So I know this dilemma has been beaten to death here.. But I come with a twist...

I live in SE Wisconsin... Sometimes we get hardly any snow.. Sometimes we get a little... Sometimes we get a lot.. Though the plow is pretty quick to clear it up. Also, I drive a 2011 XF Premium. (19" 245/40/19 conti stock tire")

These tires are ending their life and it's getting to be about that time of the year here as well..

My initial thoughts were to buy a new set of blizzaks or similar winter tires..... But... Then I got to thinking.. As I already have an AWD Landrover that is great in snow.. Why spend the insane extra amount of money to buy new winters and new summers when I could perhaps get a really nice all season?!

The ones I have been looking at are:

1- Pirelli curinteo p7 all season plus
2- conti dws
3- Michelin gsp3 (?)

Of these I have read 1000000's of reviews mostly on tire rack and the pirellis seem to be the best bet! I can get 4 Pirelli p7 curinteo all season plus (245/40/19) shipped, mounted, balanced for $900 incl tax. Thoughts?? Given my situation??

 

Out of that list I've only had the Conti DWS in 245/285 20" size. I had assumed this car would be horrible in the snow, Supercharged V8 rwd. I was wrong. For an all season tire they did great. With winter mode engaged I never got stuck and we got a decent amount of snow last year. True winters would obviously be much better, but for what they are they handled it well.

 

We also have a Land Rover (LR4) which gives us good snow flexibility. We have all-seasons on it, and it performs well. For the Jag (2010 XF SC) I use a dedicated winter tyre as I do drive it year round and that alongside winter mode makes it very sure footed. My experience is that all seasons are good - but I would personally opt for separate winter tyres. Less for the accumulated snow given it gets ploughed quickly - but more that they operate much more effectively at low temperatures than a 'normal' tyre.
good luck!

 

Hmmmmm... Thanks for the replies.

Thinking I'll try the pirelli p7 all season plus as I can get them installed for $900 flat!!

Seems like a great deal!

 

Had many sidewall issues with these tires in a lexus gs

 

JagVonder,
It is not so much the tread design as it is the rubber compounds in a dedicated winter tire. From all that I have seen, the all-season tires (all of them) will start to lose traction as the temperture drops. At or below freezing, the winter tire will outperform any all season tire. We have a 2009 XF and this week I just switched over to my second set of wheels that have the blizzaks mounted on them and took off my Conti DWS all seasons. This will be my third or fourth winter on the blizzaks and I am really impressed with their handling, but this is just my opinion.

 

What types of issues did you have? Multiple?

 

I spoke with the tire place again and shared my concerns... While they certainly admitted that dedicated winters were the best option... That since I was getting top of the line all seasons I should be okay. That and they mentioned that the conti dws are old technology, been around for years and that the pirelli has a silca mix to the compound which helps maintain stickiness.

That said, I got the pirellis installed, new tpms buildouts, lifetime warranty on the tires no matter the reason for flats/ blowouts etc. All for $987 including tax

 

As someone who lives in the snow belt, I agree with you 100%. There's NOTHING like a dedicated snow tire in the winter. I'll even take that point a little further. If you're going with a separate set of wheels with snow tires, I strongly suggest going with a narrower tire, as it will plow THROUGH the snow, unlike a wide tire, which will just slide along.


My wife's XF came with the OE 245/45/18s, and for snow tires, I went with Nordman 4s, in a 225/55/17. That maintained the OD of the OE tires (no pun intended), yet it's a narrower tire, to better cut through the snow. My choice of brand is because the Nordman is Nokian's "off-brand", so to speak. It's the previous generation of the famed Hakkapilitta tire.

 

I've got 18 inch Blizzaks - instead of the standard 19's - mounted on separate wheels and I really feel the difference from the OEM Conti's when the weather get's cold and especially on wet snowy/icy roads. Only complaint is they're just a bit nosier than the conti's but the extra traction is well worth it.

Let us know how you like the p7's

 

Stick with the Conts's DWS, better overall handeling and longer wear. i ve installed them on my XF and I've had them on my Lexus GS 350 since 2011.