fluque

I know there are better winter tires than these particular two but they are two affordable options people in this forum have considered.

This is what Connor from Tire rack said about it....

"The Dunlop Graspic DS2 are ok tires but when compared to the Blizzack WS50 you will be giving up some ice and snow traction. Dry pavement handling and noise level is about the same between the two wheels. But i will say that out of the basic snow tire i carry i would say that these two would be the best. When tested in an even comparison of cars and conditions the blizzack will also last around 1 season longer"

Does anybody have particular experience on these tires?

bean438

My research has indicated that these 2 tires are intended for a regular type passenger car and not a high performance sports car. You really should spring and buy a set that will do the 8 justice.
However if you are bent on either of these 2 I would go with the Dunlops.
Mainly because:
1. My OEM tire took a nail at 300 km. No roadhazzard on OEM. I replaced the tire and phoned Dunlop to complain about the lack of road hazzard. They mailed me a check for half the amount of the new tire. Good customer service/support are sometimes worth more to me than a better/cheaper product.
2. Without going into the specifics, whatever makes the blizzak a winter tire (i.e chemical coumpound or siping) is only present halfway into the tread depth. This means that once your blizzak is worn half way it will become less of a winter tire and more of an all season.

Blizzaks are fine but IMO they are not the best choice. Most people associate "blizzak" with winter tires simply because of marketing.
Kleenex, scotchtape......see what I mean?

ANyway dont listen to me. I am not a tire expert, I am just some guy on the internet.
CHeck out this link. The APA is a consumers group with some good info. Quite a few tire choices from different manufacterers to choose from. It is an older list but easy to figure out. The graspic ds1 is listed. Simply substitute the ds 2. Pilot alpines are now the pilot alpine pa2.

http://www.apa.ca/template.asp?DocID=97

I would trust these guys more than the tirerack. Tirerack was ok in my books until they recommended the package with the ws-50. This is not the best tire choice for this car. Sure it will work, and is better than the summer tire, but why compromise?
They probably make more profut on thoses tires.

Click the link and make your own decision.

fluque

^^ You make very good points Bean. It's great to hear that Dunlop has good customer service and does not abandon customers after the sale is done.

On the APA review it reads that when you go to higher performing tires you do give up some snow traction for better stability on dry pavement. Then the question is how do people drive their cars and under what conditions (wet/dry/slush/ice/snow).

I agree with that you would want to have the best tires on the car but it seems that it's still a compromise. If the car is to be driven harder and faster on dry pavement then high performing winter tires are definitely more suitable. But if one is not to drive the car hard during winter months then maybe it's better to get more snow/ice traction.

truemagellen

the two tires you have choosen are both good for snow and ice traction as are most winter tires (comes down to temperature anyhow)

the compounds in these two tires do not live long on dry pavement or whenever the temp goes a bit higher (in the 30s...onto the 40s)...performance wise if you drive your car like you stole it (ie me and most others on this forum) these tires will come apart very quickly

this all comes down to how long are you going to have your car, if you own it and it will see a winter for more than a couple of years it makes more sense to buy the Blizzak LM22s or LM25s which will last longer and provide even better performance (I'm using Blizzak LM22s but almost sprung for the WS50s)

if you are only keeping your car for a few years, will take off the snow tire/rims combo as soon as the temp comes up then go with the two you mentioned

really the differentce in price is not that much when you are talking about 16/17inch tires so look at it that way

if you are putting winter tires on your 18 inch stock rims get the LM22s or LM25s whatever the best deal you can find....you won't be unhappy

bean438

I can't emphasize enough the customer service I received from Dunlop.
In the end though I went with Pilot alpine pa2's for the winter based on a nerd friend of mine who knows more than any human should about anything.
I will buy Dunlop summer tires in a heartbeat.
Anyway, my Michelin winters are performance winter tires. Even with the performance winter tires there is a noticeable decrease in handling/feel of the car. If the graspics are even worse than I would avoid them. The better dry road performance of the high performance tire would be the lower limit of performance I would accept for a tire.
This is not an average passenger car we drive, and besides even in my city (I really can say we get a lot of snow) MOST of your winter driving will be done on dry pavement in bloody cold temperatures.
IMO if the roads are bad enough that you will get stuck in your winter tires than you really shouldnt be out driving.
Or you could have a set of snow chains to get you through the bad streets, until you hit the plowed ones.

truemagellen

let me say if you need chains to drive DONT drive your car in that weather...a good way to damage your 8 (bean's second to last point is right on)

I have just found out I have 3 backups when the weather goes bad but I love my 8 and so I put winter tires on so I could still drive in light snow and ice....this isn't an SUV so don't try to think you can surmount severe weather, this is a sports car sheesh

setup alternatives when the weather goes bad...otherwise you are asking for trouble and may risk a drive that could permanently alter your 8...my first option is an van my dad used to drive that is 200,000 miles old but can get me to work in bad weather if needed, second option is my girlfriend...she has a mazda3...front wheel drive plus it sits a little higher makes it my second choice, last choice is a Bus...only used in worst case scenario but I will have no problem taking it to work if it means keeping the 8 safe in a nasty storm