Winter tire setup help! G35
 

Hey guys,

I own a 2006 infiniti g35 coupe. For winter tires i previously purchased Bridgestone Blizzak performance winter tires for my stock rays (19s). They worked well for 1-2 winters. This past winter my car was pretty much stuck on my road for 2 weeks as it would not even move. The tires cost me about 1200 bucks all in with mounting etc and they still had decent tread left on them so I am a bit disappointed.

This third season I also added some spacers but I doubt that would have any effect on traction?

So now I am going a different route since I need my car to be able to drive in the snow (no option for winter beater here sorry). I just purchased some OEM g35 17 inch staggered wheels. I am planning on purchasing some winter tires.

Which tires would you recommend as the best winter tire and good treadlife. I always had good results with Blizzaks on all my previous cars but for some reason they just didn't last long enough on the G.

I have gone on tire rack there is not too many options other than Blizzaks or Michelin X-ice, and some random goodyear ones.

Also i am confused on which size tires to get. The stock rear tires for the 17 inch rim (17x8) is 235/50/17. Would i be ok to put on 225/55/17??? - there are more options for the rear tire in this size. And should i take my spacers off in the winter? or no?

thanks for your help :fullofwin:

I did notice that the tires i have currently for 19 inch are blizzak LM 60 performance winter and the 17 inch blizzaks are WS70 studless ice & snow. Not sure if there would be a difference in performance in the snow or not???

Try taking a look at General Altimax winter tires. Not sure if they come in your size.

I ran them for two seasons so far and had zero problems in the previous winter seasons.

You should be fine with 225/55/17 tires in the rear.
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as you said, Yours current Blizzak LM60 is winter performance.
That could be the different maker.
look for Studless Ice & Snow winter tire this time around

I have nothing but good thing to say about the following Snow Tires brand and model.
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R (Best damn snow tire I every owned)
- Michelin X-Ice Xi2 (Xi3 is available now)
tired both each for at least 2 winter seasons, never get stuck.

I think you shouldn't hesitate to try Bridgestone Blizzak WS60/70 either
They are all top tier models for studless ice & snow winter.

if your car is high centred or stuck in the snow, no snow tire can get you out.

lm60's are very close to the ws60, which is a great winter tire I've owned.

How was your G35 getting stuck? Or do you live in a hilly area?

I ran Dunlop Wintersport M3's for a few years and they got me to most places in the snow without too much problem. Also, sometimes you will need to turn off the VDC in the snow to get the car moving because the traction control can sometimes be too intrusive by cutting power too much. Just do this when you feel the car bogging down or from a stop.

The only time I got really stuck was when the car got high centered - in which case, it's the low ground clearance rather than the tire itself that's the problem.

I'm running LM60's on my stock 19 Enkeis for the 3rd winter this year. Still lots of tread and traction left. How many km's do you put on them?

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._8256855_n.jpg

Size: 245/45/19s

I'm also purchasing snow tires for my Benz, 225 in the front and 245 in the back. 1010tires informed that 225 will fit the back eh and will be crazy cheap. They quoted be between 600 to 700 compared to 1150!

Look at all those sipes, those look like amazing winter tires.

The snow was not that deep. Car just kept slipping and went sideways instead of going straight. Gave up and left it on the street. I live on a hill, but its not that much of an incline. The first two seasons the tires seemed to work well, although i lived at a different place.

Looks like the michelin x-ice are already sold out for the season according to tirerack. Not too many other options so maybe i'm stuck with the blizzaks again. From what i hear the smaller tires will work better in the snow (17 vs 19)??

It's not the tire size, but tire width.

Narrower tires will work better in the snow. If you're able to, go down to the US to get your tires.

^I concur... go with the narrower tire instead of the wide...

I also carry a bag of kitty litter in the trunk to sprinkle on the ground if my car is not getting adequate traction to give it a bit of extra grip.

Also make sure the tires have full depth tire sipes (some don't go down all the way), and that the compound is the same all the way as well too. Some have winter compound for the first half, then more like an all-season compound when it gets worn down beyond that.

Even those blizzaks you had, the first half is special winter compound, then the second half is just "standard winter compound"... which essentially means traction in the second half of the tires is going to suck a lot more than the beginning.


Quote from Tirerack.com:

The Blizzak WS-tires’ Multicell tread compound comprises the top 55 percent of the tires' tread depth with a standard winter tread compound comprising the remaining 45 percent. When Blizzaks are approximately 50 percent worn, their "snow platform" tread depth indicators "connect" selected shoulder tread blocks to indicate that the Multicell tread compound is almost worn out, and that the enhanced snow and ice performance is about to end.

We have personal experience on a wide range of vehicles from sports cars to SUVs. Our experience, and that of our customers, indicates that Blizzak winter / snow tires will typically provide 12,000 to 15,000 miles of winter service before wearing out their Multicell tread compound. Therefore, Blizzaks are providing an estimated three to four winter seasons of wear from their Multicell tread compound for the driver who drives an average total of 15,000 miles per year (with 3,000 to 4,000 winter miles per year).

Blizzak winter / snow tires are not recommended to be reinstalled when their tread depth has worn down to the "snow platform" tread depth indicators before the start of the winter season.

Winter Tech - Bridgestone Blizzak FAQs

Running Dunlop winter sports 3D on the Evo for the 3rd year! Nice set of tires :)
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that's what i've read about performance winters, after about 50% they become more like all seasons. this should go for more than just the blizzaks.

Quick question about tire size as im finding issues with the sizes available.
The stock 17 inch rims OEM wheel/tire size is as follows (staggered wheels)

17 X 7.5 +30 P225/50R17
17 X 8 +33 P235/50R17

Would i be ok to put on 225/50/17 on all four wheels?

Or could i even run 225/55/17 on all four (its cheaper to get the 55 siize)

thanks

Sipe them.
Two seasons is not too bad. Think of it in terms of wrecks avoided.
Keep them on for the summer months and get some more use out of them, assuming noise and handling suit you.

Thanks for the responses. I ended up going with 225/50/17 front 225/55/17 rear, blizzak ws70.

Now the only question is should i leave my spacers on when i install the winter tires or take them off? i have 20mm in front and 25mm in rear.

Any disadvantage of leaving them on in terms of handling or other issues? I have 19 inch stock rays now. I would rather leave them on because that would allow me to exchange the summer and winter wheels more easily (either myself or any old tire shop close to me)

thanks!

Spacers should be fine - as long as they are of decent quality and won't rust/corrode.

Just saw these on CL.

*** 4 winter tires R-19 (99% brand new)