Winter Tires....Need Some Help (NF)

[drwxr]

call gta tire &auto centre

they always have good deals and will help you choose if you dont have clue what to get

nick 416.633.0318

17 Tabgiers rd toronto

[Mattones]

I bought Nordics if thats spelt right. i love them.

[Tarzan's Jane]

 

Thanks so much everyone...I will definitely go for 4 tires...not sure about the rims though...so much to choose from...at least I have some time to shop around locally (Ottawa area).

 

BillM....I'll probably be in touch with you. And ChrisS, I will check out that shop in Morewood.

 

Again...thank you all....I'll let you know what I eventually end up with and how much $$$.

 

Nancy

[salmon]

 

Thanks so much everyone...I will definitely go for 4 tires...not sure about the rims though...so much to choose from...at least I have some time to shop around locally (Ottawa area).

 

BillM....I'll probably be in touch with you. And ChrisS, I will check out that shop in Morewood.

 

Again...thank you all....I'll let you know what I eventually end up with and how much $$$.

 

Nancy

I have done quite a bit of research when I was looking for winter tires for my Subaru and my wife's Mazda3

Try and get steel rims that were made specifically for you car. Do not get the multi fit rims that are sold at Can Tire, they are made to fit many cars. Better off going to the dealer and buying steel rims for your make and model (probably a good deal now). Also you would want to get hubcentric rims, the rims fit perfectly around the centerbore which is the size of the hole on the back of the rims. A hubcentric wheel has the center bore hole of the wheel exactly matching the vehicle's hub diameter. Multi fit rims rely mostly on the wheel studs only.

Blizzacks for my AWD and I never lose traction. Nordic Ice trac for the wifes car.

 

http://forums.tdiclub.com

 

http://www.roadcompanion.ca/guide/_work/li...amp;magid=32627

 

Jose

Edited September 4, 2008 by jchau53

[GBW]

I've owned a few different brands/models and hands down the best snow tire are Nokian Hakkapellitas. They make driving in the white stuff actually fun. I used to own an all-wheel drive sports car and with these on, it would go places it really should not have.

 

Subaru too? I have had these on more then my Subaru and they have been the best so far.

 

Yup, Nokians are awesome tires, I got a set of Hakka1's for my dad's '06 TDI. To bad the price has absolutely blown up in the past 2 years..

 

Still worth it when you look at how well they hold up and how well the preform.

 

Try and get steel rims that were made specifically for you car. Do not get the multi fit rims that are sold at Can Tire, they are made to fit many cars. Better off going to the dealer and buying steel rims for your make and model (probably a good deal now). Also you would want to get hubcentric rims, the rims fit perfectly around the centerbore which is the size of the hole on the back of the rims. A hubcentric wheel has the center bore hole of the wheel exactly matching the vehicle's hub diameter. Multi fit rims rely mostly on the wheel studs only.

 

Best time to buy OEM wheels is 60 to 75% way through the season. You can toss snow's on your current wheels when the time comes (like others mention not to soon as they flake away) have them pulled and put on the OEM steel wheels you buy later on. Do the change over at the same dealer in the spring as they will not charge much more if anything.

As for when to put snow's on, I have been told by many diff. tire folks that 7*C and colder is the best time to have them on as there is less wear and tear on them. Anything over 7*C on a reg. basis will wear them down to the point that you will get only 2 GOOD seasons out of them for anyone that dirves any distance.

BTW, with the KM I do a year (610KM today just for one 2 hour meeting) I will be getting new snows this year for my Subaru () and also getting new wheels for them later on for the summer swap. I'll gladly store those 4 steel (OEM) wheels in the garage for a bit at a huge discount...

 

Geoff

[jediangler]

Opinions are like a part of the human anatomy, everyone's got one.

Here's mine:

I worked for 10yrs at Uniroyal, which became Uniroyal/Goodrich, which became Michelin.

The quality standards on CTC tires were higher than that of any other brands we produced, including our own. We made Atlas, Irving, Fisk, Big "O", Sears, and on and on including Canadian tire. Say what you want, but you get a tire as good, or better, for half the price in some cases. My only suggestion would be to take them to your own mechanic to have them installed. I wouldn't let those guys monkey with my car.

[Fisherman]

Opinions are like a part of the human anatomy, everyone's got one.

Here's mine:

I worked for 10yrs at Uniroyal, which became Uniroyal/Goodrich, which became Michelin.

I know it's a game of words but I really don't think that Uniroyal "became" U/G and then Michelin, I would rather say Michelin "absorbed" the other two crows. Unfortunate at best, but I still wouldn't put another Uniroyal on my wheelbarrow.

[BillM]

Nancy: If you search the classifieds on forums.tdiclub.com, or make a post in the regional forums, you'll find some OEM steel rims for cheap. My userid on that forum is LNXGUY, so if you join up drop me a PM and I'll see if I can find you a deal!

 

It's also a great resource for TDI owners.

[jediangler]

All I know, Fisherman, was the names on my paycheck changed from Uniroyal to U/G and when M.A.S.T. bought us (Michelin America small tire) they closed down both Kitchener plants to eliminate their competition. The North plant (formerly Uniroyal) and the South plant (formerly Goodrich). Michelin put over 2000 local workers out on the street, after recieving some very generous tax breaks and incentives from our local and provincial governments. They closed the Uniroyal plant first and then held the Goodrich plant for ransome. They told the government that if they didn't recieve some cash and tax breaks they would close the second plant. After getting what they wanted, they still closed the Goodrich plant. You can put Michelins on your wheelbarrow if you like but I won't be giving that company any of my money.

[Raf]

Subaru too? I have had these on more then my Subaru and they have been the best so far.

Still worth it when you look at how well they hold up and how well the preform.

 

No, the competition; Mitsubishi (2x Turbo AWD Eclipse/Talon, 1x Turbo AWD Galant - grocery getter from hell). None of them stayed in stock form very long. I heart turbos.

 

Regarding hubcentric and all that, if you don't buy hubcentric wheels, there are adapter plates/rings that will properly align these multi-fit wheels for you. Any half-decent shop should be aware of these and tell you whether or not you need them. There's a huge aftermarket wheel market afterall..

Edited September 4, 2008 by Raf