Green Diamond Icelanders

[rhino5]

Had them mounted and balanced for $80 a pop. 2000 mile break-in time before the carbide bits begin to be seen. Ironically, I picked up my new lug nuts and mounted them to the car just as my area got its first snowfall.

You can see the flurries starting:



and a nice close up:




Just a disclaimer before anyone voices their opinion about the company, they are made local to me (I attempt to support local businesses when it is in my best interest) and I know very well that they are remolded tires. The remold doesn't bother me at all and I know many people who have used them and are still using them. I only know of one person who has had bad luck with them and it sounded like he was the culprit to his poor experience.

Let me know your thoughts.


Edit:
http://www.greendiamondtire.com/
for more info on the tires.

[MUSKOKA800]

Like they say, any winter tire is better than running the best 3-seasons.

Good Luck and pls. report back later.

[coheed]

What kinda rim is that on the front? I've been looking for something oldschool like that for my car.

[rhino5]

Originally Posted by coheed

What kinda rim is that on the front? I've been looking for something oldschool like that for my car.

14" BBS Basketweave stock rim off of an E30 bmw (my project car). I have Ronal Turbo's on the Bimmer now with high performance summer tires (not like it matters, it's on jack stands).

Here's a better pic of the BBS's with the hub caps on:



Pic of the Bimmer with Ronals:


(the girl pictured is out of the picture, nothing more than an ex that thought I was trying to take a picture of her, ha)

I have 2 more BBS's (which are almost as curb rashed as the one pictured) with Dunlop Graspics on them for the rear of the Yaris when the snow really starts to stick. It's kind of funny that the Green Diamond Icelanders are actually an all season tire even though they perform better than a Blizzak (according to Green Diamond's tests).

As far as driving the Icelanders, so far I have no complaints. I'm a fairly spirited driver and I feel a little more road vibration than I did with the Cooper CS4's on the front (which is what I still have on the rear right now) but it's nothing major. I'm actually anxious for the first real accumulation of snow to see how they perform because last winter was horrible in my area with a 2300 lb car equipped with all seasons...

[kimona]

Do you only install snows on the front in PA?

[rhino5]

Originally Posted by kimona

Do you only install snows on the front in PA?

No, but I want to save as much tread as I can on my Dunlop Graspics. The Green Diamonds are classified as an all season tire, so I'm not too worried about running the tread down too quick. The Graspics's tread on the other hand gets worn off very quickly on dry roads because it's strictly a winter tire.

I'm guessing I'll mount them up midway though November when we start getting more consistent snowfall.

[2009BBPliftback]

All tires reguardless be it snow tires or all seasons should match.. 4 snow tires make a world of difference compared to all seasons. having 2 different types of tires on a car is going to adversly affect handling.

[rhino5]

Originally Posted by 2009BBPliftback

All tires reguardless be it snow tires or all seasons should match.. 4 snow tires make a world of difference compared to all seasons. having 2 different types of tires on a car is going to adversly affect handling.

I try not to drive the Yaris like a track car with snow on the road, I'm okay with merely making it from A to B without getting stuck. When the snow goes away my Cooper CS4's will come back on and drive like a reckless asshole once again.

That being said though, matching snow tires makes a much bigger difference on a RWD car. I'm not too worried about having Icelanders on the front wheels and Graspics on the rear wheels.