It would be interesting to hear about the winter driving experiences from those who drove their '07 Santa Fe's with the stock tires this past winter.

I've looked for reviews of winter driving performance (related to the stock tires) from sources like CanadianDriver but found little information was available.

A couple of forum members (excerpts below) seem to have had very good winter driving experiences with the stock tires.

(Caribou | Feb 28 2007, 11:03 AM | Post #5) -- "Took the 3.3 GL AWD for one final test drive last night. There was 4-5 inches of new snow and lots of icy roads (Winnipeg). The Santa Fe easily out performed the AWD Equinox and the AWD X-trail in these conditions."

(capt canuck | Apr 4 2007, 01:41 PM | Post #3) -- "We live in a serious snowbelt region where when it snows the average per day is 15-20cm (6-8 inches). My backyard was at least 4 feet deep at any given time. I had no issues at all during this entire winter - and that was with All-Season's."

For those who drove this past winter with the stock tires, what did you think of the stock tire's performance when starting, driving and stopping on icy and snowy streets/roads?

The stock tires are ok accelerating, but AWD doesn't help when you brake. Keep in mind that most people commenting on the ability of all seasons for winter haven't actually driven the vehicle with 4 dedicated winter tires. After I received my new Santa Fe last year in November, I drove it in the snow for a week before I decided which winter tire I was going to go with. It's night and day.

I read some reviews on the tires and for the most part, people are not impressed by them:

http://www.1010tires.com/tirereviews/Bridg...re_reviews.html

http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComme...74x032&code=yes

Phantom, I'm in the Toronto area. I don't plan on changing tires unless the tires behave poorly. If I had to drive in really serious snow all winter (Huntsville), I'd be shopping for 215/85 16 sized winter tires.

This post has been edited by UniR: Nov 7 2007, 10:33 AM

Phantom, thanks for the links.

I'm surprised that there were so many complaints about the tire's poor performance in wet weather conditions. We made a few 600+ km trips this summer through light and heavy rain over a variety of road surfaces (Rocky Mountains and prairie flatlands) and the tires performed well. Even at passing speeds on wet paved roads the tires offered good traction and handling.

We are due for a snowfall and colder temps this Friday so I'll find out soon enough how they perform on icy and snow-covered city streets.

RJ, unless someone is driving the same vehicle the results can really vary. I love Michelin HydroEdge as a 4 season tire. Our Accord goes through snow like nothing with them. I had them on the Aerostar my Santa Fe replaced and they were great there too. But I have a friend with a Saturn who absolutely hates them in the snow... go figure. Is it the vehicle, differences in sizes, the combination, who knows?

On my '07 my biggest complaint about the tires is that they are NOISY. They roar and/or whine depending on the road surface. I've never driven on tires this noisy other than 4x4 trucks.

As for the wet performance, I find it isn't great but I never expected it to be. In heavy rain, on roads with deep truck-ruts they are disconcerting but other vehicles are pretty near as bad. My '96 Impala SS with worn 285/40-17 Firestone SZ50's all around was absolutely spooky scary to drive in the same conditions. With the new Kuhmo's, 285 in rear and 255 in front, it handles like a slot car no matter what the weather (except snow). The SF is in the middle of the two.

Stewart

This post has been edited by MurfsDad: Nov 9 2007, 08:05 AM

MurfsDad,

Glad to hear of your recent snow experience with the stock tires.

Sounds like you had good traction and acceleration.

How did the tires perform when stopping?

Thanx RJ. THE stopping wasn't bad at all. As always, it could have been better, but ... I just found that the ABS licked in a little to easily/early. In the grand scheme it is probably better but I'm old school. I was very impressed over all, particularly the traction and acceleration capabilities.

Stewart

MurfsDad,

That's good news as I was hoping to not have to switch to winter tires and rims!

You had a good snowfall out there; it made the national news. This time last year we were up to our armpits in snow too, but not this year.

I'm looking forward to my first snowfall... now that we have AWD it likely won't come; go figure.

Where are you RJ?

We only got about 3" where I am but there were other areas that got more. If you don't get the snow just think of the AWD as insurance that paid off. :thumbsup:

Stewart

I put my 17" winter on last Saturday and had to travel through about 3" of wet snow yesterday. Thank God I had them on, the stock tires would not have made it.

I kept the stock tires last winter...the SF was purchased in October and luckily, we had a mild winter (Nova Scotia, Canada).

But.....this is where I'm leading with stock tires, when I put them on I noticed that my 2 rear tires were shot. The inside is worn out. Before you ask, yes they were rotated I have all the maintenance done at the dealer. So, basically, after 25,000KM I need to get 2 new tires next spring.

I had the car aligned and the camber was off by 1.75 degress on both rear wheels...Of course, dealer says that alignment is not covered by warranty (charged me $60)and he says he'll bring it up with Bridgestone for the tires. I don't think I have a leg to stand on....Bridgestone will just say that car was misaligned, not their problem. The funny thing is I had the inspection (needed yearly in Nova Scotia) done 3 weeks ago at the same dealer and although they gladly found my rear breaks needed servicing and charged me $40 (not sure of the exact amount) they didn't notice that the tires were shot. I've always been very happy with the service I'm getting from my dealer but I feel I'll have to escalate.

BTW, service rep told me the life expectancy of the stock tires would be 30-35,000KM. I find that.....low. Is it just me or is this what's to be expected from factory tires?

MurfsDad, I'm in Edmonton. The local CBC had a piece on the radio this morning saying that we've had less than half our normal precipitation for the period of July 1 till now. This time last year we all helping each other push our cars out of the snow.

danny9999, that's a rough deal with those tires! I seem to recall the dealer saying that the limited tire warranty was for 100,000kms (60,000 miles). I'll have to go through our files and find the warranty card to be sure.

RJ: Good luck with the winter. I've spent some time in Edmonton and winters can be brutal. Our precip is down as well. I'm hoping for a green Christmas again this year.

danny9999: Sorry to hear about your ties. That sucks. I figure one winter on new all-season radials. After that forget them. When mine wear out I'm going to mount 255/65-16's. They should look better and with the right make will perform better.

Stewart

Just took out the Bridgestone "How to maintain your tires" booklet that comes with the car and nowhere does it mention what the life expectancy of the tires is.

Call Bridgestone Customer Support and they claim that if well maintained they should last 45-50,000km.

@ Stewart: I drove from Halifax to Moncton yesterday morning. I know what you're talking about.

My Bridgestones have 19k on them, I will probably go through this winter and next summer, but then I will replace them. I have had Nokian WR Passengers on my last two vehicles, and I see they come in the 18" size I need, so will probably go with them. I believe they are the only, or certainly one of a few, All Weather radials to warrant Canada's severe weather tire rating, and yet they will still be good for 80-100k.

Or I may go with Goodyear SilentArmors. but still like the Nokians.

Final outcome of my worn tires.....the dealer will pay for 1, I'll pay for 1. Acceptable deal considering the tires have 25,000KMs on them.

NOKIAN Excellent tires allround :beer: