Winter tire test

[DaveInDenver]

Those grooves in the highway are calling tining (as in 'tines' of a rake). They started in CA but most of the western states are using it as they rebuild the highways. CDOT here found in their research some years ago that tined pavement reduces the wet pavement accidents by 70%.

 

[Clutch]

...well that's just spectacular hope that trend doesn't continue.

Ok...paid a little more attention on the way in. Heading East from the Caldwell area, grooves start where it opens from 2 lane to 4 lane roughly at Garrity...continues for a bit then stops, picks back up again at 10 Mile, the two left hand lanes aren't grooved, but the two right lanes are. ends before Franklin, starts again at Orchard to Vista then stops. I turned off at 21, then headed back to down town.

So no where near the 80% that I thought, will have to calculate the actual percentage/milage.




The pic of the pines, was from Bogus yesterday...took a long lunch and went to go check out snow conditions. Supposed to open tomorrow.

 

[Clutch]

Those grooves in the highway are calling tining (as in 'tines' of a rake). They started in CA but most of the western states are using it as they rebuild the highways. CDOT here found in their research some years ago that tined pavement reduces the wet pavement accidents by 70%.

Have read that too, the Winterforces do not like it, it squirms pretty bad...a bit disconcerting. Perfectly fine on smooth pavement. Doesn't look like the Blizzaks come in the size I want...have a set of chains for 32's, don't think they'll fit 265/70's. Might be a tad too big.

Wondering with the more triangle shaped tread, it would be less squirmy.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...67R6DMV2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes


They do make a 265/75 in the Winterforce....dang it! (the Trooper has 245/70's on it)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...SR6FWFUV&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[shenrie]

^^^ Winter tires are really squishy cause the are heavily siped, have lots of small, tall tread locks, and are made with a super sticky compound. So sticky they won't even assign snow tires a tread wear rating. A lot of poor boy racers use stud less snows for drag racing.

If you can't get blizaks, try the observes. Essentially the same tire but they claim to put acorn shells in them to act like mini studs. I find that funny, but they are great stud less snow tires and they have endless sizes.

Ok...paid a little more attention on the way in. Heading East from the Caldwell area, grooves start where it opens from 2 lane to 4 lane roughly at Garrity...continues for a bit then stops, picks back up again at 10 Mile, the two left hand lanes aren't grooved, but the two right lanes are. ends before Franklin, starts again at Orchard to Vista then stops. I turned off at 21, then headed back to down town.

Huh, guess I haven't noticed the grooves. Headed to Jalopy tomorrow. I'll pay closer attention.

Have fun at bogus. I'm real close to boycotting that resort all season....

 

[DaveInDenver]

If you can't get blizaks, try the observes. Essentially the same tire but they claim to put acorn shells in them to act like mini studs.

If you're talking about the Toyo it's walnut shells. We had a set of Toyo winter tires for our Civic years ago and the grip was pretty incredible. We had them put on at the beginning of winter and never got money together to get a second set of tires the next spring so as a result they only lasted us two winters and a summer.

 

[shenrie]

^^^ ya theme the ones. Sorry, I knew it was some kinda nut gimmick. Either way they work great. We use them for rallyx and never take them off. They last us the same, basically 2 seasons. I'll eventually try the blizaks, but Les Schwab always prorates the observes so we usually end up with a set for substantially cheaper then the blizaks. Plus I don't think the blizaks come in the smaller rim sizes like the observes do. We need 14"ers for our civic.

 

[Clutch]

^^^ Winter tires are really squishy cause the are heavily siped, have lots of small, tall tread locks, and are made with a super sticky compound. So sticky they won't even assign snow tires a tread wear rating. A lot of poor boy racers use stud less snows for drag racing.

If you can't get blizaks, try the observes. Essentially the same tire but they claim to put acorn shells in them to act like mini studs. I find that funny, but they are great stud less snow tires and they have endless sizes.



Huh, guess I haven't noticed the grooves. Headed to Jalopy tomorrow. I'll pay closer attention.

Have fun at bogus. I'm real close to boycotting that resort all season....

Snow tires are new to me, even growing up in PA...never ran them back there. Though they are a little more aggressive with winter road care back there, here it seems like every man for themselves.

Yeah, I never paid attention the grooves either, until I took the Trooper to work a couple times. First thought it was just a bad cross wind. Nope...gotta be the grooves and the squishy tires.

I'll probably go to Bogus midweek, guessing it will be a mad house over the weekend. I am going to just do some XC skiing ...haven't done that since I was a teenager...should be interesting.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I cant wait to get some real snow around here so I can try out my Blizzacks. I'm suprised the BFG A/t's did as well as they did. I had them on my old Zr2 and that thing was worthless on packed snow.

If they were the original BFG A/Ts then I agree with you. They must give out that "3 mountain snowflake" symbol like candy at Halloween. I've had 2 sets and both are miserable in snow.

The new design is supposed to be much better. But I haven't used those yet.

 

[Mountainhound]

Do you guys have any grooved pavement where you live?

I have a set of studded Firestone Winterforce, they do fairly well on snow and ice, but wonder a bit on the grooved pavement on the Interstate. Curious if the Blizzacks do the same.

Horrible winter tire absolutely the worst. Just went to mastercraft courser msr definitely feel like a much better tire than the winterforce. I wish that cooper made there snow in size for the new trucks used to run them on my 04 and we're a great tire.

 

[Clutch]

Horrible winter tire absolutely the worst. Just went to mastercraft courser msr definitely feel like a much better tire than the winterforce. I wish that cooper made there snow in size for the new trucks used to run them on my 04 and we're a great tire.

The Trooper is only RWD, they seem do to great on the ice and snow...do not care for their HWY performance. Was considering of selling the Trooper because it was only RWD, but now it seems like it is going to work for her, might keep it. She is from South Carolina...never driven on snow before, it has been a sheet of ice the past couple days, she seems to be doing ok. Even called me all excited over how well the tires do. The "4" seasons that were on there were like hockey pucks, we did tire cables the last 2 years since her commute is less than a mile, but I got tired of putting them on and off.

I forgot to look at Cooper, spending too much time looking on Tire Rack, they don't carry Coops.

Looks like they come in a 265/75/16, sweet! won't have to adjust my chains to fit. I have run their tires in the past and have been happy with them.

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Winter/Discoverer-M-S.aspx

 

[doug720]

Grooved like this. Supposedly it is to prevent hydroplaning. Guessing 80% of my 26 mile (one way) commute consists of grooved concrete.

That is how nearly all concrete paved freeways in SoCal are finished. No snow, but it sure seems to be better when we get the rare rain. According to CalTrans, the grooves have reduced accidents by over 50%.

 

[Clutch]

That is how nearly all concrete paved freeways in SoCal are finished. No snow, but it sure seems to be better when we get the rare rain. According to CalTrans, the grooves have reduced accidents by over 50%.

If it reduces accidents, then I am all for it. Think it is a matter of finding the right snow tire. Reading up on it, some are squirmy others are not. It was super icy last night, the Kumho AT51's did pretty good, though I am thinking of getting a full on snow tire for the Tacoma, they don't really plow all that much here, that and I take back country roads often.

 

[Northern_Touch]

Best bang for the buck winters for on road driving bar none are Hercules Avalanche R-G2. They're made in Russia in a Nokian factory, on old Nokian molds. Basically you are getting a Nokian tire for a lot less coin. I have a set on my truck as well as my fiance's and I worked for a tire distributor when I bought so I could get a deal on anything I wanted. I chose them. I drive a lot of fairly poorly plowed backroads and being in 4wheel drive or AWD you couldnt get stuck without being high centered.

 

[Clutch]

Best bang for the buck winters for on road driving bar none are Hercules Avalanche R-G2. They're made in Russia in a Nokian factory, on old Nokian molds. Basically you are getting a Nokian tire for a lot less coin. I have a set on my truck as well as my fiance's and I worked for a tire distributor when I bought so I could get a deal on anything I wanted. I chose them. I drive a lot of fairly poorly plowed backroads and being in 4wheel drive or AWD you couldnt get stuck without being high centered.

Bummer...doesn't look like they come in 265/75/16. Reason I want to stay with that size, is I want to be able to run chains on my all seasons if I have to. I just bought them, don't want to change. Or have to deal with selling on CL and all that BS. Easier to buy the same size tire.

Finding the Coopers a bit cheaper than the Herc's.

http://www.tires-direct.com/cgi-bin...51&partner=1&ID=psm_rdb_us_nextag&Country=BUS

 

[dman93]

Interesting info on the Hercules. I always wonder how many "off brand" tires are actually based on old molds and/or compounds from good quality tires. When I bought my 80-Series Land Cruiser (used) 20+ years ago, the seller had just mounted up some new "Land Rover" branded tires! They worked really well in all conditions, except mud, and rode quietly and handled better than subsequent BFG's and Pirellis that I replaced them with. And back in the early '80's when I raced SCCA Showroom Stock, before you could buy DOT race tires, lots of us used a Korean-made store brand from Grand Auto (local auto parts chain) which stuck like glue and wore fast, signs of a soft compound. Cheap too.