Recommendation for wheels/snow tires for winter, 2012 Kia Sorento

[jlhopwo]

As above. I've never lived in a "snow" state before. I've gone online and used wheel/tire websites, but I'd like to hear from the membership their experiences. Thinking about getting some cheap steel wheels and mounting the winter tires on them so I don't have to keep remounting tires (and paying). Also, do I need studded in SW Portland?

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[Camelfilter]

Do you need studdeds? Nope.

Do I think everyone up here should have them? Yup.

Get them, just do not think they're magic. On ice they retain something along the lines 15-20ish% traction. Enough traction to maintain control in most situations, provided your not driving like an bubblegum hat.

Also, when your driving in the winter, assume everyone else does not have traction tires, and that they are driving like bubblegum hats, and you'll be good.

 

[Meridian7750]

Continental Extreme Winter Contact are the snow tires I use.
Very good ratings and reviews, and I vouch for their effectiveness and quite ride. I got them at The Tire Center, at Carr Subaru in Beaverton. Lowest prices I could find, and they offer free installs and removals each year, for as long as you own them.
Should last about 5 years if you run them 3-4 months per year.
I didn't know this, but snow tires wear out from being used in higher temps (above 45 or so) much faster. At lower temps they last quite a while.
Don't know much about steel rims, sorry.

As for studded tires...NO NO NO
They chew up the roads too much, and just aren't any better (on snow) than a good snow tire.

 

[UserNameInUse]

IMO, studded tires are really only for ice but some of them have a very good snow tread as well. If you are in a situation where you can just stay home a couple days after one of our ice storms or you only drive on level ground you don't need studs.

If you do need studs I believe Nokian Hakkapeliittas are the best you can buy. They come from Finland where they know a thing or two about driving on ice and snow.

And if you get studs do get them mounted on wheels and only put them on when you need them. Besides the wear on the roads, driving on them all season at highway speeds hardens the rubber making them much less effective.

You can typically find a good set of factory wheels for you vehicle on Craigslist.

 

[Larrytpdx]

Where do you live in SW Portland? West Hills or down on the flatland's. If flatland's i don't think you need snow tires. I have lived in the West Hills near Council Crest for 35 years and have never had snow tires on my AWD cars (Audi A6 Quattro) although this last winter I could/would have probably recommended them for the first time. All weather tires work fine if you know how to drive in snow and manage your momentum.

 

[BWH]

Studs..nah. false sense of security.
Back in the big snow of 2008, we had 17 inches in tualatin and 21 inches outside of newberg.
I drove my little kia sportage back and forth every day with cables only, on the rear as not much clearance on the fronts, It was invincible, almost like a zamboni.
I would suggest getting a couple of sets of Good cable chains! drive slower, maintain a farther following distance and anticipate stops and the actions of other drivers. You will be fine.

 

[cigars]

Ditto on the cables, but would lean towards chains. If you really still want the tires, look on Craigslist. You can probably score a set of Conti's or Blizzak's used with rims for a good price.

 

[EPS]

Get a good set of tire chains OR Cables and when the sign says chains required know how to put them on good bungi also to strap them on tight and drive at a constant speed try not to speed up slow down and jam on the breaks and in snow and ice don't put your defrost on high on your window it will just make your windshield collect more ice till you can't see put heat on low and set it to the floor setting and if possible don't drive in S#!+/ weather

 

[EPS]

AND REMEMBER FOUR WHELL DRIVE ONLY HELPS YOU GET MOVING IT DOSNT HELP YOU STOP I can't even count how many 4X4 I have seen crashed in the ditch because they were driving too fast

 

[jlhopwo]

Where do you live in SW Portland? West Hills or down on the flatland's. If flatland's i don't think you need snow tires. I have lived in the West Hills near Council Crest for 35 years and have never had snow tires on my AWD cars (Audi A6 Quattro) although this last winter I could/would have probably recommended them for the first time. All weather tires work fine if you know how to drive in snow and manage your momentum.

I'm on Multnomah Blvd; I think Council Crest is N. of me.

 

[Stomper]

Disregard all the above suggestions... get a Range Rover.

 

[oknow]

Like eps said don't put the defroster on, if you can handle it just crack open your window and keep the windshield cold the snow will not stick as bad and use your wipers sparingly.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i run hankook studded tires on steel wheels in the winter on my little gas getter lancer. i have all the traction i need on snow/ice.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Disregard all the above suggestions... get a Range Rover.

might as well buy a 510








lol

 

[slimmer13]

Hankook winter I pike studless

 

[EPS]

Disregard all the above suggestions... get a Range Rover.

You can buy the most expensive Range Rover there is if you can't drive it won't make a difference

 

[308]

Disregard all the above suggestions... get a Range Rover.

...and a drip mat to collect all the oil seeping out of those fine British gaskets

 

[308]

I have the Michelin X-Ice for my Subaru Hipster Mobile. Notice the 'Green' embossing...yeah, thats why I got them.

 

[EPS]

View attachment 362758

I have the Michelin X-Ice for my Subaru Hipster Mobile. Notice the 'Green' embossing...yeah, thats why I got them.

My only QUESTION is why do you have a picture of one of your tires lol

 

[Camelfilter]

Studs. Mounted on spare rims. Keep an eye on the Craigslist for either just the tires, just the rims from someone else, or if your lucky a set of 4 mounted allready.

Been doing it that way for since I've been driving. Have saved likely several thousand dollars by now.

Been swapping over every season since driving, except for the first time we moved out here in late '07. Made it thru that ice storm in '08 ok UNTIL I went into the ditch on River Road out in Hillsboro going all of 15 MPH.

Didn't figure I'd have a need for studs, so I sold them before moving out here that time.

Never again!

Now folks have all kinds of notions on studded tires, and I'm not going to fault them for them. If you think on it for a few minutes, you'll come to your own conclusion.

Damage roads. Nope. think on how many semi's run chained up at speed, and think of the forces involved even if they're not at speed (as they're supposed to be...). Compare those forces to that which your SUV will be exerting.

Tire wear. Perhaps, but negligeable. I've run my studdeds on drives from Boston to South Carolina and back on my pickup truck, same set I had on for the season back there, because they were on & it was winter & gnarly in Boston.

70 degrees down South Carolina. Drop in MPG was negligeable, maybe 1/2 a MPG.

Brought that same set out here for this move & 2 seasons on them out here with probably 2 more seasons left on them.

Snow. They're pretty good, but there are better options if it's just snow & you know it will be just snow. That's not the kind of weather we mostly see here though.

False sense of security. True, but just don't drive like an bubblegum, and continually remind yourself not too. Allow extra time for everything, keep it slow, assume no one else is running traction tires. Keep an eye on your rear view for that d-nozzle climbing up your bum (who, as I previously mentioned isn't running tractions) so you leave a nice gap in front of you for when d-nozzle slides you have somewhere to go.

Stay home. Yup. If you can. My work doesn't allow for it, so I plan accordingly. My work is also off hours, when there's more of a tendency for ice.

Learned my lesson from '08, and will always run studs going forwards.

I try and put them on early, and take them off late.