Directional Tires

[Setec Astronomy]

I never would have asked about directional tires...except. My wife had a set of Pirelli P7 All Season Plus tires that she really liked. I guess the current version is the P7 AS Plus 3, which are non-directional, and I would just get them because they make them in the size for my car...but Tire Rack testing continually says they suck in the wet and the snow, even though the user reviews seem to rate them just as high as the Michelin CrossClimate2 in those conditions.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Yes, I really started the thread because of the Michelin CrossClimate2, and the similar Goodyear Assurance Weatherready2 (which isn't yet and may never be available in the size for my AWD car). We used to call these "snowflake on the mountain" tires, now they call them "3PMSF", and I've had in my stable both of what I believe were the first of these tires available in the US, the Nokian WR and Vredstein Quatrac.

Correction--what I meant was the Nokian WR and Vredestein Quatrac were the first all-season/weather tires to have the snowflake on the mountain rating, of course there were winter tires that had that rating prior.

 

[Bunky]

I never put the spare in the rotation, and anyway, it's been what, 35 years since cars had full-size spares? My '90 didn't, and my mother had an '88 that had a blow-up spare...that never got used in the entire 17 years she had that car. Maybe trucks/SUV's have/have had full-size spares more recently.

I have not done it except to use as a temporary tire because I did not have jack stands.