Subject vehicle is my 2005 Honda Civic. My daughter is using the car while she's away at college.

I'll try to be brief.

I need a new set of winter tires for the car. Previously I've used studded tires but would like to steer away from that choice if possible, for various reasons. I've heard that many new studless designs work very well.

Can anyone comment on the Continental Extreme Winter Contact?

I'd be grateful for any advice or comments, including tire choices to avoid.

FWIW, perhaps I should add that the area she's in doesn't get heavy snowfall....just a few inches, typically. However, the roads ice-over frequently...so that's my main concern.

Cheers and thanks
DD

 

can't speak for the honda but for my jags- pirelli-p6 four seasons.....or Michelins...mxv4...would work well for the weather conditions you described....i would see what is available for the honda.....

 

Doug,

I've no experience with studded tyres as we don't get sufficient snow in England to need them but I'm interested to hear your reasons for being reluctant to use them.

Graham

 

The first reason is logistics particular to the situation. The daughter and car are 5 hours away, and she has no place to store tires. I store 'em. Since studded tires are illegal except for designated periods there's always a scheduling crunch to get the tires swapped out. It sounds trivial but she's a full-time student with a part-time job on top....and I have my own schedule to consider as well. Using non-studded tires eliminates this twice-a-year problem.

Also, studded tires are expensive. In the conditions we have the studs themselves wear out after just 2 or 3 winters (6-9 driving months) so the short-lived benefit must be weighed against cost.

Next, noise. The daughter complains (mildly) about the noise and I don't blame her. It's extremely annoying. Perhaps it wouldn't be as much of an issue in a different car but a 2005 Honda Civic is a tin-can.

Still, if someone with more experience in these things comes along and says "Nothing works anywhere near as well as studded tires" I'd be tempted to slog thru the problems. My daughter doesn't have much winter driving experience (although she's learning more each year, of course) so I'm always a bit worried, and would naturally like to give her any safety advantage.

Cheers
DD

 

Doug, in this case, I think you will find that a good all-season tire is going to do you good. With this being said, stay away from the high mileage (ie, garanteed for 80,000 miles) tires as they tend to use a harder rubber compound and this leads to less traction on the snow/ice. So, if ou can, find a softer rubber tire as this will grip on the ice better than a harder rubber tire. Unfortunately, when it comes to ice, once you step away from studded tires, there won't be much difference between a certain style tire (ie, all seasons). Using a summer tire in the winter is begging for problems. Hence why I recommend an all-season tire.

If you must use a winter tire, then I would recommend looking into having the tires "siped". What this does is slits the tread of the tire into smaller blocks. What this does is gives the tire more edges with which to grip with. This helps with adverse weather conditions. But, the downside to this is that tire wear is increased as you have more surfaces that are fighting to give good grip.

I personally find that the driver has a much more affect over how a car handles in the snow than the tires or the vehicle itself. This is where getting into an empty parking lot and spinning the car around in circles can teach someone a lot and make the difference between being a stuck person on the side of the road and someone that can get where is needed when needed.

 

Thanks for the input, Chris. I will certainly look into having the tires siped.

I agree that the driver is the most important safety factor. We've been thru the empty parking lot practice sessions, naturally. Heck, that's half the fun . My daughter is a good driver with common sense.....but I'm a chronic worrier.

This is all a PITA, though. *Most* of the time the conditions don't merit winter tires but *sometimes* they do. When you need 'em, you need 'em, if you know what I mean.

And her wintertime travels sometimes include areas where "traction tires are required" to continue driving. It's no fun driving somehwere on Friday and not being able to return home Sunday because the state patrol wont let you carry on due to changed conditions. She's been there and done that. She didn't like it and neither did I !

Thanks again for taking the time to reply

Cheers
DD

 

I can't imagine driving in snowy/icy conditions on anything other than genuine winter tires. The Contis are a good choice.

Four season tires are a poor compromise but if you can't swap tires in the spring and fall, it might be your only choice.

If the roads are bad enough that studs are required, think seriously of staying put.

 

Studded tires are a cruel joke on consumers. TireRack has done lots of testing of studded winter tires against conventional winter tires. When brand-spankin' new studded tires excel over conventional winter tires only on clear glare (black) ice. NOTE, there seem to be no tests after the tires have worn several thousand miles. The dirty secret about studded tires is that the studs quickly wear to a more "rounded" shape, losing much of their initial grip. Yet, here in Oregon voters continue to resist outlawing studded tires claiming they "believe" in them as though this was a theological subject.
The damage to roads from studded tires is incredible. The recovery cost is huge. We allow studded tires in Oregon, and driving on our damaged roads is very noisy, so noisy that audio voice commands are garbled. It is akin to the noise of driving on gravel.

Conventional winter tires today are a far cry from the winter tires I knew back when (I'm a geezer). They all have sipes (check Wikipedia respecting sipes) that are far deeper and more effective than the sipes that are cut locally by tire dealers. These tires perform well under all conditions. Several friends use winter tires year around (Pacific Northwest) with good results. They are great rain tires. One friend is a race instructor and uses winter tires when instructing

 

Doug, sounds like she is taking a few trips over Snoqualmie Falls. Nice ride up that way. I miss going to Leavenworth just before Christmas and doing the tree lighting ceremony. I was fortunate in that I had a lifted Expedition with 4x4 and when I pulled up to the cops, they simply asked if the truck had 4x4 and then let me go. I think in your case, it may be best to teach her how to put on a set of chains and have her carry those in the trunk. It may be the best of both worlds. If you are having a clearance issue, then you can get away with the spider setup (think of an octopus hanging on to the outside edge of a tire with its legs going across the tread). Putting them on isn't all that hard and it will give you a piece of mind.

 

Doug,

My weather conditions are similar to what you describe. Snow for part of the winter, but quite a bit of clear pavement and lots of ice. My X Type came with Goodyear Ultra Grips, and they are surprisingly good. Quiet on pavement and good ice grip.

My summers are Continental Extreme Contact DW and not bad, a friend has the all season version and they seemed very sensitive to inflation pressure. 35 psi and the car had a vibration problem that we and the Jaguar mechanic could not find. Bumped them up to 37 psi and it all went away. Since these are for your daughter, I'd stay away from the Continentals, since I doubt she will keep an eagle eye on the pressure.

In the past I've used Michelin Arctic and Pilot Alpins. Both were good, but the pilots are designed for higher speed and I don't think as grippy as the lower rated speed tires. You remember me bitching about my VDP's lack of grip on the Jag lovers lists a few years ago. Lots of stopping grip, just no go, but that was the car.

Craig

 

There are the ever present Blizzaks. But, Hakkapelita has an excellent reputation. Probably because they are a Finnish company.

Check with some rally drivers in your area and ask what they run. 80 mph on packed snow down a country lane with tree branches whacking both sides of the car takes traction Lot's of studs. Enough to throw rooster tails when accelerating. Snow tires aren't too bad even in the summer, especially in the rain. They resist hydroplaning extremely well.

Of course you know that a narrower tire is better than fashionably fat tires for getting through snow and maintaining traction.

There are also plastic studs. You might find that if they are not classified in the area that they are not banned or approved. They just don't exist in the eyes of the law.

Unfortunately, some jurisdictions that ban metal studs ban studs of any kind.

 

I used Michelin Arctic Alpin on my X300 and thought they were the best tire I'd ever bought. Quiet and comfortable, grippy, decent tread life.

Also put Michelin snows on a Toyota Echo with same positive experience. I live in the "snow belt" of south-western Ontario.

 

Hey Doug,
Sorry we didnt get to connect on one of our drives this summer... Hope your up to it next year!

I can speak from experience on the DWS, and if you are set on looking for an A/S tire, you'll be quite pleased with how the Conti's handle in wet weather. I pushed them quite hard in torrential rains around Mt Hood and was stunned. Astonishing grip and water dissipation, and solid feedback when I hit their limits.
My personal preference at the time was the Bridgestone 960AS Pole Positions, and the Conti's were quick to show me a well designed tire I would have no regrets owning myself (and would actually choose over repeating my RE960 experience). Personally, considering your area I would look no further down than the DW's (Dry/Wet) as they too are outstanding and cater well to our rainy lifestyle. Ice would not stop them, but would require more time to get up to temp over the DWS's.

As others have said, I too am not a great fan of the All Season tire.... Too much compromise in all areas. If ice is a major concern, look at a dedicated snow and ice tire like the Bridgestone Blizzaks WS60 for those days, as they have better bite than studs. (Inversely you need them off as soon as the temps come up because the rubber is so soft they make other driving a tad scarey.) and use the DW for the remaining 11.5 months of the year....

I also recommend you NEVER sipe a well designed tire like the Conti's or Bridgestone's. If you are trying to gain a little life out of an old hard rubber set of tires, sipeing will add pliability, at the cost of wear. This is a handy trick on cheap tires, but foolish on quality ones.

Vince

 

I don't hesitate to use chains, myself.

 

YIKES!
Not on your cat! You'll owe yer Jag buddies several pitcher's to make amends for that one!


But yes, I have the easy install set from Les Schwab for my little Civic if the weather gets that bad....

 

I guess I'm a bad Canadian, I've never used chains and don't own a set. Never been stuck either. Chains are usually restricted to 25 or 30 mph, so I consider them a temporary thing to get you out of a snowbank, not something used for a long trip.

 

I suggest you try the nokien haccapelitta R. This is what a have on my xf 09 sv8 for winter and it work more than great.

P.s. I live in the north of Québec, minus 50, a whole lot of snow and road are covered in black ice ! we can say I tried them in the worst condition XD

 

In Europe and Germany in particular, winter Contis usually obtain the best ratings, especially in the winter conditions you mention (not much snow, but ice). They are also the most expensive!

 

Yeah I know my jaguar sit on 20 inch rims low profile summer and winter
the summer tires cost me a lot but my winter tire oh boy ... but considering how find it work I'm glad.

 

Why don't you get a specific set of say 19" (or even 18") with winter tyres? They will handle perfectly, even better than 20", the look is not that far from 20", and the tyres are so much cheaper you will quickly amortise the cost of the wheels!
For my XJ8 (having 18" for summer) I have purchased a set of 17" Jag wheels with Contis for winter. They run perfectly and I like their sober look.