The above documents have some very informative tire docs that give a clear and concise summary of almost everything you need to make an informed and educated decision - on a product that we feel will keep you, your family and others on the road safer for years to come. This information is for your benefit, we want you to know as much as you can - it's your hard earned money!
There are 3 main things when buying winter tires or rims:: TIRES, RIMS & INSTALL – EVERY ONE IS IMPORTANT.
TIRES – There are extremely cheap winter tires, and there are the much better ones. The cheaper tires will do the job so you won’t get stuck, but they do not have the newest technologies such as the softer multi-cell compound that is found in the true winter tires.
There are 3 main types of winter tires: 1) SNOW TIRES 2) ICE & SNOW 3) PERFORMANCE WINTER
1) SNOW TIRES are basic winter tires that will do a good job in snow conditions. They include the cheaper tires described above, and some slightly better ones (FIRESTONE WINTERFORCE, GENERAL ALTIMAX ARCTIC to name a couple of the better ones).
2) ICE & SNOW tires are the most advanced winter tires on the market - they use extremely advanced multi-cell compounds -
this is what makes a tire STOP - on snow & ice, to the point these tires STICK to ice
(FYI -
with research reaching into the $ millions many times over to get to this technology that was not even close to available 15 years ago) [ex: BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK, MICHELIN XICE2,CONTINENTAL EXTREME WINTER CONTACT, DUNLOP GRASPIC DS-3, GOODYEAR ULTRA GRIP ICE WRT] - THESE ARE THE MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SNOW TIRES.
3) PERFORMANCE WINTER - tires used most often on performance oriented vehicles, in some cases because the driver wants performance driving, in other cases because these tires are better suited to the engineering of certain vehicles [AUDI, BMW, PORSCHE, MERCEDES, LAND ROVER - German cars very common for this type of tire)
RIMS – 2 types of rims, OEM FIT (HUB-CENTRIC - the rim is centered by the HUB) vs. MULTI-FIT (Lug centric - the rim is centered by the lugnuts) – VERY IMPORTANT – DO NOT BUY MULTI-FIT! When comparing prices, MAKE SURE you are being quoted on OEM FIT rims - stay away from multi fits rims, in some cases they can void your warranty - it can cause vibrations, premature tire wear, suspension issues and more. Simple: OEM FIT is the only way to go. (we have a technical doc about this issue – just ask us for it!) - think of it this way: when you buy a shoe, you can always buy a bigger size, you will be able to walk & run in it, but the proper exact size will always work better...in the history of automobiles, no manufacturer has shipped a new vehicle without HUB-CENTRIC rims.
Sean
Senior Tire Tech
Winterforce UV
Blizzak DM-V1
