Well I put some serious miles ~1500(at least for me) on Maxine over the vacation break. I saw quite a bit of rain, high speed canyon corners, and my FIRST time ever snow/icy conditions. After all the nightmare scare stories I've read here, I must say I was worried. My tires still have pretty good tread and I've never been let down in the dry, but I have lost traction in the wet if I try and pull away from a light quickly or turn quickly once in a blue-moon when it's actually raining here. Anyways, I must admit I slowed WAY way down as I climbed in altitude towards Flagstaff, AZ and saw frost/snow on the ground. It had snowed the night before, but the roads were clear although very damp/icy looking in some parts. I did take it easy, but a few high speed off-ramps/on-ramps were not cleared and the Protendzas still held to keep me off the barriers/guard rails as I slowly applied my brakes(no-ABS activation). After a navigation blunder, I found a perfectly open non-cleared intersection and purposely spun the tires from a stand still through third. I just had too, since I don't get that kind of fun around these parts.

I'm still planning on forking out for the Pilot A/S soon, since tires aren't something I feel I can afford to skimp on and I'm usually not that careful in adverse conditions. Call it cheap idiot insurance for the rain, but probably not that much better in the snow.

 

Lurking

 

yeah i drive atleast 10 mph slower in the rain/slick surface with these Blowtenzas.

saving up for some Falken Ziex 512's. priced decently at 109.00 a piece.

I wish i could afford Pilot's.

 

512's baby....not a skimp, but $500 less than the Pilots and almost as good (and awesome in the rain)...

 

How much do they cost? Four Pilot A/S run about $800 with shipping from TireRack.com.

 

Got mine thorugh sears for $110 each. they are like the "Pilot Sport lite"....a little bit softer (so slightly more sidewall roll on hard cornering than the Potenzas or Pilots) and from what I have heard they're good for about 25K-30K miles for normal driving...(I have 7-8K on mine)Tread is similar to Pilots (directional)...good deal, I'm very happy with mine and that's 3-400 bucks to use on other mods!

 

the pilots are great in the rain and on dry pavement. they suck in the snow. if you have the
17" option, every tire will suck in the snow

 

It rarely snows in NW Florida so I would be okay with that.

 

good point

 

Are You Guys Referring to BridgeStone Pontenza'a Auqu T something...????

I Just Bought 2 From Tirerack.com, There Bad A$$, I Haul Past Cars on the Freeway Right Behind 4 X 4 's , Never a Problem in the Snow.. Never.

Oh im 4th Gen Too.

 

what are you talking about? I think all here when referring to "craptenzas" "impotenzas" etc....are referring to the Potenza RE92 that is stock on the maximas, which are total garbage in the rain (although nice on dry)....not sure what the Potenza "aqua" or whatever you're talking about is.....do you have them in the stock 17" size 225/50? Because there are a very limited few tires tht come in that size.

 

ok didn't see that you were 4th gen....that would explain why you have a wider selection of tires, because us 5th-genners get screwed with the stock rim size....

 

btw, Bob, is that a "functional" hood scoop you have on your ride or is it just for looks?

 

It could function as a wind/bug catcher.

 

I would guess somewhat function since you can see in this pic that he's cut the holes through the hood. At least it goes into the engine compartment and it isn't just a "dead end".

 

I hadn't seen that pic...but by "functional" I meant is it a direct scoop into the intake manifold, etc....not just a hood vent....

 

Yeah, i figured what you meant. that's why i said "somewhat" functional. BTW, I would probably say it's just a hood vent, not ram air.

 

In my opinion, any all season tire has marginal performance in the snow. Granted, the RE92s seem to be worse than others. Even the best all season tire will be far outperformed by a set of snow tires like Blizzaks. If anyone uses dedicated wheels/tires for winter, you know what I mean. I use Blizzaks on my 17" OEM wheels for winter and the car goes anywhere.

 

I have Bridgestone Potenza RE950 UNI-T AQUA II, mine are 15" b/c im 4th gen.

But like i was saying. In the snow on the Highway these tires RULE the road. Ive never had a tire stick so well. I was originally At Firestone (horrible place) The guy quoted me 166.00 a Piece for these, His Best All Season Tire Available he said.
so i went to tirerack, Paid 88.00 a piece
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes
The Hood Scoop...... Eh it is Somewhat Functional as you can see by the vents. I have use a Duck-Tape Strip to prevent all the snow from pyling up inside it so its working out fine. Much much fiberglass and sanding there..

 

i have bridgestone blizzak tires for winter

never any problems in the snow or ice....