Winter Tire Help Please

[geep81]

I am looking to put winter tires on my blackout package rims. Size 255/40/19. I can't seem to find Blizzak or Michelin X-Ice tires at that size exactly.

Can anyone give me some guidance on what would work on this size rim?

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[Dana Pants]

245 45 r19 is the commonly available snow tire size and the size you want.

 

[geep81]

245 45 r19 is the commonly available snow tire size and the size you want.

Thank you this is the answer I was looking for!

 

[geep81]

Check out the Pirelli Sottozero 3's.

Thank you for the recommendation but I swear but Michelin tires. And the stock Pirellis AS were so terrible they probably turned me off that brand forever.

 

[geep81]

The stock P-zero's are crap in the cold, I'll give you that. I have Michelin PA4's on the Charger. They are also excellent, but I can't compare them 1:1 the cars being so different. I can say that the P-zero's that also came stock on the Charger would spin with the lightest throttle. The PA4's grip well down into the teens, on wet pavement, and snow.

Not just performance but Michelins have always been a quieter and smoother ride in my experience. I want it all.

I have daily driven in Cleveland on the stock Pzeros for two winters now. I am not doing it any more.

 

[br_an]

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 come in that size (255/40) - those are great winter tires.

I just picked up a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 to run on my GT350 this winter. I haven't put them on the car yet, but looks like they should work well.

 

[geep81]

Then my vote would be PA4's. Why get winter tires when you can get performance winter tires?

They don't work as good at the winter part from everything I read. I read a bunch of reviews that said they're basically a step above a all season, but not on the level of a real winter tire.

 

[Dana Pants]

Then my vote would be PA4's. Why get winter tires when you can get performance winter tires?

Because performance winter tires suck in actual winter conditions. Often they have a borderline all-season rubber compound. I just ordered Hakka 9s yesterday. I’m gonna get going where I’m going, dry performance and comfort be damned.

 

[br_an]

Then my vote would be PA4's.

Mik, I’m with you on the PA4s This tire compound is not at all like an all season tire, feels much more like the Blizzaks I ran the last couple winter seasons; soft. Edit: OK maybe not quite as soft as a Blizzak, but close. Also has a stiffer sidewall. However, they don't have the thick chunky tread blocks like a Blizzak, so probably not as good in snow. But in the steering and handling department it'll be much better than a Blizzak. As with most tires, you have to pick which compromise you want to make.

I don't plan on driving my GT350 in a lot of snow, I'll wait until the roads are cleared. But if I had to I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's really deep I'm taking the truck anyway.

 

[Dana Pants]

I've had no issues driving in active snow storms with either car. No "snow mode" either. Sport/Track rain or shine.

Not sure where you're getting your info on compounds either. Both sets of performance winters I have start getting unusably soft and squirmy above 40 degrees. They're plenty soft down into the teens, well below the temperature where all-seasons become rocks.

Maybe it's you that's the problem

Boston to Tremblant in a snowstorm, I’m not particularly timid about the snow, but it would be nice to disengage full send mode once and a while:

 

[geep81]

Anecdotal evidence won't convince me vs the science of it. The rubber compound needed to be a great sports car tire is different than a great snow tire. You can find a happy medium, but it will always be a compromise.

I don't want to compromise, I want the best snow handling tire I can get.

 

[br_an]

TLDW;January 2020, Jonathan Benson drove from London to the Swiss Alps in a Porsche 992 911 w/ Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 tires. He also stopped to race, and won.

 

[geep81]

Here's some science then. Compound isn't as much a factor in outright snow performance. Snow and ice stick to snow and ice better than the even the softest rubber. Tread block design is more a factor there. If it picks up and packs the snow efficiently, it will grip snow.

The compound is for pavement. The tread is for snow.

Nothing said here refutes my statement that a dedicated snow tire will be better for that purpose than a performance snow tire, right?

If you like PA4s that's fine, but they were never ever on my radar and it seems really silly to argue that they would be better than X-Ice Snows for driving in the snow. The tradeoff might be worth it for you I can get that.

 

[br_an]

Anecdotal evidence won't convince me vs the science of it.

Since you're looking for science, how about some testing by Tire Rack?

Tire Rack Testing Performance Winter / Snow Tires
Tire Rack tested the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60, Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4, and Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3.

Summary

Compared with Studless Ice & Snow winter tires, Performance Winter / Snow tires deliver better handling on clear roads along with improved wet and dry traction in winter's cold temperatures. The tradeoff comes with modestly lower ice and snow traction. But when winter weather strikes, Performance Winter / Snow tires still deliver better performance than the best all-season tires.

The Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 delivers the best balance of performance in this group, driving well on the road plus providing good ice, snow and very good wet traction. The new Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 and Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D both have good ice and wet traction and nearly matched the Pilot Alpin PA4's handling out on the road. The Bridgestone Blizzak LM60 takes a more focused approach by also providing good snow and ice traction, but it just doesn't have the wet road grip or clear road handling stability or precision of the other three tires.

Tire Rack test video

Tire Ratings Chart

 

[geep81]

Wonder why they didn't test the X-ice Snow in there, which is rated higher than all of those tires on just about every test I've seen.

They also didn't use the better Blizzak WS80 in the test for snow.

They also left off ice completely. What a fair test of snow tires.

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