FWD-ok with the Camry-but do I need 2 or 4 snow tires?

[joesixpack]

What should I look for in snow tires? how long will they last mileage wise?
will they decrease my mileage on clear roads?

Where are the best places to shop tires?

J6P

[tirolerpeter]

What type you get depends upon the conditions you need to drive in most. For deep and or icy conditions you need something like the Blizzak WS50. Great in the deep, but a bit mushy (and fast wearing) on dry roads. If you drive a lot on cleared roads and want better dry performance, you need something "H" rated like the Blizzak LM-22. I use Pirelli Snowsport 210's on all four wheels. Excellent in snow and ice, yet terrific at interstate speeds in the dry or wet. TIP: Do NOT go to a wider tire for your snows. Go to a slightly narrower taller profile tire in a size that doesn't mess up your speedometer readings. A tire rep can help you with sizing. LOL

[Geoff]

You have to put 4 snow tires on the car. The rear end will break loose if you just put them on the front. Old skool RWD cars might be able to get away with 2 on the rear.

Every snow tire wears differently depending on how soft the rubber compound is on the tire. Snow tires wear differently for different drivers. If you flog on your car in corners and braking, you'll see much shorter tire life. Snow tires wear very fast in warm weather. If you're a slug and don't pull them off in early April, that will cost you a lot of tread life.

The Bridgestone Blizzak has the softest rubber compound and the best black ice performance. The outer soft layer of rubber is typically only good for 10K to 15K miles. After that, you'll still have a good snow tire but you won't get the ice performance for another 10K to 15K miles.

My Nokian Hakka Q's on the VW are entering their 4th winter. They've seen ~30,000 miles so far and this is probably their last winter. I drive 80 mph all the time but I'm pretty good about getting them off the car on April 1.

The Nokian WR has a harder compound and can be used all year. It's good to 60,000 miles. You give up some ice performance due to the harder rubber compound but it's still as good or better than most snow tires.

I've seen Michelin Arctic Alpins at the local BJ's Wholesale (a Costco clone) mounted & balanced for sub-$100 in typical car sizes like 195/15 and 205/15. That's the best deal I've seen and the Arctic Alpin is a good snow tire.

[Skibumtress]

What should I look for in snow tires? how long will they last mileage wise?
will they decrease my mileage on clear roads?

Where are the best places to shop tires?

J6P

I have four Nokians for sale. Used only one season. Cheap. PM me if you're interested.

[Geoff]

TIP: Do NOT go to a wider tire for your snows. Go to a slightly narrower taller profile tire in a size that doesn't mess up your speedometer readings. A tire rep can help you with sizing. LOL

Shouldn't matter so much on a Camry since they don't come with very wide tires. Stock is 205/65R15. You could go 10mm narrower with a 195/70R15. Your speedo would be off by only 1% and the narrower tire should still fit on the stock rims. The tires should be a little cheaper, too. I run 195mm winter tires on the VW and there's no reason to go any narrower.

If you Google "tire size calculator", there are lots of them online to select a narrower tire that has the same outside diameter.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[tirolerpeter]

What should I look for in snow tires? how long will they last mileage wise?
will they decrease my mileage on clear roads?

Where are the best places to shop tires?

J6P

I have found very good prices and service from both <tirerack.com> and <discounttiresdirect.com> I have been buying tires from these companies for nearly thirty years with absolutely no problems. TIP: mount the snow tires on their own wheels and then switching is just a matter of changing four tires right in your own driveway when conditions warrant their use.

[Geoff]

What should I look for in snow tires? how long will they last mileage wise?
will they decrease my mileage on clear roads?

Where are the best places to shop tires?

J6P

I have found very good prices and service from both <tirerack.com> and <discounttiresdirect.com> I have been buying tires from these companies for nearly thirty years with absolutely no problems. TIP: mount the snow tires on their own wheels and then switching is just a matter of changing four tires right in your own driveway when conditions warrant their use.

I've found that by the time I pay shipping, I haven't saved anything. Of course, I live in New Hampshire so I don't pay sales tax. I buy my wheels used on eBay for next to nothing and buy tires locally where they swap them on and off the car for free every 6 months. Saves me from having to find the floor jack that's buried underneath a pile of junk somewhere in the garage. I'm also a Nokian bigot and I have yet to find a place to buy Nokians at a discount online.

[tirolerpeter]

What should I look for in snow tires? how long will they last mileage wise?
will they decrease my mileage on clear roads?

Where are the best places to shop tires?

J6P

I have found very good prices and service from both <tirerack.com> and <discounttiresdirect.com> I have been buying tires from these companies for nearly thirty years with absolutely no problems. TIP: mount the snow tires on their own wheels and then switching is just a matter of changing four tires right in your own driveway when conditions warrant their use.

I've found that by the time I pay shipping, I haven't saved anything. Of course, I live in New Hampshire so I don't pay sales tax. I buy my wheels used on eBay for next to nothing and buy tires locally where they swap them on and off the car for free every 6 months. Saves me from having to find the floor jack that's buried underneath a pile of junk somewhere in the garage. I'm also a Nokian bigot and I have yet to find a place to buy Nokians at a discount online.

Geoff..for those of us who do live in a "sales tax" state, I have found the greatest savings (regardless of shipping cost, which some do not charge when you buy a package) happen when you buy a complete mounted/balance/wheel/tire package. I also hate screwing up nicely balance high performance summer tires by dismounting and then later remounting them; not to mention that I use 205/50/16's on 7X16" wheels in summer, and 195/60/15's on 6X15" wheels in winter.

[Dr. NO]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

[Geoff]

Geoff..for those of us who do live in a "sales tax" state, I have found the greatest savings (regardless of shipping cost, which some do not charge when you buy a package) happen when you buy a complete mounted/balance/wheel/tire package. I also hate screwing up nicely balance high performance summer tires by dismounting and then later remounting them; not to mention that I use 205/50/16's on 7X16" wheels in summer, and 195/60/15's on 6X15" wheels in winter.

No argument on mounting snow tires on smaller spare wheels. You want a narrower tire in the winter and you want a bigger sidewall to cope with the pot holes. My VW runs 17" alloys in the summer and 15" steel wheels with VW wheel covers off a New Beetle in the winter. The Mountaineer runs stock 17" alloys in the summer and 16" Mountaineer alloys in the winter. In both cases, I bought the wheels dirt cheap on eBay from people who had upgraded to fancier wheels. I'd rather have lightly used OEM wheels than the ones Tire Rack sells with their snow tire packages. The (barely) used 16" alloys on the Mountaineer look far better than a steel wheel I could get from Tire Rack and they cost the same. Same for the VW. I got my VW wheels and wheel covers + shipping for less than it would have cost me to buy 4 wheel covers from my VW dealer. Tire Rack is certainly easier since it's a 1 stop shop but I really don't want to look at bare steel wheels all winter. Besides, I'm a Nokian bigot and Tire Rack doesn't carry that brand.

[Skibumtress]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

Phantom is a tire man too.

[Hey Jude]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

Phantom is a tire man too.

Yeah, but don't harrass him about the 'burning oil smell' in the car when he's been out all night and just wants to GET HOME.

[Dr. NO]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

Phantom is a tire man too.

Yeah, but don't harrass him about the 'burning oil smell' in the car when he's been out all night and just wants to GET HOME.

Did I miss something here? tires? burning oil? Late night? Does not sound good !

[Hey Jude]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

Phantom is a tire man too.

Yeah, but don't harrass him about the 'burning oil smell' in the car when he's been out all night and just wants to GET HOME.

Did I miss something here? tires? burning oil? Late night? Does not sound good !

It occurred the night of the last Goombay virgin sacrafice, it was very funny....will have to explain in person.

[Skibumtress]

Where is skiladi's old man when you need him. He IS the tire man, ain't he?

Phantom is a tire man too.

Yeah, but don't harrass him about the 'burning oil smell' in the car when he's been out all night and just wants to GET HOME.

Did I miss something here? tires? burning oil? Late night? Does not sound good !

It occurred the night of the last Goombay virgin sacrafice, it was very funny....will have to explain in person.