Winter Tires?

[Quagmire]

For those that have bought winter tires... Has it made a significant difference in driving? I realize that they will be somewhat better than the stock contis, but with the smart being so light weight; is the difference that much?
The winter tire package from the stealership is pushing $1100.00 and this is for winter contis that aren't ranked that high. I would like to go with something less expensive and better (X-Ice) but we are really limited in choices by tire size. I know some have changed tire sizes to accomodate what is available, but I don't want to mess with smarts delicate computer wizardry.

[jwight]

So far so good; no deep snow yet but in the light stuff we've had, plus ice, the Pirellis are doing very well. The car feels very solid in the slippery stuff.

[jefferios]

My performance in deep stuff this morning (around 6 inches + packed snow on the road) traction was excellent, I had good control,and easily got where I needed to go.

By the way I have the Blizzak's.

[Quagmire]

By the way I have the Blizzak's.[/quote]

What size are you using and are you using a tire pressure monitor?

[mvaldes]

In the 2-3 inches we had last night, I was very impressed with how well mine did with Pirelli snow's on. (No TPMS and I haven't driven the stock Conti's in snow so I can't offer a comparison.)

[Padawan]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

What size are you using and are you using a tire pressure monitor?

I believe he's running the same as me:

Front - 145/65-15
Rear - 175/55-15

This sizing maintains the same overall diameter as stock (no issues at all with the on-board electronics), and the slightly narrower fronts should improve snow performance while still fitting perfectly on the stock wheels.

You can put together a complete set with smart Pure steel wheels and the Blizzaks for under $800 if you skip the TPMS like I (and many others) have done. That's currently the ideal winter setup for our cars, in my opinion.

[jefferios]

I have the 145's and the 175's. This config on the stock tires has given me excellent control in the snow/ice.

[blackbeagle]

This is a no brainer for me. We all talk about Tridion Cells. We talk about ABS. We talk about electronic stability systems, but that my friends is not safety. You know what the safest thing you can do to your car? Put on the right tires for right season.

If you have bad tires, the rest of the safety features are useless because you will be in a ditch.

Imagine stopping 10 feet shorter. Imagine no sliding sideways. Imagine going into a corner and be able to steer.

You cannot do this with stock tires. I don't care how many people say that stock Contis are OK or they get around OK. If you want to make the Smart a safer car, you put on some snows. Period. It's the best safety investment you can make for any car. I will gladly pay $500-$1000 for 3 winter seasons' worth of safety.

I also might add that's why I see so many SUVs in the ditch in MN during the winter. They think because they have 4wd, they don't need snow tires. WRONG. 4wd is worthless on ice. 4wd doesn't help you stop on ice. 4wd won't help you correct your slide on ice. 4wd is only good for one thing-deep snow.

We have a Murano and have considered putting snows on that. An SUV with snow tire will be unphased by snow/ice.

[LorbeerTLC]

I saw an interesting blip on tirerack.com endorsing the Bridgestone BLIZZAK LM-18’s for the smart fortwo. Here’s what it said:

“…The Blizzak LM-18 is currently only available in 145/65R15 72T and 175/55R15 77T sizes intended for smart fortwo cars.”

The 145/65R-15 will substitute for the OE 155/60R-15.

You can read the rest of the LM-18’s at:

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-18

-Tom L.

[Padawan]

Originally Posted by LorbeerTLC

I saw an interesting blip on tirerack.com endorsing the Bridgestone BLIZZAK LM-18’s for the smart fortwo.

Myself and others have been mentioning this for a while now, but it can't hurt to reiterate.

If you still need or want winter tires for your car, order these Blizzaks from Tire Rack and you won't be disappointed.