I think for the GVRD the most critical thing is to get something suitable for slush/wet/icy roads. I wouldnt worry so much about snow ability because only one of two things are bound to happen: it'll be plowed away or it will be compacted into ice.

I forgot to reply to this whoops. I kind of wish I have the stock 17s, but I don't. So the spare tire is kind of useless. I'm actually worried for winter this year, especially it being my first winter of driving manual AND rwd.

19x10s suck. It looks so good, but I rub on hard cornering, turns that load up the suspension, and Seymour. Seymour is a terrible place for 19x10 rears or maybe i just need new rear shocks LOL. But I mean for day to day driving around the GVRD, it's not too bad.

Don't worry about manual/RWD for the winter, as long as you're running proper winter tires on all 4 corners you are good to go! RWD is more fun in the snow.

I live in Pemberton and commute to Whistler daily in a RWD car. Last winter was a huge snow year and I drove EVERY day, no problems. The only cars I saw in the ditch on my commute were 4WD trucks and SUV's, driven by people that thought 4WD/AWD somehow increased their ability to corner or stop on a snowy road.

I think I might have posted this in another thread but here's what I would walk out to on a lot of mornings last year.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/gHShiuG.jpg[/IMG]

^ same thing on the way to Big White up here. The majority of the vehicles stuck in the ditch were trucks, SUVs and AWD cars. Usually with junk tires.

RWD really isn't a big deal in the winter. I almost always left my Jeep Cherokee in RWD during the winter and never had a problem. I only put it in 4WD if it was really nasty out or I was driving offroad (even then I could get the ass out if I really wanted).

My old BMW with good tires was the best winter vehicle i've ever owned. BIC_BAWS, stop reading so much internet and just drive. I can tell by your posts you have an idea of what is right and wrong in your head from internet know it all's. Most of the junk you read on here is false.

Also, you are completely safe to use your 17" spare tire even though you have 18" everywhere else. Ever see a "space saver" spare tire? They are not meant to be driven on daily, but a way to get your vehicle to a safe place and get your tire repaired.

Have fun!

Depends where you are if RWD is a handicap or not really. I've lived in Fort McMurray for almost 8 years. Have lived in Grande Prairie, Fort St. John, Vancouver, and Kamloops. I've put well over 1 million kms on my vehicles. RWD where it doesn't get cold is just fine.

Only time I would recommend against RWD is when it is below -30. Most tires get cock stiff when it gets below that temperature. When tires get that cold, chances are the roads are probably icy as well. Manual transmission is what I would prefer to drive in the winter as well.

This was northern Manitoba. -30 day in and out. That is why good winter tires are important. The combo also worked great in Ottawa, and last but not least here in BC.

I believe the colder ice is the grippier it is, since the slippery layer gets thinner. I might be wrong though. I do know I saw a newer Mustang at a job site in northern Alberta a few years ago, when it was -40. If a Mustang-driving Albertan can do it, you can too.

Stop and go traffic in richmond with a RWD during the shitstorm last year was fun. Accelerate, slide, turn wheel, repeat 50+times until I cut infront of the clais going -5km/h

Once you get to speed and the slush can be flung out of the tires, RWD is noproblemo.

Just ordered Continental WinterContact SIs to replace my 5 season old Dunlop Winter Maxx. I hope these tires perform better than the Dunlops on cold dry and wet pavement.

Going camping this weekend up past pemberton so I have to uninstall my summers and put on my winters. So last night in the wee hours I put on my winter wheels and tires (225/40/18 pilot alpin 4) and my god, it's so comfortable. I'm coming from 235/35/19 pilot super sports.

I also have another set of alloys I was planning to use for winter but the powdercoater still has them. I can't wait til the mountains get snow and I can be a tota jackass ��

I recall there is a company selling WRG2 under another name now. Can't remember the details off my head.

Same here, first MT RWD winter.

One thing with most RWD cars is that they have a lot of torque. If you have a RWD car without that torque, it's not as bad as some people make it sound. I heard RX-8 is actually not that bad to drive in winter. It doesn't have that much torque, so it's less likely to spin the wheels with proper tires. Same with S2k, not very much torque. If you have a lot of torque, be easy on the gas, and if necessary, start from 2nd gear.

I really like the 19" RX-8 R3 wheels, but yeah, could be kinda troublesome in some areas in Victoria where roads are not paved very well.

What are your guy's thoughts on the westlake winter tires being sold at 1010tires for $89 a piece? There was a german car magazine then gave it a recommended pick even though they knew it was a chinese brand and they stated it did just as well as some of the major brand tires. Its also got some decent reviews. Wonder if anyone here has had experience with them?

Aren't those just all weather tires, not a true winter? Either way I say try it out. No doubt it will be just fine but it may wear faster then a Bridgestone or Michelin. That being said its 1/3 the cost. So over time it would still be cheaper to replace them more often

Does anyone have Falkens Hs449? How is it? I'm split between those or spending a little more to get GT Altimax Arctic 12s.

I have the SW606, I believe the ones on sale are SW608?

They handled well last year but I drive a Subaru, didn't have any problems in the ice or slush, they are quite loud though

Got them for $450 all in mounted so I can't complain

One of the big online tire places ran a test of no name brands vs name brand winter tires and that was pretty much their results. Performance not as good as the name brands (but not too far off) and they wore out faster. There wasn't any subjective test of road noise/comfort in the test.

How is the performance once worn to say 50% though?

Remember, if you don't have winter tires on the Sea to Sky after Sunday, you could get dinged

Winter tire regulations on B.C. highways are back in force | The Province

In short, certain BC highways require snow tires from Oct 1st - Mar 31st. Not sure how strict police are but for what it's worth, a PSA.

https://postmediavancouversun2.files...9-pm.png?w=640

Anyone in the lower mainland have their winters on already?

@whitev70r yes but once again, any all season with m+s is still legal. Just us who run dedicated UHP summers are not allowed to run them.

You toss on the 16" steelies yet? Everything fit good?

Stock 215 50 17. Looking at a set of 205 50 16 for winters. But it’ll result in a 5% Spedo difference. Is it a big deal?

got some haka 8 used for 2 seasons from my buddy for $400 clean deal doesn't have his sti anymore and they wont fit his evo so all good for me!

Not really that big of a deal, but if you're looking at purchasing new tires, i'd suggest going with 205/55R16. It only has a 2% speedo difference (still slightly smaller than stock) and is a way way more common size, therefore should be easier to source

The prices vary so much for some tires. Is there a huge difference in getting top of line winter tires vs the budget ones from the less common tire brands?

Brands like:
Goodride
Sumitomo

Places like Kal Tire carry them so I assume they have to be at least decent, but they're no Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin X-Ice...

Should I not even bother with the more budget ones?