Best bang for your buck tire with a dedicated winter setup?

Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Hi everyone. I raised my sportwagen using the idparts towings spring setup with koni reds last spring. I have a dedicated set of 17" winter wheels with 225/55/17 blizzaks mounted. With the additional clearance in the wheel well due to the lift, this tire looks and fits great. I'm still on the original continental 225/45/17 for my 3 season setup and would like to get new 22/55/17 tires for the 3 season set. I'm in SE MA. What would you recommend as the best bang for your buck tire for my setup?

TIA
 

Drclaw

Veteran Member
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Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
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2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Go to Tire Rack and read there. They have many, many reviews and specs and prices.
Spent a fair bit of time there already. Thought I would check with the experts here to get some user opinions
 

Lightflyer1

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Sep 13, 2005
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Round Rock, Texas
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2015 Beetle tdi dsg
There have been regular threads on this subject and you just end up getting pretty much everyone telling you to buy the tire they got or pretty much sending you to Tire Rack. I wouldn't call most of the people here experts anyway. Way more user opinions at Tire Rack than here along with some real expert info. I just had some Michelin Defenders installed and they seem to be great so far. A popular choice too. Now if they just live up to their warranty and other attributes.
 

Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
There have been regular threads on this subject and you just end up getting pretty much everyone telling you to buy the tire they got or pretty much sending you to Tire Rack. I wouldn't call most of the people here experts anyway. Way more user opinions at Tire Rack than here along with some real expert info. I just had some Michelin Defenders installed and they seem to be great so far. A popular choice too. Now if they just live up to their warranty and other attributes.
True. The other thing I was hoping to get feedback on was since I have a set of winter wheels if I should be focusing my search on something else besides all seasons.
 

DivineChaos

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Jul 27, 2019
Location
Minnesota
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mk6 jetta sportwagen tdi
you could call the dealer and see if they have the geotour available in that size. i just had to replace a 225/45r17 that i got a sidewall pinch/tear due to pothole. it was 100 for the tire. they arent that great in winter because of low siping. but i also have winters. they are pretty quiet and perform well in the other 3 seasons. Apparently the tires are dealer only because i looked everywhere. only the vw dealer had and could get them. VW apparently has some exclusive deal with the manufacturer of the tire.
 

Pharcyde145

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May 27, 2018
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
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2011 JSW 6MT
I think if you're looking in the 225/55 range you're find mostly all season and stickier tires. And since you already have a dedicated set of snows, it's lifted, and you probably want to utilize that advantage, I'm guessing you'd prefer a tire with more grab than go.

225/60 and up (225/65 etc.) is where you'll find more aggressive tread meant for light truck applications. Remember that when using 225/55 the second number is relative to the first number, meaning the sidewall height is 55% of 225. So as you look at different combinations take into account the variables effect on each other. Also Take a look around at what other folks have run for sizing so you know your limits (what maximum size you are comfortable running, actual diameter for both MPG and clearance, etc) and that will help you narrow down your choices in both performance and cost.
 
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nayr

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Mar 26, 2013
Location
Colorado
TDI
2014 Audi Q7
I agree with @pharcyde145 you go 225/65 you could put light truck tires on em.. with All Terrains, like KO2's.. and those are basically all season snow tires when used as street tires.. all the snow performance of snow tires, but the'll last you 70k miles even if you left em on all year long unlike the 10k miles soft snow compounds provide.

Here in Colorado I got sick of how quick snow tires burned off, and with only 4 months snow free having summer tires got old.. it does severely screw with fuel economy in city driving tho, and probably increases brake wear w/how heavy they are.. I convinced my dad to put All Terrain Truck tires on his Routan and now he gets like 100k miles outta em, rocks em all year long and meets all traction requirements so he dont need to carry chains in the winter.. he loves em with all the back roads he takes, dont worry about flat tires out in BFE.
 
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Drclaw

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Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
I think if you're looking in the 225/55 range you're find mostly all season and stickier tires. And since you already have a dedicated set of snows, it's lifted, and you probably want to utilize that advantage, I'm guessing you'd prefer a tire with more grab than go.

225/60 and up (225/65 etc.) is where you'll find more aggressive tread meant for light truck applications. Remember that when using 225/55 the second number is relative to the first number, meaning the sidewall height is 55% of 225. So as you look at different combinations take into account the variables effect on each other. Also Take a look around at what other folks have run for sizing so you know your limits (what maximum size you are comfortable running, actual diameter for both MPG and clearance, etc) and that will help you narrow down your choices in both performance and cost.
Biggest I can fit is 225/55. Stock is 225/45 so I've already moved up to a larger diameter tire.
 

Pharcyde145

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May 27, 2018
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
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2011 JSW 6MT
You could drop down to a 205/65R16 which is roughly a 1/4" smaller in diameter than you 225/55R17 or a 215/60R16 which is about 1/2" small in overall diameter but that would mean using different wheels. The point is there are many different options out there but if an aggressive tread is what you're after most of them will mean a smaller wheel (r16 or 15) and skinnier tire width.
 
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Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
You could drop down to a 205/65R16 which is roughly a 1/4" smaller in diameter than you 225/55R17 or a 215/60R16 which is about 1/2" small in overall diameter but that would mean using different wheels. The point is there are many different options out there but if an aggressive tread is what you're after most of them will mean a smaller wheel (r16 or 15) and skinnier tire width.
I'm not after more aggressive tread just looking for a good cost effective tire that Id use 3 seasons. I line the looks and feel of the 225/55 over the 225/45. The taller sidewall seems a little more comfortable than the 225/45. If anything is be more inclined to go to 18" and down to a 225/40 or something , but probably won't
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
All you will get here is a pile of opinions on tires, and what works for someone may not work for everyone.

I routinely see a LOT of really garbage tires on cars here, so bad I could not stand to drive them across the street, yet people will drive them all over every day and not know any better.

For tires, understand that you most often get what you pay for, so the area of bang for the buck can vary depending on what you expect. A long lasting tire (high tread wear number) will have a hard compound, and thus will obviously be noisier, heavier, and have poorer traction especially in rain. There is no free lunch here. A soft compound tire will be quieter, grip better wet or dry, but will have a lower tread wear number... so it simply won't last as long. Which is better? That is up to you. Some people drive pretty conservatively, and do not mind poorer performance and more road noise so long as they can drive them further without needing replacement. And some people will deem their tires worn out before they hit the wear bars, other people will run the same tires INTO the wear bars. And that difference on the same car could be as much as 25k miles of driving.

So you can take the "I got XXXX miles out of my tires" statements with a grain of salt unless you SEE the ones they took off. Because I assure you, I remove tires from people's cars all the time that were clearly unsafe for quite some time. We like to call those 'white knuckle miles' because that is how I would feel driving with them.

I also see tires that are so awful square and chopped up that you'd think the car has four bad wheel bearings. You can FEEL them just rolling 5 mph across our shop floor, they are that bad. Yet plenty of people will look at them and say "well they have plenty of tread", never mind that only half of the tread is actually contacting the road surface at any one given time, but whatever. :rolleyes:

Just some general rules of thumb:

As stated above, longevity and performance are at odds with one another, with price somewhere in there too. You cannot get the best of all three, best to pick two.

Stay away from anything directional, because then you cannot cross rotate them, which means any tendencies for inner edge scalloping cannot be reversed. This tendency is MUCH more pronounced on wider lower profile tires, a size that is a "performance" oriented arrangement, which means if you get something that has a higher tread wear number, know that chances are the tires could possibly be VERY noisy long before they are "worn out".

Larger, wider tires will sacrifice both ride quality and fuel economy. They will also cost more and not last as long or remain as smooth.

Pay attention to proper load and speed ratings, and know that a heavier load or a higher speed rating is both unnecessary and will be a heavier tire.
 

jmodge

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Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
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2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
I don’t know if the general arctic Max comes in the size you’re looking at, but we’ve run them on Donna‘s car for three seasons. Oct/Nov thru mid April. She commutes daily 60 to 120 miles, and they still grip the snow and ice quite well. Plus they’ve been holding up uncommonly well wear wise for dedicated snow tire running the highway. They are directional and I rotate them by season. No scalloping problems, but mainly highway miles, so less sharp turning. I have been very impressed with the grip and wear, definitely would buy them again
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I have a set of the General winter tires and they have been good for me so far, used several winters. But it is not driven a lot (extra car). And it is AWD, so its grip is better already (but with these on it, it is unstoppable).
 

redbarron55

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Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
I bought a 2012 Touareg TDI Exec from an independent dealer for a good price.
The car had 94K miles on it and had probably the cheapest tires that could be found on it (20" tires etc).
So far I have been relatively amazed with these Chinese (crap) tires.
They are Vercelli Strada IV 275-45-20 at $106.08 on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vercelli-Strada-High-Performance-Tire/dp/B01HTW485E
I only have 25K miles on them so far, but they have been good normal use tires for me. We have towed our 16" Scamp from Florida to Big Sur in California and points in between.
However I don't punish tires or drive much over the speed limit and they may fall apart tomorrow, but so far so good.
 

Rrusse11

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Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
Seeing as how you already have a set of snows, I would first recommend
16" rims, and then get the General "Ultra Performance" AS-05.

I get about 40k or 2 years out of mine.
Soft, sticky and very good in the wet. Longevity, not so much, but as
Oilhammer so lucidly explains, you can't have everything.

I particularly appreciate that the Generals are light, having a thing about
unsprung weight from a handling point of view. You have a wide range of
tire options with 16", and I much prefer the ride vs 17".

My $.02

 

Drclaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
I bought a 2012 Touareg TDI Exec from an independent dealer for a good price.
The car had 94K miles on it and had probably the cheapest tires that could be found on it (20" tires etc).
So far I have been relatively amazed with these Chinese (crap) tires.
They are Vercelli Strada IV 275-45-20 at $106.08 on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Vercelli-Strada-High-Performance-Tire/dp/B01HTW485E
I only have 25K miles on them so far, but they have been good normal use tires for me. We have towed our 16" Scamp from Florida to Big Sur in California and points in between.
However I don't punish tires or drive much over the speed limit and they may fall apart tomorrow, but so far so good.
Thanks for the info. Would love to tow a small trailer with my JSW, partially why I lifted it and put the forklift 2" receiver on. What's the towing specs on a toureg?
 

nayr

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Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Location
Colorado
TDI
2014 Audi Q7
Tregs can pull 7700lbs heh, I tossed the 20in wheels off my Q7 pretty much instantly, then put 17's on it and it rides so much better and tires are so much cheaper, I can run high end name brand shoes for just a little more than those chinese 20s, and with real truck tires ive got half the life left at 45k miles.

Dropping wheel size and increasing tire size often opens up more options, while providing more ride comfort and less costs.. big wheel fad is silly and expensive, top shelf tires for my 20in wheels cost $1200+ and last ~20k miles.. top shelf tires for my 17in wheels cost <$800 and last ~90k miles, there were 10x more options to chose from, plus it rides better than ever while being severe snow rated all year long.
 
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redbarron55

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Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
Lifting the car to tow is not a help for stability.
The higher tire section will give a softer ride and cheaper tires, but the sidewall flex doe affect stability to some extend, but probably not enough to make any real difference.
The Touareg tows beautifully and is the best tow vehicle I have ever used.
I don't know anything about the forklift hitch you mentioned, but my 2012 TDI had the towing package and I added a Redarc brake controller for the brakes on the Scamp.
I have used the Redarc and the Prodigy P3 and while the Redarc makes a neater installation the P3 works better and gives smoother braking action.
 

Drclaw

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Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the general RT43. 215/50/17. I think 215/55/17 will be a little tight and don't want to risk it. Thanks everyone!
 

Rrusse11

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Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
"Dropping wheel size and increasing tire size often opens up more options, while providing more ride comfort and less costs.."

My thoughts exactly.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the general RT43. 215/50/17. I think 215/55/17 will be a little tight and don't want to risk it. Thanks everyone!

We sell truckloads of RT43s here, they are a good all around tire. We really do not get any complaints about them, and sell them again when they are worn out.
 

crustodd

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Joined
Apr 19, 2015
Location
SoLame, Oregano
TDI
Buying an '09-'12 JSW
Best Winter Tire

i'll chime in. I put a set of Champiro Icepro 205/55 16's on my 2011 JSW at the end of 2018. I've run them since. I have about 35K on them. They are a studable tire I chose to run without studs. They are noisy, as you'd expect, but they grip great here in the variable Oregon weather, they still have about another 10k of tread life left on them, and they've always balance well and worn very evenly. My JSW has the Kerma ecu and DSG tunes and the tires have their work cut out for them. I don't abuse the extra grunt of the tune, but I definitely make use of it leaving lights quickly, and cornering enthusiastically:) These were inexpensive rubber, about $375 for the set mounted and balanced. I never expected them to wear so well. They are a directional pattern too, so they are limited on their rotation abilities. A surprisingly good tire and pretty dang grippy in the dry and wet conditions we can get in a days time here in the Willamette Valley
 

Drclaw

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Oct 29, 2018
Location
ME
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen
Wanted to close the loop here. Finally pulled the trigger on some pirellis because they were on sale. Went with pirelli cinturato p7 allseaon plus 215/55/17. Fit great and def a better ride than the 225/45/17 continentals that were original to the car.
 
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