Separate wheels for winter?

[musher51]

Wow, Tire Rack charged me 360% more for the tire pressure sensors than Hyundai dealers are quoting! 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.

I'm pleased to report a happy ending to the saga of the outrageously-priced tire pressure sensors. I informed Tire Rack of the huge price delta between HMA and themselves, and this was their reply:

"The S077 sensor was first found on the 2007 Kia Spectra, so we placed our first order through Gurley Leep Kia. Our second order was also placed through Kia, still for $140.25 each. We knew this part was also
found on the Genesis, without having to call the Hyundai dealer. After the customer informed us of his findings, I called Gurley Leep Hyundai and had them look up the sensor cost for the Genesis. Less than $50 each !!! So the same part number ordered through Kia costs almost $100 more! Thanks for notifying us."

So, I'm returning the original sensors to Tire Rack for a refund, and I've ordered four others from my dealer, who's quoting $39/each...a savings of $436. Many thanks to Dave99GT for the heads-up on the price disparity.

And it sounds like we should all be careful about ordering parts from Kia!

 

[hockeyhank]

Just put on a set of bridgestone blizzaks. There are not the easiest to have mounted but done right they look good. Managed to get my tire guy to get me a deal only 250.00 per tire. Gave the tech a copy of the hyundai servicebulletin regarding tpm and they had no problem s

 

[musher51]

I'm a Blizzak fan, too, having run them for eight straight winters. It'll be interesting to compare our winter driving experience with those that stick with the stock M/S Dunlops (assuming comparable conditions).

As for price, as you can see from earlier posts, I almost overspent by 360%on a duplicate set of TPMS (since resolved), but for the record, Tire Rack charged me just $119/each for a set of WS-60s. Maybe your tire guy will match that? This isn't a special price...you should be able to pull it up on tirerack.com.

 

[musher51]

Well, the temps up north have fallen to the point where it's time to switch over to snow tires. So, off with the stock wheels & Dunlops and on with Enkei NT03 wheels & Blizzak WS-60 tires. I'm happy to report that the car linked up with the new set of TPMS sensors right away.

I've only put ~75 miles on 'em so far, but I could swear that the car actually handles a bit better with the snow tires on, which I wasn't expecting. Then again, the stock Dunlops are not a performance tire, and Blizzaks bridge the gap between winter service and highway handing pretty well, so who knows? I'll have a better sense of it all after I've put a few hundred miles on the Blizzaks.

I chose to go with 17" winter wheels so I could get a thinner snow tire, but all in all, I think the Enkei's look pretty good. Kinda miss the winged emblems in the middle, though...

 

[Dave99GT]

My set of Blizzak WS-60s are on order, still waiting for Tire Rack to get in the 17" rims I ordered. Hopefully they will be here by the end of the month.
We had glare ice here today during the commute home. The stock tires on the stock 17 inch rims worked just ok, not great. However, I was very impressed with the handling of the ESC system. It is an advanced, sophisticated system. I was testing it pretty heavily on several zero traction ice fields on roads that had not yet been salted/sanded, and the system worked very well. Much better than the traction control in my 2003 Mustang.

 

[njohnson]

I chose to go with 17" winter wheels so I could get a thinner snow tire, but all in all, I think the Enkei's look pretty good. Kinda miss the winged emblems in the middle, though...

I think it may be the thick outer edge of the wheels but it makes them look tiny!!! They look like 15's! Only winter though so more for function than performance or looks.

I have steelies on my car during the winter, thats the epitome of style

 

[musher51]

I think it may be the thick outer edge of the wheels but it makes them look tiny!!! They look like 15's! Only winter though so more for function than performance or looks.

I have steelies on my car during the winter, thats the epitome of style

I know what you mean. Sometimes they look more like 15"s to me, too, and yet other times, they don't seem much different than that 18"s they replaced. It's definitely a case of function over form, though.

Steelies, huh? Hopefully your winter season is a lot shorter than mine. I generally have the winter wheels on for five months -- sometimes closer to six -- which is just too damn long to live with wheels that ya don't like to look at. So I sunk $950 into the Enkei's, but as I typically drive my cars for 6 - 8 years, the amortization isn't too bad.

 

[njohnson]

Haha I wish, I don't put the Summer wheels back on usually until mid April usually. I just put the steelies on a couple weeks back and shudder each time I look at them but they definitely get the job done. I have some Toyo Proxes for the Summer and by switching each 6 months with the Winter tires / wheels I haven't needed to replace them yet in nearly 5 years which is pretty darn good for some sticky low profile tires.

Maybe by the Spring I'll have a Genesis then I can replace the stock tires with some Winters and get a set of 20's for cruising in the Summer. All depends on how much I end up paying for a house this Spring... I told my girlfriend that the Genesis is almost big enough to live in but she won't go for that

 

[Duaine]

I was wondering since it has snowed in parts of the country by now if anyone can report how the Genesis does behave on snow covered roads?

 

[Sonata2009]

You take it OUT on snow covered roads??!!

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Sonata2009]

You take your Genesis OUT on snow covered roads??!!

 

[musher51]

I was wondering since it has snowed in parts of the country by now if anyone can report how the Genesis does behave on snow covered roads?

Duaine - if you're asking about handling with the stock Dunlops, I can't say as I have 17" Bridgestone Blizzaks on now. I also can't comment on handling with significant snow amounts yet, but I was in central MN yesterday and encountered both side roads and highways with ~1", and the car handled it VERY well. Between the snow tires, ESC functionality and almost 50/50 weight distribution, I'm not anticipating any problems getting around this winter. In fact, I'm kinda looking forward to it!

 

[Dave99GT]

I drove our Genesis today in two-three inches of fresh, slushy snow. 35 degree temperature. The stock Dunlops handled poorly. Our asphalt driveway has only the slighest of inclines and I could not make it up to the garage on first pass when I returned home. Had to back up and take a running start at it with a good head of steam. On the first attempt I was driving slowly, and the car started to slip a bit sideways a bit, and then a bit more, and then it just stopped moving no matter how much gas I gave it.
The Blizzak snow tires I have on order should be in this weekend, and that is a good thing.

 

[musher51]

We finally had enough snow in the last few days to start evaluating how the Genesis is able to handle winter conditions. I don't know if you've installed your Blizzaks yet, Dave99, but you'll feel a lot better when you do.

I was very impressed with how stable the car handled in the three or so inches I manuevered through yesterday. The ESC kicked in a number of times, but it was appropriate in each instance. I was intentionally pushing things (e.g. accelarating fast around corners, accelerating randomly from various speeds, braking sharply, etc.), and between the ESC, almost 50/50 weight distribution and good snow tires, I quickly gained confidence in the car's capabilities.

The only thing I miss from my BMW days is a manual transmission, which allowed me to have more direct control over engine speed, but it won't make a significant difference given the other factors listed above. And frankly, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would (although I've had to drop one of my favorite lines: "sorry...I never learned to drive an automatic")!

Anyone that would avoid Genesis (or any other high-end car) due to a fear of RWD in the winter is limiting their options unnecessarily.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

driving in winter was my biggest concern coming out of a 4 wheel drive Passat for the last 6 years. Before our 1st 3 inch snow, I put 3 50lb bags of salt in the trunk. Yes, old trick but I'm an old guy who hasn't driven rear wheel in over 25 years. I pushed, prodded, etc. and agree that ESC kicked in when appropriate. Here's a tip that I found works well in the snow from a dead stop (stop light or sign):
Slide over to the Tiptronic (or whatever Hyundai calls it) and push it up to 2nd. I had absolutely no problems going forward, until I had momentum to slide back into D. This is with the Dunlops.

 

[musher51]

I put 3 50lb bags of salt in the trunk...Slide over to the Tiptronic (or whatever Hyundai calls it) and push it up to 2nd.

I've never added weight to a RWD car, but given the poor reviews the Dunlops received for winter handing on tirerack.com, a little rear-end weight may be helpful.

Interesting idea about using the pseudo-manual shifter to mimic a std transmission. I only screwed around with that feature one time and found it useless (the damn thing shifted of its own volition, whenever it thought I was too pokey), but it may well be useful for starting from a dead stop on icy roads, particularly with an incline. Thanks for the tip, BTHBC!

 

[Dave99GT]

I have the Blizzaks on now and the car is awesome in the snow. The ESC works VERY well. It's even more fun when you turn off the ESC so you can get a little fishtailing on purpose when accelerating.
The ESC does kick in, even when you have it turned off, if you start to get too much sideways.
All in all, if anyone is hesitating on buying the Genesis because they are concerned about how the rear wheel drive might handle in the snow, never fear. It handles great as long as you put on a set of four good snow tires.

 

[Dave99GT]

And by the way, the new TPMS sensors in the extra set of wheels that I bought for the snow tires had no problem being recognized by the car. No re-setting of any kind was needed. It was as simple as mounting the new snow tires on the new extra set of rims, with the new TPMS sensors in the rims, and then mounting the wheels/tires on the car. Very simple and pain free.

 

[sandy]

Interesting idea about using the pseudo-manual shifter to mimic a std transmission.


The Swedes know something about driving in the snow. My '03 Saab had a button on the console labeled "W". ...as in Winter. When you engaged it, the car would move off in 3rd gear.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

All I can say re pseudo-manual is to try it. It worked for me a few times in 1-3 inch snow (starting in 2nd). As a 27 month lessor, I have no intention of buying a second set of tires, and something keeps those 8 versions of BMW and Mercs driving all winter here. I'm a heck of a lot less worried than I was pre-experience. YMMV of course, but so far I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 4.6 to anyone in the snow belt as long as they exercise restraint and don't overdrive the car.