I am going to be going over the blues to go home for thanksgiving and I am wanting to put snow tires or something on my xb so I know that I can make it. Which are the best? Are they worth it? What is the rough cost? All season tires better? Anything will help folks

 

What are you running currently?

 

STOCKIES~ Yeah I know boring! My custom PIAA's were stolen

 

I use to live out in Washington state and when traveling through the mountains in bad weather they required chains. Driving with chain really sucked, but they did the job. Anyway, I remember some people had a chain like setup, but instead of chains it was strips of rubber. They went on just like chains and probably had a little better ride. not sure what they go for or where to get them, but it may be worth looking into instead of getting a set of snow tires for weather that may or may no be bad.

 

One of the best snow/ice tires you can get are Nokian RSi. They're made in Sweden or Norway so you know they're good in the cold weather. Those are not for the summer, so they need separate wheels. If you just need them once a year, it's not worth it--chains would be better.

If you're a good driver and have experience in snow/ice, a decent set of all seasons will do fine. Tirerack.com has a good rating system for all types of tires.

 

hmm I hate the idea of chains just because I know I wouldnt put them on untill it was obviously too late.

 

This will be my 3rd winter w/snows on my box in the northeast.
Putting four on XB makes a HUGE difference. Much better than all seasons.
My favorite snow is the Cooper Weather-Master S/T 2 - they offer in stock size. Great wear, not too soft a compound, very good snow tire. Priced right. Cooper also sells very similar tire under the Mastercraft model, though my first choice would be the Cooper.
Also pretty quiet on the road - especially compared to the Nokian. Much better treadwear the Blizzaks.

 

This will be my 3rd winter w/snows on my box in the northeast.
Putting four on XB makes a HUGE difference. Much better than all seasons.
My favorite snow is the Cooper Weather-Master S/T 2 - they offer in stock size. Great wear, not too soft a compound, very good snow tire. Priced right. Cooper also sells very similar tire under the Mastercraft model, though my first choice would be the Cooper.
Also pretty quiet on the road - especially compared to the Nokian. Much better treadwear the Blizzaks.

 

This will be my 3rd winter w/snows on my box in the northeast.
Putting four on XB makes a HUGE difference. Much better than all seasons.
My favorite snow is the Cooper Weather-Master S/T 2 - they offer in stock size. Great wear, not too soft a compound, very good snow tire. Priced right. Cooper also sells very similar tire under the Mastercraft model, though my first choice would be the Cooper.
Also pretty quiet on the road - especially compared to the Nokian. Much better treadwear the Blizzaks.

 

This will be my 3rd winter w/snows on my box in the northeast.
Putting four on XB makes a HUGE difference. Much better than all seasons.
My favorite snow is the Cooper Weather-Master S/T 2 - they offer in stock size. Great wear, not too soft a compound, very good snow tire. Priced right. Cooper also sells very similar tire under the Mastercraft model, though my first choice would be the Cooper.
Also pretty quiet on the road - especially compared to the Nokian. Much better treadwear the Blizzaks.

 

Agreed.

We have Nokian NRW tires on our Civic and they are awesome. They are an all-season tire -- as in an all-season tire in Finland! They chew threw snow, are excellent in rain, and good on pavement, too. They are not a high-performance all-season tire, but they are great in the elements.

 

Holy Quadruple Post Batman!!!!!

Waiting for the snows to come before I make a decision about snow tires... but I'm a tad leary... my previous car was an Outback with Goodyear triple treads.... so I don't think my beloved little box is going to perform quite at the same level....

 

I've lived in Colo, Utah & Washington states -- I have had good success with 4 snow
tires on my cars. Michelin and Yokohama make good studdless snow tires aswell. I
had mine mounted on extra wheels, so when I needed them I could just put them on
in the garage and didn't have to wait for hours to have them installed at a tire shop.
Less chance for some tire monkey to damage a tire in the mounting/dismounting
process. Money well spent.

 

Winterforce (185/65/15) on SportEdition wheels -mounted balanced and shipped from tirerack for $600

 

I just had these MasterCraft Glacier-Grip II tires put on my original steelies. I'll swap them out in the spring and go back to the alloys. I got xB wheel covers (slightly used) over ebay. I think it looks pretty good. I've noticed a nicer ride with these tires than the stock all-weather tires. And a heavier feel as well, which should be good for snow driving.
They drive nicely on the highway. Not noisy at all. Seem a bit slippery on wet roads.
Got them at Tire Warehouse. Sullivan Tire (local chain) didn't have anything at all for my car.
Of course now that I'm prepared, the snow will hold off until mid-December.