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07-06-2015, 03:25 PM   #31
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Mazda 3 just replaced $560 for conti contact something v rated. I don't need the speed but I have found the v rated to drive much better. They have LRR and I still get great mpg. They are 16 inch.

07-06-2015, 04:12 PM   #32
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Pirelli Cinturato 215/55 R16 on a hard working Saab.
There have been about 5 Saabs as work cars here over past 12 years doing high miles and it will be a sad time if Saab USA does not come back when this one retires.
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07-07-2015, 03:08 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by condor27596 Quote
Mazda 3 just replaced $560 for conti contact something v rated. I don't need the speed but I have found the v rated to drive much better. They have LRR and I still get great mpg. They are 16 inch.
At that price point, you most likely got the Conti Pro Contact tires. My rental car was a 2015 Focus Hatchback (don't buy one... they're horrible) from enterprise that I had while my car was in the shop after smacking a deer last nov. The focus hatch had conti pro contacts on... good tires, but definitely not meant to handle PA winter weather. If the roads were bare or rainy... they'd be great... but not the best thing to have in the snow. The 1" rim diff and the narrower width wouldn't put the Extreme Contact DWS into the pricerange you mentioned (unless you got a hell of a rebate). Conti definitely makes some decent tires though.
07-07-2015, 04:28 AM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by Auzzie-Phoenix Quote
At that price point, you most likely got the Conti Pro Contact tires. My rental car was a 2015 Focus Hatchback (don't buy one... they're horrible) from enterprise that I had while my car was in the shop after smacking a deer last nov. The focus hatch had conti pro contacts on... good tires, but definitely not meant to handle PA winter weather. If the roads were bare or rainy... they'd be great... but not the best thing to have in the snow. The 1" rim diff and the narrower width wouldn't put the Extreme Contact DWS into the pricerange you mentioned (unless you got a hell of a rebate). Conti definitely makes some decent tires though.
What's wrong with the Focus?

07-07-2015, 05:21 AM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by Auzzie-Phoenix Quote
The conti's do well in the winter, but I believe the nokian tires will be better as the conti's aren't rated for much snow.
I've always been interesting in trying Nokian tires but they seem hard to find in the US - at least around here. I just tried the dealer locator on their website and it doesn't work.

I am a firm believer in winter tires. While I've always had a 4WD pickup I ran my VW Jetta TDI for a few winters with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires. The grip on ice was just fantasic - I couldn't believe how sure footed the Jetta was even on a totally ice covered road.

Now I am down to just my 4WD pickup and it only gets ~6k miles a year on it. I don't have the ability to change out winter wheels/tires anymore so my next tire purchase will be something for all year use. I don't believe in the term "all season" for tires - there is no such thing. I don't want to run a dedicated winter tire like the Blizzak all year since they wear quickly on hot dry pavement. So I thought the Nokian winter tire would be a good comprimise especially being we have a solid 5 months of winter here with poorly maintained roads. If only I could find a Nokian dealer within striking distance.
07-07-2015, 05:34 AM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by stormtech Quote
I've always been interesting in trying Nokian tires but they seem hard to find in the US - at least around here. I just tried the dealer locator on their website and it doesn't work.

I am a firm believer in winter tires. While I've always had a 4WD pickup I ran my VW Jetta TDI for a few winters with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires. The grip on ice was just fantasic - I couldn't believe how sure footed the Jetta was even on a totally ice covered road.

Now I am down to just my 4WD pickup and it only gets ~6k miles a year on it. I don't have the ability to change out winter wheels/tires anymore so my next tire purchase will be something for all year use. I don't believe in the term "all season" for tires - there is no such thing. I don't want to run a dedicated winter tire like the Blizzak all year since they wear quickly on hot dry pavement. So I thought the Nokian winter tire would be a good comprimise especially being we have a solid 5 months of winter here with poorly maintained roads. If only I could find a Nokian dealer within striking distance.
Maybe you can order the tyres online? In Germany it is possible IIRC...
07-07-2015, 09:25 AM   #37
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I have used the Cooper Trendsetter all season tires for years in our Upstate NY winters without issues. The biggest winter issue I find isn't the tires but the alloy wheels that seems to come on every vehicle these days. Snow and ice collect on the inside of the wheels and the imbalance makes for very bad handling which people often blame on the tires.

07-07-2015, 10:20 AM   #38
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I'll admit my Cooper LTZ's have been good in the snow. There are an all terrain M&S rated light truck tire.
07-07-2015, 11:21 AM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by link81 Quote
Think that's bad? try pricing out a decent set of 35's or bigger for a jeep. Can spend over 2k in tires only without too much trouble. There's a reason jeep stands for "just empty every pocket" :-)
That's why I kept the stock tire size. My jeep motto is "JEEP:WHEN YOU LIKE SHUTTING EVERY DOOR TWICE! (This is to figure out which door is ajar since the icon only states that a door is ajar but not which door).... Really jeep.... Would it of been that much money for the extra tech?
07-07-2015, 04:25 PM   #40
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I think that is them. I do not challenge them in the snow. On my previous car I bought a set of used rims and put on real snow tires. FWD with snow tires is better than 4WD with street tires. I changed out the tires each and every time it snowed. I didn't get them yet for this car but I intend to do so. Snow tires on snow is like driving on normal roads. People don't believe it but it is true.

---------- Post added 07-07-15 at 07:31 PM ----------

BTW I have always wanted a Jeep. I can't understand why the cost is so high and the quality so low. The styling is great though.
07-07-2015, 07:11 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by kadajawi Quote
What's wrong with the Focus?
As much as I love ford vehicles, that 2015 focus was not one I'd ever want to drive again. The interior is cramped compared to older models, the brake pedal too close to the driver seat (and when you're short like me and have to pull the seat up, that meant picking my leg up and pulling back to hit the brake pedal...), the controls were awkwardly laid out due to the redesign of the control console (which took up so much space that it cramped the driver seat), the stereo was a quiet piece of crap powered by some form of MS based software, and on top of that the suspension was so hard you felt every bump in the road. The seats were hard too. Plus those "blind spot" mirrors on the side mirrors are distracting and cut into your field of view out of the main mirror.

---------- Post added 07-07-15 at 10:16 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by stormtech Quote
I've always been interesting in trying Nokian tires but they seem hard to find in the US - at least around here. I just tried the dealer locator on their website and it doesn't work.

I am a firm believer in winter tires. While I've always had a 4WD pickup I ran my VW Jetta TDI for a few winters with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires. The grip on ice was just fantasic - I couldn't believe how sure footed the Jetta was even on a totally ice covered road.

Now I am down to just my 4WD pickup and it only gets ~6k miles a year on it. I don't have the ability to change out winter wheels/tires anymore so my next tire purchase will be something for all year use. I don't believe in the term "all season" for tires - there is no such thing. I don't want to run a dedicated winter tire like the Blizzak all year since they wear quickly on hot dry pavement. So I thought the Nokian winter tire would be a good comprimise especially being we have a solid 5 months of winter here with poorly maintained roads. If only I could find a Nokian dealer within striking distance.

I know that one all too well. It took me a while to find a dealer in the US that carried them. I ordered my nokian tires from tiresbyweb, which is the online portion of a michigan store called Tire Factory. I had a hard time choosing between the hakkapelitta 8's (studless version/winter tire) and the hakkapelitta wr g3's (all season). I went with the wrg3's because I didn't want to have to buy a set of summer tires on top of that. There was no way I was dealing with studded tires (hakkapelitta 8 has a studded option).
07-08-2015, 01:33 AM   #42
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I guess the Focus is no longer the Ford version of the Mazda 3...

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07-08-2015, 01:40 AM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by Auzzie-Phoenix Quote
As much as I love ford vehicles, that 2015 focus was not one I'd ever want to drive again. The interior is cramped compared to older models, the brake pedal too close to the driver seat (and when you're short like me and have to pull the seat up, that meant picking my leg up and pulling back to hit the brake pedal...), the controls were awkwardly laid out due to the redesign of the control console (which took up so much space that it cramped the driver seat), the stereo was a quiet piece of crap powered by some form of MS based software, and on top of that the suspension was so hard you felt every bump in the road. The seats were hard too. Plus those "blind spot" mirrors on the side mirrors are distracting and cut into your field of view out of the main mirror.

---------- Post added 07-07-15 at 10:16 PM ----------




I know that one all too well. It took me a while to find a dealer in the US that carried them. I ordered my nokian tires from tiresbyweb, which is the online portion of a michigan store called Tire Factory. I had a hard time choosing between the hakkapelitta 8's (studless version/winter tire) and the hakkapelitta wr g3's (all season). I went with the wrg3's because I didn't want to have to buy a set of summer tires on top of that. There was no way I was dealing with studded tires (hakkapelitta 8 has a studded option).
Hm. The brake pedals being a bit close so you have to pull in your leg is not too uncommon, but maybe it is worse in that car. Poor rear visibility too. It was said the center console was improved, before there were too many buttons...

I once drove studded tyres. Noisy, but very effective. It was November in Finland.
07-08-2015, 02:09 AM   #44
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Definitely was not a comfortable car to drive.... also the gauges are small in that car due to having an lcd tucked in there hogging all the space. Older models had fewer controls... new model everything is awkwardly arranged, cramped, not very user friendly, and takes up too much room. Look up pictures of the dashboards/cockpits of a 2013/2014 focus vs. the 2015 with sync and you'll see how crowded it really is.
07-08-2015, 03:00 AM   #45
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Every car now has a LCD. That is normal, and quite useful. Also cars nowadays are less comfortable, especially if they are meant for the European market. I drove a 2012 VW Touran MPV, and that thing feels like a go kart. No suspension at all. It HURTS. (The 17" rims didn't help, I drove a similar one with 15" and didn't have such a terrible experience). The 2006-ish Focus was stiff but acceptable. I recently also drove a Renault Megane (big digital display in the center), usability was fine, and it is lauded for its comfortable ride. Well. I would not say it is particularly comfortable... it doesn't hurt. I suppose these days that is as good as it gets. My 2002 Citroen Xsara, same segment as the Megane and the Focus, is more comfortable. Let alone the big old Citroen XM, though I doubt you can match that, ever. Those days are over, nowadays handling is important... also for safety. I just hope manufacturers strike a better balance, and it looks like that is where they are heading, as customers are getting fed up with increasingly harsh rides (though they have to be blamed too, with their obsession with big rims).

I recall from photos that the new Focus is less cluttered than the old ones, where the designer must have been bribed by a button manufacturer.

May I ask what car (Ford I assume) you usually drive?
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