So, two paths before me. And I've been going back and forth on them for a while.
The price difference is minimal between the two choices.
On one hand I have the Studless Ice/Snow tires like the Michelin X-Ice3 tires.
The other is a Performance Winter tire like the Michelin PA4.
The last time I got Studless Ice/Snow and it was great, especially in the snow. But we had so many cold days that just didn't have any snow on the roads, so they wore down fairly quickly, and ultimately provided a worse ride with worse handling characteristics.
Because we didn't have any snow on the roads, a Performance Winter like the PA4's would probably be better. It would provide better steering feedback without the marshmallo ride, and probably not give up much to the Studless Ice/Snow tires. But if we do get slammed, they would perform slightly worse than the Studless.
The difference is pretty much about $5 a tire. So ultimately $20 either way.
Ice acceleration/stopping distance.
Performance Winter:
Studless Ice/Snow.
So, on an ice rink, the studless is of course better. But the question is how often am I really going to be on an ice rink. Keep in mind that the stopping speed is from 12mph to zero, so its not exactly like they are going that fast. So the distance to stop from say 48mph would be much larger, more like 16ft.
However, on more normal pavement, in roughly 30°F weather. The differences favor the performance tires.
Almost 30ft in favor of the performance winter for stopping in conditions I will more likely see.
I'm not so much concerned with the accelleration figures, I have AWD, and even on the Performance Winters I'm going to be able to blast away from traffic way faster than RWD, or FWD cars on All seasons could ever hope.
I'm more heavily leaning towards the PA4's,
Performance Winter:
Studless Ice/Snow:
The price difference is minimal between the two choices.
On one hand I have the Studless Ice/Snow tires like the Michelin X-Ice3 tires.
The other is a Performance Winter tire like the Michelin PA4.
The last time I got Studless Ice/Snow and it was great, especially in the snow. But we had so many cold days that just didn't have any snow on the roads, so they wore down fairly quickly, and ultimately provided a worse ride with worse handling characteristics.
Because we didn't have any snow on the roads, a Performance Winter like the PA4's would probably be better. It would provide better steering feedback without the marshmallo ride, and probably not give up much to the Studless Ice/Snow tires. But if we do get slammed, they would perform slightly worse than the Studless.
The difference is pretty much about $5 a tire. So ultimately $20 either way.
Ice acceleration/stopping distance.
Performance Winter:
Code:
Tire 60' Acceleration (seconds) 12 - 0 mph Stopping Distance (feet)
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 4.972 33.0
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D 5.243 35.6
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 4.940 32.3
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 5.055 34.3
Studless Ice/Snow.
Code:
Tire 60' Acceleration (seconds) 12 - 0 mph Stopping Distance (feet)
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 4.554 30.9
Dunlop Winter Maxx 4.682 35.4
Michelin X-Ice Xi3 4.644 30.3
Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c 4.727 33.6
So, on an ice rink, the studless is of course better. But the question is how often am I really going to be on an ice rink. Keep in mind that the stopping speed is from 12mph to zero, so its not exactly like they are going that fast. So the distance to stop from say 48mph would be much larger, more like 16ft.
However, on more normal pavement, in roughly 30°F weather. The differences favor the performance tires.
Almost 30ft in favor of the performance winter for stopping in conditions I will more likely see.
I'm not so much concerned with the accelleration figures, I have AWD, and even on the Performance Winters I'm going to be able to blast away from traffic way faster than RWD, or FWD cars on All seasons could ever hope.
I'm more heavily leaning towards the PA4's,
Performance Winter:
Code:
Tire 50-0 mph Stopping Distance (feet) Cornering Traction
(Lateral g's)
Wet Dry Wet Dry
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 136.3 94.2 0.58 0.84
Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D 105.9 91.9 0.75 0.88
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4 105.4 88.8 0.76 0.89
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 106.9 85.6 0.78 0.90
Studless Ice/Snow:
Code:
Tire 50-0 mph Stopping Distance (feet) Cornering Traction (Lateral g's)
Wet Dry Wet Dry
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 128.0 88.2 0.61 0.87
Dunlop Winter Maxx 159.4 97.6 0.54 0.81
Michelin X-Ice Xi3 131.4 93.2 0.63 0.84
Yokohama iceGuard iG52c 148.8 94.7 0.55 0.81