General G-MAXX tires good for performance and winter snow?

[MBS]

Originally Posted by backbaconrules

Winter tires are not about snow. It's the cold. All that info is in the tires section of the forum.

Not entirely true , Yes it is about cold temps and the softer compound , they are also made to go though snow , that is why they are narrower than all seasons or summer tires and have a different tread design for snow,
And for the OP , do not drive in cold temps with your summer tires , many have wished that they had not tried that.

[Linker239]

I'm on my second set of these tires. I love em. I got 39,000 miles out of the first set. I've got about 9,000 on this set so far. I've driven through snow and ice many times. They seem to handle it just fine. As long as you don't get the snowstorms that the north does. It's all about throttle controll and know ingwhen you start to spin and how the car will react.

[chasmanian]

Speaking from experience, there's not a lot of weather they can't handle. Last year I got stuck at work in a storm. The snow was piled 8 inches or so behind my car and I managed to leave my shovel at home. I turned off the nannies and hit the gas. I never even slipped. Went right over the snow. General g max- highly highly highly recommended.

[AustinWithrow]

Originally Posted by chasmanian

Speaking from experience, there's not a lot of weather they can't handle. Last year I got stuck at work in a storm. The snow was piled 8 inches or so behind my car and I managed to leave my shovel at home. I turned off the nannies and hit the gas. I never even slipped. Went right over the snow. General g max- highly highly highly recommended.

Yay!!! I'm getting my new set this week and then I can finally start my build that I have been pursuing for months now. But it is almost winter and I'm thinking about saving up and getting a cam, and new heads before I install the new motor.

[erik13]

If you're going to drive in the snow, get dedicated snow tires. Tire rack has some great winter tire and wheel packages.

[Rcfiddy1]

I have these now and are happy with them in both wet and cold weather. The Pzeros wore toast in under 10K miles but these have lasted a lot more. I have been in temps as low as 10 degrees and they hold up well with decent traction. Now understand that in my situation and horsepower not many tires will grip so I was not concerned about max grip but more about wet and cold weather traction. If your looking for a good all around all year tire these will do the job and give you good performance. Don't expect drag radial stickiness or F1 performance. With that said, They do perform well enough in dry to have fun. I have dedicated drag radials for those spirited runs.

[chasmanian]

Well said. If there's anywhere these tires fall short, it's dry weather handling.

[Caddyroger]

Originally Posted by AustinWithrow

It don't snow much here either.. But we do get some ice!

With ice there are not many tires that will have good traction on ice. Only tires with studs will have traction on solid ice, In your Area the g-max as-03 will do you good. I have the G-max on my car. My weather is like yours and I do not have any trouble.

[montej23]

I run these tires and have traveled on Ice, snow and absolutly love them. I beleive if i didnt have these tires i would not have made it home for christmas last year

[ChrisBlair]

Ice is ice. You can drive your car in a hockey rink but it's gonna be really slippery regardless of the tire unless it is studded.

[ChocoTaco369]

Originally Posted by rebelyell22

All Seasons are only marginally better than summer tires.

LOL!

You have clearly never run summer vs all seasons in snow. You cannot MOVE with a dusting in P Zero's. I put General Gmax's on my car in anticipation of the winter. They are rated for light snow. No, you won't be able to get around in blizzard conditions running them, but you shouldn't be DRIVING in blizzard conditions, anyway. Summer only tires can't move with even the lightest coatings of snow. We are talking 1/2" snow - I could not make it in or out of a driveway with even the slightest grade. All seasons are good for a couple inches and won't crack when exposed to freezing temperatures like a summer only tire can. Summer's can't even be exposed to cold roads or they may split.

Most people just re-post what they read around here with no experience. Winter tires are NOT designed to run on asphalt. I live in the Philadelphia area where the roads are only covered in snow 1-2 days after a significant storm (which we only get 1 or 2 of a year). 95% of the winter the roads are bare. Running snow tires in those conditions would destroy them within a few thousand miles. You ONLY run snow tires in areas where the roads never thaw. If your roads are bare most of the winter and you only get snow storms here and there, get a good all season tire and if it DOES get really bad just stay home for a day.

Gmax's are also much lighter than the stock Pirelli's. I believe 6-8 lbs per corner. I'm going to run the Gmax's all year around. Their dry traction is almost as good, but they wear half as fast and can handle light snow. They are also $50-100/tire cheaper and much lighter. Win, win, win. No road noise, either.

[ChrisBlair]

Here's a good example, February of 2013. I can see Boston from a hill near where I live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_2013_nor%27easter

I was driving my 2012 1SS LS3 from noon to 4pm through that, on a 30 mile drive that should take 45 minutes. Up hills that had red lights and stop signs and twists and off-camber turns, inching ahead, constant starts and stops, and the plows can't get through.

No problems...but I use real snow tires, not 'performance winter' tires. Sometimes you have no choice to drive in really bad conditions.

Pretty sure this photo was about two hours later, after I parked. The Bobcat is abandoned by the removal crew.

[ChrisBlair]

Originally Posted by Comrando

How was I able to run Blizzacks for 7 seasons and ~25,000 miles and they still had >1/2 tread left?

There's many misconceptions about snow tires. I have about 10K on my Pirreli Scorpion Snow and Ice tires. Plenty of dry pavement driving. They look new.

[Ace0751]

Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369

LOL!

You have clearly never run summer vs all seasons in snow. You cannot MOVE with a dusting in P Zero's. I put General Gmax's on my car in anticipation of the winter. They are rated for light snow. No, you won't be able to get around in blizzard conditions running them, but you shouldn't be DRIVING in blizzard conditions, anyway. Summer only tires can't move with even the lightest coatings of snow. We are talking 1/2" snow - I could not make it in or out of a driveway with even the slightest grade. All seasons are good for a couple inches and won't crack when exposed to freezing temperatures like a summer only tire can. Summer's can't even be exposed to cold roads or they may split.

Most people just re-post what they read around here with no experience. Winter tires are NOT designed to run on asphalt. I live in the Philadelphia area where the roads are only covered in snow 1-2 days after a significant storm (which we only get 1 or 2 of a year). 95% of the winter the roads are bare. Running snow tires in those conditions would destroy them within a few thousand miles. You ONLY run snow tires in areas where the roads never thaw. If your roads are bare most of the winter and you only get snow storms here and there, get a good all season tire and if it DOES get really bad just stay home for a day.

Gmax's are also much lighter than the stock Pirelli's. I believe 6-8 lbs per corner. I'm going to run the Gmax's all year around. Their dry traction is almost as good, but they wear half as fast and can handle light snow. They are also $50-100/tire cheaper and much lighter. Win, win, win. No road noise, either.

I had Dunlop M3 snow tires on my previous car for 4 years when the snow started to fall and there is still 3 seasons left and that's driving on both DRY and snow covered roads. Snow tires are meant for cold dry roads and snow covered roads, it will get traction much more quickly than all season tires and will grip better when its snowing. That's the point for winter tires. Soft rubber equals better traction for cold, now for ice roads doesn't matter what tire you have it will not any traction unless studded.