august Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 alright cold weather guys, i just relocated to a new area where we have this white stuff that falls from the sky. my current tires (fairly bald michelin xgt-v4's) are really 'fun' in the snow, but any sort of hill is a bit tricky. what are the best snow/ice tires out there for the 505, and what sizes would you all recommend? i was thinking of trying to find some steel wheels, because they are narrower if i remember right (which would let me run an even narrower tire, which is good right?) any advice appreciated... (on a side note, the michelin x-ice looks good, but the Q speed rating is a little worrying. A lot of the locals around here use studs, which is a bit excessive if you ask me, but then again i'm obviously not a cold weather person) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 So where's the new location? And welcome to the lovely world of snow! I personally LOVE driving in the snow and ice, and a 505 Turbo on 4 wheel grips is an amazing snow car. This past fall I put on Continental Winter Viking 2 winter tires on the Volvo and they're fricken amazing. They developed a new stud called "Brilliant stud technology" that uses a square stud face. If you can get them, and you can use studs (Icy roads) then I highly recommend studding. They didn't have the studs, nor the special gun to put them in when I bought mine - but even with out studs they're one of the best winter tires I've every used. (his past Sunday I raced the Volvo in a rallycross and beat a first gen Eagle Talon AWD running Michelin X-Ice winter tires - I was the second fastest car at the event... ) The factory alloy is only 6" wide, so you can still run 185/70 15's on it and that would be plenty skinny. I just recently found that they sell a 145/65 - 15 snow tire - and although it would look silly - it would provide the most traction possible. You can also run 14" steel wheels - I've run 185/75 - 14's on my 505 Turbo and they worked great too. What ever you decide on - just make sure to run all four wheels with winter rubber. All the new winter tires are going to be decent - even walmart winter tires are awesome in the snow, and hugely capable when studded on the ice. Good luck - and keep us posted with what you end up running. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august Posted February 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 thanks rabin, great info as always. relocated to northern oregon (hood river). it's great so far, besides, i've always wanted to live in a cold weather area so i'm stoked. so as far as the studs go, do they really make that much of a difference? i'm assuming the advantage is just on ice right? if i do a big burnout will someone be able to see sparks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Studs on smooth ice have no equal in a rubber tire... If you guys don't get icy roads, or hardpacked snow that's as slipery as ice then studs make no difference in powder. I'm guessing Oregon has it's fair share of ice with a mild climate (relatively speaking) and snowfall - so studs might be a good idea. As for burn out sparks - you bet! Very noticable at night, and they'll groove the hell out of the pavement/concrete at the same time too. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 I forget, do you have an ABS car? If so, then 14 inchers are a no-go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august Posted February 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Studs on smooth ice have no equal in a rubber tire... If you guys don't get icy roads, or hardpacked snow that's as slipery as ice then studs make no difference in powder. I'm guessing Oregon has it's fair share of ice with a mild climate (relatively speaking) and snowfall - so studs might be a good idea. As for burn out sparks - you bet! Very noticable at night, and they'll groove the hell out of the pavement/concrete at the same time too. Rabin hahahah sweet about the sparks. i've always wondered about that. I forget, do you have an ABS car? If so, then 14 inchers are a no-go. oooooohh, yeah it's an ABS car. steelie's won't work with the abs setup eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 I am running Nokians on the 505 and MI16 and am very happy with them. On the 505 I run studded "1"'s and "Q"'s on the 405, neither of which is in the current N/A Nokian lineup. Without proper winter tires, especially with no extra weight in the rear I find a 505 to be a completely useless car. With good tires it is transformed into a snow machine With a snow tire narrow is better so I would recommend the narrowest you can get for your wheel size while staying close to the stock diameter. Looks like in the Nokians for a 15" rim that might be 185. I run 14's on my '85 Turbo (no ABS) with a 165 - not going for looks in the winter. You will likely get other suggestions, there are lots of good tires out there, as previously mentioned I have read good reviews on the Continental Viking. Remember that lots of the funky ice tires (no studs) run a special rubber compound that is found only on the outer most skin of the tread so after about a single season you have lost that functionality of the tire. This time of year you may have trouble getting a good selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august Posted February 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 interesting about the compounds. thanks John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 An example of one of those "ice" tires is the Blizzak. Only around the first 40 - 50% of tread has the special compound in combination with essentially bubbles in the rubber. (all about creating as many edges in the rubber to grip the ice) I've run Blizzaks before and on ice they were great, but they wear fast, and after the special part is gone they're just all seasons. I also found that the Blizzaks were absolute crap in slush. Proper winter studded cheap walmart winter tires were much better value for the $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I bought four Toyo Observe tires for my ZDJL wagon some years ago. They are pricey. They have a quiet ride. They have a very grippy compound, impregnated with pulverized walnut shells. Uni-directional. I would rate them excellent. Three years ago I bought four Michelin Pilot. They are good, but the Toyo's were a better snow tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal505 Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 I thought studs were illegal in Cali, but wait your in Oregon...wish we had them here...b/c....well..... ..then my chains broke on the highway...I took em' off, and a state trooper pulled me over. I ended up buying new ones, but I turned around and went back to Tahoe, to stay another 2 nights w. the fam. On my way back I saw a few "scrapers" get stuck in the snow(if you know bay area language you would know what they are) ...hint: look up "scraper" in urbandictionary.com. Anyways, I blasted my subwoofers playing some E-40 as I drove by them. They wasted so much money on their rims, candy paint, etc., they didnt have enough for chains. lol BTW, I'm running Michelin Pilot Sports' on my 505, "they're supposed 2 be all-seasons", but they slip like hell on wet pavement. My XC70's Firestone Affinity's ($100's cheaper) are better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 In my dailydriven Audi I have Nokian Hakkapelitta 2 studded tires. Those are quite good, but Hakka 4 or 5 would be much better. (and they're made in Finland. ) Studded tire has advantage on plain ice and hard snow if you don't mind the noise. As said before, the narrower the tire, the better. All winter tyres "harden" in 2 or 3 years, so the grip gradually fades even from the studded ones. The old tire can seem to be alright, but it does not work like a fresh one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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