OK. just sent it.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"B. Newman" <bernardnewman (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

That article rated the Hakka Q as being a good tire and the NRW as being mid
range. I was recommending the Nokian WR which is a different tire.

I would suggest you research in the winter tires since Nokian are known to
be the best, and safest tires on the market. I am not a dealer so
regardless of what you buy, I don't make a cent. I am just putting my 2
cents worth by telling you what I ended up getting after spending months of
research. Nokian tires last much longer then Bridgestone, Dunlop and other
tires. As for performance winters, I don't plan on buying those since their
emphasis is on handling and not winter grip. Most BMW, and Porsche drivers
will opt for performance winters to highlight their vehicles. I have a
friend who bought the Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV which is definitely a
performance vehicle, and she put a set of Nokian WR SUV's on her vehicle and
she loves it. I also have friends who take their performance cars (AMG
Benz, M Series BMW, Porsche, et. al) to Mont Tremblant, Quebec and they have
been using the WR's and found them to be quite satisfactory. I went with
the Hakka 1's since they have even better snow and ice traction.

Last year, I came to a snow covered road, and this guy behind me was not
able to stop and was sliding right into me. I generally stop a good 20 feet
away from the car in front of me so that I have a place to escape if I need
to. I just accelerated around the front car and stopped next to him and the
guy behind me slid a good 25 feet and rear ended the car that I was in front
of.

My view on winter tires is that I want to maximize winter grip (ice and snow
traction), and not very concerned about world class handling since I tend to
drive at the speed limit or lower in Winter.

"GRL" <GLitwinski (AT) CHARTERMI (DOT) COM> wrote

OK, I read the Consumer Reports article and am now MORE confused than
before. My situation is that I live in PITTSBURGH. My MAIN concern is
traction up snowy hills...braking is secondary but obviously important. C.U.
So which Nokian....or other brand...should I go with?




"Car Guy" <nothing (AT) something (DOT) com> wrote

More on this. How about someone telling me about the tires that are on the
vehicle right now? They are Dunlop SP SPORT 5000M tires, size P225/55R17 95H
M+S. Are they "all season"? Just "sport" (summer)? Are the GOOD? I've never
had Dunlop and, frankly, would have felt better with Michelin. Anyway,
whatever you can tell me will be helpful.




"B. Newman" <bernardnewman (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

I have had 2 LS 400 cars equipped with OEM Dunlop SP Sport tires. They are
very poor in snow and ice even with traction control. They also have a
relatively low tread life, less than 30,000 miles.I changed to Nokian WR
last fall and could not believe how much better the snow traction was. They
are quiet and handle very well. They come with a 50,000 mile tread life
warranty. The only downside is a one notch lower speed rating 130mph. I paid
$114 each for them before balancing , taxes,disposal fees etc.
"B. Newman" <bernardnewman (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

Frank, yeah, the more research I do, the better the Nokian's look. Where did
you get such a good price? At that price, I'd buy 'em, have 'em shipped to
me and pay to have them installed here.



"Frank Fitzgerald" <ffitzgerald3 (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

By the way, where do you live (not being nosey, just wondering what type of
winters you have)?


"Frank Fitzgerald" <ffitzgerald3 (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

My 2001 LS came with the Dunlops and they've performed extremely well in
our icy Kansas winters. Our storms usually put an inch or three of snow
over heavy ice. The LS on the Dunlops is more sure-footed on icy stuff
than anything else I've ever driven except maybe a '67 VW Beetle.

-- Pete


B. Newman wrote:

Interesting! Everyone else, mostly folks who don't have an LS with Dunlops
but "read" about the tire, says they're not great in winter. I suspect my
best bet is to keep the Dunlops thru this first winter, then NEXT winter buy
something else if I need to. Thanks for telling me of your good experience.




"Pete" <pete (AT) _nospam_ccoder (DOT) com> wrote

Bernard,

You are going to be taking a risk by using performance rubber in weather
that it is not intended to be used. It makes no difference what car is
using this tire since winter traction will be the same regardless. If you
plan on keeping the lexus for a few years, I would suggest getting a decent
set of winter so that winter driving will inspire confidence. Also, keep in
mind that 1 minor accident these days will probably cost more then a set of
winter tires when you factor vehicle damage, insurance cost increase and the
inconvience of repairs.


"B. Newman" <bernardnewman (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote