Best all-season tires for the Yaris?

[Rahxephon]

I think it's time that I get my Yaris a new set of tires for the winter. The Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires that come w/ my Yaris have been giving quite a poor performance in the snow/winter time. I almost had 3 accidents already. According to most reviews on 1010tires, the Potenza RE92 tires are definitely a NO and dangerous for the winter.

I cannot afford to have 2 sets of tires; I don't have a storage space for the tires that are not in used. It seems that all reviews point to the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires as the best passenger all-season tires. They score the highest in basically all categories: wet, dry, winter/snow, and comfort. The problem is that the TripleTred tires are not available in 185/60R15.

I've narrowed the list down to the Michelin Harmony and the Nokian WR. They're both available in 185/60R15. Which one should I go with? Will the WR be that bad in the summer? Will the Harmony suffice for the winter?

Also, are the Michelin Harmony, Destiny, and X Radial perform exactly the same? Some people say that they are the same tires for sale at different locations. However, when I checked their patterns, they are not exactly the same - although similar.

Lastly, will the tires with different but similar geometry (fitting on the original/stock wheels) distort the odometer reading, or affect the car performance and fuel consumption negatively? Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

[Rahxephon]

BTW, I cannot really afford getting a new set of wheels too, for now.

One more question, will the 195/60R15 work? The TripleTred is available in this size. Thanks in advance.

[Black Yaris]

If ou are going with something just for the snow, go with a michelin ice-x, if you are looking for something to run all year around, that is good in the snow go with a 205-55-15 Bridgstone Potenza G009, it is what I run on my wife's car, they are great in the snow and awsome dry/wet traction, they are pretty cheep on tirerack.com

[marvinng]

+1 for micheline x-ice.

IMHO an extra set of winter tires plus steelies are more affordable than what an accident may cost these days. all season tires are in no comparison with winter tires for winter traction. winter tires have softer rubber compound and different tread design to give better traction in snow/ice conditions.

as far as all season goes, nokian wr has good reviews. michelin pilot exalto is very good according to my friend who works at a toyota dealer. he suggested against goodyear tires though.

for odometer reading, look up the spec for the tires (www.tirerack.com) for rev per miles. find tires of similar rev/mile.

wider tires or high grip tires will give you higher traction/rolling resistance, i.e. high gas consumption.

marvin

[07WYarisRS]

The more narrow the tire the better grip you get on ice and snow.
regardless if it's a snow tire or all season.

[marvinng]

Originally Posted by 07WYarisRS

The more narrow the tire the better grip you get on ice and snow.
regardless if it's a snow tire or all season.

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=126

"A wide, low profile or large tire has to "plow" a wide path through snow which causes more resistance. The narrower the tire, the easier you can get through snow."

no comment on better grip for narrower tires ...

[boris13]

When my Yaris comes in, I am immediately switching to 195/55R15 Nokian WRs.

[Rahxephon]

Thanks all.

Originally Posted by boris13

When my Yaris comes in, I am immediately switching to 195/55R15 Nokian WRs.

What's your reason of choosing the 195/55R15 over the 185/60R15 WR ones? You think the Nokian WRs will be good enough for the summer?

[GabL]

I have the Nokian WR on my other car, and it runs great all year round, as well providing good snow traction during snow. However, it is a bit noisy on dry road, which you have to bear with. And as I heard, the price for Nokian tires went up dramatically from last year, 25% increase... so you might need to take that into account.
FYI, I think Nokian WR is the only all season tire with the snow flake & mountain symbol on it.

[boris13]

Originally Posted by Rahxephon

Thanks all.


What's your reason of choosing the 195/55R15 over the 185/60R15 WR ones? You think the Nokian WRs will be good enough for the summer?

I hear from those who have them that Nokian WRs are just fine in the summer and on dry roads. They are excellent in the snow and on wet pavement; OK on ice. The ride will be a tad rougher. I will be running the WRs year-round. These tires are supposed to last 60,000 miles or thereabouts.

Incidentally, Nokian WRs are noted for their low rolling resistance, so mpg shouldn't be affected much.

I'm going with a slightly wider tire to get more rubber on the road in braking situations. It's still not a terribly wide tire (not like a 225 or anything), so it should be fine in the snow.

I'm choosing the 55 aspect ratio in hopes of slightly better handling and stability. There is only a 1.2 percent difference in diameter between the 195/55R15 size tire and the stock 185/60R15 size that comes with the 15" steelies and alloys, so speedo error will be minimal too.

[Rahxephon]

Thanks boris. In Canada, the WR 55s only come w/ 50,000km warranty. The WR 60s come w/ 100,000km warranty. I just called a dealer; the WR 185/60R15 is $C 154.90 each - the total for everything comes to $C 745.61.

GabL, is that a lot more than what you paid for? Are these tires really really that loud? How are they when comparing to the Potenza RE92 for the summer?

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by marvinng

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=126

"A wide, low profile or large tire has to "plow" a wide path through snow which causes more resistance. The narrower the tire, the easier you can get through snow."

no comment on better grip for narrower tires ...

AFAIK narrower tires will mean more weight due to a smaller contact patch, so the wheels will dig into the snow more easily, so they'll find the solid ground beneath more easily, it's not really a matter of grip.

Take a look at rally cars in the snow, their wheels are ridiculously narrow!

[acrbill]

I had Pirelli P-zero nero M+S allseasons on my old car. Great dry traction plus they got the job done in the snow and rain. I have no idea if they make them in a 14 or 15 though.

[MrMondayNite]

Originally Posted by geno

I had Pirelli P-zero nero M+S allseasons on my old car. Great dry traction plus they got the job done in the snow and rain. I have no idea if they make them in a 14 or 15 though.

I also had the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S on my 03 Jetta, They were excellent tires, I would definitely buy them again. But they do not come in 185/60/15 size, actually they aren't many good all season tires out there for this size.

[marvinng]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

AFAIK narrower tires will mean more weight due to a smaller contact patch, so the wheels will dig into the snow more easily, so they'll find the solid ground beneath more easily, it's not really a matter of grip.

Take a look at rally cars in the snow, their wheels are ridiculously narrow!

yeah i know it's not a matter of grip ... i was just teasing the other guy~~

[GabL]

Originally Posted by Rahxephon

Thanks boris. In Canada, the WR 55s only come w/ 50,000km warranty. The WR 60s come w/ 100,000km warranty. I just called a dealer; the WR 185/60R15 is $C 154.90 each - the total for everything comes to $C 745.61.

GabL, is that a lot more than what you paid for? Are these tires really really that loud? How are they when comparing to the Potenza RE92 for the summer?

That's about the price I paid mine for. I didn't try RE92 on my other car, so cannot compare, but was noticably louder than what used to be on it.

[Lowfront]

hey what are your thoughts on just snows in the front or all 4 tires?

[dngz]

I got General Tire Exclaim Tires from 1010tire.com. Well i actually got it from the actual store volco tire which i believe is 1010tire.com. 616 bucks with warranty. they cover any road hazard damages. only thing that the tires dun get warranty is if it gets vandalized.. ooh ya, the tires are great! much more quieter than the hankook ventus vr4 and they are pretty gripping! Pretty good on snow, ice... different story.. but name a tire which is good on ice!!