Thanks for the heads up on the spelling

Yeah I know dedicated winter tires are ideal, but my area doesn't get enough snow to justify the expense. I just want something that can get me home if it starts snowing unexpectedly. I can make other arrangements if I know ahead of time.

Thinking about going the DWS route, the more I read about the Coopers everyone says they're noisy.

 

Mfc133, the Cooper Zeon's did very well over the winter and I did get into some light snow in the mountains, as well as hard rain etc., I really like the Cooper's they do what they are advertised to do and handle very well.
if you are in the snow belt, with snow on the ground all the time I would definitely buy snow tires, but all other areas of the country I would definitely recommend the Cooper's.
I have switched back to my OE wheels and tires for the summer, going back to the Cooper's in November.

 

I'll put in a vote of confidence for the DWS's. We had them on our '09 Mazda6 until it got totalled. Quiet, agile, and did better in snow compared to the Michelin MXM4's the car came with. I'd buy them again for a solid AS tire.

 

I'll also vouch for the DWS', had them on my '04 GT and they did great during the winters here in OKC. (snow & ice)

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. Tough choice...DWS is a proven tire, but it's a bit more $$$ and doesn't come in 255/40/19. Just read a ton of reviews on the Coopers, it's rare someone has bad things to say.

Gonna ride the OEM tires out until fall, then I think I'll pull the trigger on the Coopers.

 

If you don't mind a slightly narrower, slightly taller tire, the DWS is available in the 245/45R19 size, a size that Ford uses on the California Special 19's ...

I'm using DWS's in 275/40R18 and love them. Haven't tested them in the snow yet and honestly, I probably won't, but rain/cold weather they're awesome so far.

 

I was thinking of picking up these from AM (http://www.americanmuscle.com/18x95-...-machined.html)
and I was thinking of going with the Bridgestone Blizzaks.

 

. . . interesting. Those are the two tires I am looking at to replace the Pilot Sport 3s on my Titanium Focus. (I have a set of FMC 16" stamped steel wheels (with TPMS) and Focus SFE hubcaps with Kumho Ecsta 4x tires, but I am tired of looking at hubcaps in the winter time.) So the DWSs and MXM4s are the two I have narrowed down . . . but you're the first to select the DWSs (out of two others).

 

Do the blizzaks. Great tires

 

I had DWS on my GTO. Decent in the snow if it was flat. If you have steep hills, that's a different story.

I have 245/40/19 Blizzaks sitting in the garage. Tire Rack has them on clearance during the summer, so I scooped them up before the price went back to retail.

 

I ordered a set of Roush take-offs this week to use as winter wheels. Since they're the same wheels that came with my car, I'm going to plastidip them for protection after getting winter tires mounted and the tires that came with the wheels are going into storage for future use.

For the price, it was tough to beat 4 tires/wheels/TPMS delivered to my door.

Now I need to choose between Blizzaks, Xice and Nokians.

 

PonyOx, I did a similar thing. Found of set of rims (tires and all) on eBay that were an exact match. I got Blizzaks, couldn't be happier.

 

Be careful choosing winter tires. Some of them are completely useless in the snow despite their little snowflake symbol or w\e. blizzaks and xice are both amazing though.

 

I've used Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 in 255/45/18 on 2010 GT500 convertible wheels for the last 3 winters with lots of snow and ice and they have been great.

 

The local tire shops must all use the same warehouse as there are no 2013 Blizzaks or X-Ice to be found for price comparisons vs Tire Rack. So much for getting ahead of the curve.

At least one shop has shown an interest in buying the 215/65 Michelins that came with the wheels so I have that going for me which is nice.

 

Can anyone confirm for me the bolt pattern is the same for the 2011-13 V6 and the GT? I think I am going to go with Blizzaks but drop down from my 18in OEM rims to the standard 17 inch. A slightly narrower tire should be better in snow & tires will cost less.

 

Yes, the bolt pattern is the same 5x4.5" / 5x114.3mm

It's the wheel widths and the offsets that vary

 

Alright I'm an idiot when it comes to tires. I'm looking for some purely winter tires. I have the standard 18" gt wheels that i strickely use for winter and i have a different set of rims and tires for the rest of the year.

I know the blizzaks are the end all be all. But any other recommendations? I live in michigan where we do get a decent snowfall in the winter.

What about tire size?

 

I went with the stock size though there may be a slightly narrower option you could go with. Good idea to call Tire Rack and get their reco; their people know their stuff.

 

I got the Michilin X-Ice and they do great here in WI. I went with 245's. The narrower the better