Separate wheels for winter?

[musher51]

...I have never had a set of snow tires on a car. I have always used all-season tires on both rear and front wheel drive cars and never had a problem...I never felt that snow tires would help that much on ice and in really deep snow I just would avoid driving until roads were either packed down (usually what they do in Alaska) or wait for the plows to come out in other areas...With the fairly balanced front to rear weight distribution in the Genesis and stability control I imagine I would manage winter driving just fine without any snow tires...I would certainly give it a try before considering purchase of snow tires.

Hmmm, interesting perspective. I, too, have almost always lived in northern climates. Perhaps my perspective is unduly influenced by the fact that I previously drove BMWs with the sport pkg, so by default, my standard (summer) tires were high-performance, and thus TOTALLY unsuitable for driving in any sort of snow or slush. (I ventured out into 1" - 2" snows just two times with performance tires, and I was so relieved when those trips were over that I literally kissed the ground upon reaching my destination..virtually NO traction). And for the record, my BMWs had excellent traction control chips and a 50/50 front/rear ratio (plus a manual tranny), but I STILL wouldn't be caught dead on even a little snow with performance tires.

I've been thinking about running all year on all-season tires with the Genesis, but I'm skeptical about doing so with the stock Dunlop's that Hyundai chose to install on this car based on very low ratings for winter performance on tirerack.com.

So, it may be that I could avoid the expense and hassle of buying a second set of wheels/tires (including the added expense of enabling the TPM system on a second set) if I simply replace the Dunlops with a better set of all-weather M/S tires. But then I'd be stuck with a set of Dunlop Sport 5000Ms with <1K miles on them, too, which sounds like an ebay/craigslist kind of moment.

Food for thought, though...

 

[musher51]

Well, I think I've settled on a plan of attack for "winterizing" my Genesis, tire-wise.

Since the car is too new for retailers like tirerack.com to have identified aftermarket wheels, AND since the stock Dunlop 5000Ms have received universally dismal reviews for their winter capabilities, I'm going to buy a set of snow tires (likely Blizzak LM-25s) and have them installed on my stock wheels this fall. In descending order of importance, this approach will <1> put better rubber between the car and the road this winter, <2> buy some time for alternate wheels to become available (hopefully there'll be a choice or two that I'll like even better than the stock wheels that came with the car, thus relegating the stock wheels to winter use), and <3> allow me to procrastinate on a decision about whether or not to pony up the dough to buy a second set of TPMS sensors (versus living with the TPMS idiot light glowing at me for half the year should I opt to go without). Win, win, win!

I love it when a plan comes together...

 

[Viking]

musher51,

Have you checked Tirerack lately? I just typed in the Genesis with 18" wheels and a bunch of tires came up.

One set of all weathers - the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity - got really good reviews although they run $212 each..

 

[musher51]

musher51,

Have you checked Tirerack lately? I just typed in the Genesis with 18" wheels and a bunch of tires came up.

One set of all weathers - the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity - got really good reviews although they run $212 each..

(Fellow) Viking -- I'm not having any trouble finding tires...it's WHEELS that they won't be able to list until they obtain a Genesis and do "fitment" measurements (per the e-mail exchange I had with them last week). I agree that there are a number of tire choices available now, but you'll find the "Wheel" option greyed out for now.

I'm sure there are all-season M/S tires out there that are superior to the Dunlops for winter use (such that I could replace them and stick with one set of wheels/tires), but I'm so conditioned to optimizing my rubber for MN's two major driving seasons that I'm not opposed to buying a second set of wheels/tires and swapping them out 2X/year. Not only will that allow me to run with the best snow tires in the winter, but I can ultimately replace the Dunlops with high-performance tires, which is likely to improve my enjoyment of the Genesis in the summer months.

 

[WilhelmII]

Winter Tires

I see Tire Rack has aftermarket wheels up on their web site.

What is everyone in New England, the Midwest, or Canada planning to do for winter tires?

I am looking to have a separate set of wheels. What are people looking at for wheels? I haven't found a set that jump out at me.

For tires, I am looking at either Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D or Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3.

 

[BaywayRic]

Re: Winter Tires

Need to check out this thread:

http://genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?p=3878&highlight=tpms#post3878

edit by Admin: MERGED (that's twice for this discussion!)

 

[musher51]

Re: Winter Tires

I see Tire Rack has aftermarket wheels up on their web site.

What is everyone in New England, the Midwest, or Canada planning to do for winter tires?

I am looking to have a separate set of wheels. What are people looking at for wheels? I haven't found a set that jump out at me.

For tires, I am looking at either Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D or Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3.

Selecting tires is kinda like picking a presidential candidate...relatively few facts to get in the way of seemingly endless opinions. One thing I'd recommend you do is check out the reviews and customer feedback on tirerack.com. There are a LOT of data (and opinions) to wade through, but it's one of my favorite on-line retailers. Great service, good prices and selection, etc.

All that said, I'm a big fan of Bridgestone Blizzaks. I've used 'em for years in some pretty nasty conditions, and they always come through for me.

 

[musher51]

Re: Winter Tires

Well, I've pulled the trigger. I just ordered a dedicated set of winter wheels (and a duplicate TPMS set-up) along with snow tires. Geez, nice-looking wheels have gotten a LOT more expensive since I last bought some! Now that tirerack.com has run fitment tests, they list 151 different wheels that'll fit Genesis, and predictably, every style I was attracted to cost $750each -- or more (!).

While I'd love to buy the wheels I like the best, I'd also like to stay married, so I compromised and bought some Enkei wheels that were on close-out for $235/each. By the time you add in the TPMS, a set of Blizzaks and shipping, I'm out a not-so-cool $2150!

For the record, I ended up going with 17" wheels so I could get the thinnest possible snow tires. Since I had to give up my stick shift with the Genesis, I decided to hedge my bets, sacrifice some wheel diameter, and hopefully install the best-handling snow tires I can for this car. Time will tell, I guess.

I'll see if I can attach a picture of the wheels...

 

[mikebrc]

I Recently drove the 4.6 at Genesis discovery. The first part of the drive was the simulated ice run. they put soap and water on a tarp, stop and floor it. The car did not spin or fish tail at all, just moved slowly in a straight line.Just wondering if you would even need special tires for winter use??

 

[musher51]

Maybe not, and a prudent person would probably wait until winter and see how the stock Dunlop Sport 5000Ms perform on snow and ice. But having perused the owner reviews for the Dunlops on tirerack.com, I was struck by the universally dismal feedback about how they performed in snow/ice, and I do a LOT of winter driving under adverse conditions. So I decided not to take a chance and ponied up the dough to get a set of winter wheels/tires. I won't be wasting the useful life of the Dunlops, however, as I find them acceptable for non-winter use and will wear them out in the summer months.

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[Dave99GT]

I am going to get a set of snow tires mounted on a new setof rims from Tire Rack. Am probably going to get them with TPMS sensors.
Does anyone know if it is possible to reset the TPMS sensors without taking the car in to the dealer?

 

[musher51]

I am going to get a set of snow tires mounted on a new setof rims from Tire Rack. Am probably going to get them with TPMS sensors.
Does anyone know if it is possible to reset the TPMS sensors without taking the car in to the dealer?

Can't say just yet, Dave, as I'm holding off on installing the winter wheels/tires I just received until it's more consistently cold in my area (given that the rubber on snow tires is notoriously soft, I hate to make the switch if temps are still running into the 50s or higher).

I discussed the TPMS set-up with the shop I'm going to use for the wheel swap, but they almost exclusively work on BMWs -- they haven't even seen a Genesis yet -- so they can't predict if they'll have any problems setting up the duplicate TPMS until they try. I should know one way or another in a couple of weeks...I'll keep ya posted.

BTW, be prepared to pay $148/sensor ($592 overall), and it's a special order item for Tire Rack, which delayed the shipment of the wheels for two weeks.

On the other hand, I really like the look of the Enzei wheels I bought, perhaps even more than the stock wheels that came with the car (although the Enzei's won't accept the winged center wheel caps...oh, well). I'll post a photo or two in my album as soon as they're installed on the car.

 

[BaywayRic]

I'm holding off on installing the winter wheels/tires I just received until it's more consistently cold in my area.

Looking at the weather map, that would be tomorrow!

 

[musher51]

Looking at the weather map, that would be tomorrow!

Wait a minute...what constitutes 'cold' for a Floridian? <70 F?

Actually, Ric, it's only 39 F in MN today, but it's bouncing back toward 60 in the next few days, so it's STILL too early to set my new Blizzaks onto pavement. But the day will surely come, not unlike death and taxes...

 

[WilhelmII]

Can't say just yet, Dave, as I'm holding off on installing the winter wheels/tires I just received until it's more consistently cold in my area (given that the rubber on snow tires is notoriously soft, I hate to make the switch if temps are still running into the 50s or higher).

I discussed the TPMS set-up with the shop I'm going to use for the wheel swap, but they almost exclusively work on BMWs -- they haven't even seen a Genesis yet -- so they can't predict if they'll have any problems setting up the duplicate TPMS until they try. I should know one way or another in a couple of weeks...I'll keep ya posted.

BTW, be prepared to pay $148/sensor ($592 overall), and it's a special order item for Tire Rack, which delayed the shipment of the wheels for two weeks.

On the other hand, I really like the look of the Enzei wheels I bought, perhaps even more than the stock wheels that came with the car (although the Enzei's won't accept the winged center wheel caps...oh, well). I'll post a photo or two in my album as soon as they're installed on the car.

I was going to do the whole deal with Tire Rack, but my dealer quoted me $41 per TPMS Sensor. Might just buy everything and have it mounted locally.

 

[Dave99GT]

my dealer quoted me 240 for a set of four TPMS sensors, much less than the 590 Tire Rack wants for the set of sensors. Looks like buying the sensors at the dealer and then paying a local shop for mounting and balancing is still cheaper than the price of the sensors at Tire Rack (Tire Rack will mount and balance for free if you buy rims from them with the tires).
Still an open question on what if anything needs to be done to get the car to recognize the new sensors in the new set of snow tires...

 

[Sonata2009]

If you check out the TSB posted for the wheel sensors, it shows what must be done to get the sensors recognized - there is an electronic pairing device that is supposed to be used one wheel at a time to enter it into the system. MAYBE there is a universal type device available - I can't see every tire dealer having to buy each manufacturers device in order to service the car. Possible, I guess.

 

[Calvin]

Does that mean if I wanted to rotate the tires (front to rear) I would have to reinitialize the sensors? I'm hoping that's only for new sensors and not the the existing ones.

Calvin

 

[musher51]

my dealer quoted me 240 for a set of four TPMS sensors, much less than the 590 Tire Rack wants for the set of sensors.

Wow, Tire Rack charged me 360% more for the tire pressure sensors than Hyundai dealers are quoting! I'm a believer in "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) and concede that I could have/should have done some legwork before agreeing to Tire Rack's price, but geez, in what world would one expect a high-volume retailer like T.R. to charge nearly four times what a DEALER does? Sheesh...

I just sent off a note to Tire Rack Customer Service. As as long-time repeat customer, it'll be interesting to see if they offer any remedy to this outrageous case of price gouging. If they don't, I've made my last purchase from those guys.

 

[Sonata2009]

About sensor initializing:

I believe that only applies to sensors that have not already been applied to the car. I would at least ask your dealer if nobody here knows for sure.