Well after much debate I will be shedding the Procontact2's for Bridgestone RE960 Pole positions.

Performance winter tires arent nearly as good as nonstudded Ice and snow tires, and without an aftermarket set of rims to fit the SS, Nonstudded winter tires are not an option
on the OEM wheels.

Summer tires arent an option in chicago. Pretty soon it will be 30's in the evening and my morning commute.

I thought about extremecontacts but theyre a lot noiser and dont perform as well on wet and dry. Sure they are cheaper but Id pay 200 bucks for wet traction year round.

 

I got all seasons myself. I'd have got the RE960's but I needed to save some money. I got BFGoodrich SuperSport A/S.

They handle pretty damn good and the steering response actually sharpened up quite a bit.

 

I'm in the same boat you are! I was originally going to get new wheels and snow tires, but after running into the clearance issue, I'm just going to get the Bridgestone All Seasons. They don't preform much worse than snow tires for the stock rims and you can use them all year!

Not the ideal situation, but that is what I'm planning to do...going to order the tires in the next week or two...

Where are you in Chicago?

 

Talked to derrick @ tire rack. I explained that eventually I want to go with a dedicated wheel and tire set for my SS. They still have no wheels for us but he anticipates that by spring we should see something.

He said he has driven both the Contiextremes and the RE960's on ice and snow, and found that the 960 was a bit better in the white stuff vs the conti. "wet traction, road noise, and tread life are all considerably better than the continental"

I have a 20 mile commute each way so I was willing to fork over for a quiet tire that offers the best performance and wear.

I understand Some people may opt for the extreme contacts with the offbrand navigation and 160 dollars less. But your car is only as good/fast/safe as the rubber she wears

$644.00 shipped.

oh im in crystal lake

 

IMO i would go with ice and snow specific tires if you have ice and snow over the winter, u just never know when the person infront of u is going to do something weird that puts u into a bad position to get into an accident, having that extra grip from a dedicated ice and snow tire could potentially save u a fender bender, something i'm sure nobody wants to ever have happen to them.

 

performance winter = narrowly better than the 960's ive ordered.
Snow/ice tires not available for the OEM rims. only the performance winters.
If i want to drive to florida i wont have to worry about excess wear while im down there.

 

Yeah...if you look at TireRack tests the performance winter scored a 77/100 on acceleration and the all seasons were like 75/100...not much difference when you need a performance tire...

I'm going to be ordering mine shortly...I'm looking into a deal where someone might be able to order them at a discount for me...

 

Michilen X-ice tires are avaliable in a 225/45/R18 that fit the stock rims..........unless i've been missinformed

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=0

 

Not sure if those will work or not...not the OEM size...there is only performance winter in 225/40/18 (OEM size)...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...nce=W&x=55&y=9

 

Yea the aspect is different, I didnt want to chance it

 

..........40-45???? how will that hurt anything??? someone pls explain that one because i've gone from like 55 to 40 to 45 on another car i owned and never had any real problems...........your speedo might be off a bit.........boo whoo?

 

I just bought some Michelin x-ice in 215 45 r18 which is stock size for the 2005 - 2007 SS/SC. That size is just marginally taller than 225 40 r18 but they would work fine. BTW they look great on the wheel and feel nice and sticky to the touch. Can't wait to install and test.

 

I guess I am going all season and saving my stock tires for aftermarket rims. I really hope OZ decides to make the ultraleggera with the correct offset for our cars.

 

2x on the rim, i'm using my stock rims for winter and hopefully in the spring/summer i can grab some nice aftermarket ones in bronze/gold like the STi rims. For a winter tire i'm going to try this one, i saw a video a few months back and they reviewed this tire on an M3 BMW and they gave it rave reviews in the snow.
http://www.tiretrends.com/tire_info.php3?detailID=28233

 

I'm pretty sure that OZ does make the Ultraleggera in a 5x110.... but I'm not sure if it will clear your brakes without spacers.

 

Those rims are awesome...I'm not a big fan of a lot of the wheels people put on these cars, but I'd love to get a set of those...

 

wow i love when ppl put rewritten pm's in their sigs, whos mature now?

 

Holy off topic!
If you have something to say to me, you can PM me.

 

man u just can't let it go can u? so very sad.......

 

Let what go?
I said that they make the Ultraleggera in 5x110.... what's wrong with that?

 

Is this kindergarten? Take this 13 year old girl slap fight to pm, NOW.

 

Usually even the cheapest winter tire will outperform the better all seasons in the snow. Then again, how much of your actual driving is in SNOW? If they plow or maintain the roads fairly good, you probably will be just fine with an all season. Just take it easy when it snows and you will be fine.

 

I took a good look at the Pole Positions, but I ended up ordering the ContiExtremes to save $$$. I drive 30 miles each way, and live in Michigan, so winter sucks.

Initially I also wanted to get a set of winter wheels and dedicated winter tires, however I'm not going to spend $800-$1000 + for STOCK wheels, and then add tires AND mounting and balancing. So instead I'm spending $595 out the door to get the Continentals mounted. I drive safely, and have been driving in Michigan winters as long as I've had a license, so I should be ok.

Sure, I can't control the driver in front or behind me, but I can't control them with snow tires either :-p. If I get in an accident...that's what insurance is for! I'm sure the continentals plus patient, careful driving will get me through just fine.

 

x2! I love them so far!

 

The decision wasnt too difficult between the extremecontact vs RE960's
160 extra dollars is a reasonable price (IMO) for longer wear, better dry and wet traction, better ride, quieter ride, and snow performance* - Tire Rack rep said he had driven both in snowy weather in RWD 3 series.

The roads in Chicagoland area are taken care of pretty well unless its a monster storm. In that case Ill just wait it out wherever im at. We dont have that much ground clearance on the SS!