Saw that they are out there in a size to fit my 13" steelies on Tirerack.com. Anyone ever try out the Blizzaks? Do they really make that much of a difference in a 4wd car?

 

- Freed

I have a set of MZ-02s on my vw scirocco, there nothing to brag about compared to some of the newer studless tires they make.

i run blizzacks on my impreza, the best tires ive had on it since i got it.

Blizzaks are good no doubt, but if you're gonna spend big money on top line snow tires you should give the Nokians a look.

 

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub.cfm?cid=1&sid=1

 

Gary

Nokian Hakkapalittas (not sure if I spelled that correctly) are a better long term tire. Lots of tests have been done comparing Hakkas and Blizzaks, and basically the Blizzaks appear to be a little bit better when new, but as they wear Blizzaks performance falls off where the Hakkas stay stong. I've run hakkas on every subaru I've ever owned and they will take you anywhere in the snow.

 

Keith

I prefer studded tires in winter, but then again I drive on roads that are covered in ice/snow for 4-6 months of the year.

 

On a 0-10 scale, this is how I'd rate tires for winter use:

 

0 - Old, bald tires

1 -

2 - Heavily-worn tires

3 -

4 -

5 - Decent all-season tires

6 - Siped all-season tires

7 - Generic winter tires

8 - Blizzak

9 - Nokian

10 - Studded tires

 

However, if you're driving lots on bare pavement, or doing lots of highway driving, you can throw studs off a studded tire. The Nokians are great from what I've heard, but I can get studded tires for about 1/2 the price up here, and they work the best in my climate/conditions.

+1 for nokians

I used them this last season. Two thumbs up! Very soft rubber, don't use them when it's warm.

Another excellent choice (IMO) is the Yokohama Guardex K2 F720 (quite a mouthful). I've used them for two winters now and one snow run and they're incredible. I run them 365 days a year, and even with their ultra-soft compound, after 35,000 miles, there's still plenty of tread. I've been very happy with them.

After using my Blizzaks, I saw a picture of someone's Hankook Icebears for sale. I thought they looked quite good, but that was just looking at a pic of the tread.

+2 for nokia's