I have an 04 SE and damn does this thing suck in the snow. I have the stock Goodyear tires but man oh man. Absolute worst driving experience in the snow. I drive 50 miles to and from work so I need better tires. Anyone have 18" snow tires on their car. Or did you get a smaller rim with a snow tire. Please let me know. I can't miss anymore work b/c of not being able to drive in the snow. Before anyone bashes me saying learn how to drive in the snow. I have a lot of snow driving experience. I use to have a 98 Acura TL which kicked *** in the snow and my girl's 2K Millenia is much better in the snow than my car. Any advice?

 

I have Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 installed on the stock 18" wheels. So far, they have performed well under light snow fall, wet and extreme cold conditions. They perform very well in dry condition cornering. They produce very little road noise.

I do not recommend the Michelins if it snows often and in large quantities. The tread depth/design does not evacuate the snow efficiently as the Blizzaks LM 22 or Dunlop M3. My first choice was the ContiWinter Contact TS790 but could not find stock.

 

Someone told me to get studded tires? Where do I find studded tires?

 

I have Hankook W300 on 17" rims for winter. The Maxima is not a winter car if you have lots of snow. I have traction control but it doesn't help. Best advice is to get good snow tires anyways and take it slow...

 

I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2, you can stud them etc. Not cheap but one of the best if not the best. You will have a hard time finding many cheap choices for snows in your rim size, especially studded.

This link brings you to the dealer locator:

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/map.cfm

My suggestion, keep your summers on the SE 18" rims, save some money on the rubber and hassle of switching tires off rims every season.
I stepped down to 17" rims for the winter, if your in a place that snows a bit the extra sidewall is nice, your tires are cheaper, plus its kinda cool to have 2 different sets of rims.
The cost difference will pay for the rims by the money you save in tire size and by not breaking down the rim every year.
I am running 225/55/17 same as the MaximaSL has, same speedo reading.
I actually got SL rims off e-bay for the winter.

Cheers!

 

I am suprised. I had my doubts about the RSAs but I have to tell you my Max handled the snow in NY before I left very well and then on my trip out here I caught ice and snow in Flagstaff and again those Goodyears were up to the task. Also today it rained all the way on my drive from Las Vegas to Laughlin and for a few moments I had my Max at 100 MPH and again I was quite shocked at how well my tires did. I am a Michelin man so I would look into Pilots but research it well.

 

I have those Goodyear tires and my car drives fine in the snow.

 

`Well I happen to live in the sticks where the plows get to us when the main highways are cleared, top it off with plenty of hills and narrow roads you need to stuff half your car into when approaching other vehicles.
The Nokians do a great job of throwing the snow out of the tread keeping the tire from turning into a snow slick. Braking is good, I also did some research on the web before choosing these. In tests the Hakka's were top performers.
I was also able to talk to a few people who are now Hakka lifers.
Just look at the tread designs carefully, if you want more handling on the street maybe these are not a good choice, but for performance in the snow I gotta say they rock.

However with that said the first time I see brand "Pukazappiwiga" that saves me $400 I am off these things and using the extra money to go to the caribean!