GOD DAMN! 400 bucks for chains?

Michelin X-ice hands down, use them on my e46 best investment ever. Never got stuck in the snow once

Learn to read Rich! She bought a purse!

HAHah no dood, when you are together that long your income becomes one. ;)

Hahaha...not in my case, might be for your's though. :D

Back on topic, I ran the Hankook I-Pike's last season and didn't have a problem at all.

if you are like me, with lowered height and limited fender clearance to run chains, etc. you might consider http://www.autosock.no/ ... but i don't know if is recognized as being the equivalent of tire chains and they may turn you back at roadblocks.

Chains are not that cheap to start either. PITA to put on, not to mention rather dangerous (on the side of the highway) and have to do all 4 wheels if you have AWD.

Yes, the spike spiders are more expensive than normal chains, but if you have ever put on chains in the winter, you would appreciate the extra convenience and time saved for the price.

One thing to note (and I am not sure if it's only on Bridgestone, or if they're the only company that discloses this) is that only the first 50-60% of the tread is their proprietery snow/ice compound, while the last 40-50% is a regular winter tire compound. (which I am assuming is probably ideal for low temperature performance much like Vancouver where it's cold and rainy, rather than for snow/ice traction)

I didn't see mentioned on any other brand (although Michelin does mention something similar but phrases it as something along the lines of not having enough tread for effective performance in snow)

By the time you hit that low (40-50%), you're supposed to replace the snow tires anyway because the reduced tread depth means reduced snow/ice performance.

it's four times the price of regular chains!!

is the grip any worse/better?

Looking on their website:

How much are these? Where could we buy it locally, and is it really better than chains?

I will say it is about the same.. the key selling point for me is you don't have to laydown chains and drive a few feet ahead.. that's a huge pain in the ass and rather dangerous if you have to do it on the road... not to mention putting it on is really not a one person job.

Also sometimes during the winter in Whistler I don't have to clear the driveway before I drive down to Vancouver for meetings etc. Slap it on, drive out.. then take it off when I get to McDicks.

In the end, all these devices whether it is spiders or socks is to gain traction to move the car.. for stopping power they offer benefits but not as much as full studs. I don't like socks because it is a PITA to clean. I rather clean things with a hose, than washing and drying which is likely to affect the material.

Autosock is about $100Cdn a pair http://www.autosockcanada.ca

When do you guys usually put your winter tires on?

The estimated delivery on the winter tires im possibly getting is Nov 16/17th from tirerack...Wondering if its gonna snow before end of november or get really cold?

u think im good?

Last year it snowed like mad in Oct for a few days. If that freak snowstorm doesn't happen again you ought to be ok.

I'm putting mine on late Oct...

Isn't the magic number a consistent 7 degrees celsius is the time to put on the winters...

Yeah. Put on the winter tires when the temperature is consistently under 7°C.

nah those tires suck

Yeah I tried them out last year and they really weren't for me.

I'm putting them on next week..... just in case :p

michelin x ice xi2 are the best winter tires i have ever used. i went up every local mountain within 200k's just fine. that includes baker with its retarded amounts of snow. this is in a lowerd civic as well.

When do you guys usually put on your winter tires? October or November?

Depends on what type of roads you drive the most:

Unploughed backroads -> Definately the X-ICE2

If you drive on the Coquihalla hwy (sub -10 to -20c temperature, hard-packed snow on the roads, going at 80-100kmp/h) then get the Alpin PA3.

I've tried both last season, and I prefer the Alpin PA3 over the X-ICE2

its diffrent....took me a long ass time to order what i wanted....and i ended up calling them 4x to get an update...eventually i just gave up and bought stuff from G5.....i wonder where KEN has gone?

ken went to advance from G5 , and now he is long gone as well