timehhr2

Those were my first choice but the factory says no 16" available now & none scheduled for near term production! Settled on Dunlaps virtually equally rated and a good chunk cheaper. Glad to hear the Blizzaks work for you & you were able to get 16" ones.

hyperv6

I am not sure what is going on as Bridgestone and Michelin both have been low on inventory on tires. I know at work many BFG's have been on back order for months.

I don't know if their money is tight to the point they are holding back inventories or what.

Goodyear was able to reduce their debt and as of now their tires are easy to get and they have been spending a lot of money here in town. Investment in their plants and they are going to build 3 new Zepplins here in Akron that are 1.5 time the size of the present blimps. They also just reupped with NASCAR till 2017. Even with all this they are still showing a profit.

If the economy does not get better I think some companies will be showing cuts soon. The tire industry is a tough one right now.

Either way if you want tires beware there are many models and brands that are not easy to get in some sizes. If they are on back order it could be a long wait too. I recomend having a second and third choice ready if you are in great need of tires.

bigjacksauto

I ended up buying a set of Hankook ipikes after reading a lot of good feedback and talking to some.local.people here who have had great luck with them.
We will probably get about 140" of snow up our way this season and we get a lot of lake effect snow that can drop a foot or two in a very short amount of time. Hopefully they.will work as well as the Hankook snows I had on my last vehicle.so far.they are not noisy at all for a snow tire and they look pretty good also which helps since our winters seem to last a few months.

Jebouck

I just put a new set of Blizzaks on my wife's Her Hot Rod.
17" and the last set of 4 they could find in town. Lucky it is an LT2.
Most of our snow melted, but there's another storm on the way, so I can try
them out.

jerry455

I bought a set of Firestone Winterforce tires for my daughters Extreme Blazer last winter and she was very happy with them. My brother is the manager of a Firestone in Madison Heights Michigan and he found them for me. He has also gotten all of the Blizzaks that we have been buying over the past 10 years.

Grimsby

I'm running Hankook i-Pikes. Second season, no issues and they look pretty good on there.

geg

Automotive magazines in the U.S. probably spend testing of tires.
In Russia, a traditional test. Here is a link to the article of magazine "Za rulem (Driving)" (a highly respected tabloid) http://www.zr.ru/a/259048/
most models are available in the U.S..
Tires are divided into two categories - studded and studless.
Studded tires: Leader - Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7, the second - Michelin X-Ice North 2.
Studless tires: Leader - Nokian Hakkapeliitta R; second - Bridgestone Blizzak WS60.
In both categories, the Scandinavians won . This is not surprising - these guys know a lot of snowly winters.
I want to clarify: the result of any test is optimal for the area where he was held. In this case - Moscow.
I suggest you find a similar study for your state or your latitude. You will receive a methodology in order to make informed choices. First - determine the type of tires (studded or studless), and then it's simple.
As for me - I totally agree with the test results (statistics of consumer demand, too).

I use Bridgestone Blizzak tires.
I can justify my choice:
1. I have always used non-studded tires;
2. Blizzak - permanent champion braking on ice, it is important to the Urals (severe winter);
3.Blizzak not become the undisputed champion in his category, out of 2 drawbacks. Lateral grip is slightly worse & high fuel consumption. Lateral grip is not a problem - I love and know how to use a skid, increased fuel consumption - the inevitable result of good adhesion to the road surface;
4. The biggest advantage - Blizzak cheaper than Hakkapelita is $ 45 - 100 (30% of the cost)!
My family and I use Blizzak for 8 years. Do not regret a single time.

SS fan

Hard to argue with Andre about snow and ice Huh ? Nice review Geg thanks

hyperv6

You want to know snow speak to those in the snow belt of the great lakes we know snow.

This has been a mild winter we only had 10" of snow Tuesday and more just north of here and 55 degrees today.

Last year we had record snows from Nov through April. We saw little grass for months.

I am worried with the lake open if we get a northwest wind of Huron and Erie we can be in a lot of trouble. The lake looks like it may not freeze this year and that creates a lot of lake effect snow for us. We can have sun one min and a white out the next.

bigjacksauto

I agree the I pikes look pretty good which is important seeing how our winters can last a few months.been a mild winter so far here but they seem to track very well only have driven in one to two inches of snow so far.
The real test will be on the highway when I hit a couple inches of heavy slush snow.
I am impressed with the ipikes so far