Does anyone have a Honda Civic with snow tires on it that they are happy with? Does anyone have personal recommendations? I have just read the CR report so am up to date on that.
Thanks
We have Michelin X-ICE on both our Toyota and Nissan cars. We live in a similar climate to yours, and those tires are every bit as good as CR reports. The traction on icy surfaces is great and my wife drives with confidence she did not have before.
They should do equally well on your Honda Civic. In fact we have yet to find anyone on this website who does not like them.
Really depends on where you live and what you’re comfortable with. 90-98% of this country you’ll be find driving in all-season tires year round. We’ve NEVER seen the need for snow tires on any of our fwd vehicles. If we lived in the Mountain region or the snow-belt around the great-lakes…then I’d consider it.
What is your winter conditions weather like in SD? Is it mostly rain/slush, snow, ice or dry?
NO winter tire excels at all respects without giving up something else. I live in coastal New England use a winter rated all-season tire(Nokian WR G2) that is plain incredible in slush and wet roads. It is not as good as true one in the pure winter conditions like ice and deeper snow but that is the minority of the winter driving season.
The big problem with the Consumer Reports winter testing is they only test time 5mph-20mph for snow/ice. The brake test though is good at least. They do not test lateral traction(cornering in winter conditions) which is very important. Use Consumer Reports as a tool not a bible.
I concur the X-Ice are excellent pure winter tires.
The only place they are mediocre is slush and IMHO no better than an all-season.
Note: snow tyres and winter tyres are not the same thing. They use different technologies. Winter tyres are far better on ice and somewhat better on snow. All season tyres are really only three season.
I have an '03 Civic purchased new in Feb. of '03. I have Nokian winter tires on the original steel wheels and summer tires on aftermarket wheels. The Nokians still have lots of tread left and will go on soon. Extra wheels means less money at change over time, in my case it is a DIY job.
Your Civic might have a limited slip differential (mine does not). This will give you more “bite” in snow. When you do spin the wheels both may spin and that could make the front want to slide out as the wheels get traction. If you do have the limited slip differential then the winter tires are just that much more important. I hope you plan on a set of four winter tires to make sure your ABS braking system works properly.
We live in an “all-or-nothing” region; cold winters with crisp snow, very short spring and fall. The X-ICE are perfect for us.
check out tirerack.com and see what they offer. If you decide to buy, you can also purchase the tires mounted on their own rims and will ship already mounted and balanced should you ask them to(it’s a little check box on your checkout page)