This is our first winter with our 09 Malibu LTZ - with Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires. I think the traction on snow with these is terrible! We had an Olds Intrigue previously, used Goodyear Triple Thread Assurance which I thought were better in the snow..am I terribly off here, do others have good experience with these in the snow?

If not, alternative good snow tires that you can suggest?

I have an '09 2LT with the Eagle LS2 tires as well. We just got 6" of snow and it's still coming down. This morning I had to leave the La-Z-Boy warehouse parking lot (dropped off chair) and it was uphill to the street. It hadn't been plowed, and only about 4 employees were there, so there weren't a lot of tracks.

When I went to leave the TC kicked in and wouldn't let me get very far. I backed up and got a short run at it, but didn't get much farther. Backed up again, turned off TC, then put it in 2nd and started moving. When it hit the hill I shifted up to 3rd and kept spinning, then shifted up to 4th. The car wasn't moving fast, but it made it up the hill on the attempt with TC off.

For the first 13 months of owning the car (14 total as of this writing) I ran the tires at 30 psi, but now they're at 38. At 30 they felt like they were barely able to hold any corner when the road was less than dry. Now I can nearly put it on 2 wheels in most weather.

Driving in the snow on the Interstate this morning it had been plowed but there was enough snow to leave tracks, plus slush between the lanes. I had to change lanes several times and did so at 50 to 55 mph. I didn't have any sensation of losing control at all, which was way better than I expected after my first 13 months of experiences with these tires! Then I left La-Z-Boy. The parking lot cinched it. I don't expect them to be really grippy in snow, but uphill? That was nice, if I must admit.

Tomorrow it should be an even harder test. We're now losing temperature and expect the roads to freeze overnight at the 17 degree low. That will be really dicey!

I don't think I will replace these with the same ones, but they're not as bad as I had previously thought since adjusting the pressure upward.

Thanks DrivenDaily -- I'm in Michigan, and we're getting pelted right now..but it's been a fairly mild winter, so I haven't had that much experience driving this in snow. The tires should be around 31-32 psi cold, I could try to add a bit more but simply when we have snow/slush and cold conditions I have to accelerate very, very slowly or the tires slip and TC kicks in.

I wonder if having the V6 makes the traction just that little bit better due to the increased weight. I have to accelerate slowly as well, but when it's time to go I just try to make sure I don't spin 'em so I end up moving rather than slipping sideways.

I hope you do well there. We've had 6 inches today, and a total of 18 for the winter. DC got that much in a few hours the other day!

Try putting the tires up to 33-34 PSI cold and around 38 PSI warm. Yes, GM recommends 32 PSI but they recommend that for the Malibu and not the tires on it. Just look at all the tires that come on the Malibu and every one says 32 PSI regardless of Goodyears, Hankooks, Michelin's and so on. All recommended 32. lol


Anyways, the LS2 tires SUCK. In 2-3" of snow on the ground it is scary riding with them on. We have 22K miles on them and they have about 10k miles left. If we dont order a Terrain/Nox here in the next month they are getting replaced this springtime.

I feel your pain everyone...the LS2's are absolutely awful...next winter I will be investing in some winter tires, probably Blizzaks or Khumo snow & ice tires.

Well remember the LS2's aren't snow tires....just all seasons.

If you aren't running snow tires at all 4 wheels you will not have good performance in the snow. All Seasons do not cut it. No matter what the make. You also want a very tall tire (high aspect ratio) using a smaller rim diamater so you can make the tread footprint long and narrow with the long part being in the same line as the length of the car. Just the opposite of a performance tire which has a short and wide footprint and a low aspect ratio.

Bill

You know....if the tires are "all seasons" why can't they at least provide passable performance in snow? I never got that about the tire companies. In the past, on other vehicles running snow tires at all 4 corners I had good traction, so I will go back to that starting next winter. Might actually invest in a cheap wheel package to go with it.

I didn't chance running all-seasons in the snow this year. I bought dedicated snow tires and steel rims. I've had problem with every all-season tire I've had. I bought Firestone Winterforce tires. Not too bad. I got around just fine. I would highly recommend snow tires if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow.

As for Cerivera's comments. All seasons are generally good in light dustings. That's about it. The old saying "Jack of All Trades, Master of none" come into play. It will give you adequate performance in most situations, but for the best you'd want dedicated summer and winter tires.

I have a V6 LTZ and it does just fine on ice a snow. If we got feet of snow I would consider snow tires but for the 3-6" snows we get here in TX the stockers are fine for me.

Interesting comments about the steel rims, given the TPS monitors I know many owners on this forum have I would be interested to know what happens if you order these from an aftermarket provider and don't have the TPS installed. Does the DIS go whacky or will it just read zero all the time? Forgive me, this is my first car with such a system, and it while it is nice, I could do without it since I have always regularly checked my tire pressure at regular intervals. All comments welcome.

Yes, the oringinal goodyear 18" tires that come with the LTZ (Goodyear Eagle LS2) are terrible in the snow. They actually are scary to drive with in snow covered roads. I had picked up my son at a friends house one weekend when it just started to snow. The roads were covered with only about an half inch of snow and the Malibu was all over the road. I could not drive this car in the snow with these tires. I had just replaced these newer Goodyear Eagle LS2 with only 11000 miles on them with Goodyear Triple Tred Assurance tires. Have not had the chance to test the Triple treds in the snow yet because spring weather is now here but will know next winter. Has anybody had any exprience with the Goodyear Assurance Tripletred tires on the Malibu LTZ 18" wheels in the snow? PS. I Have the V6 so weight of the motor does not matter with the Goodyear Eagle LS2. The 4 clinder must be even more slippery due to less motor weight. I have learned that the Width size is a factor when comes to tires in the snow. The Malibu LTZ has 225/50/18 tires and that is a wide tire which is one of the problems along with the side walls being shorter. More the narrow and taller (side walls) the tire is, the better in the snow. But these Goodyear Eagle LS2 don't help at all. PS. Just want to note that the Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires do great on dry roads and are very smooth and quiet. So you can't totally knock them, especially being reasonable priced tire, but for winter driving is where the tire fails. You can't drive in even the lightest amount of snow without worry of your safety.

I know I have asked already, but have not got any remarks or answers about the Goodyear Triple Treds on a Malibu LTZ. Has anybody had these tires? How are they in the snow if you have them and ect.?

The Michelin HydroEdge and the Goodyear TripleTred are both good tires. I personally bought the Hankook Optimo H727 as they rated just as well (and better in snow) and much cheaper. I think the LS-2 is junk even on wet roads, not to mention snow! Have a look at this link from Consumer Reports....http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-iii-2010-prius-accessories-modifications/19162d1254594021-consumer-reports-tire-tests-nov-2009-issue-consumer_reports_nov._2009_tire_tests-1.doc

i use Continental ContiExtremeContact excellent snow traction and all around good tire for regular driving.