i would like tio know what sort of tire life etc you guys are getting out of your Gislaved tires on 240 Volvos and what are they like in snow and ice

All 6 of the gislaved tires I have had went out of shape/balance (internal separations?) before they were worn out. I think these were Nordfrost IIs.

About 40k on Nord Frost II.

They are really good on snow, not bad on ice.

One thing I noticed was that they didn't track very straight... it probably had something to do with the super chunky blocks of the tire. Then when they started getting old they basically wore very strangely.

But... the winter benefits were pretty nice.

The NordFrost II - currently replaced by the completely redesigned NordFrost III - is well known as one of the best snow/ice tires here in Sweden, too. According to tests one serious alternative would be the Nokian/Hakka I, now replaced by II. These are tires for "real" winter conditions but might not be the best choice if you drive a lot during other premises. One reason is relatively high noise level, another some slight instability as you already discovered. But this was the big disappointment of the NFII - I´d guess the NFIII is greatly improved in that area. Will try it out later this winter...

I´ve seen the Gislaved´s being discussed in the BB list a few times and am a bit curious about nordic tire brands being marketed in the US. Are they hard to find? Are there any known good alternatives which I won´t find in Sweden?

/Martin

Martin, Here in Toronto, Canada a lot of the Volvo dealers sell the Gislaveds so that may be a reason they are popular on Volvos. I use the Hakkas which can be bought through any independent tire dealer in our area. Great in snow, but I don't like to drive faster than about 110 Kms/hour on drive pavement due to the squirming.

In addition to the Alpin a lot of Bridgestone Blizzaks are used around here. Supposed to be good on ice due to a soft sticky rubber. But has a reputation for fast wear and a harder rubber once some wear has occurred.

The Blizzak´s have just about the same reputation here. But I haven´t tried them, don´t want to drive without some good metal :-) in my tires since I live up north...would be another question in the southern parts.

/Martin

i have been running Michelin arctic alpins for a while now and find them to be good in ice and snow but am willing to try other brands even though i work for Michelin tire.How do the Michelin arctic alpins compare to the gislaved tired?

Don´t know about the Arctics, the latest Michelin´s were named MS260 and Ivalo in Sweden...none of them really competes with Gislaved and Nokian, however.

/Martin

Tony,

Where do you live? I found the Michelins last year to bo a cruel joke in fresh, wet, deep snow here in NE Pennsylvania. And it was a relatively dry winter!