cpbeasley

I got the local Firestone to pricematch tirerack on a pair of Blizzaks (only mounting the rear as I'm doing the same to my wife's car and cant afford 2 entire sets of them atm)... bc I had to call enterprise to come pick our snowed-in butt's today and lend me a Ford Escape as neither mine nor my wife's w203s played nicely with the snow (couldnt even get out of the parking lot)... and want to be prepared for the remainder of the winter... as well as the fact my current rims will officially be dedicated winter setup only starting next... you guessed it, winter...

never owned a set of "snow" tires before...
think the blizzaks could get me out of pictured situation aka 4-6 in of snow? (obviously much better situation on the main roads, but I need to actually get out of the damn parking lot to get there)
tanks gentlemen.... and ladies (Matt, Karo, ND2020)

fookoo303

oh yea those blizzaks will easily get you out of that. We just had a similiar storm yesterday with about 6 inches also, and my all season DWS got me through it without a problem.

What kind of tires are you running up front?

OneOfaKindTrini

CP with the blizzaks on the rear on your C350 if you can ride a clutch smoothly you'll be going. The C230 will have no problems with the snow tires.

cpbeasley

Must've been the same storm (Kansas City here)! It's a 6in now and working on 9in overnight.

Im running Michelin XSE on front
Wife has Sumitomo HTR Z3 on front

I got quoted about $450 for two of the blizzaks with dismount/mount/balance @ authorized retailer (firestone). Road hazard is like an extra $25 a tire (think its worth it? bc im really not thinking so unless someone says otherwise... in case tire is damaged and cant be repaired, I would only be entitled to pay prorate based on how much tread is left, no expiration)

So, considering front tires... think it's good investment for the rear blizzaks to reliably get me out of anywhere from 1-6 (or more?)in of the fluffy stuff in parking lots and side roads??

Thanks!!!!

cpbeasley

good to hear from another person who has driven through some snow in their life before! It's a passing phenom here in the midwest. If anything we usually get ICE, which in my experience leaves you eff'ed if you do and eff'ed if you dont

fookoo303

Your wife is running a dangerous setup with those tires up front. Summer tires dont work in the cold and her steering and her braking will be risky as best. I'm not too sure about the front tires on your car though. I highly recommend that your wife doesn't drive with those front tires on.

The blizzaks will definitely get you going but without decent front tires, stopping and handling will be difficult.

With my car being dropped and with continental DWS tires, I still slide coming to a stop if don't brake very very early. Before she drives her car, you should pull into a parking lot or empty street and see if her front tires will stop the car at all from a slow speed.

I recommend that you atleast buy some really cheap winter tires and throw them up front. the cheapest winter tires will be a world of a difference compared to any summer tire.

cpbeasley

JUST the advice I was looking for. I had a feeling hers were summer only. And considering we tried to take her car today (mine being the stick with more torque and less tire tread), that explains the complete and UTTER lack of any traction WHATsoever. Ill have to look mine up.

I can afford to go all around on hers for her safety if I need to, and it sounds like I do. Do you have a all-season tire (like your DWS?) that you can recommend (preferrably carried by Firestone) that we could just put all the way around instead? She doesn't need any of the creature or performance comforts out of a tire that we here would seek.

Likewise I could maybe also do snow tires on her rear and all seasons up front? Either way, Im still listening, thanks brother.

fookoo303

Sorry, I don't have much experience with firestone tires so I can't say, but I'll say that the DWS is the best all season tire I've used in the snow. I'm sure you can find cheap snow tires for around 75 a piece. They won't be great but they will probably be better than any all season tires. You'll probably just lose performance on dry conditions and they'll probably be pretty noisy but the snow traction will still perform exponentially better than the summer tires.

cpbeasley

I could probably find an "off-brand" snow tire on the net for cheap, you're right. Otherwise firestone and goodyear both had ONLY the blizzak to offer in the 245/40/17.

I'll probably get her in a pair of rear blizzak and then buy a pair of firestone's in house off-brand all season tire for her front. If it were me, Id brave the Sumitomo's on the front, but she is notorious for cutting corners sharp, braking late, and generally not paying a damn bit of attention to what the hell she's doing. Perhaps its the woman in her? Maybe maybe?

fookoo303

haha you got big *****, even I wouldnt be brave enough to try that. my brother has a 1990 supra turbo and he had pirelli summer tires on and he couldnt even make it up an incline that was less than 8 degrees or so. They just absolutely do not work in the cold. If you have a driveway with an incline, I can bet that you will not be able to stop the car from sliding down when reversing out.

BF_JC230

You need the SAME TIRE ON ALL FOUR CORNERS...ABS, ESP, etc. will NOT know how to react otherwise - and WILL cause more harm than good.

Summer tires up front...no, no, no...no.

Winter tires are not only for snow and slush removal due to larger cleats, BUT as the weather turns near 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the dynamics of an all-season and especially a summer tire – dramatically change! Near 40 degrees Fahrenheit, a snow tire retains a lot of flex and ability to make contact. It also greatly increases stability on ice, while nothing can truly be efficient or effective on ice – snow tires are the only viable option.

With the w203 – you have the best option in a MTX…use it. IF you need to start in second…if you have to use first to get moving – quickly go into third, keep torque low and feather the clutch. We have never had an issue in Buffalo with our w203 MTX.

We run Cooper Weathermaster ST2.

(PS…get all four tires – it is cheaper than you deductible, and saves time if you wreck…plus your safety, your wife’s safety and the safety of others is more important.)

cpbeasley

Our situation is such that we have a flat 300 yrd drive to the main drag down the middle of the apt complex - the main drag is then uphill BOTH ways @ 30 deg.

Then for me, my school is located in a similar situation - parking is at the bottom of an area with uphill either way, one way is 45 deg, the other 40.

My tires are apparently Michelin Pilot Primacy w/ XSE. Pilot Primacy looks to be the OEM tire? Anyway, getting mixed reviews. Some sources say all-season, others say high-performance summer tire for luxury sedans. Either way "XSE" on Michelin's website refers to a silica compound added for greater wet/snow traction. Go figure. I didn't attempt my car today, so maybe I will give it a quick go out in the parking lot here in a few to see what happens. Either way, still going Blizzak on the rear of mine, but may be safe to leave the Pilot's up front. Im leaning towards all-season considering Michelin's website quoted XSE technology for wet and snow traction. what ya think?

cpbeasley

I stand schooled!


Know anything of my pilot primacy with xse? viable for winter?

d1no

If it were me, I would just get 225 45 17 all around because the narrower the tire the better for snow traction. Yes the 225 45 will fit just fine on the rear 8.5 wide rim . And these tire sizes are cheaper as well and wont throw off the speedo since thats what the winter tire size is displayed on the door I think.

d1no

OR you could buy this http://www.amazon.com/AutoSock-735-W...4713314&sr=1-2
Never tried it myself but I was googling and came upon it.

Heres a video, theres a w202 towards the end that tests them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1kuK...eature=related

d1no

or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s4NzA_R6gg

SunnyRayToronto

Yes, get winter tires for all 4 wheels.

Bridgestone Blizzak are probably the best winter tires on ice. The problem is they are extremely soft tires and will wear out faster than others.

You might also want to consider: Michelin X-Ice Xi2, and Nokia Hakkapilitta

I'm currently using the Mercedes recommended Pirelli Snowsports, they're great in the snow but loosy on ice.

Best snow tires I ever had were Nokia Hakkapilitta on a Honda Civic,.... it was like a rally car,... in the snow.

Since our Mercedes are rear-wheel drive,.... put a couple bag of road salt/sand/rice in the trunk to put some more weight onto the rear wheels.

fookoo303

Great advice It's not something I usually do but it does help. But whatever you do, don't attempt to drive with those summer tires up front.

FoxNewsSucks

I've learned a lot about my car reading this forum; finally a topic I can offer an opinion on.

I bought my 05 C230 Kompressor in 2008 and also live in KC. I drive a lot for work, and the last 2 winters put Blizzaks on the car. First winter, all four 225-45's. Just make sure to tell the Firestone shop that the back two wheels are wider than the fronts. I had to wait for them to remount a couple because they didn't notice.

I put 13,000 miles on it that winter, and the back 2 were worn out. I kept the front 2, and put them back on along with a pair of 245-40's on the back at the beginning of last winter. If you lived here then, you'll remember that we had A LOT OF DAMN SNOW last year. I drive up to St. Joe several times a week, and had no problems at all with traction. I also put 2 cases of paper in the back seat, and 2 cases in the trunk. (print a lot for work, so I use it up and it worked for added weight over the back axle.) The 245's would probably be good for another winter's use, a lot more tread left than on the 225's.

The only problem I had was speed. Both size of rear tires gave great traction, even able to get moving uphill after stopping for lights. But over 35-40 mph on the highway, my car never felt stable. At first, I stopped a few times to have a look because it felt like a tire had gone flat. As long as I kept it under 40, I had no problems. So if you're lucky enough to never leave town you'll be fine, get a set for all four wheels (you still have to steer and stop). For out-of-town trips, though, it's really slow and it gets old having everyone pass you.

Last summer I found a good deal on an 03 Acura MDX so I got it for winter use, and I gotta say I'm damn glad my Benz stayed in the garage today. 4WD rules!

samaritrey

in a past life i had a 97 Infiniti j30 which is rear wheel drive and about the same in the snow as a w203. I remember one winter having to get the tractor to pull the car into the barn to mount the winter wheels (with blizzaks of course) I then remember driving it though the fields with like 8 inches + of snow with no slipping or sliding i also drove the car in some of the worse road conditions i have ever seen a few months after receiving my license and remember how happy i was to have those tires i did not have an issue a friend of mine in an suv was not so lucky.
my point is do whatever it takes get 4 snow tires on your wife's car and if that means sharing a car until you can buy another set it is a small price to pay. i would hate for something bad to happen to either of you and tires play a huge roll in safe winter driving.
when we get snow in va i just leave my car at home since i have only all seasons. It's not that i fell that my car could not do it i just don't need to find out that it can't at a bad time. Next winter i will be buying snow tires for my old 16 inch rims and do what everyone that gets snow should do and have winter and summer wheels/tires.

W203E35

@FoxNewsSucks

Great handle...I use to work for them then I swore to myself I will never get in the corporate environment ever again

BF_JC230

225/45/17 is what we run on all four for rotational purposes...
“Thinner / (if you can get taller)…is better.”

It is also MORE ECONOMICAL to buy a dedicated set of snow rims…I don’t have the math handy – but mounting / balancing EVERY season – COSTS MONEY…the rims will pay for themselves in a few seasons.

I NEVER get past a half tank of fuel either…while adding weight will help, it is not needed…again, never had an issue in Buffalo, NY…just a full tank of fuel.

OneOfaKindTrini

Yo cp you and your wife can't use one car on snowdays? So you can put four snow tires on the C230 and leave the c350 6mt at home.

LILBENZ230

What? The car doesn't know or care what tires are on it. Each wheel has its own speed sensor monitoring it and the car can brake wheels individually. You can be in situations where one wheel has more traction than others (whether front/back or side/side) even if you have a matching set. ESP/ABS works just fine even with 4 different tires on the car - it's perfectly capable of coping with that. What matters is that the sizes are correct.

cpbeasley

I thought I was a lone KC w203 ranger! How wonderful it is to get advice on this from a fellow KC'er, priceless advice considering my aim to manhandle our local sky's fit of intermitent rage. Im glad to here the 245 is staving off wear better as I would rather go with it as to not stretch the 225 to fit. People keep mentioning that thinner is better, but again I hate to stretch to fit as that's not necessarily a safe thing either, so how would you say the 245 compares to the 225 re: winter traction? Also, how would you say they do on our icey conditions (apart from the fluffy stuff) in your experience? Ice is always seem to be a part of our winter season in this part of the country. Remember those ice storms back in... 2007 was it? I was down in SPringfield at the time so perhaps it was worse there, but driving RWD was completely out of the question at that time.

Im jealous of your winter ride... Im attending Dental School here, and my first year in 2008 I had my 2008 FWD Equinox which was a steamroller to any amount of snow.

Off topic, but are you an enthusiast of the w203 in the way of spirited driving and modification or just an admirer? Either way we could always get together sometime to oogle over our vehicles. I may even bring a jack and wrench to borrow those blizzaks when you're not looking


Thank you for your caring attitude and the good advice. I am officially scared to death at the thought of her driving with her Sumitomo's at this point. I'll be purchasing her car a set tonight as a result. Otherwise, I'm pretty excited to drive a RWD car that can actually drive through the snow. It'll be a new experience for me for sure.

Thinner is better even if it stretches the tire in place? I don't like the idea of stretching the 225 to fit unless in this situation it is absoloutely not a safety concern either.

I have my own set of wheels awaiting to be christened this summer, and my current OEMs will next season be dedicated winter. Interesting thought on a set of winter rims paying for themselves. I'll be keeping an eye out for a used set of stock rims starting now. She's wearing the stock 5 spoke in chrome as of now anyway, it'd be nice to not let the surface get damaged from winter driving conditions.

Thank you for all your insight.

Sir, excellent idea as this is exactly what I was just thinking
I told her I'll be buying a set just for her car alone and she must be ready to take my butt to school by 8am if duty calls in the future. It's a worthy sacrifice for both of us. We'll share her car this winter with all 4 winter tires mounted, and each have our own by next. Santa brought some X-mas money, but Cale already spent too much of it on other crap so 2 sets this season are a little much for me right now. ugh.