I was wondering if any forum members mount snow/winter tires on their MKS/SHO? Any suggestions for brand and model of tire?
I am sure there have been.
How about some more info as to where you live etc.
Quote from: Macgyver on September 19, 2021, 02:44:25 PM
I am sure there have been.
How about some more info as to where you live etc.
I live in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Winters can be rough, even though last winter wasn't that bad.
I'm in the northeast section of Massachusettes and Nor'easters can get rough here, on my previous two cars (1988 Caprice Classic LS and a 2010 Ford Fusion) before my current MKS, I ran Firestone Winterforce tires on all 4 corners. Never got stuck in either car. The tires can be optionally studded as well. Reasonably priced as well. I am running BF Goodridge Comp 2+ A/S on my MKS but if first snows prove them unable of the winter challange, I will be going to the Firestone's.
I use Winter tires on all my vehicles. The SHO with 275' is extremely bad in snow so I switch to a set of 18" with OEM width.
Everyone will recommend what they've used so you are going to get as many suggestions as replies. I've used Nokian, Blizzak, Toyo and Michelin and can't really say one has been bad. IMO the one with a more aggressive thread (off-road tire look) vs the street tire look have better grip in snow but are noisier when there isn't any.
Here is a little video, just for fun as it has very little to do with your question. These are Michelin X-Ice 2
https://youtu.be/95m_GB_ul18
There is also the option of "All Weather" tires, which are 3-snow-peak rated all seasons.
I run the Quatrac Pro all-weather in stock width on my 2012 MKS. They are EXCELLENT.
I drove last winter for over 2 hours in white-out blizzard conditions late in the evening. Really sucked overall, but I was sure-footed and got where I needed to go (driving home from out of state in rural areas, so no real place to pull over and wait it out). I was also one of the only cars on the road at the time...
I also have Nokian WRG4 all-weather tires on my 2017 MKT, and even went with Cooper all-weather tires on my 1996 Explorer XLT (it is 4wd). The Cooper tires are more off-road looking than on-road, but drive quiet with no noise and handle great in the snow/ice as well.
Both my MKS and MKT are AWD. I plan on putting a set of Michelin CrossClimate2 all-weather tires on my daughters 2001 Acura TL here shortly.
This video is totally worth watching btw.
https://youtu.be/22pMODgh6bE
Cool video showing the drastic differences in tires "types" overall.
The big issue is that in reality the BEST "all-season" is close to the WORST "all-weather", where-as the worst "snow tire" is way WORSE than the BEST "all-weather" in the snow, so selection still makes a MASSIVE difference.
ie, There is a BIG overlap in tire technology. All-Weather tires are still fairly new for everyone else except Nokian tire, as they have been doing this for some time.
As a datapoint, I had a pair of Nokian WRG3 tires on a RWD conversion van that did better on snow and ice than MANY true snow tires. That vehicle was the only thing able to drive in an ice storm compared to almost every other vehicle in rush hour traffic at the time. I had buddies that were pissed that their snow tires couldn't handle it as well and that was a good 15 years ago.
As of now there is the "best of" all-weather tires that are right up there with a true snow tire. Then there are "worst of" that are still better than most "all-season" tires, but give up a lot of road noise, wet traction, and even snow and ice traction and all around suck as a "do everything" tire.
You have to research and research and research. And even then you need to decide is that the right tire for the vehicle and the way you drive.
I mean my Cadillac CTS-4 has Continental DWS06 tires on it because they handle the best in the dry, the wet and if I am caught out in the snow they will probably get me home as long as it isn't too deep (the CTS-4 is pretty low). Now, are they anywhere near the rest of my cars with "all-weather" tires as far as snow, no way, but I do have all of the other vehicles that I drive more often wearing "all-weather" tires for that reason.
I will add, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro are quiet, handle great and have great control and stopping on snow/ice. The Nokian WRG4 are a bit noisier on dry pavement and on grooved concrete can even sing a little bit, so that is a big issue I have with them. They handle good and are great on snow/ice, plus they are on the MKT compared to the MKS, so that is OK, but I would have preferred to go with the Vredestein Quatrac Pro if I could have gotten them in the proper size for that vehicle as well.
I appreciate everyone's posts! Last winter we had a somewhat bad snowstorm and I have all season Michelin's and they disappointed me in the snow.
The one negative on Snow tires is they tend to be loud imho.
But @LMKS012 (https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?action=profile;u=6689) is correct that there is a lot of overlap.
I would probably get some quality All Weather if you are going to drive it a lot and do not want noise. Otherwise. Safety first and get some extra rims and quality snow tires.
To counter that. I picked up some used snows on rims for my wifes 2010 Suzuki Kizashi AWD. Saved a ton of money and she loves them. Last Winter was brutal in Pa. She actually was super confident going to work. She is a NICU nurse and has to get there.
I have 20 inch Blizzacks on the wives MKS
Ive historically used 18" Mustang wheels with Blizzak snow tires usually sourced from local craigslist with very good results.
As a fellow GP resident, glad to have ya on the forum. On my current SHO and my 2013 I ran General GMAX AS 05's and haven't had trouble getting through Michigan winters in the last 5 years between the two SHO's. I would agree that a dedicated snow setup would be great to reduce wear on the GMAX's but I haven't bit the bullet on a winter setup yet.
Quote from: shaundizzle15 on December 27, 2021, 02:03:05 PM
As a fellow GP resident, glad to have ya on the forum. On my current SHO and my 2013 I ran General GMAX AS 05's and haven't had trouble getting through Michigan winters in the last 5 years between the two SHO's. I would agree that a dedicated snow setup would be great to reduce wear on the GMAX's but I haven't bit the bullet on a winter setup yet.
Driving in GP is fine during the winter, but Venturing out of the GP bubble is when it gets sketchy. LoL
LOL very true, I commute to Troy 7 days a week so I get outside that bubble often. I also work early, so usually before a lot of the roads are properly taken care if ever in MI. Only negative is they only last 2-2.5 years or 40k miles for me, however I'm aggressive on tires especially the mound to 696 interchange so some of that is operator haha.
The good ole mound 696 interchange. Well if you see a 2011 MKS with the red S on the badge with tinted windows in the Bubble good chance it is me
Very nice I'll keep an eye out, I have a 2016 Shadow black SHO, no tint just yet, but my fender badges are paint matched, other wise would be hard to tell, there's tow other black SHO's just in my neighborhood haha.
I use Hankook winter i-Pike tires on my Mks and they work beautifully. Only lose grip when you want them to! They can also come studded if you are allowed to do that where you live.
plenty of good winter tires as well as all weather tires available nowadays. depending on how rugged your needs are, look in the CUV/SUV/truck categories also over at tire rack, discount tire, etc.
Quote from: shaundizzle15 on January 09, 2022, 08:26:22 AM
Very nice I'll keep an eye out, I have a 2016 Shadow black SHO, no tint just yet, but my fender badges are paint matched, other wise would be hard to tell, there's tow other black SHO's just in my neighborhood haha.
If you decide to tint your windows check out DJ