If you're looking for cheap performance summer tires I'd recomment the General Exclaim UHP or the Sumitomo HTRZ III, you'd be VERY surprised they handle and grip about 90% as well as a tire double it's cost, VERY well worth the money at about $80-$100/tire. I bought a set of the Exclaims and was very surprised, and 3 of my friends are running the HTRZ's and both tires are amazing for that pricepoint.
I've run a couple of sets of Hankook Ice Bears: 225/40/18's on the stock MS3 wheels - My primary winter setup. The car performed wonderfully. Aside from being a plow at some points (my car is lowered), the traction control + LSD + snow tires made for a flawless snow driver.
Well, the 235-45 tires arrived from Tire Rack mounted on forged rim aftermarket 17 inch wheels, these were installed yesterday. Steering feel and feed back are really good, little or no compromise of comfort. The Z-rated General tires, German-made, are actually a bit lighter than the 225-45 Goodyear R-SA's they replaced. No clearance problems, the three tenths of an inch increase in overall tire diameter isn't all that noticeable. The design of the wheel and the tire sidewall as well as the wider tire section width all give a lot more rim protection. The original VW wheels and OE tires left the outer rim and spokes protruding beyond the sidewall, very vulnerable to damage. Any change from OEM is invariably a compromise, no buyer's remorse on this one.
Recently upgraded a W8 wagon to 17 inch wheels and General Exclaim UHP Z-rated tires from Tire Rack. So far delighted. General is a Continental subsidiary, tires are mfg in Germany. Amazing level of comfort for a Z-rated tire.
I may try these next season. I'm currently on my second season with a set of Hankook W404's, and I've been very happy with them. The dry handling/performance most likely falls short of the iPike's, but I believe the W404's provide a bit more snow and ice traction, which was my main concern.
Coming back from Whistler on Thursday, a 5 hour stand still... The tires worked great on ice / snow.
I have the same tires on my Golf, we had 15\" of snow last week and the car behaved wonderfully. I only got stuck once, in my driveway because I was snow plowing. I've taken my car up to Mt. Baker a few times and was able to drive on snow and some ice.
For any of you guys looking for an inexpensive snow tire, i would strongly consider a set of these. the size i got were 195/65/15 i have not driven them in the snow yet, but i have been able to evaluate all of the other common complaints associated with inexpensive snow tires. noise: the noise on these tires is extremely minimal. they seem to produce no more noise then my sumitomo z rated summer tires. even cruising at 70 mph there is no noticable tire noise intrusion. handling: slightly squishy when pushed to their limits, but that is to be expected of a snow tire. overall, the handling feels true and confident. cruising at 70 mph there is hardly any \"floaty\" feeling that you can sometimes get. its not as planted to the road as my summer tires, but again, i didnt expect them to be. ride: these tires undoubtedly ride smoother then my summer tires. despite the aggressive treads, the softer and much larger sidewalls provide for a signifigantly smoother ride, especially over good pavement. less quirky body motions and jolts. price: the price for these was inredible. i went to a reputable tire dealer on ebay, and got them for 60 dollars per tire with shipping. it was 238 dollars shipped to my door. arrived within 3 business days. overall im very pleased. my biggest worry with these was not their snow performance. based on their aggressive treads i am very confident they will perform very well in most winter scenarios. my bigger concern was noise, dry weather handling, and ride. all of which turned out to be completely acceptable if not very good. these tires are also studdable, but i am not riding on them with studs.
those look decent I have hancook snow tires myself but a different model. They are loud, ride quality sucks, I can spin the tires without trying (not a good thing) and I can't turn hard with them but they are great in the snow which is all that matters
I would not buy Hankook or Kumho again, personally... not for daily-driver tires anyway.
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