I live in the hills south of the city of Syracuse. We get snow sometimes as early as October here and I want to be prepared.

The "all-season" tires that come factory installed worked so horribly that I avoided going out with the HHR late last winter because I did not feel safe in the thing when it would whip around bass-ackwards when well within safe driving conditions for the weather...

What do people recommend as good snow/slush/ice tires for the HHR?

Thank you!

-Mike

 

Well I will ad the first of 100 opinions.

Some will tell you that you have a death wish if you use anything less than a Blizzak. Blizzaks are good and will work fine but they do not wear well and are not cheap.

THe OE all season tires on the HHR are just cheap poor quality all season tires. All all season tires are not equal and there are good and bad. I have used the Goodyear Triple Tread here in Ohio;s snow belt and pushed snow with the air dam on my SS with them. I also have used them on the wifes GTP since 2006 with narey an issue or problem.

THe fact is most FWD cars with a good set of tires will go through about anything as long as the snow does not get packed under the front end.

Add stability control and anti locks make most cars a no brainer to drive.

Their is nothing wrong with winter tires and are great on RWD cars or people who just have issued in the snow with FWD and electronic driving aides.

All I can say is we had over 80 inches of snow where I live and even more just a half hour north where I have to drive and my HHR SS was a tank and just motored thought it all never putting a tire out of place. I would like to take credit for my driving skill but the tires and HHR did all the work this year.

I would say just get a better quality set of all season tires and you will be fine. You will be suprised how well the HHR is in the snow on better rubber.

 

WE had enough snow and ice here in Elmira and my SS with stock tires had no problem handleing what mother nature threw our way!

 

I never had a problem this past winter with my 08 ls on stock tires. Will probably have to get some snow tires this year just for the fact that my tires will need to be replaced, but we'll see.

 

Note the stock tires I said were junk but they are drivable by all means. I have driven several 09 HHR loaners last winter for a few days in heavy snow and I got where I was going with no issue. The tires I have on mine were just better.

There are just better replacment all seasons available.

 

I ran the stock tires for three winter's here in Buffalo, NY. Then last year I put on four Firestone Winter Force snows. I got around were ever I needed to last winter. I did notice they are better for taking off and stopping.
I have Rally wheel's with Bridgestone's for the summer. Winter force are on the stock factory 16" wheels.

 

I had Blizzaks. Found them on Craigslist for $450 already mounted on some steelies off a Cobalt.

Look around, there are bargains to be had.

 

I am amazed that people are having good results with the stock all seasons that came on it...

I couldn't not spin out with these things... and I am a very conservative driver....

-Mike

 

Hi neighbor! I live in Jamestown and am a firm believe in studded snow tires. I run them on all four wheels and I can go anywhere. Mine are 17" and with the low-profile are a bit difficult to find. However, I paid $525 for all 4, mounted and balanced last year. If you PM me, I'll look at the brand I'm running and let you know. Warning: last year I waited too long and had a tough time finding them. Seems that the factory only makes so many of them and when there gone....there gone.....

 

i was a bit worried abut the stock tires on my 08 2LT, after hearing a lot on here and looking at the ratings on tirerack for them.

However i drove them because of money, could not afford to get a new set of tires and rims for it.

They drove alright. I had better but i never had any real problems with them. After growing up in Michigan i like to think that i have pretty good winter driving skills. In Indiana where I live we didn't get a lot of snow but we had ice all the time, solid ice on the roads, and my towns idea of a snow plow is a dude in a pickup truck that drives down the streets...no joking. But i survived. Couple times in the snow in Michigan and no major problems. But iw ould feel safer with a better tire.

The ones i wanted on tirerack were the "BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S". They have a test site in the Keewanah in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at Mich Tech. The reviews i read seemed great on them at the time but looking now it looks like they went down...