Topic: Autos.ca should do a test of super cheap winter tires!

[random006]

Ideally, you'd have 3 cars:
-  front wheel drive
-  rear wheel drive
-  all wheel drive

To keep it simple, cars such as Corolla, Focus, Impreza and a RWD of your choice (Mustang or Crown Vic perhaps?) could work.

[StoneRaizer]

Specs on my car:

2008 Nissan Versa S Hatchback
FWD, no ABS
1.8L 4 cyl, 122 HP, 127 ft-lb torque, 4 speed auto (not CVT)
Sailun Ice Blazer WST1 tires, size 185/65/R15, not studded, stock steel wheels
Tires purchased and installed October 21, 2013. New ceramic brake pads installed on front discs at same time.
70 330km on odometer at time of posting

I live 1 hour from Ottawa, 1 hour from Montreal, 2 hours from Kingston, 5 hours from Toronto.


Any other info I should post?

[wing]

We kind of did this in 2006 lol

http://www.autos.ca/winter-driving/feature-traction-2006-giant-winter-traction-test/

[random006]

We kind of did this in 2006 lol

http://www.autos.ca/winter-driving/feature-traction-2006-giant-winter-traction-test/

Yeah but c'mon wing, that was soooo last decade.   

We need to do it all over again.  I might be available, depending on when it's held.

[wing]

Yup the problem is the management is no longer in Ottawa, but in Toronto where snow doesn't exist

[StoneRaizer]

We kind of did this in 2006 lol

http://www.autos.ca/winter-driving/feature-traction-2006-giant-winter-traction-test/

That was a test on the cars itself. This test is about inexpensive winter tires like Sailun, Hercules and Nexen and how they compare to the better known tires like Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak and Nokian Hakkapeliitta.

[blur911]

My club, StLAC, is planning on another winter slalom at Picton Airport this season.

Might be an opportunity for some testing.

[Angry Chicken]

We kind of did this in 2006 lol

http://www.autos.ca/winter-driving/feature-traction-2006-giant-winter-traction-test/

That was a test on the cars itself. This test is about inexpensive winter tires like Sailun, Hercules and Nexen and how they compare to the better known tires like Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak and Nokian Hakkapeliitta.

^^^^^ What he said.

[Fobroader]

Dont you guys have an ice racing club anywhere around the GTA?? Boom, groomed frozen lake.

[sailor723]

We kind of did this in 2006 lol

http://www.autos.ca/winter-driving/feature-traction-2006-giant-winter-traction-test/

That was a test on the cars itself. This test is about inexpensive winter tires like Sailun, Hercules and Nexen and how they compare to the better known tires like Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak and Nokian Hakkapeliitta.

^^^^^ What he said.

^^^ Exactly.....not the same thing at all. 

I'd be interested in knowing if the cheap imports are nearly as good for way less money or not even close.

[blur911]

Dont you guys have an ice racing club anywhere around the GTA?? Boom, groomed frozen lake.

Not allowed by insurance to actually ice race on a lake, they flood the Minden fairgrounds to make a track.

[Fobroader]

Dont you guys have an ice racing club anywhere around the GTA?? Boom, groomed frozen lake.

Not allowed by insurance to actually ice race on a lake, they flood the Minden fairgrounds to make a track.

They do it around here all the time. Im just thinking, what better place to test a winter tire than on glare ice.

[blur911]

Dont you guys have an ice racing club anywhere around the GTA?? Boom, groomed frozen lake.

Not allowed by insurance to actually ice race on a lake, they flood the Minden fairgrounds to make a track.

They do it around here all the time. Im just thinking, what better place to test a winter tire than on glare ice.

Here in Ontario the weather conditions are that if we get good ice on a lake we will soon also get snow and a thaw/rain which makes it basically unplowable.  The snow sticks to the ice and you often end up with a foot of snow then half a foot of slush underneath.  I've only been able to go high-speed ice fishing a couple times in the 10 years we've had a cottage on the lake.

[StoneRaizer]

My club, StLAC, is planning on another winter slalom at Picton Airport this season.

Might be an opportunity for some testing.

Picton Airport isn't far from me at all. According to Google Maps it's a 2.5 hour drive.



It's early, but after three days of dry roads in temperatures ranging from 3'C to 8'C I'm noticing that there isn't much difference in handling between Sailun Ice Blazer winters and the Pirelli P4 all-seasons. Sailuns are a little softer and a little noisier than the Pirellis, but nowhere close to as noisy as the Bridgestone Insignia SE200 all-seasons that were on the car when I purchased it.

[Angry Chicken]

No. Too much super cheap crap in life as it is...would rather not read comparisons about it.

It's hard enough sorting through the good stuff.

Poor people have needs too

Then they should get their own website...but it wouldn't really matter because they don't have internet access. 

I'm sure the smiley faces mean that your not intentionally being a prick. 

[Angry Chicken]

My club, StLAC, is planning on another winter slalom at Picton Airport this season.

Might be an opportunity for some testing.

Would you be willing to approach the club executive about possibly giving some time to autos.ca members to run a test?  Picton is a great place, equidistant as it is between Toronto and Ottawa where a lot of the membership is.  The biggest organizational hurdle is sourcing a supplier/installer of tires who is willing to lend us support with the range of tires we need.  If we could get these tires pre-mounted on steelies (1 set cheap + 1 set name brand) for each of the members cars that would work.  Kal tire, for example, has garages in Toronto and Ottawa.  The onus on the autos.ca member would be to pick up the 2x sets of pre-mounted tires and be responsible for installing them on their cars, ensuring the correct pressure, changing them over and returning them after the test.  This would keep the logistics burden away from the tire supplier and make it more likely for them to play with us.  We would need to choose members' cars representative of the basic driveline layouts:  AWD small car, FWD small car, RWD small car and similarly AWD SUV, FWD SUV, RWD SUV (probably a pickup truck).  We would also have to pick one cheapo and one name brand manufacturer only in order to keep the results meaningful.  Members would drive their own vehicles in the test since they would be most familiar with its dynamics and learning curves wouldn't skew the results unnecessarily.

Remember that compact car test where some Toronto members volunteered and were subsequently used to provide input into the judging of the cars?  Something like that would work here, too.

It's a bit late in the season to be thinking of this, but if autos.ca steps up (WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE LISTENING!) we might be able to make this happen.  After blur911 has contacted his club to find out if they could support this, the next step after we get a supplier and brands of tires chosen, would be to reach out to the membership.

[StoneRaizer]

If autos.ca gets on board I know several of my college classmates are in the automotive industry that I could ask for help on this project.

Friend A - Videographer/Editor, wheelsonedge.com, recently won AJAC Award for Best Web Video (Cobourg, Ontario)
Friend B - Marketing & Client Relations Manager, Edwards Ford Kingston
Friend C - Digital Marketing Manager,  Dilawri Automotive Group Ottawa

[random006]

Let's make it Ottawa.  That way, those of us in Montreal and eastern Ontario can also participate.

[StoneRaizer]

If we can get the Picton Airport that would be a great location. It's ~30 mins SE of Kingston. Plenty close enough for Ottawa, Montreal and GTA members to attend.

[StoneRaizer]

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Started a new job on November 4th that's been tying up a lot of my time. We've had some wintery weather up here so I've had a chance to test out the Sailun Ice Blazers in various conditions, such as well-below-freezing temps (-15'C), powdery snow, sticky snow and slush. The only issue with grip was when I was at a four way stop and I think there was a patch of ice right at the stop sign. Stopping was fine, but accelerating on the ice caused some wheelspin. Otherwise I've had zero issues accelerating, cornering, braking or changing lanes.

One thing I did find odd is the ride is a little rougher compared to my all-season Pirelli P4s in that I find I'm feeling bumps in the road more. Could be tire pressure, but I specifically asked the tire technicians to inflate them to 33 PSI and make sure the service manager wrote that on the order. I thought winters were supposed to feel mushy and less responsive due to the softer compound.