# New AS Tires



## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

No experience with those, but I can tell you that the Michelin Pilot A/S 3 is one of if not THE best all season tires on the market, with handling as close to a summer tire as you can get but still a beast in the snow.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

BigmountainVMD said:


> No experience with those, but I can tell you that the Michelin Pilot A/S 3 is one of if not THE best all season tires on the market, with handling as close to a summer tire as you can get but still a beast in the snow.


I'm sure, but the price was really good $544 all included. The YOKO would end up around $ 750. They had a deal going on, with that otherwise unknown (to me) brand.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

Hakkapeliitta.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

I've had Cooper tires before (although not that model) and I was pretty happy with the purchase. No better or worse than a mid-level model from any of the big names and a lot cheaper. Good wear, good traction, good handling.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Bones said:


> I've had Cooper tires before (although not that model) and I was pretty happy with the purchase. No better or worse than a mid-level model from any of the big names and a lot cheaper. Good wear, good traction, good handling.


:thumbsup: Now all I need is HW 88 covered with half a foot of untracked, while I drive up to Kirkwood. Can't wait.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I hope they're better than the Cooper Zeons I had on my Tahoe. Horrible tires. Wore quick and were downright dangerous in the snow. Went back to my good old tried and true Goodyear Silent Armors.


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## slowandlow (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm in the same boat. Looking for new HP AS tires for my A3. I've been reading some excellent reviews on the General G-Max AS-03. I hate spending >$500 on a set of tires. 










I look forward to reading more input.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Not gonna lie, both of those tires y'all have posted look like they'd be dog shit in the snow.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

linvillegorge said:


> Not gonna lie, both of those tires y'all have posted look like they'd be dog shit in the snow.


with AS tires you still need a good dose of common sense when driving... I saw trucks with mud tires spinning out due to driver's inexperience...and locals driving up and passing everybody on a civic with just front snow tires.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Most mud tires do suck in the snow on the street. They're good in deep snow, but on plowed roads they're some of the worst. You need siping for street snow performance. The more biting edges on the tire, the better off you are. That's what siping does. That's why I _thought_ those Cooper Zeons I had would be good in the snow. Holy hell, I was wrong. They were AWFUL.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)




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## slowandlow (Oct 12, 2011)

linvillegorge said:


> Not gonna lie, both of those tires y'all have posted look like they'd be dog shit in the snow.


Looks can be deceiving...

The General G-Max had better than average reviews in snow. I can't speak for the OP in the SF Bay area, but I'm in STL and snow isn't as much a factor as performance, wear, and price.



ShredLife said:


>


I think we're talking All-Season tires here.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

slowandlow said:


> Looks can be deceiving...
> 
> The General G-Max had better than average reviews in snow. I can't speak for the OP in the SF Bay area, but I'm in STL and snow isn't as much a factor as performance, wear, and price.


So did the Cooper Zeons I had. Reviews are only as good as the reviewer. I'm almost certain that most snow reviews come from people who drive in the snow once or twice a year and that consists of driving down to the nearest parking lot to spin donuts.


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## goalieman24 (Aug 28, 2009)

linvillegorge said:


> Reviews are only as good as the reviewer.


Or, tire performance is only as good as the driver. Good reviews come from good drivers, and bad reviews from bad ones.
Those Cooper tires don't really seem like that great of a snow tire. They are more of an aggressive A/T design... and A/T is not exactly the same as A/S.


To contribute to OP, I have a set of Kumho 'performance' all-seasons... not sure of the specific model right off hand. Very wallet-friendly compared to a lot of other performance A/S options. Great on dry roads, and never have doubts during the winter... but Quattro helps a lot with that as well.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

goalieman24 said:


> Or, tire performance is only as good as the driver. Good reviews come from good drivers, and bad reviews from bad ones.


Ummm... yeah. That's what I was saying.

Those Coopers were just a failure. They were supposed to be an A/T, but they sucked on anything not pavement.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

linvillegorge said:


> So did the Cooper Zeons I had. Reviews are only as good as the reviewer. I'm almost certain that most snow reviews come from people who drive in the snow once or twice a year and that consists of driving down to the nearest parking lot to spin donuts.


the last 30 miles uphill are usually snowed in every time, so 60 round trip... my max was 40 day trips in a season.. my minimum 12, so around 100 miles on snow per season average. Got slightly bumped in the back once by a truck...that could not stop when I did .


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

Nokian WR G3


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

tanscrazydaisy said:


> Nokian WR G3



Nice tires... they look similar to the ones I got, The tread pattern I mean.

Pros:

Better high-speed handling than the WRG2
Smooth, firm and quiet ride
Cons:

Snow and ice grip are markedly worse.
My wife now wants to grab a new set of WRG2's before they go away.

(from the review) 

Review: Nokian WRG3 Asymmetric


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## RickB (Oct 29, 2008)

giving the conti dws all seasons a go right now, so far i'm really impressed with them. i've been on dunlop wintersport m3's for a long time, loved those as a full on winter tire. (car is an 02 audi A6)

.


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## Unkept Porpoise (Aug 15, 2013)

There's snow in San Francisco?:dunno:


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

Unkept Porpoise said:


> There's snow in San Francisco?:dunno:


There's a ski mountain in San Francisco?

Obviously, the OP is driving somewhere to the mountains that have an outdoor ski resort that sees wintry conditions.


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## KansasNoob (Feb 24, 2013)

I don't know about your specific tire, but I'm really happy worth my Cooper ATP's. The traction is great in the wet and mud. Had them on ice a while ago and they were better than any other all terrain pickup tire I've driven on ice. Tread wear is awesome so far. I'll buy Coopers again for sure.


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## Weipim (Nov 20, 2012)

ShredLife said:


> Hakkapeliitta.


plus a milli


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

KansasNoob said:


> I don't know about your specific tire, but I'm really happy worth my Cooper ATP's. The traction is great in the wet and mud. Had them on ice a while ago and they were better than any other all terrain pickup tire I've driven on ice. Tread wear is awesome so far. I'll buy Coopers again for sure.


The ATP is the Zeon LTZ. It's just specifically made for Discount Tire. If you like them, more power to you, but they are by far the worst tires I've ever ran on a truck. Fine on wet and dry pavement, suck ass everywhere else.


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## KansasNoob (Feb 24, 2013)

The lugs on the ATP appear to be larger with wider spacing? I always thought the Zeons were more of a sport truck all terrain cross, are they M+S spec or something else? 

I don't know but I'm happy with the ATP. They had bite in the ice, who knows when they'll see any real snow. They work good in the mud for an all terrain, nothing like a real mud tire. 

If I was buying dedicated snow tires I'd go with Michelins. They make awesome tires.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

I chose Continental CrossContact Winter tires for my SUV (driving a mix of highway/city/mountain streets in dry/rain/slush/snow/ice conditions) due to good reviews of independent test institutions over here.

Little side-story: Last season, hubby asked if he can borrow my (then brand new!) 4x4 for his boys-trip up to the mountain since heavy snowfall was announced, and the steep narrow roads demand snow chains with his front-wheel drive car. - Sure you can, take care, it’s brand new – Sure, no question. 
The night they were driving up, hubby called to excitedly tell me how great the (MY BRAND NEW!) car performs on the 20cm snow covered roads, when one of the pack yelled in the background "HA, not only on the roads, we're taking a shortcut over a piste right now, it’s rad!” 
Oh, the boyz...  even a usually rational one can’t be trusted, rationality seems to linearly decline with the number of testosterone-producers gathering... couldn’t help and had to laugh. Take care, have fun (and texted them the number of the snowcat driver, just in case) :laugh: 
I’m always happy (and a bit surprised) when they come back in one piece.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

tanscrazydaisy said:


> There's a ski mountain in San Francisco?
> 
> Obviously, the OP is driving somewhere to the mountains that have an outdoor ski resort that sees wintry conditions.



Ever heard of lake Tahoe? Kirkwood is about 2:45 from my home in the SF bay area, the Contour video is one of the best days of last season that sucked overall.


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

No don't do it. Cooper passenger car tires in general, especially their cheapest ones, are exactly what you pay for. If you want something cheaper, Kumho and Hankook actually have some bang for the buck AS tires. Of course the best in order are Michelin PS AS3, Continental ExtremeContact DWS, Goodyear Eagle GT.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Triple8Sol said:


> No don't do it. Cooper passenger car tires in general, especially their cheapest ones, are exactly what you pay for. If you want something cheaper, Kumho and Hankook actually have some bang for the buck AS tires. Of course the best in order are Michelin PS AS3, Continental ExtremeContact DWS, Goodyear Eagle GT.


Too Late. The look pretty slick. I'll tell you saturday night how the drive went.


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

Unkept Porpoise said:


> There's snow in San Francisco?:dunno:





tanscrazydaisy said:


> There's a ski mountain in San Francisco?
> 
> *Obviously, the OP is driving somewhere to the mountains that have an outdoor ski resort that sees wintry conditions.*





KIRKRIDER said:


> Ever heard of lake Tahoe? Kirkwood is about 2:45 from my home in the SF bay area, the Contour video is one of the best days of last season that sucked overall.


Did you read my second sentence?

Did you read the quote I was responding to?

I bet you didn't.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

tanscrazydaisy said:


> Did you read my second sentence?
> 
> Did you read the quote I was responding to?
> 
> I bet you didn't.



I did...but I wanted to show off my old video anyway  Man I can't wait.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Great performance over ice, snow and frozen slush driving back. Very quiet ride.


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## Unkept Porpoise (Aug 15, 2013)

I'm used to a lot of snow and ice 7 months a year so even all seasons in California seem unnecessary to me but better safe than sorry I suppose if your driving up into the mountains.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Unkept Porpoise said:


> I'm used to a lot of snow and ice 7 months a year so even all seasons in California seem unnecessary to me but better safe than sorry I suppose if your driving up into the mountains.


Yes, Mostly day-trips to Tahoe, the last 40 miles up generally snowed in, frozen or both, but with the right setup, that becomes part of the fun.


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## MGD81 (Mar 13, 2012)

The cooper discovers I had on my seirra absolutely blowed, it sounded like all 4 wheel bearings were going after 10k. Will never by those again, passenger tires will hopefully be a bit different.

So far nothing I have had on my work truck has even come close to blizzak w60's on my LegacyGT, its the best snow setup I have ever owned/been in.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

ShredLife said:


> Pic of Nokia Hakkas


+1!1!!!111!!!!!!

:yahoo:


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

We have studded hankook on my wife's scion TC, derive it through that big snow Snowstorms last week for 1000 miles. Handles amazingly with them.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

and I could not resist:


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## MGD81 (Mar 13, 2012)

KIRKRIDER said:


> and I could not resist:


I would take a sled over that any day of the week


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## slowandlow (Oct 12, 2011)

I pulled the trigger on a set of Kumho Ecsta 4x. Got a great deal on tirebuyer.com

If interested, I'll give you my impressions once I get some miles on them.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

slowandlow said:


> I pulled the trigger on a set of Kumho Ecsta 4x. Got a great deal on tirebuyer.com
> 
> If interested, I'll give you my impressions once I get some miles on them.


Dry as a summer afternoon here. Fucking high pressure ridge.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

slowandlow said:


> I pulled the trigger on a set of Kumho Ecsta 4x. Got a great deal on tirebuyer.com
> 
> If interested, I'll give you my impressions once I get some miles on them.


I hear good things about kumho.


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## slowandlow (Oct 12, 2011)

snowklinger said:


> I hear good things about kumho.


Yeah, I really did my homework on this purchase. I hope it pays off. 

It helps to have a buddy w/ a shop and necessary equipment.


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## Chef Jer (Apr 3, 2011)

Here you go:







I personally feel like AS is too much of compromise on my WRX.. gives up dry road performance as well as snow:dunno: I run HP summers and HP winters depending on the season. Requires buying two sets but they last twice as long so cost equals out if you keep your car for awhile.


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