Educate me about Winter tires please.

[Darenka]

I just moved to a winter climate last year (Germany) and I know nothing about winter tires and a language barrier in trying to inquire about them. We seem to have a diverse combination of snow, ice, dry roads, and wet roads in nearly equal parts. Studs seem inappropriate for these milder winters, but locals all use winter tires. I'd like to drive to the mountains and colder/snowier areas. I will get chains for severe areas (it is a requirement in some mountain passes) but what do you recommend for winter use in diverse conditions?

Also, would you recommend getting a 2nd set of wheels to ease the process in seasonal tire change? If so, is they an advantage to alloy? Steel appear to be ugly but cheap. Is there a reason to avoid them beyond looks?

Thanks much for any help or information.

[xGS]

The easy answer is to ask for the “Continental winterreifen” that fits your Pilot - the ‘ContiCrossContact Winter’, for example.
Most any other major European tire brand should have something suitable, as well.

The reason that the natives use winter tires is that “all-season” tires represent a compromise in overall performance and are generally not found in Europe.
Tires sold there are classified as either summer or winter.

Studs can be useful if you always drive on icy or snow-covered roads.
Otherwise, a studless/friction type tire is the better choice.

A second set of wheels will definitely ease the seasonal tire changeover.
Steel wheels are less expensive and, maybe, uglier.
They’ll be cheaper to replace if damaged by a pothole, sliding into a curb or whatever is used to treat the roads.
Steel wheels come standard on the LX version, so their performance should be adequate.
It’s a matter of aesthetics versus economics.

One other point is tire speed ratings.
Some winter tires only have a maximum rating of “Q”, which is 99mph/160kmh.
If you expect to exceed that speed, choose a tire with a sufficiently higher rating.

[Darenka]

Thank you so much. This is just the information I needed. And I really appreciate the bonus information about the speed rating. This could be critical in deciding between particular options. I feel much better equipped to make a good choice. THANK YOU!!!!!

[Raymond_12000]

I just bought some Generals Altimax tires. Much cheaper, smooth ride and very quiet. Speed ratings is at 100 Mph. Get the OEM steel rims for the winter. Forget about looks for the winter. Put extra lipstick on instead...

[krazykarguy]

^^^ General tires are likely not available in Germany.

To the OP - stick to brand name snow tires like Michelin, Bridgestone, Nokian, and Vredestein (a Euro mfr).

Steel wheels will not only ease the transition from snow tires to summer tires, you save $80-$100 every time you make the swap because you're not paying a shop to mount and balance twice a year.

[Offtrac]

CR.com says....

[bengelking]

Agreed on steel wheels for winter. I have a set of Blizzak's for my Pilot and it can go through ANYTHING with those tires on it. Swapping in the fall and spring is a snap.

[Darenka]

Thanks to all responders for the information. I'm all about saving money long term so I'm trying to get wheels as well. They don't sell the Pilot here so it's not in a handy data base with wheel size information for the tire stores to access. It's a 2006 EX 4wd.

From what I can find on the internet:


HONDA PILOT 2003 > 5 X 114.3 / 5 X 4.5 16 X 7 12 X 1.5 64.1 H



EXL with NAVI 4WD EX-L with Navigation Wheels
Front Wheel Size (in) 16 x 6.5
Rear Wheel Size (in) 16 x 6.5


Wheel Part Number: #63902
2006-2008 Honda Pilot
Size: 16" x 6.5", 5 Lug, 115mm Bolt Pattern
Description: 5 Spoke Factory Original Alloy Wheel

So 2 sources seem to say the wheel size is 16 x 6.5 while the other one claims it is 16 x 7 Anyone know which is correct? Is there any other vital information a tire shop will need to order the right wheel?

Honda Service center 1-800 number is beyond useless. They just tell me to order from my local Honda dealer. Which doesn't have the wheels of course and any specific pilot part is shockingly expensive (broken key would have cost $550--even the Honda dealer was gasping at that cost.)

[xGS]

You do have an unusual situation.

First off, the appropriate wheel size is 16”x6.5”, with a bolt circle pattern of 5x114.3mm and an offset of 45mm.

You could check with a Honda dealer to see if they have any wheels that meet those specs.
Failing that, you can see if any tire dealers have ‘generic’ wheels that meet those specs.

Your fallback position is still the semi-annual changeover on your existing wheels.

One last option, particularly if you don’t put on much mileage or plan to keep the Pilot that long, is a set of all-season tires.
There are a couple of options available that would fit the Pilot.
One is the Nokian WRG2-SUV. Another is the Vredestein Quatrac-3-SUV.
Both tires are much closer to full winter tires than the typical all-season tire sold in the US.
Both tires are marked with the mountain-snowflake symbol, which is used to identify full winter tires in the US and Canada.
The upside is avoiding the semi-annual changeover.
The downside is that the tires will wear faster in warmer temperatures than summer tires and winter performance is partially a function of tread depth.
They also won’t perform in winter quite as well as a full winter tire.

You need to decide what tradeoff amongst cost, convenience and performance you’re willing to make.

[Darenka]

Sorry for the delay in thanking XGS. (Had to get my appendix taken out... ouch.) But that was the information I needed to get those generic rims. (475 euro for each OEM rim was.... wow!) I love my pilot for travel though so it will remain a family member in spite of the challenges. It's just hard to beat for dogs, camping, touring, hauling bikes, canoes, and furniture when necessary.

Thanks much!!!!