Do you guys buy directly through websites like tiretrack or go to Canadian tire?

Canadian tire quoted 800+ for 4 winter tires without rims.. Thinking of just buying them off tiretrack and installing them myself.

I'm looking to get winter tires and steelies for my 2013 Outback Premium (2.5). Tirerack recommends 215/70 R16 size tires and Discount recommends 225/65 R16. Is there a difference or advantage of one size over the other?

Also, Discount says they can't sell me the wheel and tire sets unless I get the TPMS, which they can clone to my summer wheels. Do you think its worth it to have them?

Well after 3 seasons I need to replace my Dunlop Winters. I've spent the last week and a half researching, pricing, and then researching some more ([censored] there's a lot of tires). I've settled on four tires that meet my budget and have good reviews.

Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR's Pirelli Winter IceControl Continental WinterContact Si or the old ExtremeWinter Contacts Gislaved Nord*Frost 100

I'm trying to find the best bang for your buck tire that does well in the wet, deep snow, and ice out here in eastern Canada. My previous Dunlop Graspic DS2's weren't very impressive from the start. So i'm hoping to do better this time. I"m someone who is going to be doing a lot of highway driving so tread life on dry pavement is a concern to me.

Sorry if this doesn't go here.

This will be my first time driving in a Canadian Winter and I'm trying to filter out all the advice I get from everyone in terms of what's accurate and what's bull.

First for snow tires: On the door of my vehicle it says 225/65 R17. So far I've gotten this conflicting advice:

-Go narrower than 65 because it allows you to more easily slice through snow and slush to get to the pavement for more grip.

-Go fatter than 65 because the wider base give you more traction.

-Stay with 65 because the manufacturer knows best.

In addition, I've been hearing about different brands. Is there much between the more popular brands?

These are questions I personally still have:

-Should I get a snow tire for my spare as well? (It's a AWD SUV)

-Aside from jumper cables, a collapse-able shovel, first aid kit and high-vis pinny anything else I should pack for winter driving?

-Should I weigh the SUV down with sandbags? It's not a continuous AWD system (2008 Rav4) so would adding weight in the back be a good idea or should the SUV be heavy enough on it's own?

Thanks for all your help.

Edit: Formatting

I have a 4WD Jeep Cherokee XJ with all-terrain tires and no traction control or ABS. I also have a FWD VW GTI MK7 with all-season tires and traction control and ABS. Which vehicle is going to perform better on snowy Wisconsin roads?

I do plan to get winter tires for one of my vehicles at some point.

I’ve read some posts on this reddit and others that have said the winter tires are the most important aspect to winter driving, but still need advice. I’m moving to upstate New York for college and they get a lot of snow during the winters. I’m from NYC and we get a decent amount but the city ploughs and slays the roads fairly often so it’s never much of a problem here. I was considering getting a Subaru WRX and the possibility of an STI. I’ve only heard great things about their AWD system and rally heritage seems fitting. However I’m much more of a muscle car person so would a RWD muscle car be able to handle the New England winters? I know this is a generic question but this is the best place to ask it I believe. Thank you for all your help!!

So the snow is over, but for days now I have been having a problem with the windshield getting dirty. Often, I dont know where the dirt is coming from - one moment its clean, the next thing i know it 5 minutes have gone by and i cant see thru the road in front of me, at least not at night when there is any electrical lights shining.

i tried the built in cleaner feature. it made it worse.

i tried pouring a bit of water on windshield and wiping with towel. it seemed to make it better, but after a few minutes (during which my car sat idle on the side of the road) - back to what it was before.

i tried dry wiping it with a towel (towel may have been slightly moist, which was probably a good thing). this improved the situation somewhat, but again - 30-60 minutes of driving and it was back to what it was before.

am i doomed to have to clean my windshield every few minutes? i am in my car all night, Driving. That would not be convenient.