CTS and snow

i used blizzack ws-50's for a season. 110% difference! almost felt as though the car had 4wd lol. it was great. in the northeast id say snowtires are a must

I am staring down the barrel of my first winter with my '05 CTS 3.6L 6MT in the Denver, CO area. I did some research at Tire Rack on the Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires that are OEM'd on my car and the results were distressing. Most of the smaller cars reported decent snow traction but the few CTS reports I saw were negative. I'm going to give it a try this winter with the stock rubber. If I get stuck even once then I'll get Blizzacks in all 4 corners and buy a set of sweet rims and tires for the warmer weather!

I drove my CTS in very bad snow weather last year for a few weeks, mine has goodyear ultra grip and they performed well in bad snow, you will just need to pay more attention while driving in bad snow, since rearwheel drive are notorius bad in snow. good tires are a must, forget that all season crap and get good winter tires instead
Henrik
Sweden

I ran 4 Pirelli P7 snows on my wife's Miata about 10 years ago and it was excellent in the winter. You should have no problems - just drive reasonably for the conditions.

purush said:

I am a bit worried of its performance in snow. I have just installed 4 Pirelli winter tires. Cost me a lot of money, but have I done the right thing ? I have a 3.6 auto with snow flakes button. I would like some feed back from persons who have used snow tires. Thanks

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I'll never run "all-season" tires in the winter again. We get a lot of ice & snow, and it's just not worth it. The stopping distance differences when running on winter tires are more than enough to save you from an accident, and none of us are perfect drivers. The cost of a 2nd set of wheels & tires are less than an average fender-bender - FAR less if insurance becomes involved. And those tires will be with you for several seasons - the wheels likely will be good for the life of the car! My 2 cents...

I'm gonna give winter a shot on the factory rubber. I'm still driving around on my ZR rated 20's, made it through our 6" of snow on monday in Calgary, the highways were very icey, and as long as you exersize caution, all is good. I admit snow tires are a must for some cars in the winter (like my C320, I have 4 17" alpines on it, and i think its better than my old QX4 was in the winter), but the CTS is big, heavy, and has all the tech wizzards working for you.

I think if the car should have winter tires, the dealer would deliver the car with Z rated summer tires, just as Mercedes does. GSL gave me all seasons, so thats a good indication that they should work fine year round.

You're not going to want to try your luck on the stock RS-As. I did last winter and it was a nightmare. The CTS was far worse than my Z28 using the same tires (RS-As). The main difference is the CTS's lack of a posi rear end. Traction control is next to useless in the snow, so don't expect it to repeal the laws of physics or anything.

I have picked up a set of 16" factory rims on ebay (I have the sport package with 17" rims) and am going to get snows for the first time. Not taking chances this winter with the new CTS!

I'm considering:
- Dunlop SP Winter sport M3's - good reviews, supposedly good in the dry too
- michelin X-Ice - probably better in snow, but loud and mushy in dry?
- blizzaks, because everyone recommends blizzaks!

All 225/55R16 I think, close to the factory rubber in diameter. Anyone got any experience or recommendations with any of these tires?

sid_v said:

I have picked up a set of 16" factory rims on ebay (I have the sport package with 17" rims) and am going to get snows for the first time. Not taking chances this winter with the new CTS!

I'm considering:
- Dunlop SP Winter sport M3's - good reviews, supposedly good in the dry too
- michelin X-Ice - probably better in snow, but loud and mushy in dry?
- blizzaks, because everyone recommends blizzaks!

All 225/55R16 I think, close to the factory rubber in diameter. Anyone got any experience or recommendations with any of these tires?

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This is precisely what I am doing. I'm putting away the 17" beauts and the dealer is putting on 16" stock alloys w/ Blizzaks (unless he's got the M3s for about the same price). I'll post an update in due time.

the tire dude suggested the Michelin Pilot Alpin's instead of the X-Ice, better handling with little compromise on traction. Also argues against the blizzaks for the same reason. Price on all listed tires was within $10; the search continues!

sid_v said:

the tire dude suggested the Michelin Pilot Alpin's instead of the X-Ice, better handling with little compromise on traction. Also argues against the blizzaks for the same reason. Price on all listed tires was within $10; the search continues!

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Sid:

Check out the Kumho KW17 and Hankook Icebear. Both are less expensive than the Michelin, and have received better reviews.

I've owned the Michelin Arctic Alpin, which were out before the Pilots. I found both the Kumho and the Hankooks were better, particularly on ice.

I'm going through a simiilar analysis. I take delivery on my '06 3.6L 6spd with 18" performance pkg. after Xmas. It comes with summer rated Bridgestone REO50s, so winter tires I believe are a must (even with the limited slip diff etc.). I am considering 3 tires: Toyo Garit HT, Dunlop M3 and Goodyear UG GW3. Any input would be appreciated. I think the Goodyears will have the most "summer" like characteristics on the dry days based on their tread construciton.

I've read good things about the Dunlop M3. They'd be my choice of the 3 you mentioned.
We get a lot of ice here, so 'summer-like' characteristics are a lower priority than ice-grip.

The factory RSA's are more than adequate for six months of winter in Alaska for an experienced driver. We have snow on the ground now that will be here until April. I drove the entire winter last year, was never stuck, I saw the stability system message twice, and never had to make more than one try at any hill. I have driven hundreds of miles through snow that was dragging the belly of the car and was sometimes coming over the hood. The car has a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and the balance is great. If you're having a lot of trouble in the snow you might find the problem in the bathroom mirror.

sid_v said:

I have picked up a set of 16" factory rims on ebay (I have the sport package with 17" rims) and am going to get snows for the first time. Not taking chances this winter with the new CTS!

I'm considering:
- Dunlop SP Winter sport M3's - good reviews, supposedly good in the dry too
- michelin X-Ice - probably better in snow, but loud and mushy in dry?
- blizzaks, because everyone recommends blizzaks!

All 225/55R16 I think, close to the factory rubber in diameter. Anyone got any experience or recommendations with any of these tires?

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The Micehline x-ice is not H-rated, so expect the perfomance/handling to be affected. I think, as someoneelse pointed out, that Micehlin Pilots were only about $10-$20 more and these are H-rated.

-GT

dkozloski said:

The factory RSA's are more than adequate for six months of winter in Alaska for an experienced driver. We have snow on the ground now that will be here until April. I drove the entire winter last year, was never stuck, I saw the stability system message twice, and never had to make more than one try at any hill. I have driven hundreds of miles through snow that was dragging the belly of the car and was sometimes coming over the hood. The car has a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and the balance is great. If you're having a lot of trouble in the snow you might find the problem in the bathroom mirror.

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50/50 may be great for handling, but when ot comes to winter traction having more weight over the driving wheels is an advantage. I've never been to Alaska, but here in Montreal I would not consider using RSAs except perhaps for their first winter (which I did). Even with winter tires I've had times when I had to back down hills and find alternate routes. Perhaps its different in Alaska where there isn't traffic to deal with (which can force a lot of start/stop). I've been driving winters for 24 years, so I do have some experience with it.

Prior to the CTS I had a BMW 325. It was worse in the winter. As far as I'm concerned the CTS is ok as a winter car, but to drive up North to go skiing we always take the wife's Pontiac Montana. It does very well through ice & snow.

-GT

GT! I agree with a lot of what you say. From the winter driving experiences I have had in the lower 48 it appears to me that most people expect to be able to drive like they would on dry pavement. The lunacy you see is appalling. No one slows down. No one allows extra room to stop. No one explores the road for areas with better traction. No one gets a run at the hills. To tell the truth, it's the same around here every fall at the first snow but the learning curve is very steep because it's the survival of the fittest.

Leaving a margin for error should exist regardless of the season. But winter driving in the city can cause some surprises. You can have good traction on one road only to find that the snow is covering an icy spot as you approach an intersection.

I like to be able to get the most out of my vehicle, and frankly that just won't happen on ice & snow without the right tires. If I didn't care about performance, I would've bypassed the CTS as my choice of car!

Check out:

http://www.carguidemagazine.com/archive/features/other/oct_2k4.php

We also are blessed with both city and state highway crews that are vey efficient. On snow days the crews are out early enough that the roads and busy intersections are plowed and sanded before the traffic gets heavy. Salting the roads is prohibited by law and does no good at the lower temperatures anyway. Rather than fine sand, the crews use crushed pea gravel that bites well. You are forced to leave space between yourself and the car ahead unless you like your windshield pockmarked with bullseyes. Because the temperatures are generally below freezing the motion of the traffic clears the snow from the traffic lanes and in a few days the driving is on paths of clear pavement. There is packed snow and ice at the intersections but this is sanded. After the first flurry of accidents, sanity prevails and winter driving becomes just another activity requiring a certain degree of judgement and is no big deal.