Well, it is snowing here in the Tri-State Area and I cannot go anywhere with my car...nowhere. As soon as I left to go to work with no more than a half an inch of snow, the tires would spin and spin. I made it about 3 miles and had no choice but to turn around. Needless to say, I need to buy Winter tires asap. My dealer recommended Bridgestone Blizzak tires. I noticed on TireRack.com that they have a LM-22 and a WS-50 tire. I called a tire shop that works closely with my dealer and they said I should go with Nokian tires. I never heard of this tire, yet they tell me that they are better than the Bridgestones.

Can anyone offer some advice?

Thanks

 

What brand tires did your car come with?

 

The car came with the Pirelli's. 225/45ZR17 front 245/40ZRZR17 rear

 

Nokian are european tires (Swedish or Finnish), they are supposedly very good in heavy snow, but might not be that good on dry asphalt.

I'd suggest going with Blizzaks LM-22s. I've heard numerous positive reports on these tires, although people have noted that they wear fast on dry asphalt and with wear their snow-gripping capability decreases.

Personally, I went with Pirelli SnowSport 210 on my bimmer. They are quite good in snow and also provide good traction and noise-level on dry/wet asphalt.

If you get lot's of snow, go with Blizzaks. If you get some snow but the roads are mostly covered with wet/melting snow and you drive on high-ways a lot, go with Pirelli.

 

Thanks Rost12...I appreciate your feedback!

I have my choice of the Nokian's or the Bridgestones. The guy called me today and said that he had the Nokian's in 225/45/17 (all 4) or tomorrow I can get the Bridgestones in 225/45/17 and 245/40/17. He said that although I have staggerred width tires, I could get the Nokians the same size all around with no noticeable difference. He also added that the wider the snow tire, it will not handle as well as the smaller (225) tire. Would you know about this?

 

Try www.tirerack.com They have lots of info on the site as well as knowledgable sales people.

 

Thanks 500AMG!

I did start there, but couldn't find the info I was looking for. Maybe I will try again.

 

I don't want to put snow tires on my CLK-500. That is why I bought a BMW 330xi for days like this and she drove like a charm.

 

If I had the choice, I would not put snow tires on my CLK500 either, but I have no other choice as it is my only means of transportation.

 

I'm not sure about that handling issue that guy is telling you about.

Supposedly, thinner tires should be better since they will have an easier time cutting through the snow.

In practice, I've put 225's (same as original tires) on my 325i, works perfectly. Also, on my mothers A6 we've got 255's all around (pretty wide), and it pretty good too.

So, if you are getting a separate set of rims for your winter tire setup, go with the narrow ones all around, it's cheaper
If you will be putting on winter tires on your original rims I'd go with the same sizes that you have now. I see no reason to put thinner tires on rims that were designed for the wider ones.

Btw, another question I faced was wether to get separate rims for winter or not. I didn't, and no regrets. Sure, it costs money to change tires all the time, but since I don't plan on keeping either of the cars for longer than 3 years, it makes no sense to get separate rims that will have to be sold later on.

My 0.000002 canadian

 

Hey John, I have quick question. Was it ice on the road causing you problems, or "just" snow? I ask because I was also in the tri-state area during the recent storm and found the car to drive very well, with the only exception being uphill frozen sections of road. BTW: I have the michelin pilot sports.

 

Thanks again Rost12...

I decided to go with the Blizzaks, the same size tire that came with the car. Definitely a difference!! Oh, I didn't get another set of rims...I am leasing this, and it seems kind of senseless to get another set of rims.

Ebrigham--The car handled horrible in just an inch of snow. Each time I would stop, then try to go, the rear would give out. The tires would just spin.

 

Make sure you have the Pilot Sport A/S (All Season). Big difference. Available in most rim sizes, they are a big improvement of most other performance tires and do well on dry and wet pavement as well....they cost more, but are cheaper than two sets of tires. Check our michelin's web-site.

If you are slipping like ice when it is snow....it is most likely your tires that are the problem, not the car or rims.