When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV studded. Just get em! period.
Bear in mind that not all states allow using studded tires. Some limit them to just the rubber studs and most limit their use to only between certain dates.
I also run dedicated 18" Pirelli Scorpion in Winter and have been very happy for 3 seasons. I drive aggressively in dry conditions and they have held up well but of course are soft so I have to be careful. The only thing I don't like is how tiny they look in the standard 255 size. I have been considering upsizing next replacement to 265 series, curious if Anson has done that.
I also run dedicated 18" Pirelli Scorpion in Winter and have been very happy for 3 seasons. I drive aggressively in dry conditions and they have held up well but of course are soft so I have to be careful. The only thing I don't like is how tiny they look in the standard 255 size. I have been considering upsizing next replacement to 265 series, curious if Anson has done that.
I'm considering the 265/50-19 setup (can't fit 18"s on a GTS)
The change from 255/18 to 265/19 wouldn't make much difference in the overall circumference of the tire. Your sidewall height would change. This is a convenient website for calculating tire size comparisons:
A larger rim with a smaller sidewall can give the impression being "larger" without changing the actual size by much. Which is good if you want to avoid problems with your speedometer and odometer calculations. The PCM allows adjusting for slight variations, but not too much. 'How much' beyond factory, I don't know.
Thanks everyone for the advice - Ended up going with the Michelin X-Ice's - good all around performance, tread warranty and similar performance to the blizzaks according to the tirerack testing. Picked them up at the local tirerack distribution center and had them installed - unfortunately, during mounting the tire shop scratched 2 of my rims (thankfully they have offered to fix them).
Boy, I needed them this weekend. Went on a 500 mile road trip to do some winter hiking up in the mountains. We encountered ice, deep snow hill climbs and drifting snow. The Cayenne and the X-Ice's handled beautifully, for the real slick stuff I briefly mounted chains. Was left impressed- and wondering how much better this car would be with the studded Nokian's. I'm sure it's a beast!
We just put some 19 inch Yokohama winters on our 11 CTT and had a decent dump of snow. Tires are very very good in snow/slush. Nice and quiet on dry/wet roads and seem to handle/perform well.
These are 265/50-R19 Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires on the Porsche 19x8.5" Sport Classics in the Platinum satin color. Upside to the Platinum color is the colored crest center caps were included. Such a bargain.
Attached are a few pix. It's late afternoon winter sun, so the color looks lighter in pictures than in reality. This was at the lowest ride height setting (not all the way down to the loading height). I usually run at this height.
At speed on the highway they're great. No appreciable change in road noise. Comparing cornering performance will have to wait until I get a few miles on them. Cold from the dealer with all that shiny prep on the surface doesn't give them their best grip. A quick blast around a corner showed a little more wheel-spin/traction-control interaction than I'd have gotten on the 20's. It was slightly wet and probably around 48F. So between new tires and relatively warm conditions (for a winter tire compound) I wouldn't have expected them to be the same as the LS2s.
I can't say the 19" size, with the taller sidewall, has softened the ride or not. The 20's have a pretty decent ride. Had I been on 21 or runflats, yeah, I'd expect a change in ride comfort. But 20-19" isn't immediately any softer a ride.
For the rest of the year it'll have the original 275/45-R20 Eagle LS2 all season tires on the 20x9.5" black RS Spyder rims. I'd originally intended to get these rims in the Platinum color. Seeing the Sport Classics in this color makes me think I'd have been OK with it for the Spyders. But both work, and black will probably give me a bit more time between cleanings.
We'll see how the lighter gray color holds up against brake dust, shouldn't take long...
I put a set of Goodyears on one '04 S and Scorpion run-flats on the other. They're both great. A local study by a newspaper established that even worn winter tires are superior to all-seasons tires in cold temperatures.
A local study by a newspaper established that even worn winter tires are superior to all-seasons tires in cold temperatures.
I've read similar things. It's not just the tread patterns but also the composition of the rubber used. That and the width of the tire. Too wide and not enough space in the tread channels and sipes and it won't be as effective going through snow.
When I had my 957 CTT, I had an 18" Porsche winter set that included the Michelin Latitude Alpin HP winter tires (N0 spec). They got me through some pretty dicey winter driving, including an ice storm. And they rode and handled nice when the conditions were dry too, also quiet.
I just mounted Michellin X-Ice 255/18s on my 13 and had a chance to drive around in mild snow. Overall, they feel like regular all-seasons with improved snow traction (definitely better than my all-season set in the snow/ice). They are definitely not as good as the Nokian Hakkaplita R2s I had on my Subaru last year. While I realize the Subaru was a car with a different weight profile, the Hakas were incredible in the snow with just okay day-to-day driving characteristics.
12-10-2016, 06:20 PM
