i have a '03 zx5 with stock 16" 205/50 firestone all season tires. not sure how well they will perform in the snow/ice. i'm looking at getting winter tires like bridgestone blizzak or similar winter rated tire. ideally i would like to get 15" steel wheels with a narrower tire. anyone switch to winter tires? if so, any recommendations on brand? also, any noticable snow/ice improvement?

My '03 ZX5 hasn't seen any snow or ice, yet, so I'd love to hear ZX5 winter stories, as well. Anyone get stuck?

You sure have put the kms on. You must have a good commute each day.<br><br>The Goodyear UltraGrip tires sound like good tires. I was pleased with my Alpins last year although they were not truely tested.<br><br>The Cross Terrains have good wet weather gripping but lack a truely deep tread that a real snow tire has. I think that they would be fine for Toronto but I would go for a true winter tire if I lived in the snow belts around Barrie/Parry Sound or the Owen Sound area.<br><br>Gary

Yes, I live in the Barrie area and commute to Oakville every day (120 km one way), so good winter tires are a must. I'm surprised I survived on the Firestones last winter, but the concrete roads of the Hwy407 apparently wear rubber faster than ashphalt and they are now useless for the coming winter.<br><br>I have Alpins on my Caravan and they are excellent as well. However, the Wrangular UltraGrips were designed for 4X4 winter driving and "offroading". Don't ask me what kind of offroading you can do in the winter, but the tire has an agressive tread which I kind of like.

It will be interesting to hear how they perform for you this winter. Living in Barrie you will certainly be able to test them in deep snow conditions. With your commute to Oakville and back in the winter you will likely see many different road conditions each trip. You will put them to a full test.<br><br>You have a long commute, but Barrie is beautiful country to go home to. (especially if you live on the water)<br><br>Gary

For a very long wearing winter tire with exceptional snow & ice performance, there is no better than Nokian Hakka-1 with studs.<br><br>Expect to pay over $200 per corner.<br><br>You will not go back.

And for those of us who live in "stud-illegal" places, the Nokian WR's look pretty sweet, and they are available in 235/70R16 (<a href=http://www.nokiantires.com/html/WR.html target=new>http://www.nokiantires.com/html/WR.html</a>).<br><br>Has anyone put Nokians on their Escape (or Tribute)? I'd love to know how they worked out.<br><br>Cheers,<br><br>jhg

I never been in a vehicle with studs on the tires. I guess that they would come in handy on mountain passes.<br><br>Gary

Studs allow you to have a more agressive tread pattern to get through the slushy or deep stuff while still having superior ice traction (even better than Blizzaks).<br><br>Anything else is a compromise.<br><br>You gotta be able to put up with the noise though.

I will be comprimising with my Alpins this winter. The part that scares me about the Edmonton/St. Albert roads are the sheets of ice under the snow which are strategically placed at stop signs and stop lights. The roads are basically clear at the moment.<br><br>studless Gary

I'm running Michelin 4X4 Alpins on my XLT. I bought my steel rims from Wal-Mart, 16 inch in my case.<br><br>I decided to stick with the original size (235/70-16) to keep with the same rolling radius. Because of the weight of the vehicle, I should still get good traction, although going as narrow as possible is always better.<br><br>If you could get 205/75-15, the higher wall ratio would compensate for the loss in width, i.e., the original 225/70 gives a wall height of 157.5 mm, whereas the 205/75 combination gives a wall height of 153.8 mm, a difference of only 4 mm.<br><br>If you stick with the original wall ratio and reduce to 205/70: that gives a wall height of 143 mm, a difference of 14 mm, more than a half inch... Not dramatic, but enough to screw up your speed and mileage readings.<br><br>I also recommend the Alpins as they are very quiet on dry pavement, more so than my Firestones HT !<br><br>Mario

I have the Michelin Artic Alpins which will be reinstalled tomorrow. They are the same size as the standard 16" Escape tire.<br><br>Gary

Let me know what you do with your winter tire selection. I too, have the 15 inch rims and I am interested in getting new winter tires, the Generals are great for highway, city, and summer, but I think I could get more grip with a winter tire.<br><br>Thanks<br>Evan

I had my Artic Alpins put on yesterday. They sure do grip well. While I was at Tirecraft I picked up a phamplet showing Michelin's own rating on their tires. Later this evening I will post how the Cross Terrains, Artic Alpins, 4x4 Alpins and LTX M/S stack up.<br><br>Gary

Now be nice Gary, I want to see the LTX M/S's on top.........<br><br>Tell ya what, I have 36,000 miles on the Michelins, only put 3,000 on the Stones that came with it. When I look at them I can't hardly tell they have 1,000 miles on em'. They are wearing extremely well. Of course that can also mean the Escape is tracking extremely well and not even remotely due for an alignment yet. <br><br>Escapin' and LTX M/Sin' Dennis

I have Hankook Winter I-Pike W409 on my ZX3. Going on 3rd year for them. I only put them on the front. I know that you are supposed to have them on all 4 corners, but I haven't had any problem yet. I live in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern PA and haven't had a problem with them yet! oh, Michelin Pilots on the rear.