S70 T5 1998 Winter Tires

jamesross530 · Post by **jamesross530** » 01 Dec 2009, 21:19

Hi,

I have a '98 S70 T5 with Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Season tires (215/45R17) on and I'm contemplating putting winters on... although Toronto may not be getting any snow this year. First November on record to go without snow at least. Anyhow, so I'm thinking just by cheap rims and put on the standard stock size (205/55R16). Not sure on the brand of tire though. Any recommendations? I've heard good things about the Falken Eurowinter HS439. I also used a set of Falken's FK-452 (summers) on my summer car, BMW 530. They wore out very quickly but it turned out they were improperly balanced. Reviews were good though all else considered.

Anyways first post here, feedback appreciated!!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Dec 2009, 23:55

The Gislaved Nordics and the Bridgestone Blizzak tires both have had good reviews on the forum.

I have no personal experience with either.

...Lee

850 Turbo1 · Post by **850 Turbo1** » 02 Dec 2009, 02:25

Hey fellow Torontonian...
I have the Dunlop SP-60s...and before getting them I went onto the Tire Rack website...They are reviewed to be excellent(the best for the price and size for me)..even in snow. These are all seasons...but they have a very aggressive tread pattern...I've never owned snow tires...so allseason it is for me...Mine are wearing out though on the outside really badly because I haven't aligned them....I'm drivng my 850 with about a 30 degree angle...ohh man...better get them tires aligned and then rotated.

I look forward to testing them in hard snow soon...Hey it sprinkled yesterday...for the first time...though I don't think I'll be able to do any doughnuts for a while...haha...Which brings me to a point...my 850 with traction control....doing doughnuts with traction control off does that hurt the car in any way...or is there something I should watch?

an answer and a question thanks!

jamesross530 · Post by **jamesross530** » 02 Dec 2009, 07:11

Hi,

Thanks for the input! I've heard lots about the Blizzak's but they're $50/tire more than the Falken's I was looking at. The Gislaved NordFrost 5 are only about $25 more/tire... they may be an option, so thank you for the tip. Still if anyone has experience with the Falken HS439 let me know, I'd could use saving myself the $100 vs the Gislaved

As for all-seasons my old man was adamant about have to sets. I drive up north a lot in the winter so I'm not too sure about the all-seasons. As for the doughnuts, do them in your buddy's car! haha

I'm no expert but I don't think excessive doughnuts would be a good thing for your car, be it the vehicle components or the tires, especially if you hit a spot of dry pavement mid spin... I'd expect that to put unnecessary strain...

volvomileage · Post by **volvomileage** » 02 Dec 2009, 16:20

winter is coming lolllll

from all the experience i got driving this volvo in snow, i found out that an agressive thread will work out better than anything else...

tires such as the goodyear nordics, the pacemarks witer tires and such, they are not the most expensive ones but they give an very good yield
i had michelin x ice on my previous car and found them average, good for when theres not a lot of snow...

cheers !

jamesross530 · Post by **jamesross530** » 04 Dec 2009, 14:21

Thanks again for the info.... I'm going to try the Falken's out, I like the price. I'd still like to hear if someone else has used them but if not I'll report back my findings

Post by **IVIUSTANG** » 04 Dec 2009, 18:06

I use Continental TS790 tires and love them, two winters on them now. Handle great on corners and on any level of snow. I seem to out handle and pass other winter tire around town without trouble.

- Jesse

jamesross530 · Post by **jamesross530** » 06 Dec 2009, 12:27

Thanks for the recommendation, means a lot from a Saskatchewanian

Used to drive from Moose Jaw to Regina and blowing snow across the trans canada could be quite hazardous

Too late for me though, Falken's were ordered. Will install this week.

Post by **IVIUSTANG** » 06 Dec 2009, 13:43

Yah, right now the ice level in the Regina area is insane, our first major snowfall a week ago started out as rain and then the temperatures plummeted to below - 20C, -30C tomorrow. My work truck is a huge compromise, 4x4; but no winter tires, great takeoff traction but NO stopping ability, all the Police Crown Vics have Eagle UltraGrips which I cannot recommend to anyone. Night and day between the aggressive offroad tires and my winter tires let me say. Cornering stability is also awesome. BTW, Saskatoon has a harsher winter than Regina or Moosejaw; it is crazy highway 11 is deadly.

- Jesse

jamesross530 · Post by **jamesross530** » 06 Dec 2009, 14:41

Never went up to Saskatoon... passed through a couple times on the way up north to a friend's cottage though. Same friend hit some ice and spun her sable on hwy 1 just coming into Regina. Car went into the ditch and somehow ended up on the roof. Lucky for her no injuries other than a frozen ass waiting for the tow and a ride.