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Still haven't purchased new tires for my Civic. I got distracted by other things.
Anyway, with this hella storm season, I've discovered that Civics, um, are not the best performers in the snow. Any suggestions for all-season tires that will help my Civic get traction in the snow? Would they work for Hybrids? My husband fish-tailed on a main highway today--he has the Civic Hybrid. Or are hybrids really just not a snow car, regardless of the tire choice?
Never mind! I just found (finally) my earlier question and the extremely helpful answers about this subject.
But I'd still be curious about answers to my hybrid question?
Actually the limiting factor in snow is your tires. I can put dedicated snow tires on a Ferrari and zip by all the 4wd SUV's out there spinning on the road (up to the limits of the ground clearance). Running dedicated snow tires requires an extra set of wheels, however. Bridgestone Blizzaks are the absolute champs in snow, as they have a special microtread design that actually makes them able to run on ice for the first 1/3 of the new tire life. That eventually wears away, and then they are a regular snow tire after that.
The difference in snow tires vs all-season tires is the rubber compounds. Snows are designed to run at low temps. All Seasons CAN run at low temps, but not as effectively. Summer Performance tires get hard as a rock under 35 degrees and are hazardous to drive on in the snow.
If you want a really nice tire in an all season, I think the best all around one on the market today is the Michelin Exalto. Remember too, that if only replacing two tires, regardless of FWD or RWR or 4 WD, the best tires ALWAYS go on the rear.
As far as all-season snow grip (S or T speed rated) goes, Consumer Reports says the winner is the Hankook Optimo H727. As long as you can find the right size tire, it should work fine on your Civic Hybrid. I've got Michelin Primacy MXV4's on my non-hybrid Civic and they handled well in the snow. Dry and wet grip are excellent. The Exaltos are highly rated as well. As Duane mentioned, if you want peace of mind in snowy conditions, you'll have to shell out money for winter tires. All-season tires just don't compare to winter tires in the snow.
Thank you so much for this very helpful information. I have passed it along to my husband, who is the one with the hybrid.
I might be late here, but the best all-around tire that I've found, that can still handle snow as well as a winter tire is the Nokian WR..
They aren't cheap, but at least they are reasonable for a Civic size. I put these on my CR-V, and not only could I blow through snow, they were better wet/dry tires than the stock set..
Nokians aren't sold by very many retailers, but they shouldn't be hard to find in Boston.
regards,