I recently changed wheels and tires on my jetta and I really enjoy the new look as well as the grip from the new tires. I went with a set of hankook v2 and they feel pretty solid so far.
The new Hankook V12 Evo2 is supposed to be better in terms of quietness and driveability. That may be a good buy on a budget.
I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2s for the winter and Hankook all-seasons for the summer.
I have General Grabber AT2 on my XC70 ...I also recommend going with 16s, more sidewall means less likely to bend a wheel.
For a budget snow tire I have been using these now for 2 years and love them:
Neuspeed RSe52 18x8 with 225/40/18 Hankook R-S3 (my current track setup)
I love my General Grabbers and AT2's. They are a little rough on the street but an awesome tire off-road. The AT2's get stuck in the mud very easily though. I've had the AT2's on my daily for 4 years now with little wear and I drive an average of 14,000 miles a year.
I live in Maine... as you can expect we get plenty of snow/ice. Never needed studded tires unless I was driving on a giant sheet of ice i.e. frozen lake. I run General Altimax Arctics on my 4Motion Passat, about $80/tire in 16" sizes.
Another vote for the Generals. My CRV seems to ride like **** and handle like dog-**** with them on, but I love the abuse.
I switched my winter tires for summers back on the Miata and noticed something odd. There are parts of the tread in the center on every tire that just seemed to have fallen off at some point. I bought the tires in 9/2015 and they had a 1012 build date. I was quite upset with Tire Rack that they would send me 3.5 year old tires advertised as new but they said there was nothing they could do. I ran them winter of 2015/2016 and again this current 2016/2017 winter. Last year they didn't have this separation and I have no idea what happened. I don't think it's something small that I ran over since it happened to all 4 tires. They're 175/65/14 General Altimax Arctics by the way.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The brake pads NIPPARTS got the first review!
The brake discs Hella got the first review!
The brake discs OEM Suzuki got the first review!
For tires OEM Toyota already 25 reviews.
For tires IRONMAN already 25 reviews.
For starter motor OEM Volkswagen already 25 reviews.
In the rating best ignition coil already 13 brands participate!
In the rating best fuel pump already 5 brands participate!
In the rating best turbocharger already 4 brands participate!
In the auto rating headlights for Volkswagen Golf already 5 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake pads for BMW M2 already 5 brands participate!
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
