General is the sister company of Continental tires. Hence the quality. :)

its funny, while looking at reviews for continental winter tires all i seemed to find were bad reviews. I found the opposite for general tires.

The way i see it, pretty much all winter tires (I'm not talking about A/S) are the same, give or take. They all have to pass certain safety ratings before they can be sold here. And if you don't drive like a retard, most tires will pretty much perform the same. I'm no tire expert, but if I were in your shoes I'd just get the cheaper one and save a few bucks.

Yes, thinner is better for winter. Go -10mm if you can.

If you are paranoid, get them studded. Studs ftw. :D

Hey guys. did some more digging and you guys were right.
the smaller the tire the better it is. my bad. my friend was wrong and so was I.

btw. i shipped them to point roberts. got the Generals for my sedan and got firestones for my suv.
saved quite a bit. didn't get the studs.. because i heard they are way too loud.

OT: Where's the snow/ice/cold dangit? I've had my winter's on for a week already and I want to test them out! :D

i still havent put on my winters on yet because the temperature is still too high and i dont want to waste them on rain.

Heres a tip to save some money on shipping anything from the states. Have them shipped to blaine and go shopping in the states. I find at point roberts anything over 100usd and you will have to pay duty/tariffs/taxes. Whereas, if you cross at any of the other borders they're so worried about security they wont charge you when you come back. This is my experience and i buy stuff state side very often.

i only paid $35 in tax. so it's not a big deal to ship to point roberts..
and if you go shopping in blaine.. you are actually spending more money =x...

btw. you guys should put on your winter tires on if they're new.
i go this message from tire rack...

"
Breaking In Your Tires

Tires are comprised of many layers of rubber, steel and fabric. Due to these different components, your new tires require a break-in period to ensure that they deliver their normal ride quality and maximum performance. As tires are cured, a release lubricant is applied to prevent them from sticking in their mold. Some of the lubricant stays on the surface of your tires, reducing traction until it is worn away. Five hundred miles of easy acceleration, cornering and braking will allow the mold release lubricant to wear off, allowing the other tire components to begin working together. It is also important to note that your old tires probably had very little tread depth remaining when you felt it was time to replace them. As any autocrosser or racer who has tread rubber shaved off of his tires will tell you, low tread depth tires respond quicker."Don't be surprised if your new tires are a little slower to respond (even if you use the exact same tire as before). Their new, full depth brings with it a little more tread squirm until they wear down.

NOTE: Be careful whenever you explore the capabilities of your new tires. Remember that every tire requires a break-in period for optimum performance."

do your research, then pick a tire. I went with Michelin X-ice b/c of good reputation.

How much in taxes/duty can I expect to pay for a $300 set of tires if I get it shipped to Point Roberts? It's about $500 to get it shipped to my house. $335 before all taxes and fees if I ship it to PR

You pay the same gst and pst as at home. You will only pay the tax on the $335 if you p/u at PR (a lesser amount). I have never been charged duty on tires yet. I believe it is quite low like 3% (depending where they were manufactured)

Michelin X-Ice and Bridgestone Blizzaks have served me well over the past few years, and treadwear is decent.

Yes, the extra $10-$20/tire is worth the brand difference (over i.e. Costco Nordics) as quality does vary. Yes, you can definitely feel the difference when the roads are covered in light and hard packed snow.

Hey guys, any of you guys only install 2 winter tyres with 2 all season tyres?
let's say, if your car is fwd, install 2 winter tyres in front and all season tyres at rear?
is it safe?

^ While 2 is better than 0, there is no substitute for 4.

If you are to install 2, ALWAYS put the winters on the rear, as you always want the front wheels to lose traction first in a braking situation. If the rears lose traction first, you will spin out.

Since your car is FWD, either way you're screwed as you now can't accelerate. ;) Suck it up and get 4 winters.

Here's a Tire Rack video comparing your setup (2 A/S, 2 Winter) vs. 4 winters.

[youtube]rzB7hpWhqIA[/youtube]

Lastly, here's a video comparing 4 winters vs 4 A/S. After almost crashing numerous times in the snow, I got rid of my A/S. They don't cut it here, especially if you go on hills (ie everywhere outside Richmond).

[youtube]JGfvyPtYR0Y[/youtube]

very nice video.
i can send that to my friend... who only bought 2 tires...

thanks.

I'm running Michelin X-Ice's and I have no complaints about them. This is my 2nd winter with this set, I also ran them on my old car as well.

I can tell you they are one of the better studless tires on the market. Although modern day studless are worlds apart from the ones of yesteryear.

I've used mine for a winter rally TSD which was mostly all ice/snow.

The X-Ice xi2's I hear are even better then the old x-ice.

I had the Goodyear nordics last winter from Canadian tire and they were phenomenal. Fantastic in the rain, ice and snow. I would give them 9/10 just cuz I managed to get the rabbit on the sidewalls pretty easily.

My boyfriend has kumho winters on his GTI and while I don't find them as good in the rain, they have absolutely no road noise and the ride quality is great. Anything is better than bald summers, lol. I have brand new A/S on my jetta but I think I'm gonna give those Nexen Winguards a shot this year since the nordics are too small for it - so I gotta buy new ones anyhow!

And yeah, I always thought snow tires should be cookie cutters. Thats why I bought skinny wheels too!
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That's one of the reason I suggest people to buy new cheapo tires, than to go hit up CL for used winters.

Tire compound advances.. much like other technology. One has to also note that newer silica based compound tires are cheaper and more versatile than any old school compounds.

Goodyear Nordics are noisy as F*** but they do the job.
If you can afford x-Ice2 or Nokian-R they're nice tires and are great at pulling out of tough spots.

Tirerack are selling x-ice2 for under $80 most 14-15 sizes

just do your research online and choose from there

any winter tire is better than no winter tire...
so if you can find something cheap.. just pull the trigger.

honestly, i think we're going to get shitted on this winter.