Do I need a dedicated winter tire, or just an all season?

[3X3=5]

I'm sure there's info here and there on the forums, but since I don't have hours to spend reading I'd like to ask directly.

I live in Seattle - we have plenty of rain in the winter and rare snow. Also it's quite hilly. In the past I've used summer tires year round and just avoid driving in snow. On my E70 X5 I ran Continental DWS 06 year round on staggered 20"s and they were great. But, for my F15 X5, I decided to go with 21" 612M wheels with Michelin Pilot Sports which are a no go below 45 degrees. I kept my OEM 19"s as a winter set so I can put whatever tires I want on those for Dec-Feb. I'm wondering what that should be. I was very happy with the Conti DWS, but according to the Tire Rack reviews they're less capable than Pirelli Scorpions which are a couple hundred cheaper too. The Pirelli is a dedicated winter tire and the DWS is an all season.

Looking for input for which is the better tire for my needs. Here's a screen shot of Tire Rack comparing Blizzak, Pirelli Scorpion and DWS.

[DuSh]

In your case I would go with a cheaper and dedicated winter Pirelli. Do not overthink it, you already have summer tires and you already have separate set of rims for winter - so it makes more sense to buy winter set, save some money and have a better grip on those icy hills in Seattle. Blizzak will be overkill for your location probably

Conti DWS is a great all-season tire - I have Conti DWS and I drive all year round (lol I drive from 110F in Arizona to -22F in Ontario on my DWS 06), but I only have 1 set, so in my case I'm stuck with all-season

[Habs11]

I'd just use the OEM 19s for the couple months you may get snow. I've never run summer tires as we get snow 5 months a year so I run all season 12 months a year.

[3X3=5]

DWS is a great tire and I wish they made the sizes needed for 21"s, then I'd just use those year round. But since there's not a single option for a 21" all season in the needed sizes I'm stuck with swapping out for a winter set.

I was leaning toward the Pirelli as well since it's cheaper and seems like it'll perform better in winter weather.

[mvigod]

go with dedicated winter and summer tires for best performance. All season tires are sometimes called NO SEASON tires. They are not great in the winter and not great in the summer. They just don't suck as bad in the winter as a summer tire and don't suck as bad in the summer as a winter tire.

I have dedicated summer and winters for both our X5's. I have the Scorpion's on mine but Blizzak's also just as good.

[3X3=5]

I think that's good advice - as long as I'm running two sets go with a dedicated winter tire.

So I decided on the Pirelli Scorpion Winters only to find out the load index is 103, and our cars recommended load index is 107. (This is not the Pirelli Scorpion "Snow and Ice" tire which does have a load index of 107, but is a run flat). Are others on here using these Scorpion "winters" without an issue? I definitely don't want to put an insufficient tire on the car, but a load index of 103 equals 7700 pounds capacity. With a curb weight of 4900 that seems fine.

Another option is the new Yokohama BluEarth V905 winters which just came out this spring, so there are no reviews on Tire Rack. Just a couple online which are very positive.

[mvigod]

Originally Posted by 3X3=5

I think that's good advice - as long as I'm running two sets go with a dedicated winter tire.

So I decided on the Pirelli Scorpion Winters only to find out the load index is 103, and our cars recommended load index is 107. (This is not the Pirelli Scorpion "Snow and Ice" tire which does have a load index of 107, but is a run flat). Are others on here using these Scorpion "winters" without an issue? I definitely don't want to put an insufficient tire on the car, but a load index of 103 equals 7700 pounds capacity. With a curb weight of 4900 that seems fine.

Another option is the new Yokohama BluEarth V905 winters which just came out this spring, so there are no reviews on Tire Rack. Just a couple online which are very positive.

I've used Pirelli Scorpion run flat winters on both my X5's for 3 seasons now no problems. 2012 X5M and a '15 X5. Forgot what wheel size but whatever largest factory wheels are on each is what I have. Tires grip really well in snow and ice

[3X3=5]

I'd prefer non-run flat.

[3X3=5]

For those that have experience with a dedicated winter tire like Pirelli Scorpions, would you ever need to use cables in addition? On my E70 I had Continental DWS and cables in the trunk just in case, but the DWS is an all season. Wondering if I can get rid of my cables since I'll be using a true winter tire.

[MysticBlue]

Originally Posted by 3X3=5

For those that have experience with a dedicated winter tire like Pirelli Scorpions, would you ever need to use cables in addition? On my E70 I had Continental DWS and cables in the trunk just in case, but the DWS is an all season. Wondering if I can get rid of my cables since I'll be using a true winter tire.

3 winters of driving throughout the Intermountain West and various skiing trips and have never felt the need for cables or chains. That would be if I was on back roads with very deep snow. X5 doesn't really have the ground clearance to even be going that deep in the first place. If road conditions are so bad that all wheel drive with good winter tires are inadequate, they are probably shutting things down anyway.

[3X3=5]

Thank you. That's very informative.

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by 3X3=5

I think that's good advice - as long as I'm running two sets go with a dedicated winter tire.

So I decided on the Pirelli Scorpion Winters only to find out the load index is 103, and our cars recommended load index is 107. (This is not the Pirelli Scorpion "Snow and Ice" tire which does have a load index of 107, but is a run flat). Are others on here using these Scorpion "winters" without an issue? I definitely don't want to put an insufficient tire on the car, but a load index of 103 equals 7700 pounds capacity. With a curb weight of 4900 that seems fine.

Another option is the new Yokohama BluEarth V905 winters which just came out this spring, so there are no reviews on Tire Rack. Just a couple online which are very positive.

Pirelli has a Scorpion Winter with a load index of 107. I bought them last year. Here's the link:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...R9SCORWXLRFTV2

[3X3=5]

Rotzy - yes I saw those but I was looking to avoid a run-flat. No Tire Rack reviews for these, although I assume it would be similar to the non-run-flat version which have excellent reviews (although the load index isn't right for X5). How was your experience with these?

[Rotzy]

Originally Posted by 3X3=5

Rotzy - yes I saw those but I was looking to avoid a run-flat. No Tire Rack reviews for these, although I assume it would be similar to the non-run-flat version which have excellent reviews (although the load index isn't right for X5). How was your experience with these?

I ran them for the first time last winter on a new set of 19" 467 rims (in place of my 20" 469 wheels with P-Zeros for the summer). I had no problems with them all winter. They seem to ride more quietly than my wife's Blizzaks (although the Blizzaks are on a 335 convertible, so it's not a fair comparison). I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. Full disclosure: I do travel a lot (without the X5) and therefore I put less than 1000 miles on them last winter. So I have no long term impressions yet.

While I agree that a non-RFT will probably provide better performance, consider this: Do you really want to risk changing a tire on the side of the road after hitting a pot hole in a snow storm? I consider the middle of January through the middle of March a complete waste as far as performance driving is concerned and was happy to put RFT winter tires on the vehicle.

[sj22]

It depends on what your options are if there is snow outside. I live in Vancouver and often times work in a local hospital and 6am on a Sunday can be expected to show up to work. So I got snow tires for a few days of snow we have. It was a life saver last year sometimes I was the only one showing up to work on time.

I have blizzaks LM 25. I hate RFTs and just keep a spare all season for my bad luck day in the trunk when driving on non RFTs in the winter.

[Taran.J]

Hey I?m local I own businesses up and down I5 and 405 but live south of Puyallup where we get most of the snowfall in the main I areas (45 mins NW of Rainier). Anyways a dedicated snow set from Mid December to February is what I run on whatever my wife drives so if it’s our GL or X5 both have snow tires I think their Bridgestone Blizzard something from Costco. Do fantastic and don’t have to worry about it for her. I personally drive a lift Ram 2500 on mud tires in the winter so I do just fine. But for peace of mind since you already have the wheels do it.

[ramsal]

Originally Posted by sahiljain22

It depends on what your options are if there is snow outside. I live in Vancouver and often times work in a local hospital and 6am on a Sunday can be expected to show up to work. So I got snow tires for a few days of snow we have. It was a life saver last year sometimes I was the only one showing up to work on time.

I have blizzaks LM 25. I hate RFTs and just keep a spare all season for my bad luck day in the trunk when driving on non RFTs in the winter.

I second this...also live in Van and can't imagine getting around this past winter without proper snow tires. I have the Pirelli scorpions (nonRF) and they are great. Even then I've had all 4 wheels sliding downhill during one of the snow dumps. Had to let off the breaks just to regain traction. Enabled hill descent the rest of the way down.

I also invested in a set of tire socks from AutoSock as an alternative to tire chains which are mandatory on certain roads.

http://www.autosock.com/en/products.html

[NOVA99]

In Seattle - DWS Conti. Unless you are in Canada no need for a winter required by law.

[3X3=5]

Originally Posted by ramsal

I second this...also live in Van and can't imagine getting around this past winter without proper snow tires. I have the Pirelli scorpions (nonRF) and they are great. Even then I've had all 4 wheels sliding downhill during one of the snow dumps. Had to let off the breaks just to regain traction. Enabled hill descent the rest of the way down.

I also invested in a set of tire socks from AutoSock as an alternative to tire chains which are mandatory on certain roads.

http://www.autosock.com/en/products.html

You have Pirelli Scorpion winters that are non-RF? Link please. I found them, but with a 103 load index. The Scorpion Winter that I saw with a 107 load index is a run-flat.

[ramsal]

Originally Posted by 3X3=5

You have Pirelli Scorpion winters that are non-RF? Link please. I found them, but with a 103 load index. The Scorpion Winter that I saw with a 107 load index is a run-flat.

I got mine through 1010tires.com. Available in load index 109, speed rating V & H

[MN2///M]

I live in Colorado on what is called the Front Range and make at least monthly trips to the mountains all year. I drive all the time in 6 to 8 inches of snow when we have it with the stock run-flats. Previous of the X5, it was stock Bridgestone all-seasons on our Acadia.

To be blunt; all season tires will work fine in nearly all conditions unless you drive stupid in snow. Ice is the real problem and snow tires will make some difference in overall traction, but honestly, just not worth the hassle of switching back and forth.

If I actually lived in the mountains, I would switch to dedicated snow tires once temperatures got cold enough. What many fail to recognize is that the rubber compounds used in snow tires are too soft for warmer temperatures.

I used to have a set of winter tires that I would switch if I knew I was going to the mountains and was going to be in bad weather most of the time. I found many times that if I was going for 4 days and getting snow for 2 of them, I wouldn't bother. So now I just don't bother anymore at all.

I carry chains, but only because Colorado law requires them for passenger vehicles at times and I don't want to wait out the weather for them to lift the restrictrictions. Many times when I am driving in snow, its because I want to get to the mountains to enjoy the snow.

[YXEM5]

I wanted a non run flat as well that would match stock size for my 20" M-Sport wheel configuration. I decided to try the Toyo Observe GSI-5. So far, I haven't had to drive in the snow with them but as far as dry pavement and road noise they are good. They seem to have good reviews as well. Just throwing out another option for you.

Chad