Yea I was wondering how these Sunny tires are. They have some really good pricing for them.

exactly

it's like 120 bucks with everything + taxes for 17"

Slammed FTW right? :D;)

Are these sunny tires even DOT legal?
And I am curious to see how they perform. Winter tires is more than just tread design. You also need to look at compound and how soft they are when it get down to 0 or -2 degrees.

Personally, for my own personal safety, I would buy tires that are a little more well known/tested. :D

As for AznBoi, I thought you had tires on the wheels that need to be unmounted? Why not drive on those and have the shop throw those away for you? Do is there enough tread that you want to keep those tires? :confused:

haha YOU KNOW IT! currently is only rubbed down fenders, bottom of catalytic convertor is scratched up, J-pipe is scratched :p not bad for vancouver roads.

nah I want to dump those tires but they have NO tread and two of them have a screw in it, wont even hold air so its useless for me ......

If you really want to save money and not want to pay any duties or taxes at all, have them shipped to Blaine as previoiusly mentioned and spend the weekend down in the states with a friend. Then come back up 48 hours later with tires in the car as you are allowed $400 per person. For example, I got my winter tires last year doing this method and I ended up saving about $300 compared to the local shops here, plus the gf was happy because she bought a purse.

Oh lol, i meant just getting an extra set of rims without tires off of sora't they have decent selection and amazing prices,

Actually if you look at it as a whole overall you broke even after the purse then lol!!!

I've always gotten by without snow tires (because id usually stay in if it snowed) but this year i plan on doing a lot of driving in the snow (like up to whistler etc)

I know we're supposed to be having a mild winter but i doubt it would make much of a difference on the mountains

SOOOOo what's a good brand to go with?
and should i get em studded?



edit: ooh costco is pretty competitive (compared to the local guys with installation) + they're giving $60 off atm for michelins and 4 floor mats oO

so Question is:

X-Ice Xi2 or Primacy Alpin PA3?

Studded is probably overkill. It's really only good for ice, and it ruins the roads. Plus, it will be super noisy driving with studs on no snow/ice.

If you look at the tire websites (like tirerack) they will tell you if they are studdable. Just check for the one you like and check whether there's an option for studs.

Roads up to the ski resorts are usually plowed pretty well so snow tires without studs are usually OK.

How much did you want to spend?

The best snow tires you can buy are the Nokian winter tires.

I'm quite happy with the Bridgestone WS50's i have, however, i hear the WS60's are even better.

it really depends on the customs officer, and how pretty your mouth looks to him. if he is in a good mood, u get to go thru without paying any taxes, if not, then u are subject to GST, PST, and Duty (6.5%) if tires are made outside of the US.

the tire levy is $5 a tire.

how to save a buck when it comes to winters.

are you gonna need a set of rims for the winters? Steelies are the cheapest... well use to be, you can find some alloys for fairly cheap these days, if not, why not consider the stock rims u had on ur car. MAKE SURE that the size can clear ur caliper. this is the absolutely most important. the smaller the rim, the chances are, the cheaper the tire. this is usually true unless the size you need is a fairly popular size, thus more supply, and we all know the supply & demand graph.

you may need to do a bit of research to find out what the smallest rim you can run is. one way to find out, check your spare tire. whatever size that is, generally is the smallest wheel u can get away with, unless you have some crazy caliper option package from the dealership or have upgraded ur brakes.

weather to get from states or to get from canada?

this really depends, businesses here generally get a discount on tires, mark them up a bit (because as a business, they need to survive), and thus to be competitive, will be competitive with their pricing compared to local supply. this FINAL PRICE is usually before tax. thus, what you need to do is calculate the price of the tire across the border, factor in EXCHANGE, SHIPPING, DUTY, cost of gas to drive down there, cost of your own time to wait in line at the border to bring them in, and hassle to go thru the whole process. once u figure that out, u can make the decision.

really? i read a review rating the Nokian rsi, the michelin xi2, and the blizzak ws60

the the michelin xi2 came in first, blizzak 2nd, nokian 3rd




was doing more reading up on the 2 michelins i was looking at and i guess ill go with the xi2's

thnx all ^^

the nokian's are ok, ive had the WR's on the highlander for about 4years. still plenty of tread but fairly noisy for a tire. however these were rated as winter tires made for all season.

i JUST got a set of kumho kr21's to run for the summer. nice and quiet and good in dry n wet.

I bought a set of Nokian WR G2's last winter (just before we had all those major snowfalls).

I didn't have any major issues all winter and didn't get stuck even driving through some really deep banks on small streets.

SG is right though... they are a bit noisy though.

I'll be stickin them back on once November hits I suppose :thumbsup:

In the end, any snow tires is better than no snow tires.

Also get the latest and greatest compounds... especially those with silica in it.

My priority is:
1. Compound
2. Features (eg non curbing strips)
3. Price
4. Brand
5. Dealer

Reviews can only take you so far, and I always felt they are always biased. A lot of the time it is used to reinforce the purchase decision that was made.

As for places like Tirerack in the US, yes it is cheaper, but if there is any problems eg puncture. You will have to pay. For condo dwellers, having a dealer store / change your tire is a good feature too.

I'd get the Xi2, had the original X-Ice on the Sienna before we replaced it with the Odyssey (which now wears WS-50's) and that was a great tire. Or the Blizzak WS-60, which I'm about to get for the new CSX.

Michelin, Bridgestone, Nokian - those are the three I'd be most inclined to pick for brands.

And I think studs are illegal in Vancouver. Not sure but I'm pretty sure it is since we get fairly mild winters. And you don't need it to drive up to Whistler or whatever since the highways are plowed pretty good, and as long as you drive smart. I've never had trouble with just snow tires and FWD minivans.

Studded tires are legal from Nov 1 to April 1.

Last few winters, I ran studless snow tires on my S2000 and was able to get up and down from SFU with no problems.

Only issue I had was that one night where it got really cold and the roads froze over and I was slipping and sliding up Broundry rd towards Hastings.

Main roads are usally pretty much snow free after the first plow, but the curb lanes and side streets are usually the ones that get the least attention. This year is supposed to be a mild winter, but next year isn't. In the last 3 years that I have had my S, I can remember 2 times where it was cold enough at night for the roads to freeze. One was a wednesday afternoon, and the other that night I mentioned earlier.

My advice, get snow tires and have a set of chains in the trunk for the drive wheels in case things get really bad.

Huh, didn't know studs were legal here. But yeah, chains for the really bad situations. Usually you'll be fine with snow tires.

can anybody else confirm that this winter is forcasted to be a mild one?

last winter was pretty.

i have nokian hakka RSI's for this winter. i hope they work out because last winter for me was a nightmare because of vancouver's stupid policy of not plowing the side streets... what's the point of plowing just the main roads if no one can reach them?!? :mad:

It is suggested that since this year is an El nino year, winter *should* be mild.

Don't get chains.. get a set of Spike Spider.. works much better (self tensioning) and unlikely to tear your inner fender to shreds if things go sour.

http://www.spikes-spiders.com/

Have a set for my X5.. works great in Whistler last winter with a uncleaned driveway.

A lot of out of towners drive with studs.. but they are only legal for winter time only..

The issue with studs is most shops only will stud a set of tires once. So think carefully before you want to take them out!