living in minnesota as the weather cools down serves to remind me that snow is ahead . i plan to buy some snow tires for my HCH. does anyone have any recommendations? a brand you've had good (or bad) luck with.......thanks very much

please pardon me if this has been discussed recently. i did a search and didn't find any threads dealing specifically with snow tires.

 

My stock tires have been through 3 Chicago winters so far. They arent great but they work. I have heard good thing about blizaks (I think thats the model name).

 

Hi,

I work at a Sears Auto Center here in Omaha, Nebraska. I essentially 'bust tires' (as the saying goes) oil changes, etc. EVERY customer I have spoken to about this, as well as our sales people and senior automotive techs recommend the Blizzak snow tires by Bridgestone. I was finally convinced, and bought some for my Cavalier for this coming winter. It seems that regardless of the auto (car or truck, etc.) the Blizzaks help TREMMENDOUSLY. If you only buy two, have the mechanic/tech place them on the rear wheels, as this will aid in braking and prevent 'fishtailing'. Of course, if you can swing 'em, four is the way to go, as this will help with braking and getting 'unstuck'. I bought mine on sale a month ago at approx. $114 apiece (on sale, minus employee discount). I don't know for sure, but your HCH shouuld have Blizzaks available for them, although the store you buy from may have to order them, so check early! And FYI, one reason Blizzaks are so good is because the rubber used is extremely soft, and the tread is very good for wet conditions. Good luck! I hoped I helped you a bit!

 

My non-hybrid 2000 HX is lousy on snow until I put on my 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks. The way they work is that they lots of tiny suction cups that stick to ice -- really. They're much better than the original equipment tires on snow and ice.
Highly recommended, but get 4! They do tend to wear out faster on hot summer pavement, so changing back to a summer tire is best. I've also tried Nokian snowtires and they worked good on snow and ice, but wore out lopsided with lots of vibration.
If studded snow tires are legal where you live, they also work well, but I haven't used them in many years; they might be cheaper than Blizzaks.
Has anyone tried chains on a Civic or similar car?
--Walter

 

Walter brings up a great point, remember the reason snow tires work...not just that they have a very aggressive tread, but that they are softer than everyday tires.Remember a few things, DONT use higher pressure to save mpg, thats not your mission here you want traction! Next...if you dont have alot of snow and ice where you are these tires WILL wear out much faster than all season tires because they are soft. Ive been racing cars for over 20 years and ive learned soft & sticky is great for the short term, but they will burn up faster! I am going to give the stock tires a chance for this upcomming Chicago winter and see what happens. remember slow and steady in snow and ice and you will be just fine. Good luck. Dean

 

thanks everyone for the input. i live 40 miles from work, out in the country. i have a 2 mile dirt road to drive until i get to the 4 lane. and where i am the 4 lane doesn't always get the best plowing until i am closer to work. so i am looking for a little more security on the road than the stock tires.

i have heard the blizzaks are good. right now i have a great set of Toyos, but they don't fit this car. i guess i will try and sell them. i used them on my CRV and they were great, then took them off in the spring......

 

I have set of blizzacks mounted to Honda HX rims. I use the exact same size as the OEM rims and tires.

They are the best. Not only that, they are fairly light weight along with the HX rim. My mileage seems to only suffer because of the cold and the change in fuel formula for the winter. The tires do not seem to offer a penalty at all. Which I was surprised.

 

i called my local tire dealer, and they can get the Toyos for the civic, and not only that, they will take the bigger ones back as a trade-in. who'da guessed. now all i need is to find some rims.

 

The Blizaks (I know nothing about them personally) do well in rolling resistance tests. See:

http://www.greenseal.org/recommendat...resistance.pdf

Also of note is that the "would buy again" rating is higher for the blizak than for any other tire they have data for. A pretty resounding confirmation of the stellar reviews this group has come up with. :-)

Also of interest is that the composite treadwear is nearly identical to the Bridgestones (but not as good as the Dunlops). I don't know who well those numbers will hold up for snow tires on pavement.

As always YMMV. :-)

 

Hmmm, good ideas. Anyone know a good place to get a set of Civic HX rims for not too much money?

~Droid