Snow vs All Season

Yes I did search....So I got my STI with the stock stickys. Want to pull em off, get another set of wheels and get ready for Colorado winter. Ehh....it's not really as bad as ya might think. Anyway really like the stickys for the summer so I deff want to run either snow tires in the winter or all season. What's your opinion Snow or All Season tires? Do I really need snow tires? Better idea to just run some good AS tires in the winter?
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
We love Blizzaks. Nothing compares in our book.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Well if you have summer tires, then there's no need for all seasons. You'll just swap back to the summers after winter has passed. Blizzaks all the way man, ALL THE WAY! :tup: You can usually find barely used Blizzaks for around $300 on craigslist.
 

funk32

Member
I have Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7's studded right now, but have used the non-studded in the past and they are amazing. Now out with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8's. I know a thing or two about winter driving, GO Canada lol
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
Nokian makes an "all weather" tire. Not to be confused with all season. They can be used throughout the year but are pretty biased to winter driving. WRG3 is the tire and I've had my eye on them. They are snowflake branded but offer dry road capabilities. They are probably geared more towards urban driving in the winter where roads are cleared quickly.
 
We love Blizzaks. Nothing compares in our book.
Which Blizzaks you recommend for our STi's? The STi's come with dunlops stock don't they? Waiting for my order in dec/jan.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
They all do the same thing. Youll have to read each individual description to see which exact conditions theyre made for.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Personally, I don't like All Season tires on the STi or any performance car for that matter. All Seasons on an econo-box, grocery getter is fine, but that's about it. As others have said, Blizzaks are the way to go. They have tiny flaps cut into the tread like pages in a book and more importantly, the tire compound contains silica that bites more on slick pavement while still staying soft at very low temperatures.
 
I guess what I'm trying to find is rain grip first and maybe the occasional icy surface and possible snow/slush. It's not really snow heavy here in the Seattle area but has snowed every year since I moved up here. But from what I'm reading snow tires are bad in the rain lols.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Snow tires aren't too bad in the rain, but generally speaking, if there's not snow on the road, you are going to prematurely wear out your snow tires.
I wait until the last minute before putting my snow tires on and take them off as early as I can reasonably expect snow free driving and/or temps above 45*F.
 

Spamby

Meat Product Toy
For generally chilly climates with minimal snow/ice, a good all season should fit the needs. Or a winter tire geared more towards dry/wet and cold pavement.
I just don't see a reason for snow tires unless you see frequent snow and ice events.
 
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