Good catch on this.

Fact: I am currently not in the GVRD, but instead, in a place that experiences all four seasons, especially harsh winters. Fall and spring can be unpredictable, often with steep temperature drops and ice storms.

Ideally, I would like to have a set of dedicated summer tires, but given the climate of where I am, it isn't worth the risk. I had to keep winters from October 2017 to May 2018.

If I were in Vancouver, yes, I would have sprung for something like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or the Continental Extreme Contact Sport.

Lesson to you all: Stay in Vancouver.

Sort of yes. But going back for your free rotations and flat repairs and possible warranties if you’re not even a member is a 100% hassle, and you can be refused after.

Think of it this way. Rotation and balance is free for the lifetime of the tire. Say 5 years, get it done every 6 months (Canadian average 25k km a year, rotations @12k) most places charge ~$50. That’s about 500 in 5 years. So if you wanted a basic Costco membership at what... $60/year or something? I’m not sure. The price evens out

Gotcha. I have 3 dedicated sets of wheels for my car; summer only, all seasons and snowies. If you’re looking for the best all seasons on the market, the a/s3+ is definitely a contender. I’ve heard nothing but good things about conti’s dws.

First off, thanks to everyone in the thread who provided valuable input.

Secondly, after reading this thread, it appears that the Michelin's are a good bet. I decided to play it safe and stick with the all seasons. It's easy to get tempted and enamored by having a dedicated set of summer tires, but where I am, is not a good idea.

Last, but not least, after doing some homework, I decided to renew my Costco menbership. There was a cost savings by renewing the membership; it's hard to beat Costco's $15/tire service fee. Order placed for the Michelin's. Should have them mounted within a week or so.

For reference, the stock tires are Bridgestone Ecopia's (forgot exact model.) They aren't terrible, but they aren't the greatest. They would appease a majority of the population. After all, stock tires that came with an econobox. I feel that they are a bit soft and uanble to maximize fuel savings, and taking sweeping turns onto the highway aren't very fun at all. :okay:

Welpz, time to head over to Costco to do some grocery shopping. :pokerface:

Bridgestone ecopia are a good tire, they have a pretty good tread life. Sidewall is pretty soft so in aggressive driving you’ll feel some deflection. They also run a bit narrow, the should rolls into the sidewall more. As3+ are way more sporty. Pirelli p4 or p7 are okay. Shit in any kind of snow. I’d consider them if they were on sale.

Food for thought. For all seasons I run “goalstar catchpower” In 255/35r18. They were $72 each brand new. I’ve tried them in every weather except snow (yes, even a track day) and they were awesome. New tread is only 8/32” new (versus the normal 10/32) but the price is amazing. Grips well in hard launches. Quiet around city, though after track they have a 120+knh buzz due to alignment. For a daily driver, pretty much all modern tires are good. Just make sure to maintain them

You are correct that the Bridgestone Ecopia tires are good; tread life has been great, and I have about 29,000KM on them since new.

It's mostly highway driving and lots of highway exits day in and day out, so yes, they feel as if they are running into the sidewall. I simply wanted something a bit more sporty and the Ecopia tires didn't meet that criteria. I'll hold on to them for a while or throw them back on when I sell the car...I mean bicycle. :D

So what you mean is that: Costco will definitely let me buy and install the tires for me given that I have the Costco gift card on hand.

But once the card has been used and finished, I'm going to have a difficulty or getting refused getting
flat repairs, rotations and balances after?

It’s a grey area. Each household is only able to use a gift gift car twice a year. You have to provide Canadian ID. The warranty applies to Costco members etc. Tires are not a jug of milk, they require maintainance. If you expect to be treated like a member, be a member.

Best to ask a manager or something ahead of time to avoid you being pissed about trying to cheat a system

^ alright, a family friend of mine gave us a $200 costco gift card that we still haven't used. Thought might put it to use for tires. Guess we will have to check.

yeah. they wouldn't work on my car without my friend being there as the tires were purchased under his membership

in the end, i got my own membership and the manager transferred the tire purchase from my friend's account to mine so that i wouldn't have any hassle in the future

Kaltire will match Costco prices.

This. They also have a bigger selection of what they’ll get in, they can work on trucks way easier. Not sure on their warranty or free flat repair kind of thing, but I believe it’s very comparable. I tell people to go there all the time in the busy season if they want an appointment less than 4 weeks away lolololol

I bought a set of winter tires at Kal Tire. Brought in a flat to a different Kal tire 2000km away on my summers and they fixed for free. Would buy again.

too late FeelsBadMan

Maybe not a valid comparison, but I have both the A/S 3 plus and DWS on 2 different cars currently.

The Michelins feel better in the dry on my S2000 than the Continentals do on my TL-S, but that could me more of a lighter weight RWD vs heavier FWD :p

Tirerack does rank the Michelins as better in the dry though

How did they know you bought the tires at a different Kal Tire? You brought the receipt with you along the trip?

They probably have a nation wide database. Similar to Costco.

I’m betting they probably do. I kept my receipt handy in the glove compartment but they didn’t care. I just told them my other set was from Kal. When the work was complete they didn’t charge me.

Kal tire does free flat repairs for anyone, whether you bought the tires there or not. Great way to get customers in the door

They charged me $20 last time, tire only and no mounting on car.

Ah. I’ve always heard they do it free. Guess I was wrong

Did you look like a rich Asian fuerdai ? That shit doesn't help. You gotta take off your Gucci hat and LV shoes

lol showed up in my amg 18s in a pick up truck:troll:

ran my a/s 3 for 3 years, drove hard in dry and rain. Had no issues, but snow is horrible. Very scary experience. tread wear is decent. I recently switched over to continental extreme contact DWS because they were on sale at canadian tire. michelines feel more stable in the dry and wet. continentals have been good in dry but feels a bit soft when doing sharp turns. Waiting for the rain to come to test them out and I did a lot of research on these tires and apparently do very well in the snow.