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.
Would love to get some thoughts on selecting 21" all season tires for my 2011 Cayenne Turbo. I currently have 295/35R21 Michelin Latitude Sports.
Reason for all seasons - I live in NorCal so don't experience snow on a daily basis, but will during winter when driving up to the Sierras on weekends. So don't need dedicated snow tires and wouldn't want to use summer tires in the snow.
I was going to put on the Conti ExtremeContact DWS06 in 295/35R21 - I put them on my wife's MB GL550 last year and had fun with them in the snow. While not snow tires they did pretty well.
However, I've always wanted to try the Nokian WRG3 all seasons. While they are not snow tires I read they have very good snow performance for an all season. The size would be 275/40R21 so not as wide but close overall diameter as shown below.
Im coming from the Latitudes as well. I was contemplating the Nokian vs Continentals Dws 06. I went with the Dws based on the Continental name and the warranty. They have a great warranty that they should be screaming at the top of a mountain. I have already had two tires replaced. One for puncture and one for sidewall damage. No questions asked. Very happy with the result. The smoothness and the performance of these tires are very good.
I have to say though. I miss those Latitudes. Nothing rode like those and gripped. I was able to get 50k out of a set. Decided it was safer being in Canada to run the Dws up until November and not worry about a little snow or subzeros road temps. Where the Latitudes in those temps felt like hockey pucks.
Nokian is a great brand... for me the Continental was the better choice. Haven't regretted it whatsoever. 🙂
I bought a second set of used wheels and went with Nokian Hakkapeliittas. Amazing in the snow. Perfect for those weekend trips to Tahoe.
It's Sierra, btw, not Sierras. The word sierra is plural.
Cheers.
If you don't change them for each trip up there (?), what months do you have them on the Cayenne and how do they perform when not in the snow?
While I am being schooled, would the Sierra mountains or Sierra mountain range work for you I think it's fairly common place to refer to them as the Sierras, no?
Im coming from the Latitudes as well. I was contemplating the Nokian vs Continentals Dws 06. I went with the Dws based on the Continental name and the warranty. They have a great warranty that they should be screaming at the top of a mountain. I have already had two tires replaced. One for puncture and one for sidewall damage. No questions asked. Very happy with the result. The smoothness and the performance of these tires are very good.
I have to say though. I miss those Latitudes. Nothing rode like those and gripped. I was able to get 50k out of a set. Decided it was safer being in Canada to run the Dws up until November and not worry about a little snow or subzeros road temps. Where the Latitudes in those temps felt like hockey pucks.
Nokian is a great brand... for me the Continental was the better choice. Haven't regretted it whatsoever.
That is great information, thank you. Maybe the DWSs are road shrapnel magnets. We've had two screws in the MB since putting them on. Both in the outer block and were told they would unrepairable. Luckily, twice, when the screw was pulled out it had not penetrated tread block!
I'll probably be too non-adventurous and go with the safer DWS but I really do like the idea of the Nokians.
I just put on Conti DWS06 , 21's last week.. Will run em year round... I live in Maine and we get us some snow!
Last year I bought a set of 20's with Pirelli Winters.... They weren't my favorite.... Felt very hard to me.... didn't have the grip I expected...
I'd say if running a second set go with smallest /narrowest that you can find.... I just didn't want to deal with the seasonal switch over and storage of another set of tires/wheels..
Most of the roads up here are kept up very well , so I am comfortable giving the DWS06's in 21's a shot...
I put the Nokians on whenever there is a real chance of heavy snow, usually mid-December and they come off mid-March after my team is done for the year. Or whenever I get to it.
They are true snow tires so I don't push them hard in the corners in the dry. That said, in normal driving they are fine. I run 21" summer and 20" winter. 19" would be even better for snow as you get an even higher profile tire.
Sierra Mountains, Sierra Mountain range all work. It's like the word "deer". It never gets the "s". It's not uncommon to hear someone refer to the Sierra Nevada as the Sierras, but it's incorrect. When a weather reporter refers to them as the Sierras I'm told the station phones light up.
I have Conti all seasons on my new Tahoe but I just don't trust them in heavy snow/icy conditions. I bought some Blizzaks to put on in mid December and run to March. They were highly rated, so I'm curious to see how they perform.
The last time I ran Contis through a winter, granted it was almost 10 years ago, they were awful and I swore I'd never buy tires from them again.
Ok, some real world comparison. Had first snow to stick on the roads/hwy and still had on my DWS06. They work, kind of. The temp is right around freezing so the snow is at it's most slippery. I would say they are barely adequate. I wouldn't feel confident taking them out on a long snow and ice covered hwy drive and expect much in the way of avoidance capability. Braking ability is poor, especially on a downhill, though much better than a summer tire. FWIW I have been using exclusively dedicated ice radials pretty much since they first came out, so the difference seems very substantial to me. Out to the garage to put on the hakkas. Again, the snow I drove in today is about as slippery as it gets except for a film of water on ice.
I just put on Conti DWS06 , 21's last week.. Will run em year round... I live in Maine and we get us some snow!
Last year I bought a set of 20's with Pirelli Winters.... They weren't my favorite.... Felt very hard to me.... didn't have the grip I expected...
I'd say if running a second set go with smallest /narrowest that you can find.... I just didn't want to deal with the seasonal switch over and storage of another set of tires/wheels..
Most of the roads up here are kept up very well , so I am comfortable giving the DWS06's in 21's a shot...
Time will tell...
Will be interested to see how they go in some real snow conditions!
Originally Posted by rebrewer
I put the Nokians on whenever there is a real chance of heavy snow, usually mid-December and they come off mid-March after my team is done for the year. Or whenever I get to it.
They are true snow tires so I don't push them hard in the corners in the dry. That said, in normal driving they are fine. I run 21" summer and 20" winter. 19" would be even better for snow as you get an even higher profile tire.
Sierra Mountains, Sierra Mountain range all work. It's like the word "deer". It never gets the "s". It's not uncommon to hear someone refer to the Sierra Nevada as the Sierras, but it's incorrect. When a weather reporter refers to them as the Sierras I'm told the station phones light up.
Now I'm gonna gets me anudder cup a coffee.
Best,
Bob
Originally Posted by Archimedes
I have Conti all seasons on my new Tahoe but I just don't trust them in heavy snow/icy conditions. I bought some Blizzaks to put on in mid December and run to March. They were highly rated, so I'm curious to see how they perform.
The last time I ran Contis through a winter, granted it was almost 10 years ago, they were awful and I swore I'd never buy tires from them again.
I just don't think I'm up for changing and storing wheels seasonally.
While they obviously will never be as good as a dedicated snow tire, maybe for my limited snow use the DWS06 would work well. They do a decent job on the MB pulling in a straight line or up hill, but obviously not great on the braking. That's what led me to consider the Nokia WRG3 - by the accounts I've read they perform more akin to a snow tire. Just not sure on giving up the tire width for normal driving.
Ok, some real world comparison. Had first snow to stick on the roads/hwy and still had on my DWS06. They work, kind of. The temp is right around freezing so the snow is at it's most slippery. I would say they are barely adequate. I wouldn't feel confident taking them out on a long snow and ice covered hwy drive and expect much in the way of avoidance capability. Braking ability is poor, especially on a downhill, though much better than a summer tire. FWIW I have been using exclusively dedicated ice radials pretty much since they first came out, so the difference seems very substantial to me. Out to the garage to put on the hakkas. Again, the snow I drove in today is about as slippery as it gets except for a film of water on ice.
Thanks - great feedback. Agree they are not great, but far better than a summer tire. What you described is probably the conditions I dislike driving in the most.