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.
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.
Compared to the stock 18s, I'm quite pleased to announce that the 22s actually ride as nice if not better. Part of this may be their 73lb/corner weight (not much over stock but still not as light). It floats a bit more than stock, but even with the low-profile tires, its not harsh.
i am actually running the same exact tires and they are not the best on dry ground,( remeber they ARE SNOW TIRES) but for the few experiences i had with them one snow it was awsome. great traction
No complaints. Not too soft for dry days and they get the job done in the snow just fine.
I was going to buy Nokian summertyres but because they don't manufacture 205/45-16 size and 205/50 would have been too high I decided to try Hankook Ventus K102 cause my friend recommended them for me. They are not bad compared to how cheap they are and will last MUCH longer than for example GY F1.
I would not buy Hankook or Kumho again, personally... not for daily-driver tires anyway.
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