you'll get a hard tire with little grip. Conversely, you don't need a high performance sticky summer tire, which will wear out fast and be lousy in anything slippery.

[AlanS]

So, I guess there is no 'hybrid' tire...great for all purpose. I don't plan on driving that much in the snow, so I will try to look for a performance minded tire.

[volvolugnut]

Today? Yes.

But seriously, if you're in snow country, an "all-season" tire does none of the seasons really well (or well at all). If you have the budget, you can get a spare set of factory steel wheels or used alloy wheels for a dedicated winter set of tires. Easy to swap and free with no mounting and balancing.

You might do some browsing for suitable tires here at Tirerack.com.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSear ... rmance=ALL

I entered your 17" size for a search. You can sort results by category. They can also ship to a local shop to you for mounting.


* Also.... avoid Chinese tires and Euro-sounding tires that are in fact Chinese (Example Laufenn) The Korean and Taiwan brands have good reputations. The Bridgestone Blizzak is a VERY good snow tire with no studs. The General Altimax Arctic is a good bargain snow tire (General is part of Continental, a good tire). You probably can't lose with Michelins. Goodyears are generally overpriced.

I can't keep up with all the models out there. You can read the reviews / tests / and comparison charts on TR for a specific category of tire and learn a lot. You may find it has "decent, decent, good," and then a lousy rating in some critical category. If that's an important attribute I want it to have I write if off immediately. I like a good average of excellents and very goods and price.

If you shop only by long mileage, you'll get a hard tire with little grip. Conversely, you don't need a high performance sticky summer tire, which will wear out fast and be lousy in anything slippery.

Thanks for the summary of what you should look for in a tire for various conditions. And to consider tires for only specific conditions.
volvolugnut

[BlackBart]

So, I guess there is no 'hybrid' tire...great for all purpose. I don't plan on driving that much in the snow, so I will try to look for a performance minded tire.

Nope. And it isn't really the tread pattern or the symbols on the sidewall - it's the rubber compound and road temperature. It can be just cold and dry and a generic all-season just won't stick. A Blizzak has completely different rubber compounds and the porousness of the rubber cells and it sticks to ice and cold roads. They're actually quite impressive. That said, they will wear out FAST on warm dry roads.

A high performance summer tire is very sticky on warm roads. On cold pavement, it can't stick. It may be decent in the wet. There are made-up categories now called high performance all season and ultra performance all season. I don't even know what that means. I think it means that it has half decent wet and chilly weather performance but is stiff enough so that it doesn't wallow around and roll off the rim at high speeds on sports cars.

[kallekula]

Used to always have two sets of tires for my cars when I was living in Sweden. Most people do. The winter tires sat on ugly steel rims and had studs. Winter tires didn’t need to be studded but are superior to M&S tires on icy roads. Certainly don’t miss changing tires every winter and spring .

[abscate]

Alan, you really don’t need a winter tire down on Long Island. Unless you are in forced , must drive job situations, a decent all season will do. Our winter is pretty mild.

[AlanS]

I didnt mean the post to focus on winter tires....I was asking for a good/ excellent all year tire.