Winter tire test

[Northern_Touch]

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

Honestly not that interested in most of the other budget tires out there. The Cooper M+S didn't get great reviews from my customers but I also live in a place that gets around 6 feet of snow every year and with a lot of ice. The other recommendations I have are the Toyo GSI-5 but they aren't on the cheaper end. Realistically anything with the snowflake on the mountain is better than all seasons though.

As far as store brand tires go often times they are made by Cooper and almost all Cooper products are halfway decent (The M+S is pretty well the only one I didn't like) to very good. I've had Coopers (or one of their many off brands) on my last 5 vehicles (including my current 2 and my fiance's). Anyone with a car looking for super cheap all seasons check out Starfire RS-C 2.0. I payed less than $50CAD a tire (205/55R16) and they rode great, decent grip and I drove them for 2 seasons and they still looked almost new when I sold the car.

 

[Clutch]

Thanks for the info Northern_Touch

 

[shenrie]

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.

That's great info, ty! What truck are you running them on? In your honest opinion are they a better tire than the Toyo or brudgestone? Not drive ability wise but durability wise. I'm pretty rough on tires. Always on the lookout for a good alternative for race rubber. I'll go check them out regardless and see if they have the sizes I need.

 

[Northern_Touch]

No worries guys.

I'm running a set on a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 and another set on 2016 Rav4 (fiancemobile). Durability I haven't been on them long enough to judge but going from past customer experiences they should be average wear wise. "Commercial grade" tires and Michelins normally wear a bit longer but cost way more defeating the purpose.If you want just a decent all around sporty tire at a good price Cooper RS3-S are factory mount on Roush Mustangs. Mickey Thompson sells the exact same tire rebadged as street comp. Don't buy them to make noise though because if you spin em they leave black strips in relative silence. The not cheap and a fair bit better for daily driving sports is Michelin Pilot Super Sports but i'm too cheap for those at today's prices. For real race rubber it depends what you mean by race. It's a battle between BFG Rivals and Hankook RS-3 in autocross. Hoosier for real race track only tires, Mickey T for drags.

 

[shenrie]

By race rubber I meant off-road for rallyx. Sorry I didn't clarify. Sounds like on pavement hasn't changed in the 4 seasons I haven't participated. I typically pick up takeoffs from a local ************ who travels to the bigger events around the nw. still have a stack of 140 treadwear toyos ( which now say 200 even though I doubt the compounds changed at all) and some old 710's I gotta burn up before I need pavement tires again, lol. I will need new snow and mud rubber soon though. Hence why I inquired.

 

[Clutch]

How are the Hercules Avalanche X-Treme?

http://www.herculestire.com/tire-gallery/passenger-and-light-truck/winter/avalanche-x-treme-lt/