Best tires for chasing in a small sedan

[Scott Weberpal]

It's about time to replace all 4 tires on my car ('99 Ford Escort - amazing gas mileage), and I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for ideal "hazardous weather" tires for such a vehicle. Though I'll be using my vehicle 90% of the time in ideal driving conditions, I'm willing to fork out extra money for proven all-weather tires. Suggestions? Thoughts? Ideas?? Thanks!!

 

[Cris Schroeder]

I've been using Goodyear Assurance Triple-Tred tires on my van for the last three or four years. They are incredible on wet roads. They have an aggressive V-tread pattern and are heavily siped for traction on wet pavement and ice. They certainly aren't all-terrain or offroad tires, but they are great on wet pavement which seems to be the biggest risk for me. They are a little pricey, but in my experience you get what you pay for. I just put my second set on the van a month or two ago.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

I'm looking for new tires too. Never really thought about the fact that I still had the nasty dealer supplied tires on the car when I drove it off the lot in October. Once the first snow fell I felt like I was driving on ice skates.

 

[Jason Boggs]

IMO, I think Michelin tires are the way to go with smaller passenger type vehicles. They have a proven track record, although they cost a bit more than other brands. You always get what you pay for though. Tires like this might be what you're looking for.
MICHELIN HYDROEDGE

Just go to tirerack to get a good idea of what you might want. Just choose a tire that you like and look at the tire performance ratings which is the graphic with the greens, yellows, and reds. When you find one you like, get with your favorite dealer and get some new rubber for the road!

If anyone is looking for a good SUV type tire, I would highly recommend the Yokohama Geolander AT tire. It is easily the best tire I have ever had on a vehicle. I have 60,000 miles on the tires and they still have a lot of tread. Just keep them inflated properly and rotate them every 6-8 thousand miles and they will last forever. Here is a link to the tire:
YOKOHAMA GEOLANDER

 

[John Gnuechtel]

Just about any all-season tire should get you through. Decent ones generally cost about the same amount, so you're balancing performance against longevity. My car came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92's, and they were ok. I now run Potenza RE960's. They may not last 60k miles, but they handle mud, rain, and snow dramatically better than the stockers. I tend to go a little overboard with the gas pedal on dirt roads when nobody is around, and these tires have a ton of cornering grip. I would recommend them to anybody with a small to medium sized car.

 

[Andrew Stoller]

I own a small sedan as well that is susceptible to hydroplaning and getting stuck in muddy back roads. I've had a plethora of tires on it over the years, RE-92s (SUCK/HORRIBLE), Goodyear Comfortreads (alright), Khumo HP-4 716s (alright), BFG Traction T/As (good). Hands down, the best tire I've found is the BF-Goodrich Precept Touring from Discount Tire. They don't handle like a summer tire, but they ride great on the long cruises we all do in the spring, and they PLOW through standing water like it's not even an issue. I've also recovered myself from a muddy shoulder on a dirt road on the Hill City beast this last year, where others slid right in and got stuck. Awesome on muddy roads. Totally killer in snow as well; closest thing to a snow tire I've found. The tread pattern is deep and extremely siped for traction. I'll never buy anything else.

 

[Tim Samaras]

Andrew brings up a point: Siping

When I go to buy tires...they are always wanting to 'sipe' my tires..cutting those zillion slits in the tire that some claim creates better traction on ice.

I've always thought this was a big come-on...and always refused it.

Am I making a mistake?

Tim

 

[Andrew Stoller]

No Tim, I think it's a waste to get additional siping. I had it done to my Goodyear Comfortreads, and near the end of the tire's life, a few tread blocks had fallen off! Meaning the tread integrity was compromised I guess. It didn't do anything for traction either. Well, maybe if you are trying to get a really nobby mud tire like a BFG Mud Terrain (which has solid tread blocks with no sipes) to be decent on solid ice and standing water, it might help.

Now, buying a tire with a highly siped tread pattern from the factory is a whole different ball game as the siping is designed into the tread pattern. That is a good thing!

I'd use the extra money it costs and buy a better engineered tire to begin with, but in all honesty, a lot of really good tires are not as highly siped as say, a dedicated snow tire, especially all terrain truck tires. One or two wavy full depth sipes on each tread block makes a world of difference on ice and snow.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Keep in mind that siping not only gives you better traction, but it extends the life of the tire by keeping it cooler while rolling down the road.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

I just put new Goodyear Viva Touring tires on my car. The Tires sold at Sams Club (WalMart also) are about $105 mounted and that includes protection plan, if tire ever blows out, even if you ran over something they replace it, they'll also repair any flats/nails for free at any WalMart (good for chasing as there is always a WalMart within a short distance). So far I have had good luck with the tires, road noise is very limited, they do well in the snow and seem to do quite well on wet roads as well (though haven't had them in a downpour yet). I drive a lot of country roads, many large white rocks roads that often seem to just chew tires up, so far these appear to be holding up quite well.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

So, did a little research on the tires that were on the car when I purchased it and figured out they are Ultra High Performance SUMMER TIRES. No wonder I have been getting nowhere on snow. They're supposed to be excellent for the warm season and on rain soaked pavement, but says "not to be driven in near freezing temperatures or on snow or ice".

That would explain it.

Half tempted to leave them on since they'll be great for chasing... but now I know that this last month or so is going to be filled with snow storms. Already one lined up for tomorrow.

 

[Jason Foster]

Consumer reports

In addition to getting the opinions here, I'd highly recommend checking out consumer reports. I use them for all kinds of stuff (electronics, household cleaners, and tires). They also have good travel tips and more. They are really good for any chaser to have. I wish they did reviews on the bigger video cameras though, guess I'll have to check out on of the other pro-video mags for that review. Oh and they obviously don't have the "chaser perspective". I still find them a valuable asset.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

I got my new tires today. BF Goodrich Traction T/A. They had the best traction rating of the all-season tires available. I did extensive research on different tire forums, and found many people to be very happy with these particular tires. A big selling point for me (living in WI) was a lot of reviews which noted the tires are about as good as tires can get in snow without being actual snow tires. Most also spoke highly of wet driving as well.

Looks like I'll get a few inches of snow tonight, I'm looking forward to trying them out!! Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

 

[Andrew Stoller]

Great tire Scott. Had them and liked them a lot. They are directional - make sure they are installed correctly when you get them rotated!!! Some moron at Discount Tire put mine on backwards on the 2nd tire rotation - traction went from good to worse than a drag slick.

 

[Mark Blue]

I'd recommend Bridgestone's as well. Someone mentioned the 960 AS model earlier, which I agree with. My wife ran those on her Bimmer and she's really paranoid about slick streets and she did just fine. I have also been buying my tires online at http://www.tirerack.com for the last 15 years and have saved a butt load of money in doing so. My dad asks me if the place I get them mounted at cares that I don't buy their tires to which I say, they get paid to mount and balance them so they could care less. Other brands like Michelin will cost more, whereas Pirelli's seem to wear out really fast. I've had good luck with Dunlop's and Continental's, but of all brands I think I like the Bridgestone's the best. Continental ContiExtreme Contacts have a tread pattern that is super aggressive, so check those out if you have time. Whatever you do compare prices when you shop and you'll be amazed at how much you can save at the Tirerack.