Need tires that are good for highway and decent snow traction

[Blast7]

I will be buying some new tires for the SHO and since a I drive 30K+ miles a year I need something with some good treadwear. However, I would like some decent snow traction. I have recently burned up my Dunlop SP A2's and liked them but they just didn't hold up as far as treadwear goes. I was driving through the winter on bald tires. They didn't even last me a year. Before these tires I had Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus's which were good treadwear and good traction. These were my favorite, however they were quite pricey at ~$114/tire. I drive 90% highway so if some highway drivers can speak up then I would be very thankful.

 

[olympic]

I have BFG COMP T/A VR4's and they fit your description pretty good. Treadwear is excellent and they perform quite well in dry/wet and descent in snow(for a performance tire). Nothing beats dedicated summer and winter tires though. It's more expensive at first but then you have 2 sets of tires to wear out, so you go twice as long before having to buy another set.

 

[Emerald94]

What he said!

olympic:
I have BFG COMP T/A VR4's and they fit your description pretty good. Treadwear is excellent and they perform quite well in dry/wet and descent in snow(for a performance tire). Nothing beats dedicated summer and winter tires though. It's more expensive at first but then you have 2 sets of tires to wear out, so you go twice as long before having to buy another set.

 

[GreenBird]

aquatread
KDWS

 

[cRaZySHO.]

I ran the Falken Ziex 502's for the whole last winter and fall, and this spring. They held up quite nice, very good snow and rain traction, only $87 a piece, and come in the 225/50/16 size for the slicers.

 

[Blast7]

Thanks for the help guys but even though these are good choices I am still looking at more highway driving so treadwear is most important to me. I found these tires which seem to be perfect for my driving style and what I am willing to sacrifice on. Let me know what you guys think.
Firestone Affinity LH-30
If I do get these I would get them in size 215/60 because right now I am using 225/55's and I feel they are bit wide for the stock slicers.

 

[N3FOL]

I like my Goodyear Aquatred 3 on my 1995 for highway driving. It is rated 8 on the treadwear scale from 1 to 10 by Tirerack customers. Excellent in snow and rain. I had mine for 1 1/2 years and the thread still looks brand new.

 

[Blast7]

Guys, I wanted to thank you for your suggestion on the Aquatreds. At first I didn't even look at the tires on tirerack because I thought Goodyear would be too expensive and I have had not so good luck in the past with goodyears. However, after seeing 2 posts on the Aquatreds I had to check them out. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. They are exactly what I am looking for. Excellent tirewear with saftey in bad weather, and all for a decent price. Also, there were 162 reviews for this tire where the majority have loved the tire and many people are repeat Aquatred users which says alot. My only question for you guys who have used them is, have you experienced some of the bumpy noisy ride that some of the reviewers have written? If so, did you experience uneven wear on your tires? Thanks again.

 

[N3FOL]

Blast7,

With regards to your question on bumpy and noisy rides, I think that noise on semi-perfect roads is not a problem. I have Eibach and Tokicos, so my ride is a little stiff....but no problems at all with the noise. As for highway driving, it is quiet enough that you can enjoy your favorite music all the way. I am confident that you will be satisfied with this selection. Take care.

 

[schoobydooby]

LH 30's are a great tire. Along with the 70k treadlife warranty on them. You should have YEARS of drivability with them. Just make sure to keep it balanced and aligned. The won't honor the warranty if there is edgewear or symptoms from bad alignement etc. Good luck

 

[RonPorter]

I got a set of new-car take-offs from another SHO owner last Fall. They are Firestone Firehawk GTA-02s in a 215/55/15 size on the stock slicers. I have been actually quite pleased with them,as they have worked well in the wet & the snow, and handle decently in the 55-series. I see that Tire Rack has them new for $73 each. The Tire Rack reviews are all over the map, but there are some happy owners. They are a 300 treadware.

I would be a bit careful about a high-mileage-guarantee tire with a very high treadware number. Wet/dry/ snow/cornering capabilities are ALL compromised to get the long life. I have usually gotten 32-35K miles on all of the tire sets I've had on my SHOs over the years, and personally I'm quite happy with that.

 

[Blast7]

I bought the Aquatreds this morning and will let you guys know how I like them. I am more worried about treadwear because I am replacing my tires every year and since I am in college this is getting quite crappy with my low budget. Before I put these tires on I am replacing the inner/outer tie rods, and front control arms to fix the old worn out suspension components.

 

[schoobydooby]

Blast7:
I bought the Aquatreds this morning and will let you guys know how I like them. I am more worried about treadwear because I am replacing my tires every year and since I am in college this is getting quite crappy with my low budget. Before I put these tires on I am replacing the inner/outer tie rods, and front control arms to fix the old worn out suspension components.

Blast. Why are going to replace your control arms? Going with a lighter, higher performance ones? The major components for treadwear for your tires, are the tie rods, and the ball joints, wheel balance and alignment. I have rarely seen the control arms themselves go bad, just mabe the bushings. I just though you maybe spending unnessecary money.

 

[shojuan]

Oh, man. I'm not even going to go into a one size fits all 4 season tire because I just don't have the experience with equiping a car for harsh snowy winters. If it's at all possible get an extra set of rims and pick up a good 3 season (read Ultra High Performance or Max Performance) tire for one set of rims and a set of Blizzaks or equivalent for the other set. Nothing beats the wet performance of an ultra high performance tire. Not everybody knows that. Ultra High Performance = MUCH MUCH better in the wet than an all season tire, at least until the tread gets worn away (which will happen more quickly). I've heard that having Blizzaks on a front wheel drive is as good as having all seasons on a 4-wheel drive. If you've got snow you could do no better than to have dedicated snow tires.

Just my $.02

 

[Blast7]

I understand that I am sacrificing some handling in bad weather with these tires but the way I see it is that it will be better than driving with the bald tires I had this winter due to poor wear. As far as the control arms go, the ball joints and control arms are one unit. I am going to be replacing them to fix my uneven wear and keep my suspension working good for at least the next couple years of highway driving (30K+/year).