The "outlier", in our experience, is the Nokian WRG3. It's got the snowflake, it's used all over the world in snow and winter weather, and it's a heck of a summer tire.
It's not terribly expensive these days. It used to be. Google "Subaru, Nokian WRG3." Lots of info.
By no means the only choice, or "the best", but one that I'm very familiar with on a variety of Subies. Turbo and NA, standards and Automatics.
Worth a look.
While we are at it, the best non-studded snow tire is the Hakka R2.
Although, it's expensive compared to the Michelin X-ice 3 when you consider wear rate
Yes but the rubber wears faster, so they are always protruding. The studless soft tires rely on deep flexible sipes, which become less deep and less flexible with wear. I have not seen a test yet, but I'd would put a well worn studded tire up against any well worn non studded tire in a hockey rink test.Studs wear down when you drive them on paved road without snow - which will be the majority of her driving.
Yes but the rubber wears faster, so they are always protruding. The studless soft tires rely on deep flexible sipes, which become less deep and less flexible with wear. I have not seen a test yet, but I'd would put a well worn studded tire up against any well worn non studded tire in a hockey rink test.
And I don't worry about snow one bit. It is only the shiny glare ice that really scares me.
It's also a pretty crappy thing to do to the roads if you don't need it.
Well, when I lived in Colorado they did a study to determine if they needed to put a surcharge on studded tires. I would be happy to pay one for the safety they provide, but the study showed the great majority of the road damage was from heavy trucks, not studded tires. I remember Governor Lamm in a press conference with some massive truck tires next to smaller auto tires in the background, explaining why Colorado was increasing the fees on heavy trucks, not snow tires.
Agree with @BGreen.
The "outlier", in our experience, is the Nokian WRG3. It's got the snowflake, it's used all over the world in snow and winter weather, and it's a heck of a summer tire.
It's not terribly expensive these days. It used to be. Google "Subaru, Nokian WRG3." Lots of info.
By no means the only choice, or "the best", but one that I'm very familiar with on a variety of Subies. Turbo and NA, standards and Automatics.
Worth a look. Agree 100% with @BGreen. You need the snowflake, IMO.
and if you are really concerned about her winter driving skills, you can send her to the Bridgestone school in Steamboat Springs for a day.
dm
Thanks again for all of the input. It was fairly difficult to locate the Nokian tires in So Cal, but I did get the WRG3s installed today. I’m hoping they work well for my daughter when she takes the care to CO. Based on the many reviews I read, it seems like this should really be a good fit for the type of driving whe will see.
Nokian update: we were in Breckenridge over the weekend, got a nice amount of snow Sat night thru Sun. My daughter drove her car back to Denver mid-day Sun and it did really well in the snow with the WRG3 ties. So far so good in all types of conditions.