Lets discuss winter tires/wheels for your Civic!

Rudy@tirerack

Rudy@tirerack

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Greetings forum members,

Its October and cold weather will be moving in soon. I though I could answer some questions some of you may have regarding how to get the best traction in cold weather, snow and ice.

So my Civic has all season tires I am good to go right? Maybe and Maybe not. An all season tire is designed to provide basic traction in LIGHT snow (2-3 inches), They will also provide grip in colder weather. So if I live in Nashville TN and I see some cold days and a couple light snowfalls a year an all season tire works pretty well. However they are often not enough if you live in the snow belt.

I run Summer performance tires - Summer tires become hard and will provide very little to no snow traction. So even when there is no snow and just cold you need either winter tires or all season tires. If you are going to have 2 sets of tires why not get a winter tire so you have best snow traction.

Why are winter tires better? Good Question. A winter tire needs to have tread depth, tread compound and tread design. Tread compounds of winter tires are specially designed to stay soft for conditions even below 0 F. The compounds also have special items molded into the compound. A couple of examples are fiberglass and metallic bite particles. These work as mini studs to scratch and claw on ice and packed snow. Also some compounds like Bridgestone Blizzaks multi-cell compound works as a sponge to wick up the water that forms between the tire and the packed snow or ice. Then you have tread design. Winter tires have smaller tread blocks with many more cuts in the tire referred to as sipes. Modern designs you zig-zag or 3D sipes. These give the tire many more biting edges to grip.

Is a Snow tire that much better in snow versus an all season? Absolutely Yes!! If you have not tried a modern snow tire recently I think you will be shocked as to how much traction they provide.

Another common question is can I run 2 snow tires on the front of my car? I say no. You should always have 4 matching tires so grip levels are even between the front and rear axel. When running 2 snows it is very easy to spin out resulting in loss of vehicle control. Not a good situation to be in.

Click the following link for Winter Tire Tech Center: http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=CR8&url=winter/tech/index.jsp


I will watch over this thread so if you have any questions on Tire Rack products or just general questions. I will answer them if I know the answer.
 
Another important thing to keep in mind is air pressure. For every 10 degrees in temperature fluctuation you loose or gain 1 psi of pressure. With the temperatures starting to drop lets say the last time you checked your pressure was August and it was 90 degrees and now in October it's 40 degrees. You will have lost aporximately 5 PSI in pressure. Just a reminder its a good weekend to get the air gauge out and air up the tires if need. Tire pressure is critical for safety, fuel economy and handling.
 
SNOW TIRES ALWAYS!!! November-May. Yea man, snow tires rule. Especially when the temps get under 40-ish.
 
Nix said:
SNOW TIRES ALWAYS!!! November-May. Yea man, snow tires rule. Especially when the temps get under 40-ish.
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Actually, from what I have been reading, under 50 is the target.
 
For a civic si in New England in CT, has anyone had any luck with blizzaks vs Michelin x ice? I am undecided. I don't even know if I need them but a lot of people are saying it really helps to have them.
 
My Civic was practically undriveable in an inch of snow with my Continental stock tires. I would highly recommend winter tires- I lived on the largest hill in my neighborhood and was easily able to get around all winter. In a place with hills and curves like Pittsburgh, winter tires make all the difference in you getting around or getting wrapped around a telephone pole.
 
JakeDBP said:
My Civic was practically undriveable in an inch of snow with my Continental stock tires. I would highly recommend winter tires- I lived on the largest hill in my neighborhood and was easily able to get around all winter. In a place with hills and curves like Pittsburgh, winter tires make all the difference in you getting around or getting wrapped around a telephone pole.
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Thank you sir. I probably will. What tire did you go with?
 
nikekidd122 said:
For a civic si in New England in CT, has anyone had any luck with blizzaks vs Michelin x ice? I am undecided. I don't even know if I need them but a lot of people are saying it really helps to have them.
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I'm in Quebec and have been running Michelin XIce for the past two winters. I have had no issues. I'd buy them again.
 
Blizzaks on my wifes car have been great. I have a set of Dunlop Graspics that are a couple years old. I like them too.

I think any dedicated snow tire you get is going to be a huge help in the winter. You will definitely like having them in the NE. I don't think you would go wrong with either the X-Ice or the Blizzak. Get what you can that's available and in your size. Sometimes that is the limiting factor more than trying to decide on one.
 
Nix said:
I think any dedicated snow tire you get is going to be a huge help in the winter.
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I completely agree! I have Hankook i*cept Evo's and while they aren't as hardcore as something like a Blizzak and are more "performance" oriented, they do great. I can get around on snow covered roads and find that they handle very well on cold, dry pavement- after all, that's what most of us see the majority of in winter.
 
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nikekidd122 said:
For a civic si in New England in CT, has anyone had any luck with blizzaks vs Michelin x ice? I am undecided. I don't even know if I need them but a lot of people are saying it really helps to have them.
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Both are Excellent. The Blizzak has the best snow and ice traction but the Michelin are very close and have a little better ride and noise comfort. Either way and you will be in good shape for the worst winter can throw at you.
 
That would be great please either call me direct at 800-428-8355 EXT 4664 or reference Rudy/9thcivic when ordering online!
 
Rudy@tirerack said:
That would be great please either call me direct at 800-428-8355 EXT 4664 or reference Rudy/9thcivic when ordering online!
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Hey Rudy & 9th friends, I'm getting ready to upgrade to a 2012 Civic Si Sedan- I have 205/55/16 snows from my EX and would just get a cheap set of 16" wheels. These are the correct size and clear the brakes and everything correctly?
 
JakeBDP,

Yes I have 16 inch wheels to fit your car and they will clear the brakes. No issues. You can call me direct or reference "Rudy/9thCivic" online and I will personally look over the order. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Rudy
 
hi last year I bought 13 civic LX sedan and I bought the winter tire too P195/65 R15 89H and
this year before the summer I changed from 13 civic LX to 14 civic toruing sedan and tire size different P215/45 R17 87V
Do you think old car winter tire is fit is new car ?
 
I have a similar question but, the other way around. My 2012 civic has P195/65 R15 89H all seasons. I can get a set of P205/65 R15 snow tires for next to nothing. Will the extra 10mm width cause a problem?
 
The tire will be slightly taller than stock but shouldn't cause you any issues.

It's a 2% difference. Basically when your speedometer says you are going 60 you are really going 61.2 and when it says 65 you will be going 66.3

It's a very slight difference.
 
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