Fiesta ST Winter Tires, Lets hear what you think

[GAbOS]

Firestone Winter force are pretty cheap and what I've always used. Great on dirt too.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I believe also that the cars that received the all-seasons also have a less aggressive brake pad. This is all done at the factory not at the dealer.

Is there any way to confirm or refute the above??

If it's correct, I will shop for some G-LOC pads come springtime.

 

[M-Sport fan]

The takeaway on the Altimaxes is this. They don't necessarily perform better than all alternatives, the point is at this pricepoint there isn't any sacrifice in performing what they are designed to do. I have used one set of Altimax the last two winters November to March for city and highway. This includes temps from negatives up to the 50s and conditions from rain, sleet, powder, ice, gravel, dry blah blah you get it and this is the most i have been impressed with a tire since drag radials got super popular in the early 2000s.

Last winter I slammed and went over parking lot curb covered in powder and the tires were fine. This spring I threw everything at them on some southern Indiana backgrounds - long sweepers, elevation changes, hairpins, and even an unexpected couple miles of dirt and gravel then hopped on the interstate and drove another 4 hours home. It was a route like this and there was no loss of fun factor.

This was the Arctic snows/winter tires, and NOT the all season AS-03s, correct?

This is good to know (especially the gravel road part) for when I start working/volunteering on the east coast Rally America events again next year!!

 

[supercrackerbox]

Firestone Winter force are pretty cheap and what I've always used. Great on dirt too.

Also a good bang-for-the-buck option. Super cheap and will get you through anything that a low car like a FiST could drive in anyway.

 

[Intuit]

Anyone ran into any ground-clearance issues in their Fiesta ST?
(I can pretty well guess that the folks out West will say no. )
Ground clearance can be a pretty important factor when it comes to traction in snow.
When I was always having traction issues with those BS Yokohama crap tires on another vehicle, was pretty much dead anytime the snow touched the bottom. (far from the case with other all-season tires on the same vehicle)

 

[StayPuft]

This was the Arctic snows/winter tires, and NOT the all season AS-03s, correct?

This is good to know (especially the gravel road part) for when I start working/volunteering on the east coast Rally America events again next year!!

Right Arctics. I saw a thread on here where someone was doing off road rally with the tires.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Right Arctics. I saw a thread on here where someone was doing off road rally with the tires.

Way back when, the SCCA Pro Rally crews that could not afford the all out Michelin gravel tires (or just could not get their hands on them), used the Nokian Hakkas of the day for stage use.

 

[fST]

Running 185/60 r15 General Tire Altimax arctic. Love these tires.
View attachment 7734

What rims are those?

 

[M-Sport fan]

What rims are those?

They look like the Sparco Assetto Garas which many on here use for winter, as well as street and even autocross setups.

 

[fST]

They look like the Sparco Assetto Garas which many on here use for winter, as well as street and even autocross setups.

Nah, I PM'ed him. They're the Sport Edition A10's! I like them a lot.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^OK, they do look similar from an angle, and with all of the winter crud on them!

The Sport Editions are noticeably less coin than the Sparcos, so especially for winter only use (where the finish is only going to get destroyed ANYWAY), they may be the way to go for some.

 

[fST]

^^^OK, they do look similar from an angle, and with all of the winter crud on them!

The Sport Editions are noticeably less coin than the Sparcos, so especially for winter only use (where the finish is only going to get destroyed ANYWAY), they may be the way to go for some.

It's the way I plan to go

 

[GAbOS]

Anyone ran into any ground-clearance issues in their Fiesta ST?
(I can pretty well guess that the folks out West will say no. )
Ground clearance can be a pretty important factor when it comes to traction in snow.
When I was always having traction issues with those BS Yokohama crap tires on another vehicle, was pretty much dead anytime the snow touched the bottom. (far from the case with other all-season tires on the same vehicle)

I went with the taller 205/50 r16 on stock suspension and had no issues in the tall stuff (in these West). Yes, we get a decent amount of snow in the desert. lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WPG-FiST]

Does anyone in the Central region run 195/55/16 Blizzak WS80s? I'm in Manitoba so we get dumped on occasionally. Worried about rub and clearance. If not I'll go the 185/60/15 route! I also have RAs on too js

 

[ridinVINTAGE]

Does anyone in the Central region run 195/55/16 Blizzak WS80s? I'm in Manitoba so we get dumped on occasionally. Worried about rub and clearance. If not I'll go the 185/60/15 route! I also have RAs on too js

A narrower tire is usually better for traction in snow iirc


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KKaWing]

I'm using 185/60-15 Hankook w419 i*Pike RS tires. They're great if you keep off boost (nothing will save you if you boost in snow lol) but thing is, if you need to swerve for w/e reason, it'll feel like you're on marshmallows on pavement. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Beans]

16x7 Enkei ES6 4x108/4x100 +38 offset
205/50/16 Nitto NT-SN2 snow tires






Not a bad score for -$15 with some wheeling and dealing. Had to switch to spline drive lugnuts for clearance.

 

[Walterr]

I have a question that no one seems to mention. How do the 15s and 16s effect handling. I've had a mechanic tell me that the 15 will make my car sloppy and that I should go with the 16 inch. I'm torn on what way to go.

 

[BobMaxed]

I have a question that no one seems to mention. How do the 15s and 16s effect handling. I've had a mechanic tell me that the 15 will make my car sloppy and that I should go with the 16 inch. I'm torn on what way to go.

Your mechanic is just trying to scare you or didn't really want to answer the question. What matters more is what tire is put on that rim. I believe there are people here that use 15's and track their car. I doubt if they wanted their handling to be "sloppy"

 

[cbizz]

Just picked up my winter wheels. Will paint this weekend and decide between 195/55/15's or 185/60/15's. Leaning towards GT Radial IcePro's had those winters my last car and they wear extremely well and never had issues getting stuck.