Rear tires different than fronts OK?

[swenpro]

I had my first experience Thursday in 3+ inches of snow with my new 66 replicas and 17" Cooper Zeon 2XS summer tires... not an encouraging experience to say the least (yes, Discount Tire salesman led me to believe they were all-season... !). So I figure I have a few options:

1) Get my current tires siped for $7.50 a tire right now at Discount (I've read some about siping, seems like it could be beneficial. Anyone have results with siping? If you've never heard of it, this http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos or this http://sipers.com/sipers/index_large.asp is helpful. I would, of course, be washing the rims 1-2 x's weekly to keep salt corrosion at bay.

2) Put all 4 old rims back on: 2 of the wheels have newer Yokohama all-season tires, the other 2 need replacing. Would it work to mount the newish Yokohamas on the front and just replace the 2 that need replacing (~$250) with winter tires and mount those on the rear?

3) Splurge another $500 on winter tires for all 4 stock rims. I'd rather not have to do this, but give me your honest opinion considering that I do not have $$ in excess.

4) Do nothing. Make an amusement park ride out of winter driving and let the salt reign supreme on my new wheels... On second thought, this is not a poll option... ;-)

Opinions from experienced winter drivers only please! Thanks for the help

VS

[632 Regal]

do a google of semperit snows, I have the sport grips, actually quieter than the Falkens and much better than them in snow (concidering I needed a push to make it up a 2" incline to the barn in snow). I think they are good enough for ocassional deep snow days, they also offer a winter grip tire more aggressinve. The sports were $60 each and Id try them again...then again on dedicated snow days I might like to score on "another" set of basketweaves for winter grips. Ah hell for the few days I have to churn snow the sports are happening.

sports

winter

[DrewZ]

Check ebay, the Roundel, and your local CCA Chapter websites to find a decently-priced, lightly-used set of E34 winter wheels/tires. Then you can sell your stock wheel/tire set to recoup some or even all of the cost of the winter setup. But what do I know about wheels anyway?
Imelda
6-speed Touring

I had my first experience Thursday in 3+ inches of snow with my new 66 replicas and 17" Cooper Zeon 2XS summer tires... not an encouraging experience to say the least (yes, Discount Tire salesman led me to believe they were all-season... !). So I figure I have a few options:

1) Get my current tires siped for $7.50 a tire right now at Discount (I've read some about siping, seems like it could be beneficial. Anyone have results with siping? If you've never heard of it, this http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos or this http://sipers.com/sipers/index_large.asp is helpful. I would, of course, be washing the rims 1-2 x's weekly to keep salt corrosion at bay.

2) Put all 4 old rims back on: 2 of the wheels have newer Yokohama all-season tires, the other 2 need replacing. Would it work to mount the newish Yokohamas on the front and just replace the 2 that need replacing (~$250) with winter tires and mount those on the rear?

3) Splurge another $500 on winter tires for all 4 stock rims. I'd rather not have to do this, but give me your honest opinion considering that I do not have $$ in excess.

4) Do nothing. Make an amusement park ride out of winter driving and let the salt reign supreme on my new wheels... On second thought, this is not a poll option... ;-)

Opinions from experienced winter drivers only please! Thanks for the help

VS

[Scott H]

Check your e-mail.

Check ebay, the Roundel, and your local CCA Chapter websites to find a decently-priced, lightly-used set of E34 winter wheels/tires. Then you can sell your stock wheel/tire set to recoup some or even all of the cost of the winter setup.

[DueyT]

You really should run winter tires (not just all-season, even if M+S rated) on any car that you will be driving you and your significant other, family, friends, etc... in. Some guys try to only use one set, but once you have a dedicated set of winter tires and drive in the white crap, you'd wonder what you were ever thinking before. I know that many insurance companies in Canada will actually void their coverage if a car gets into an accident in designated snow regions and only had all seasons tires mounted.

I have Hankook H-rated 215/65-HR15 W401s on steel OEM rims...rides great in the slush and crap!

Cheers,
Duey

[632 Regal]

[QUOTE=DrewZ]Check ebay, the Roundel, and your local CCA Chapter websites to find a decently-priced, lightly-used set of E34 winter wheels/tires.[\QUOTE]

Lightly used means not good anymore, once the first 1/8th inch is worn your through the soft rubber and syphing and its time for new treads. Under the soft stuff id a harder cmpound that doesnt stick to the snow.

[Jay 535i]

We've had about 5" over the last couple of days. Just after the snow fell, I swapped my set of 17" Falken ZE512 for a set of Nokian RSi sport winter tires.

It's like night and day.

Before, I could keep the car on the road, but not without affecting my blood pressure. Driving over ridges of slush between lanes was a leap of faith.

Now I feel like I can drive through anything. I still have to drive with care, but now I feel like the car can handle it. Last night I got into and out of a parallel parking spot that would have been impossible without snows. No problems.

Yeah, the car doesn't look as good or handle as well, but if it means I still have a car come spring, it's worth it. Without them, I'd give myself a 50:50 shot at doing some damage, given that I sometimes have no choice but to drive in poor weather.

The fact that my Style 5 rims are being spared the salt is just a bonus!

Oh, and IMHO, you have to get a set of four. Snows on the rear only will help you keep the rear planted, but you want to be able to steer, don't you?

All the way to the tire place, I had the same debate with myself that you're having. On the way home, I knew I'd done the right thing.

That siping stuff probably does help a bit, but some of the claims they make re: longer tire life and better heat dissipation are specious to say the least, IMHO.

Lastly, winter tires are FREE! Really, they are. In fact, buying new winter tires will save you money! Here's how:

If you're like me, your summer tires in 17" cost ~$200 each. Good winters in 15" cost about half that or less. Every mile you put on the winters extends the life of your summers by one mile. Since the summers cost more, you are saving money with every mile you put on the winters. Every mile will make your expensive tires last longer.

So to spend $500 on winter tires today is really an investment that will save you money in the long term. And this is even before factoring in rim and bodywork repair when you prang your baby while driving on summer rubber in the snow.

Just my two cents.

[DrewZ]

Lightly used means not good anymore, once the first 1/8th inch is worn your through the soft rubber and syphing and its time for new treads. Under the soft stuff id a harder cmpound that doesnt stick to the snow.

Depends on the brand/model of tire. Some winter tires have the same compound all the way through. Others (e.g. Blizzaks) have a different rubber compound on the outside, and a less-snow-happy rubber compound on the inside. Even a set of Blizzaks worn past the snow-happy-outer-compound would be better than a nearly-new Z-rated tire or a worn-out all-season.

If money is no object, get a brandy-damn-new set of steelies with fresh winter tires from Tire Rack or Discount Tire Direct.
If you care about value, your best VALUE will be a set of used wheels. You should be able to find a good-tread, low-mileage used set for 1/2 to 2/3 the cost of new.

[632 Regal]

perfect!

We've had about 5" over the last couple of days. Just after the snow fell, I swapped my set of 17" Falken ZE512 for a set of Nokian RSi sport winter tires.

It's like night and day.

Before, I could keep the car on the road, but not without affecting my blood pressure. Driving over ridges of slush between lanes was a leap of faith.

Now I feel like I can drive through anything. I still have to drive with care, but now I feel like the car can handle it. Last night I got into and out of a parallel parking spot that would have been impossible without snows. No problems.

Yeah, the car doesn't look as good or handle as well, but if it means I still have a car come spring, it's worth it. Without them, I'd give myself a 50:50 shot at doing some damage, given that I sometimes have no choice but to drive in poor weather.

The fact that my Style 5 rims are being spared the salt is just a bonus!

Oh, and IMHO, you have to get a set of four. Snows on the rear only will help you keep the rear planted, but you want to be able to steer, don't you?

All the way to the tire place, I had the same debate with myself that you're having. On the way home, I knew I'd done the right thing.

That siping stuff probably does help a bit, but some of the claims they make re: longer tire life and better heat dissipation are specious to say the least, IMHO.

Lastly, winter tires are FREE! Really, they are. In fact, buying new winter tires will save you money! Here's how:

If you're like me, your summer tires in 17" cost ~$200 each. Good winters in 15" cost about half that or less. Every mile you put on the winters extends the life of your summers by one mile. Since the summers cost more, you are saving money with every mile you put on the winters. Every mile will make your expensive tires last longer.

So to spend $500 on winter tires today is really an investment that will save you money in the long term. And this is even before factoring in rim and bodywork repair when you prang your baby while driving on summer rubber in the snow.

Just my two cents.

[Cactuar]

I've just had my first experience in snow with my new 95 525i tonight and it was slightly frightening... I have 4 season tires and I need to change my tires ASAP, there's no way I'm going to risk crashing the car or injuring my family over 500$. This thread has been a lot of help, thanks