Snow tire tread wear/life

[norsairius]

I tried searching for info about this, but wasn't able to find too much.

That said, just got my first decent covering of snow on the roads right around rush hour traffic (how convenient). Needless to say, getting grip wasn't as easy as I would have liked. I never got stuck (thankfully), but the traction control system got a real workout.

Anyway, I'm thinking about getting a set of snow tires/wheels as a result. I'm open to either Winter Performance (I'm guessing these won't be as bad with tread wear, but I could be wrong) or Studless Ice and Snow.

My main concern though is the tread wear on such tires. I will be driving home every now and then, which is approx. 600 miles round trip. It will be cold at home as well when I go visit, so for the sake of making things simpler, let's not worry about the temperature differences between where I'm leaving from and where I'm going.

So will I have much to worry about when it comes to tread wear? How long would you say snow tires last on average (mileage-wise?). I don't want to have to buy a new set of tires every 1-2 years.

Thanks!

 

[norsairius]

Also, just wanted to add a couple things:
I should be fine if I don't opt for TPMS, right? The only difference is that I'll have to deal with the tire pressure warning, but I'm not too worried about that (I check my tires pressures regularly). I don't feel like spending an extra $200 on top of the wheels/tires as it is.

Has anyone here had experience with these:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...utoYear=2010&autoModel=GTI&autoModClar=2-Door

General feedback online is that they're good, but I just thought I'd ask out of curiosity.

Thanks!

 

[ride106]

You'll get different estimates on milage depending where you ask and how bad the roads are, and I'm not really qualified to speak about winter tires. I would venture at least 30K from a pair before you notice how they perform in the snow and on cold roads. From what I hear though, the beefier tread of snow tires isn't the only consideration - there is a different rubber compound that grips the road better in cold temps. Also why they're much worse if you use snow tires in the summer. A phone rep at tire rack might offer some better advice. Or try Car Talk.

I had a pair of 15" altimaxes (altimaxen?) on my old bmw. The tires were great and I highly recommend them. Amazing for the money. Never got stuck, and probably should have on more than one occasion considering the RWD.

Come to think of it, I couldn't even do proper donuts with those tires. Maybe that's something to consider.

 

[pvivino]

I've used Bridgestone Blizzak's and Michelin X-Ice. They wear faster than regular tires. I think I only got about 30,000 miles per set. They have the best traction when they are new, but you can probably stretch them out for maybe 40,000 miles.

 

[ride106]

Oh and I have a winter set on my GTI now (not altimax though). No TPMS, but you can disable using VAG-COM it for the winter months so you don't stare at the light all winter. If you can use a tire gauge, forget the TPMS.

 

[norsairius]

Thanks for the feedback!

I definitely don't plan on using these all year-round. They'll only be for the winter months and I imagine they'll rack up maybe 5k miles a year, 7k at most. So given the rough estimates you've provided (which I won't hold against you, don't worry, haha) that'll give these plenty of life for what I want to use them for. Most of the round trip distance of 600 mi. is interstate anyway, so not much braking and acceleration.

That said, I think I'll give these General Altimax tires a try. Worst comes to worst, they won't last all that long, but they'll at least have been pretty cheap to start with.

If anyone else has any opinions, feel free to post them. I'll probably be placing the order tomorrow for some 16" steelies and a set of winter tires.

 

[norsairius]

All right, well, I'm not gonna order the tires/wheels tomorrow cuz I already ordered them this evening, haha. I did click through the tire rack link in the sticky thread in this forum, so hopefully this forum should get some kind of kickback on that.

I spoke to a couple friends who have lived in Wisconsin longer than I have (I moved here recently) and they strongly recommended getting them sooner rather than later.

I ended up getting 16" black steel wheels along with the General Altimax Arctic tires, sized 205/55/16. I'll post up some impressions once they come in and get mounted and stuff since not many people here have gotten these tires. I'm hoping they'll be fine for the interstate and stuff (I don't see why they wouldn't be).

That said, would anyone happen to know off the top of their heads what the torque specs are for the lugnuts are on the GTI? I found answers between 88-90 ft-lb, so that's what I'm gonna go with for now unless I hear otherwise. Also, any suggestions for tire pressure? This is all stuff I'll end up asking the people at the installation shop where I have the tires going to, but I just thought I'd ask.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[micah360]

I have the General Altimax Artics on 16" steelies. I've had them on for 800 miles. I like them, but haven't driven in snow yet though, as it's been really warm and dry in Denver this season still (knock on wood). Actually I take that back, one morning there was a light dusting of snow, but not enough to really test, but I sure tried.

They ride smooth (kinda soft in the corners). I keep them between 35-38 psi. I don't have TPMS (turned off the sensor via vagcom).

Oh, and the torque for the lugs is 88ftlbs.

 

[dustinwark]

I have had the same set of winter tires on my GTI for the past three winters and I drive a lot! Tread still looks almost new.