205-55-16

Fuzion Touring 91V $380.00
Barum Bravuris 3HM 91Y $410.00
Firestone FR710 89T $470.00
General Altimax RT43 91T $460.00
Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 91W $480.00
Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2 94V XL $480.00
Firestone INDY500 91W $510.00
Pirelli P4 A/S Plus 91T $510.00
Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 91H $520.00
Yokohama AVID Ascend 89T or H $520.00
Pirelli P7 Cinturato AS+ 91H or V $540.00
Continental PureContact 91H or V $540.00
Hankook H727 Optimo 89T $560.00
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus 91H $570.00
Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ 91H $610.00
Continental Extreme DWS06 91W $610.00
Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ 91V $620.00
Continental ExtremeContact Sport 91W $630.00
Michelin Primacy MXV4 89H $630.00
Michelin Defender 91T or H $630.00
Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ 91Y $660.00
Michelin Premier AS 91H or V $670.00

That is the list of tires that are available to me. I am in Toronto, Canada. We have winters with a lot of snow, it rains, and it is also dry. So pretty much All seasons.
I am thinking about getting All season tires

Option 1 Get all Seasons
Continental Extreme DWS06 91W --Ive been reading older posts and everybody likes these saying they perform well in dry/wet and do okay in the winter.

Option 2 Get Summer Tires & Another Set for Winter
My other option is to get just summer tires that perform well dry/wet as well and have a dedicated set of rims and tires for the winter.

This well cost me more money though so i would rather have an all season tire. But if all seasons don't really cut it for winters then i will have to get two sets.

What do you guys recommend from my list of options?
Also if you know of any place in Toronto Canada that has good pricing on tires.

Thanks

 

I use Sumitomo HTR A/S P02 (195/55R-16) $318 USD
They're all season and are very quiet even at highway speeds.
They're great, granted, I'm in Southern California (zero ice and minimal rain).

If you're on a budget, I'd invest in good all season tires. I'd look to see where the tires are produced. (I'm personally hesitant to buy tires made in China or Mexico).

TireRack sells and ships to Canada.

 

I say go with option 2, a good set of summers and a different set of winters. I lived in Wisconsin before cali and went this route. It may be doubly expensive having two sets of tires, but when you run each set for half of the time (half year winter, half year summer let's assume) then the life of the tire increases substantially. I prefer having the peace of mind knowing my tires are designed for the road conditions, especially winter.

That said, I'm planning on getting the ExtremeContact Sport when my current tires get low on tread. It's a brand new tire but initial reviews say the tire stacks up well against the Pilot Super Sport and it'd be about $120 cheaper for the full set. And in the winter, you can't go wrong with Blizzaks. Find some really cheap OEM mini rims on craigslist or ebay (or on these forums) to put the winters on.

 

Agree with 3lusive
For the non-winter tires I'd say that depends on your driving style and expectations like High performance versus High mileage.
-Mike

 

In Toronto? Option 2 for sure...
I'm in New England, so we see our fair share of snow.

I have the Conti DWS06s (205/50/16), and they're great -- for three seasons, and just "OK" for a light coating of snow...

For winters, try and get your hands on a set of dedicated snow tires. I have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 snows (195/55/16 -- The best snow tires by far), mounted on a separate set of wheels for quick swapping out in the garage. They provide a night and day difference over all-seasons in the snow, and will easily get you through anything that Mother Nature will dish out. You will only be hampered by the low clearance of the MINI.

Click HERE and enter Toronto in the search box for a list of places (there are several) where these can be purchased in Toronto.

 

First off thank you for all of your replies.

I went with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ 91H Which came out to $707 Cad.
They feel smooth as of now. I have not really tested it out yet. So I will definitely update this thread once i put more mileage on them.

And I am looking at a new side set of wheels for the winters like you guys suggested.

Thank you again for all those who responded.

 

I've heard great things about the AS3+. Summer tire-like performance but longer treadlife. Enjoy!

 

I also have the HTR A/S P02. I live in Chicago so I use these for three seasons and run Blizzaks for the winter. Yes, you can find grippier tires but I can't imagine there's a better value for the money. For my mixed commute, the HTR has been fun in the dry and decent (not great) in the wet. The Blizzaks are so much better than the HTR in the cold and snow...I'd never go back to all-seasons as a year round tire again, especially in a place where snow can surprise you in November and April.

 

Have you been through a winter driving in snow in toronto? If so with what car and tires? How did you do?

If for your winter driving you find that you do OK (not great) on all season tires then you will be OK on Pilot Sport AS3 but you do need to be extra careful when driving in bad weather/snow. Just slow down and take it easy.

Problem is the other drivers and whatever lack of grip they will have when you are nearby.

Obviously if winters are very bad and you have bad road conditions the safest option is to use dedicated winter tires and even all wheel drive.

However if you are on a budget and can make do with just the all season tires the choice you made is a good one and it's good for the other three seasons with good handling and good wear.

 

Yes i have driven in toronto winters. On all weather tires that were pretty worn. I did survive, but they were very slippery.

So far on the Pilot Sport AS3+ i have driven in wet and dry conditions and they are amazing. On the on ramp they definitely have a lot more grip and less body roll then what i was getting before. They are very smooth compared to my previous setup. Today i did a transmission fluid change and the car feels super smooth now. I hope with time they hold this same level of performance.

 

Given that you are experienced in winter driving you should be fine however All Season tires are not snow tires so just be careful and no tires are going to do well when you hit a patch of ice.

I think you'll be fine.

 

Thank you for your confidence.

I was thinking about picking up a set of used R90s wheels that come with winter tires mounted. I prefer that style of rim of what i have now so maybe i will mount the tires i just got onto those r90s. But considering what you just said i may just keep my setup and opt out of picking up the used R90s.