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Ontario Winter Tire source?

145K views 481 replies 122 participants last post by  LuisaS 
#1 ·
I decided against in the end getting a winter beater. Mostly cause of justification reasons.

(being single + Genesis Coupe + winter beater + eventually get a sport bike = 3 vehicles + 1 person doesn't make sense)

Anyone find any winter / rim deals? I want to jump on it sooner then later.
 
#389 ·
Im going square. Cheaper and easier. Ive heard just as many people say theyve had no isssues then did with the TCS. I wont be driving very far or often in the winter to be concerned.

This thread is 20 pages long, but there is alot of useful info from last winter in it. Read away lol.
 
#390 ·
This is the first time I'll be getting winter tires. I've been driving a crapalier for years and didn't need winters.

I have a few questions that hopefully can be answered.

I'm thinking of the square set and I've seen different suggestions for sizes. Oh, I also have Brembo's so I'll be going for 18" rims.

Which size for tires would I be better off with? I do very little high way driving getting to and from work (about 2 mins on the way back home) and it's mostly just main roads so there's a lot of stop and go.

I'm assuming because of this I won't need a high performance winter tire set up.

I was thinking of going with 245-45-18 square set up and I thought the Hankook iPike's would be good enough for what my daily drive is. Would I be able to go with the 225-50-18 set up all square for the kind of driving I do?

Also, would I be better served going with alloy or steel rims?

I would like to get this info so I can get in on the RFD group buy.

Thanks.
 
#391 ·
I've been looking around for winter tires in the stock 18" size for a couple weeks now since I have my OEM rims sitting in my basement, so 225-45-18 front, 245-45-18 rear. This is going to be my first time driving a RWD car in the winter and my street is always one of the last to be plowed, so I need something that's decent in deep snow, and I'd like to avoid any problems with TCS so I'm going staggered.

I was looking at the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 as I heard it was a decent tire (although not the greatest in deep snow) but then I found out that it was discontinued in the 245-45-18 size.

I also looked at the Blizzak LM60, but I've heard that the tread that makes it work well in snow wears out pretty quickly, and then after that they are just average winter tires.

I think I've decided on the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R. I've heard it's very good in deep snow and should have decent tread life. It should be available in the OEM staggered size (although 245-45-18 is out of stock right now in the Nokian Ontario warehouse, but I've heard they should be getting more). There aren't all that many places in the GTA that carry Nokian Tires. I've done a bit of calling around, and these were the prices I got (taxes in, installed and balanced):

Kal Tire Mississauga 1473
MTC Tires Oakville 1365.04
E.T Auto Centers Etobicoke 1369.56
Colalillo Automotive Services Mississauga 1369.56

I also called two places in the Buffalo area and this was the best pricing I got:

225-45-18 $198.95 USD plus installation and balancing plus tax
245-45-18 $269.95 USD plus installation and balancing plus tax

Only problem is, there's no way I can sneak these tires across the border . . . so I'll have to pay Canadian taxes plus duty since these tires are made in Finland.

My math worked this out as follows:
198.95 x 2 = 397.90
269.95 x 2 = 539.90
Subtotal 937.80
NY State tax plus county tax of 8.75% = 1019.86

Now comes the tricky part - I haven't been able to find anything concrete on the percentage of duty on tires made outside of North America. I found one Toronto Star article from 2009 that said between 4-7%.

Convert to Canadian at current bank rate of 1.04 = 1060.66
Plus worst case scenario 7% duty ?? = 1134.90
Plus GST and PST = $1282.44

Thus not worth it, since gas plus getting the tires mounted and balanced would be more than the price difference.

My questions to you guys:
1. From what I understand the OEM rear rims are wider than the fronts. Is it even possible for me to run a square set on these rims, thus giving me more tire choices? I think I saw a post about someone doing this in this thread, but how would a 225 fit on a rim designed for a 245?
2. Does anyone have any idea how duty works on tires from the US manufactured outside of North America (thus not qualifying for NAFTA)? Is my calculation above anywhere close to being accurate? Do they charge GST and PST on top of the duty, or do they calculate the duty afterwards?
 
#395 ·
depending which shop in buffalo u go .....PM me for details.
i got Nokian Hakka R for my gf's Honda Fit, got steelies at simply when it's clearance, and brought it down to buffalo, 14" tires were $80 each and they
were made in finland... no duties were applied (dunno y), only 13% tax....kal tires wanted $700+tax j/ on 14" tires... so i saved a bunch there...
and this is the same place where i got my Michelin PA3 and my friend's Conti EWC.....much much more better price than GTA....


love the hakka R tires on such a small and light vehicle
 
#392 ·
The rear wheels are only .5" wider so the square set-up will work. You may have issues with the TCS going off, but Im not concerned. Ive heard/read good and bad about the TCS problems, but Im not convinced its a huge issues. Even with the proper sized tires, the TCS will being going off every time the tires slip a bit anyway. There isnt a whole lot of 18" tires available in a staggered set-up either, so the choices are limited.

Personally, I dont drive my Genesis alot in the winter anyway, so Im going with a square set-up probably with the iPike 409 from SimplyTire. 225/50/18 is what Simply is recommending. They are a great tire in the snow/slush/ice. Maybe a bit noisy in the dry, but great in the snow. I drove last winter on the OEM all-seasons, so anything will be better lol. Im even keeping an eye on Kijiji for a used set.

Sorry, no idea on the duty. You will still have to pay taxes on top of it though. And they CDN $ isnt the greatest either.

Keval you could drive to the US on your 18s and get the snows installed there.

18-19 winter tires are going to be pricey no matter where they come from. The 15" wheels and tires Im getting for my Elantra are only $600 lol.
 
#393 ·
Yea, I've heard great things about the iPike which is why I'm considering going with a square setup now. The pricing is great as well.

I think I might go to MTC in Oakville tomorrow and see if they can call Nokian to determine when the 245-45-18 will be availble. They're fairly close to where I work.
 
#394 ·
I had the w409 on my 07 Civic and they were a great tire in the snow. I live out in the country and my roads get plowed half-a$$ed, so Id like a good snow tire. Simply has them for in 225/50/18 for under $800 (plus tax) and thats a great price and they are close enough in size.
 
#396 ·
I was able to find a dealer that could get me the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 in the discontinued 245-45-18 size. Last season's stock but they should be fine, and I saved quite a bit over the Nokians.

Apparently Kal Tire is the only Nokian Distributor in Ontario, and everyone else buys from them. They're real jerks about the other guys undercutting their prices. I probably would have had to go to the US for Nokians in the 245-45-18 size and there's just too many unknowns.
 
#398 ·
Simply Tire today..ordered a 17" setup on alloys using square 215/55/17. Alloys were a must for me....hate steelies.
Which means, OEM 18s for next year stay....so.... anyone recommend a good set of spacers...20mm back, 15mm front? is that a good place to start size wise?
 
#399 ·
20mm front, 25mm back. Ichiba brand. If you get any rubbing, it will most likely be in the rear on the fender tabs (which is what everyone gets) and you can either bend them up or grind them down. After that, it won't rub, it'll ride great, and it'll look even better. You may not be low enough to have to worry about that anyways. Are you on the Pro-Kit or Sportlines?


Anyone know how long that RFD Simply Tire deal is going on?
 
#400 ·
pro-kit.

not sure but likely through the next couple of weeks. I just wanted to get it out of the way. Once i figure out what i want from here i just go do it. Im not running around all over the city wasting time to save a few bucks. If its a good deal that i perceive ill do it...if its convenient and i spend a bit more...i do it. Im guessing Simply is set to do enough of these, done the research in the past and im confident of the setup...i do it...:D
 
#401 ·
I don't forsee you having any issues on the pro-kit with the sizes I mentioned.

I'm not one to waste time either, in fact I haven't really spent any time at all searching for better prices. I just wait until someone else does the work and posts it on GenCoupe. I was curious as to when the deal ends because I wanted to wait a little longer in case someone does some more work for me.... :)
 
#410 ·
Tires23 ...best place for tires
 
#415 · (Edited)
See my post http://www.gencoupe.com/846857-post395.html a few pages back in this thread. I know this is a long thread but it pays dividends to read the whole thing.

Your only real options if you want to go with the exact OEM sizes are:
Blizzak LM60 - What I've heard: fast wear issues on the special tread that makes them good in snow. Quote from Kal Tire: The best winter tires you'll own for 1 or 2 seasons
Michelin Pilot Alpin 3 - What I've heard: performance biased. Better than an all-season tire in snow, but not by much.
Michelin X-Ice Xi2 - What I've heard: Good on ice, good on packed snow, good in light snow, not so great in deep snow but you can power through - discontinued in 245-45-18 size for the rear - you may be able to find some from last season though, I did: (http://www.gencoupe.com/851801-post410.html)
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R: What I've heard - Excellent winter tire but it's expensive. Distribution in Ontario is controlled by Kal Tire - there are other resellers but they all order from Kal. You'll have problems finding the size for the rear from anyone other than Kal Tire, and they want $1470 (taxes in) for the set. You can take your chances with duties getting them from Buffalo (see my post #395). I really wanted these tires for winter but it wasn't worth the trouble or extra cost over the X-Ice in my opinion.

The X-Ice Xi2 was $1260 or so for me all-in at MTC. Not a great deal since I've heard people got these from Tires23 last year for $1100 but I wanted to make sure I had something before temperatures start getting too cold for my Ventus V12s. Tires23 can't get the size for the rear this year.

As MTD mentioned previously, you should be able to go with a square setup on the OEM rims since the rear rim is not much wider. I've heard the Hankook w409 is great and the pricing is great as well, but I wanted to go staggered and avoid any possibility of TCS issues.
 
#416 ·
Good info Keval. But, yeah, read through this thread. Its long but worth it.

Ive used the 409s in the past and they were a great tire in all snow conditions. Little noisy and not as smooth on dry pavement, but I just putter around town in the winter anyway.

Really depends what you want and need. A tire that has great snow performance like the 409 or Blizzak or a performance tire like the Michelin.

Decisions, decisions.
 
#418 ·
I remember seeing that chart last year and wondering how accurate it really is. Ive used a few tires on that list and in real world conditions of the driving that I do, the Hankook iPikes were much better then the Continental Winter Extreme for example. The General Altimax are supposed to be a fantastic snow tire, but not so great on dry pavement and they wear very fast. I think theres even a few on that list that they dont make anymore.

Not saying its a bad list, but I think they should separate the list into dedicated snow tires and a more performance highway tires. Any snow tire will be better then an all-season or summer tire.
 
#420 ·
Hey everyone,

I've decided to get the Hankook W409 Ipikes with 17" alloy. What's the verdict on running staggered or squared? Which one would handle better and less likely to set off TCS at odd times?

If i'm not mistaken, ByByCavelier is running staggered and Icerian is squared. How are your rides in the winter in the various Ontario winter conditions?

Squared: 215/55/17
Staggered: F 215/50/17, R 215/55/17
 
#421 ·
Well, I had no TCS issues at all, at any speed. I can't speak for the squared setup guys.

All I can tell you is that it worked perfectly for me. I had no issues getting stuck or loosing control. Traction was very linear. Tire slip will be encountered at launch if you are not careful with throttle inputs, but that is to be expected.

Handling was still confident, controllable and predictable as with the OEM summer/all seasons. However, the taller sidewall results in more body roll and less snappy steering response. The smaller contact patch in the rear will have less dry road traction, which may lead to increased over-steer and more dry pavement wheel spin on launch. On the flip side, you can cut through slush and deep snow better with the skinner, taller sidewall tires.

Keep in mind that the spongy, soft tire compound causes increased noise and steering harmonics/vibrations. The winter tire compound may feel spongy when cornering and a bit less eager to push the limits, ie you can't pull the same corner speeds and have different braking dynamics as you would with non-winter tires, ON DRY PAVEMENT (see how I stress that).

That all said, these tires are MILES ahead of the OEM tire(s) wet/cold/snow traction abilities. You will feel confident taking corners in snow pack, driving on cold, wet highways at speed, and stopping in town or on country roads.

Keep in mind that you may be able to stop in time because of your super awesome winter setup, but the retard behind you on bald summer tires tailgating you on the 401 in December probably not be able to stop. React accordingly, or suffer the same fate as me and a few others! :)
 
#424 ·
i asked Simpy tire to give me 215'50'17 and 215'55'17, paid like 10 or 20 bux more than square in either size

no tcs issue, i cut through all snow with no problem, skid on ice during a turn and recovered, ebraked and missed rear ending a car who cut into me, lightly hit a hidden curb at the rear during a turn in a parking lot and good thing i put 55 sidewalls there cause it almost nicked the steelie lol
 
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