Dunlop Wintermaxx 165/65R14
Just a note for those of you who may be shopping for winter tires for your Mirages..
When I bought my '17 Mirage it came with an additional set of steelies and tires for winter.
Tires are 165/65 R14 Dunlop Wintermaxx
These tires surely look the part, fairly aggressive, lots of siping and lots of tread blocks.
The bad:
These tires are not a fan of water!
On wet pavement these things do not stop well.
I misjudged a yellow light and had to brake aggressively. To my surprise the antilock system engaged and I stopped 8 to 10 feet over the stop line. This was in Oct. with wet pavement @ 12°C !
Even light slush is a nightmare as I have to fight my car down the road. A simple 30 min. drive can be exhausting. (to be fair the very light weight of the Mirage doesn't help)
In snow the tire's visually aggressive tread seems to float rather than grab traction. This makes for some long slow starts.
In general these tires do not perform in winter conditions above -15°C where dampness/moisture are present.
In all conditions noted above I got better performance (except braking distance) from the stock Enasaves which I ran all year through 3 winters on my '14 Mirage.
Now the good..
Reasonably quiet ride with good handling. (I have to run min. 35psi or tires get downright squirrely)
In sustained temps below -15°C (cold and dry) these tires perform so much better. Braking distance is significantly reduced, starting from stopped is fluid and predictable and driving confidence is restored.
Conclusion:
While not a "poor" winter tire in general it is a poor winter tire for where I live.
Up North where I used to live with long, cold, dry winters and short transitional seasons this tire is a fine choice.
In Thunder Bay our winter is too mild and transitions from dry/cold to wet/warm(ish) all winter long making this tire a poor choice here.
I believe Mitsubishi (dealers) should have done some research and supplied "regionally appropriate" winter tires.
This would help create a more positive and safer ownership experience.
Will weld for beer.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 45.3 mpg (US) ... 19.3 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.5 mpg (Imp)