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Hajdoki_Ep3
11-13-2010, 11:00 PM
Car = 2004 Honda civic ep3 (stock suspension)
Needs = Winter Tire (rim 16inch)
For = Driving 160+kms a day during winter (school+work)
Winter Rally racing (ice racing) - 2-3 times in a winter
Tires that will take me to any snow park/mountain
Threw blizzards with ease ( cottage 6 hours up north)

I'm split on 5 tires but down for new suggestions

-Bridgestone Blizzak WS70
-Continental ExtremeWinterContact
-Michelin X-Ice Xi2
-Yokohama Ice Guard ig20
-General Altimax Arctic

LLH
11-14-2010, 03:22 AM
contentinals :thumbup

talonXracer
11-14-2010, 05:47 AM
There is ONLY one alternative the General Altimax Arctic with studs. if you cant run studs, move south, LOL

I have run every tire EXCEPT for the Yokohama Ice Guard ig20, the Blizzacks were the leader in studless icy conditions. A few guys I know have the Yokohama tires, I went with the General Altimax Arctic and last year i drove circles around them.

Hajdoki_Ep3
11-14-2010, 07:22 AM
There is ONLY one alternative the General Altimax Arctic with studs. if you cant run studs, move south, LOL

I have run every tire EXCEPT for the Yokohama Ice Guard ig20, the Blizzacks were the leader in studless icy conditions. A few guys I know have the Yokohama tires, I went with the General Altimax Arctic and last year i drove circles around them.

Lets say i cant run studs? General Alimax Arctic ftw still?

talonXracer
11-14-2010, 07:50 AM
I have yet to drive on a set of studless tires that have performed as well as the Blizzaks. Though again I havnt tried the IG20's. In deep snow the Generals are still tops

RotaryGreg
11-14-2010, 08:29 AM
I totally agree with talon.

The xice are no for sure. they are only good for mediocre ice. the second you get some snow, they clog up with snow and are as useless as tits on a toaster. I feel the same way about the contis

The generals are the obvious choice if you can run studs, and for any sort of deep snow you come across (even without studs) but i dont beleive they would perform as well as the blizzaks or IG20s as a contact ice tire. maybe talon could shed some light on that....but you didnt say if you ran them without studs before you ran them with studs.

So the shortlist should definitly be

Blizzak
IG20
Altimax Arctic

also, have you concidered nokians? They are seriously badass winter tires. also, the altimax arctic, pirelli winter carving edge, and several other no name tires all based tread designs from nokians hakkapeliitta line. However i would stay away from the pirellis. we put them on alot of cars 2 years ago and they were no good. the compound was so solid they were junk on ice, and really even unimpressive on a cold wet road to be honest.

talonXracer
11-14-2010, 09:38 AM
In deep snow, even when not studded, the Generals still blow everything else away, other than the Nokia(but are just as good).

RotaryGreg
11-14-2010, 10:11 AM
In deep snow, even when not studded, the Generals still blow everything else away, other than the Nokia(but are just as good).

yeah, you can see how the genearals would allow snow out so they dont clog up and become useless like im sure the IG20s are more likely to do.

the new WS70 blizzaks look to have adressed this sort of issue. the tread blocks look a little more opened up over previous designs however their sipe and compound technology is likely a carry over. they appear as soft and squirmy as ever.

I still love IG20s and stand by them. but all three are likely great choices. at this point i would think its just down to price and ice amount.

If you cant run studs and are likely to see ice all time time and snow sometimes, the generals are probably not the best for you. IG20s are typically a few dollars cheaper than blizzaks, but i would think the blizzaks would serve you slightly better in really snowy, mucky conditions over the yokos....

Hajdoki_Ep3
11-14-2010, 11:35 AM
Ok so it comes down to -

If i were to drive down the highway and hit some black ice ( chances are i probably will) then the ws70s will be the best. General would comes close second?

For winter rally the generals would be awesome but ws70 wouldn't disappoint either.

Longevity of tire :P I think general has that

Price General cheaper

Damn this is a hard decision

Also i am planning to run 205/60/16 on stockies, i don't think there would an an issue with fitment?

talonXracer
11-14-2010, 11:51 AM
I am running 205/65/16's on steelies and even clear the WilWood rotors and calipers.

Hajdoki_Ep3
11-14-2010, 12:39 PM
I am running 205/65/16's on steelies and even clear the WilWood rotors and calipers.

Would you have a pic of how the wheels look in relation? as well as would it be too much for the motor/tranny to handle going that large?

bchaney
11-15-2010, 09:50 AM
I've had the Hankook Ipikes for 2 seasons and love them.

Haven't tried any others for comparison tho.

2k3hatchie
11-15-2010, 01:11 PM
Another vote for the altimax arctic. Been running them w/o studs up here in New England and I've been extremely happy with them.

Tougeep3
11-15-2010, 06:53 PM
Another vote for the blizzaks. Not just me but Tire Rack and Alaska also..


Do Bridgestone Blizzak Tires Live up to Their Reputation?
The Tire Rack has been the largest single source of Blizzak studless winter tires in the United States since their introduction in 1993. We have tested them on ice and in the snow, as well as driven on them through South Bend, Indiana's "mild" and "wild" winters. We have found that no All-Season tire or other winter tire has matched the Blizzak's confidence-inspiring combination of deep snow, packed snow and ice traction.
http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=116



In one set of stopping distance tests in Alaska, studded, studless, and all-season tires performed nearly equally on snow, when averaged across several vehicles. On ice, stopping distances for studded tires were 15 percent shorter than for Blizzaks, which in turn were 8 percent shorter than for all-season tires.

In another set of tests in Alaska, studless Blizzak tires offered the best traction performance, especially for braking on both packed snow and ice in comparison to studded tires (which were second) and all-season tires (which were last).
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/551.1.pdf