Tire recommendations for Seattle winters

Robbie

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I have a GT PE coming soon (my dealer says it's arriving in early November). I'm considering swapping out the Pirelli P-Zero summer tires it comes with for a set of all-season tires, since Seattle is known to get a lot of rain and a little snow during the fall & winter months. Also, this year is rumored to be a La Nina winter (which make me more leery of running those summer tires during this winter)

I'm leaning toward Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 or Michelin CrossClimate2. My sense is the Pilot Sports would be better in the dry & rain, and the Cross Climate 2 are better in the snow and last longer. My work commute is along the I-90 corridor from Issaquah to the stadiums in SoDo. My weekly errands may take me far east as North Bend but I probably won't be taking the Mach-E over the pass during this winter. Given my expected trip area, it seems sacrificing better snow performance for superior wet performance would be the better trade off.

What's your experience like with these Michelins (or other all-season tire brands) for Seattle area winter driving? What tires do you have or your Mach-E GT?
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Nak

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I have a GT PE coming soon (my dealer says it's arriving in early November). I'm considering swapping out the Pirelli P-Zero summer tires it comes with for a set of all-season tires, since Seattle is known to get a lot of rain and a little snow during the fall & winter months. Also, this year is rumored to be a La Nina winter (which make me more leery of running those summer tires during this winter)

I'm leaning toward Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 or Michelin CrossClimate2. My sense is the Pilot Sports would be better in the dry & rain, and the Cross Climate 2 are better in the snow and last longer. My work commute is along the I-90 corridor from Issaquah to the stadiums in SoDo. My weekly errands may take me far east as North Bend but I probably won't be taking the Mach-E over the pass during this winter. Given my expected trip area, it seems sacrificing better snow performance for superior wet performance would be the better trade off.

What's your experience like with these Michelins (or other all-season tire brands) for Seattle area winter driving? What tires do you have or your Mach-E GT?
Not a Mach-e owner but a fellow western Washingtonian here. You're absolutely right, our winters demand a different kind of winter tire than what works well in colder, drier climates. Your Blizaaks and X-Ice tires work great in the snow and ice, but are not so great on wet roads.

Your first decision: Are you going to run two sets of tires, summer tires in the summer and winter tires in the winter? (This is the best option if you can store an extra set of wheels & tires.) Or do you want an all-season tire that works well all year--but not as good as dedicated tires for the season?

I've always been a fan of the Pilot Sports, but they're not the best choice for an EV. I've found them to be louder with more rolling resistance than the best all seasons. The Cross Climates you mentioned are an excellent choice. Good rolling resistance, quiet and handle all road conditions well. I have these on one of my EVs and I love them. They are excellent on wet roads, and do amazingly well in the snow and ice for an all season tire. Not quite as well as a dedicated winter tire, but way better than almost all other all season tires. Excellent tread life too. The one con? (Not really a con, it depends what you want.) They aren't really a performance tire. That brings up your other choice for an all season tire: the Vredestein Quatrac Pro. Since you're getting a performance car this would be my choice--it's what I run on my second EV. Just a bit quieter than the Cross Climates as measured with a sound meter, they handle all road conditions with aplomb. Pretty much the equal of the Cross climates except the ride is a little better and they really shine when you start pushing the envelope. Truly a great performance tire, giving up only the tiniest bit to dedicated summer tires. For a day on the track you'll want summer tires, it's unlikely you'll notice a difference elsewhere. I've not had mine on ice yet, but for they have done exceptionally well in all other conditions, including a trip up Mount Hood playing in deep snow. These are the first Vredesteins I've owned and my performance EV will always wear these until it's time for a dedicated winter tire. The one con? Tread life is mediocre, but since the cost for these tires is so low it balances out in the end.

That brings us to your second and best option, two sets of wheels & tires for two halves of the year. For a Western Washington winter there is one winter tire that stands above all of the others: The Vredestein Wintrac Pro. Far quieter and less rolling resistance than virtually every other winter tire, these tires are simply outstanding on dry roads, wet roads, deep snow and ice. Lots of winter tires do well in the snow and ice, but are lacking on wet roads and are loud and inefficient to boot. Not these babies. The Blizaaks and X-ice are probably a bit better on ice and just as good in the snow--but are miserable on wet roads. Poor stopping distance and limited corning traction define those two tires on wet roads. They definitely aren't a performance tire on dry roads either. The Wintracs just shine on wet roads, and handle twisty dry roads great as well. Driving up Mt. Hood I've driven right by stuck Suburus and Audis--and some of those were sporting winter tires as well. (Yeah, I stopped to help.) Sound levels measure about even with the Cross Climates on dry roads. I don't know how Vredestein cracked the winter code with these, but they did.

Welcome to the Washington EV community and enjoy your car!
 

silverelan

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I have a GT PE coming soon (my dealer says it's arriving in early November). I'm considering swapping out the Pirelli P-Zero summer tires it comes with for a set of all-season tires, since Seattle is known to get a lot of rain and a little snow during the fall & winter months. Also, this year is rumored to be a La Nina winter (which make me more leery of running those summer tires during this winter)

I'm leaning toward Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 or Michelin CrossClimate2. My sense is the Pilot Sports would be better in the dry & rain, and the Cross Climate 2 are better in the snow and last longer. My work commute is along the I-90 corridor from Issaquah to the stadiums in SoDo. My weekly errands may take me far east as North Bend but I probably won't be taking the Mach-E over the pass during this winter. Given my expected trip area, it seems sacrificing better snow performance for superior wet performance would be the better trade off.

What's your experience like with these Michelins (or other all-season tire brands) for Seattle area winter driving? What tires do you have or your Mach-E GT?
@Nak seems pretty wise on this with some great first hand experience.

If you're not heading up into the mountains and will just be hanging out close to the Sound then I'd say get a tire that over-emphasizes wet weather performance and can perform adequately in occasional snow. If you're up in the Highlands, then I'd probably just stay home if it snows.
 

OlyPen

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I have an MME Premium ER. Just drove it across the state on I-90 on a trip to Idaho. Went through Snoqualmie Pass at 75 mph in the pouring rain with a lot of water on the road. The OEM Michelin all-weather tires performed exceedingly well. The car didn't slip once, even during the tighter curves at full speed on a very wet road. The car was far more capable than the specs would indicate.

(BTW, the lane centering only gave up once the entire trip--not on one of the curves, but in a construction zone with weird lines and signage--and kept the car in the lane the entire time.)

Hopefully that's helpful "real world" info.
 
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Robbie

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About 20 years ago, I had a 98 Mustang Cobra convertible (this was back in the live axle days before they had IRS), with Ford OEM BF Goodrich Comp T/A summer tires that were absolutely worthless in the rain. Unfortunately, one rainy summer afternoon, I was going about 16 mph around a 15 mph turn, and my car lost traction. It then crossed the center line, did a 180, and slammed into a guard rail, and my beloved convertible had to spend a few weeks in the body shop.

Since that sad day, I've had a healthy skepticism for most Ford OEM summer tires' rain performance and I've pretty much been putting nothing but Michelin Pilots or Michelin Cross Climates (or their best available predecessors) on all of my family's cars ever since.

Although, I'm eagerly awaiting the delivery of my Mach-E, I'm a little disappointed that Ford decided to put summer Pirelli P-Zeros on my Mach-E GT PE.
 


joes723

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About 20 years ago, I had a 98 Mustang Cobra convertible (this was back in the live axle days before they had IRS), with Ford OEM BF Goodrich Comp T/A summer tires that were absolutely worthless in the rain. Unfortunately, one rainy summer afternoon, I was going about 16 mph around a 15 mph turn, and my car lost traction. It then crossed the center line, did a 180, and slammed into a guard rail, and my beloved convertible had to spend a few weeks in the body shop.

Since that sad day, I've had a healthy skepticism for most Ford OEM summer tires' rain performance and I've pretty much been putting nothing but Michelin Pilots or Michelin Cross Climates (or their best available predecessors) on all of my family's cars ever since.

Although, I'm eagerly awaiting the delivery of my Mach-E, I'm a little disappointed that Ford decided to put summer Pirelli P-Zeros on my Mach-E GT PE.
We used to live in Issaquah when Snopocalypse 2019 happened; I had summer tires on my Edge Sport and I was able to go up to the highlands back home without any drama. Also, just drove through Issy/Snoqualmie the other day through the rain/wind on my Pirelli P Zeros on my Edge ST and only once felt some slippage. Looking forward to my '22 MME GT PE too, I'll look for you on the roads!
 

highland58

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I am very happy with the CrossClimate2 tires that I put on my MME. The stock tires had problems with traction, but the CC2s are working well. I was not paying enough attention the other day when somebody stopped in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and my car stopped in a very short distance, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the brakes worked.
 

jproudfo

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Picked up my GT PE order this week and opted for all season tires. We decided on Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus. We didn't have any confidence that the OEM tires would perform well in wet (or recent snowy) conditions. Happy with them so far.
 

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I am very happy with the CrossClimate2 tires that I put on my MME. The stock tires had problems with traction, but the CC2s are working well. I was not paying enough attention the other day when somebody stopped in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and my car stopped in a very short distance, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the brakes worked.
What's your efficiency been on the new tires? Same as your old FE on 235 CC2s?
 

highland58

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What's your efficiency been on the new tires? Same as your old FE on 235 CC2s?
I can't really tell that there is any difference, the cold weather seems to be a bigger influence.
 

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I've used these on every EV I've owned, going over snoquamie the first time was nerve wracking, otherwise, they track really well, pain getting them on the first few times cause there's no room in the wheel wells. getting them off is easy.
@Robbie if you are on snow and black ice "A LOT" go with snow tires, i'm not your conscious , just a fellow Washington driver, but considering if you are off snow and ice greater than say 80% check out the autosock
 
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Blue Sky

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Picked up my GT PE order this week and opted for all season tires. We decided on Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus. We didn't have any confidence that the OEM tires would perform well in wet (or recent snowy) conditions. Happy with them so far.
Hi there, I'm in the same situation with my two-week old GTPE, replaced the stock P Zero with the DWS06+. How are the DWS today after quite a few miles you've put on them since 2022 Jan. Tire wear, range, noise etc.? Thanks.
 

jproudfo

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Hi there, I'm in the same situation with my two-week old GTPE, replaced the stock P Zero with the DWS06+. How are the DWS today after quite a few miles you've put on them since 2022 Jan. Tire wear, range, noise etc.? Thanks.
I've been really happy with them, so far. About 20K+ miles, wear has been good, and they've handled some snow/ice conditions really well. Lost 2 tires to punctures, but the warranty replaced them at no charge.
 

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I have a GT PE coming soon (my dealer says it's arriving in early November). I'm considering swapping out the Pirelli P-Zero summer tires it comes with for a set of all-season tires, since Seattle is known to get a lot of rain and a little snow during the fall & winter months. Also, this year is rumored to be a La Nina winter (which make me more leery of running those summer tires during this winter)

I'm leaning toward Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 or Michelin CrossClimate2. My sense is the Pilot Sports would be better in the dry & rain, and the Cross Climate 2 are better in the snow and last longer. My work commute is along the I-90 corridor from Issaquah to the stadiums in SoDo. My weekly errands may take me far east as North Bend but I probably won't be taking the Mach-E over the pass during this winter. Given my expected trip area, it seems sacrificing better snow performance for superior wet performance would be the better trade off.

What's your experience like with these Michelins (or other all-season tire brands) for Seattle area winter driving? What tires do you have or your Mach-E GT?
Just following up. Any news’ on tyres?
 

silverelan

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I ended up going with CrossClimate2 tires for my GT as a winter wheelset. This does the job when heading up to the mountains or if there’s a snow event in town. The range hit is close to 10% but it’s worth the trade off.

I picked up a set of GTPE wheels and put the original Continentals on them as my “summer” tires.
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