I'm thinking of getting some winter tires for my 2002 max SE, and was looking at tirerack.com. I'm thinking of going with Michelin Pilot Alpin, 215/55R16 on 16x6.5 steel rims. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Just one...too much $ (but they are really good tires). The Falken 512's are good and many people speak highly of the Pirelli PZero Nero's.

 

"The Falken 512's are good "

Really? I have those and was thinking of getting some cheapo 15" rims+snow tires for the winter here. I'd like to avoid that cost if I could, of course.

So the question is: Will the Falkens suffice for Colorado mountain weather? I'm guessing not but I'd like to hear some opinions.

Otherwise please, by all means people, recommend some good/cost effective snow tires. Unfortunately I can't afford to be spending $400 on this kind of thing. Will 15s do well for my Maxima (2001 SE 20th)? I'm thinking I ought to be able to get a used set of 15" rims for real cheap, and then maybe spend $40/per tire max.

 

I'm going with undersized Goodyear Ultra Grip. That'll be a 16" on steel rims, as recommended by Tirerack. They get a good rating, and I'll keep the Potenza's for summer driving.

Jerry

 

For real snow driving (snowpack that doesn't get cleared the next morning) nothing beats a studded winter tire.

http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/t...p.cfm?id=1&w=1

We had Nookian studded tires on our car in Russia a while back and you can stop on solid ice and manuever on snowpack with these.

 

Somone told me about not going too small on the rims because of something about the brakes not clearing (I'm not very knowledgable about cars, and could only half listen to him at the time).

So what would be the smallest size rim/tire I should be looking for on my 2001 SE 20th Aniv. Ed. Again, cost is a big big factor for me at the moment.

Again, any more opinions about the Falken Ziex 512s and their performance in snow? I just need the tires to keep me alive to get from Denver to the ski areas (Loveland, Winterpark). Unfortunately, being from the Midwest originally, I have very little experience driving in the mountains during winter (but more than plenty of winter/snow/ice/crud driving experience!...stupid crappy midwest winters )

 

i wouldnt trust the falkens for any kind of snow. I live in bozeman mt, the guy tried to sell me the falkans and to cipe them for the winter. he said they would fair well. i took one look at the aggressive tread pattern and bought a touring tire instead. I had yokohama avid h4s which are a high performance all year tire but they really sucked in the winter. If you can afford blizzaks i would definetely make the investment. my dads 93 lude (winter beater) with blizzaks is absolutely unstoppable in anything with those tires.

 

Buy used. That's what I did. Got 4 Michelin Alpins (2 215/45/17, 2 235/45/17), all with 9/32" of tread left for $175. Now I'm just waiting for the wheels to arrive so I can paint them and mount the tires

Also, if you have a 2001 16" should fit because some of the trims came w/ 16" wheels stock. 2002's have bigger brakes I believe which may cause a clearance problem.

 

I am a believer in getting tires designed for snow, not a tire that is a compromise between dry/wet and snow/ice. The compromise usually is that the tires are just "OK" in the snow at best.

I have a set of four studded Cooper Weathermasters mounted on steel rims in the stock size (205-65-15). For my Infiniti QX4, I have a set of Signet Wintertrax, also studded.

I live in Eastern Oregon, where we get a decent amount of snow and ice.

BTW, I have heard super good things about Nokian snow tires, but I have never owned any myself.