I just picked up a new '05 CTS. As I am coming into the winter season, I'm wonder how the stock tires will perform in the snow. They are the Goodyear RS I think? Does that sound right?

Should I not even deal with those and replace them with a better tire for winter right away? I've heard they are only a 10K tire and not good in the snow but I figured you guys here would know the real deal.

Are these run flat tires?

Thanks.

No they are not run-flat tires. The Good Year RSA tend to wear fast and traction is not that great. I put Pirelli Snow tires on all four corners. Snow tires today are not the knobby tires of the past. You can hardly tell the difference. I still have mine on the car. Never found the time to switch. Absolutely no noise. I got mine at Rims, Tires, Wheels, Chrome Rims, Wheels and Tires Packages, Custom Wheels - Victoria Tire & Wheel (http://www.victoriatire.com).

Well i have 26K on my eagles and i m dying to change them. I have a feeling that they are causing some of the "infamous" vibrations i feel on the road. The tires were horrible in the 2nd winter, i guess after 10K miles they loose a lot of their traction. But...i stress but..i left a lot of Bimmers and Mercedes on the side of the parkway during the crappy snow storms in NJ last winter!So they are not so terrible but obviously dont replace them if there not worn out!

They suck. I figure I have a couple of months to find a way to convince my wife that I need new 18" rims and tires so that I can put snows on my stock 17" rims... a few grand of found $$ would help too.

I used the stock tires for the first winter while they still had lots of tread. I had no trouble pushing snow that was above the front bumper, came up over the hood, and sluiced over the windshield. For the second winter I got a set of WS-50 Blizzaks. I don't think they are that much better then new RSA's. The car handles snow as well as any car I've ever owned. The only time I was held up for weather was two years ago when the snow was sixteen feet deep near Cantwell, Alaska.

I used the stock tires for the first winter while they still had lots of tread. I had no trouble pushing snow that was above the front bumper, came up over the hood, and sluiced over the windshield. For the second winter I got a set of WS-50 Blizzaks. I don't think they are that much better then new RSA's. The car handles snow as well as any car I've ever owned. The only time I was held up for weather was two years ago when the snow was sixteen feet deep near Cantwell, Alaska.

I'm with RobertCTS & dkozloski - the stockers aren't total rubbish, but a set of really good winter tires would be a good move for snow/ice - preferably four. While living in northern Japan in the 70s, it was mandatory that our cars be fitted with four snow tires during the winter. Having grown up in NW Iowa, I initially thought that was a bunch of crap, but after experiencing the difference, I had to agree that it improved traction/steering/braking.

Not sure what wheel size you have, but we put a set of Michelin HydroEdge tires on at about 17 or 18k. Great all-around tires (unless you're set on high speed rubber), but couldn't get them in stock 16" size of 225/55/16, so went to 225/60/16s. Have nearly 10k on them & they work out well - also fill the tire wells. The tread profile is quite aggressive & they excel in rain, are quiet & handle well. Not sure about snow, as we don't get much of that down in Bama.

Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds are another great all-season tire with much the same tread pattern as the Michelins. I've about 10k on a set of them on another car, & they seem to be every bit as good as the HydroEdges. They just recently became available in 225/55/16 H-rated & should be an excellent touring tire for the CTS owner with 16 inch rims.

I do have the 16" rims. I'm going to try to make it through this winter since the tires are new and it sounds like they might be pretty good when new. I'm guessing by this time next year I might just put on a set of snows.

We don't get as much snow here as we used to when I was a kid but it can hit pretty hard. Then again, if it's that bad, I'll just stay home.

I had the RS-As on briefly during the first snows of last winter. Boy did my car like to spin out (even with Stabilitrak enabled). Fortunately, I installed Dunlop M3 winter tires and OEM 16s before I had to travel long distances to my clients on Cleveland's snowy roads. Great tire...saved me on a few occasions. Plus, there's really nothing quite like zooming past the "unequipped" on the freeway. Another pro: having two sets of tires means delaying the inevitable tire replacement since total mileage is allocated between both sets.