# people with snows chime in



## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

The General Altimax Artics have worked fine for me for the past 3 years.


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## Rich+Cruze! (Apr 8, 2014)

The Finns are the best drivers in the world, and they get tons of snow.

I'm sure that has no bearing on their ability to manufacture a tyre.



Also, where can you buy Nokian tyres? I assume you are in the states and I can't find them from the usual suspects.


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## mr overkill (Dec 1, 2013)

There is a place about an hour away that sells them 20.00 a tire more then the #2 choice. But if it's better then no problem


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## Handles (Oct 8, 2012)

I'll 2nd the general altimax arctics. They were very good the past two years, I'm sure I can get 2-3 more years out of them and that's putting on about 10K per winter.


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## GVR4 (Jun 14, 2014)

When I lived in WI I had Nokian's on the Galant VR4. I could drive through snow drifts that were taller than the hood with ease. I highly recommend these. The only other snow tires that I had that were even close to these were by Gislaved (bought these at the local Saab dealer...not sure where to get them. I am sure google can help). When I ice raced everyone had either Nokian Haka's or the Gislaved's.

Edit: General Tire - Altimax Arctic Max's are based on older Nokian designs.


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## vfm2010 (Apr 26, 2013)

I started running the Bridgestone Blizzaks last year on a set of stock 16" steel wheels. I have been very pleased with them, never had any issues.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

I have Nokian WR's for my CTS-V, and they have been great. They're an outdated tread, so maybe the R2's are even better.


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## mr overkill (Dec 1, 2013)

Still debating will pull the trigger over the next few weeks while I wait I'm rim shopping


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## Davep (Apr 14, 2014)

I had a set of the original NRW's 13 or 14 years ago, and at that time, were better than dedicated snow tires. I've been running WR's year round on my Toyota Camry (very low mileage second car) for the last 3 or 4 years. Absolutely love them. I'm seriously thinking about getting the new WR G3 for my Cruze RS for the winter.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Ok, I've owned a 2012 LTZ ( 18" wheels ) for a bit over a year, my wife has driven it 90% of the time. After the first snow fall of last year, she complained to me , because she got stuck , in the driveway no less. I took the car out for a drive myself, and... well I didn't get stuck. I was kinda not really wanting to have to buy new tires/wheels and in a typical southeastern Michigan ( USA ) winter, we maybe get 10 days a year where the snow on the roads is there for more then the morning commute, typically by the evening commute, the road crews have got the roads back to having virtually no snow on them. So, I really didn't see the value in going with a set of snow tires. However....

I wound up with a set of 205/60R-16 Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 snow tires on some new ( cheap alloy ) wheels. We had the snowiest and coldest winter on record... I tell you what, I've never had ANY car handle so well on snow and ice. The thing felt like it was on rails, a total blast to drive , the wife never once got stuck or in any accidents ( and trust me, she's not that great of a driver ). With the Cruze's anti yaw controls and the Blizzaks, that darn car felt so stable, it was truly amazing to me. I'm 52 years old, been driving daily since I was 16 years old, lived in Michigan this whole time, even own a 4WD truck, and I tell you this Cruze with these tires is absolutely a pleasure to drive in snow and ice. I told my wife, as long as you don't go through snow that's above the bottom of the car, your not going to get stuck. Now, granted the bottom of the car is only about 5 maybe 6 inches off the ground, but my comment held true that entire winter. I personally drove it through snow that was just deeper then the bottom of the car is high, and I didn't get stuck.

Fast forward... I now own another Cruze, this one 2013 LTZ ( again with 18" wheels ). So, I'm currently in the market for another set of snow tires... Bridgestone now has the Blizzak WS80 out, and Tire Rack is still selling the WS70 at least in the size I intend to get (205/60R16), the WS70 is $88, where the WS80 is $104 per tire. Supposedly the new WS80 has 20% deeper NanoPro-Tech Multicell compound, yielding longer overall life for that part of the tire compound.

From what I have read, the Blizzaks do as good or better then most any other studless snow tires that are available around these parts. So, for the most part, I'm left only trying to figure out if I want to spend 18% more for the newer WS80 Blizzak then the older WS70. 

Now, I'd love to have someone convince me that there's a better snow tire out there then the Blizzaks... but , with winter fast approaching, I need to get me a new set of tires and wheels soon. After driving on four blizzaks last year and knowing how well they handle in snow and ice, I REALLY don't plan on driving this winter without something similar or better.


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## mr overkill (Dec 1, 2013)

Iggy. The issue I read with the bridge stone tires is after it wears down I think 40% it becomes a standard tire. If I am buying snows and rims then I want it to last more then a season or two


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## Green (May 14, 2014)

iggy said:


> Now, I'd love to have someone convince me that there's a better snow tire out there then the Blizzaks... but , with winter fast approaching, I need to get me a new set of tires and wheels soon. After driving on four blizzaks last year and knowing how well they handle in snow and ice, I REALLY don't plan on driving this winter without something similar or better.


I think they are still one of the best if not the best studless winter tire. One does have to be aware the will wear quickly in warm weather if you don't get them off. I didn't care for them for a number of years because the 'magic' winter compound was only half way through (kind of like buying half a tire, but not really). Mewer one sounds good with the 20% .

EDIT: I see I'm slow at typing yet again


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## lsss (Nov 14, 2013)

When I bought snows last year (Cruze LS) I was between the Goodyears the OP posted, Michelin Xi3s and Generals Arctics. When I posted online elsewhere, the general consensus was stay away from the Goodyears, sipping was not large enough or aggressive enough for deep snow. I opted for the Xi3s and was satisfied.

Nokians seem to get great reviews but cost / availability (often) get in the way.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I don't believe that Bridgestone is the only high performance snow tire that doesn't have the magic compound through the entire tread depth... 

Here is what Tire Rack says about the Michelin 
"*NOTE:* Snow platform indicators (the equivalent of "snow wear bars") are molded into the X-Ice Xi3's tread grooves to inform the driver when ice and snow traction will be reduced as the tire's tread reaches the point where the remaining tread depth becomes less effective in deep snow."

Tire Rack text with regard to WS70...

"When the Blizzak WS70 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is the Tube Multicell compound."

WS80

"When the Blizzak WS80 is 50 percent worn, a tread depth indicator molded into the tread design lets the driver know that only 10 percent of the remaining tread is Multicell compound."

I just went out and checked tread depth on my WS70 tires with one full season of winter driving on them. New, the tread depth is supposed to be 12/32" ( 0.375" ), the tires that came off the front, still have 0.300" and the ones that were on the rear 0.370" . My calculations show that multicell compound should be roughly 0.206" thick when new. Now after one full winter, I have used 33% of this muticell compound on the front tires and just 2% of the multicell compound from the rear. If I rotate these, and get similar life in future winters, I should be able to get at least 4 winters(maybe even 5) out the multicell portion of the tread. The set of Blizzak tires that cost me $400, that comes out to $100 a year or less for great winter traction, seems like a pretty good deal to me.

As I understand it, once the magic rubber portion is worn out, they act more like a all season tire. Personally, Not that concerned about the issue , being the tires are still a more aggressive tread pattern, and nearly 1.75" narrower then my stock tires, I would still expect to get decent winter performance even once they get down past that magic layer. At that point, I'd be planning on another set for the following winter. I'll likely take my wife's hand me downs and let her use most of the magic rubber. 

The info about there being 20% more of this compound on the newer WS80, I think may be... well I don't know about that. I just looked at the specs of the tread depth on the 205/60R16 Blizzaks... for the WS70 says it's 12/32, the WS80 says 11/32. Bottom line, is I'm beginning to think 20% more thing is probably more marketing hype, then anything, and that the difference is insignificant compared to the cost of the new vs old at today's Tire Rack pricing. Either way, I'm still leaning toward buying another set of Blizzaks. 

I may look into the Nokian tires, but my initial look into them, lead me to believe they aren't easy to find in my area, and are likely much higher priced then what I can get the Blizzaks for. Oh, and personally , I haven't heard anything really great about the Goodyear tires, so I'm not really considering those.




mr overkill said:


> Iggy. The issue I read with the bridge stone tires is after it wears down I think 40% it becomes a standard tire. If I am buying snows and rims then I want it to last more then a season or two


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

You know... the more I think about this issue of the multicell compound not being throughout the entire tread... the more I think this is a total non issue for a snow tire. Think about it for a moment. If the tire comes with 0.375" total tread depth, and you use 50% of the tread, you've used 0.1875", and have another 10% of the multicell stuff left of your remaining 0.1875", so, when you get to the end of your multicell compound, your tread is 0.169" deep, or 1/6th of a inch of tread. This is a snow tire, if your driving around with only 1/6th of a inch of tread depth, regardless of tread compound, you've worn out your snow tires, go buy another set of tires.


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## Green (May 14, 2014)

I believe the deal with 50% (or whatever it is) tread is onc past that and its regular (harder) winter tread like you might find on studdable tires. Also while I haven't checked in a couple years I believe Michelins and goodyear winters also had the 50 % deal.


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## gottaride68 (Jan 15, 2013)

I'm an aggressive driver, I told my tire guy that, he said Blizzak's. They are good, really good.


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## Green (May 14, 2014)

For the first time with the Cruze this AM As I left the micro climate of wooded area where I live  and out into open area the temp dropped to 37 and the ICE possible warning. I'll have to make a decision on what to get for winter soon.


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

Firestone Winterforce. Cheap snow tires. Work good and get them off the car when the temp starts to rise above 45 degrees. Never used them on the Cruze but they work great on my wifes Sonic. Suburban? Never needed them!


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Well, I thought I'd look into getting some of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 tires. Seemed like trying to do a local purchase was most practical. 

I find a local dealer that's supposed to sell the tires, call. I was told that Nokian sold the mold for those tires to Hercules , that there R G2 tire is what used to be a Nokian, price $125 (205/60R16) mounted. I told him I'd have to look into Hercules... They do kinda look similar, but there's no way they are the same, IMHO. I asked if he sold the Nokians, and he claimed they no longer make them ( cause they sold the mold ). So, this dealer looses my business just for being stupid scum bags.

I find a online source for Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 205/60R16, $150 each (that includes shipping costs). 

I call one other local dealer, he gives me a price of $206.25 mounted, a week to get them.

Given, I can buy four Blizzak WS70 205/60R16 tires, mounted on new 16" painted alloy wheels, and shipped to me for $776 total, it looks like I'll be buying more Blizzak tires. 

In theory the online price of the Nokian tires isn't horribly priced, but then having to then buy a set of rims, and pay for mounting, etc... They'd still cost me darn near twice what I'm going to pay for the mounted Blizzaks.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I'm ready now... a stack of four new Blizzaks on new wheels... in the second photo, you can see one of the tires/wheels I bought last year for my wife's car.

These wheels were cheap, not purchased for their aesthetic qualities , originally I wasn't too fond of the large openings between the spokes, but it turns out that if you get snow/ice compacted in the insides of the wheels, you can easily fit a typical snow scraper/brush through the openings and clear out the snow/ice... so I've kinda come to like this style just for that reason.


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## Handles (Oct 8, 2012)

Should do the trick nicely iggy. I had blizzak 60's on my old mazda 6. I got 5 winters out of them. I like the rims you bought, should look great on your car.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

I have the Haakapellitta R2 and am satisfied. 

I have them on both my cruze diesel and my father's XTS. No problems during last year's snowy winter. They are very good on ice and slush. 

I would have gone with Nokian's studded tire - but they are not permitted in my jurisdiction. 

The best tire I ever drove for deep snow conditions was something called Eagle M+S from Goodyear. I used that tire design for close to 25 years on three different vehicles. Always great in snow, not so much on ice.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Wow... I had some Goodyear Eagle M+S tires back in the late 80s and I didn't think they very good at all. In fact, I wound up totaling my Omni GLH Turbo after sliding into a tree at about 15 MPH on a set of M+S tires. ( but then, I admit that what I was doing at the time was foolish, and the tires were not the only thing at fault )


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## UncleJohn (Oct 12, 2014)

Iggy, Did the price include the TPMS as well? if so, do you use your own reset tool or have a shop reprogram for you?

I'm in the need of new tires in general, and trying to figure in overall costs for putting winter tires into the mix. 
(I'm in the Metro D area too)


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

iggy said:


> These wheels were cheap, not purchased for their aesthetic qualities , originally I wasn't too fond of the large openings between the spokes, but it turns out that if you get snow/ice compacted in the insides of the wheels, you can easily fit a typical snow scraper/brush through the openings and clear out the snow/ice... so I've kinda come to like this style just for that reason.


That's a good point...my Eco wheels do like getting snow caught in them. Not bad, really only if I have to drive through a snow bank slow where it can fall in the wheel, but it does happen.

Uncle John, I got my snows from Discount (they were the only ones who had them last winter, in my size), and I don't have the tool. Debated about it but haven't. I just stop by there on my way home from work that next day and they reset it quick. Read up in your manual on how to put the car in learn mode. Then just drive up and tell them you need your TPMS reset. Usually the sales guys will come do that immediately, so assuming there isn't a line of customers, it's very quick. No paperwork involved either. It's more of an inconvenience to go the extra mile out of my way to stop there than it is to get the reset done.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

No, I did not buy the TPMS sensors. Tire Rack will sell them mounted, balanced, and shipped, cheaper then you can get locally... 

Without the sensors, you get a chime for about 15 seconds when you first start the car, then it goes away and all that's left is a bit of text on the dash, that goes away if you step through the menu. 

If you really want the sensors, you still might be cheaper to buy the tires/wheels from Tire Rack and then buy some sensors elsewhere online and have them put on by a third party, then it will cost you for the whole setup at either Belle or Discount Tire.

For me... well if/when my snow tires wear out in 4 or 5 years, if I'm still driving a Cruze , I may spring for sensors on my next set of snow tires. Or I may just find someone to mount another set of tires on wheels, not admitting to them what vehicle they are going on.

I find it borderline absurd that in the name of 'safety' the government should expect I need to pay $50 a tire to have a TPMS sensor installed on my winter wheels/tires. I'll guarantee you that my car is safer in the winter with the set of tires/wheels I put on , without sensors, then it would be if I tried to drive the whole winter with the P225/45R18 and the sensors that the car comes with.

The set of tires in the picture, cost $776 delivered to my door. I'll put them on myself at first sign of snow this year. The worst part of having a set of wheels/tires just for the winter, is storing your summer tires, then storing the winter ones in the summer. But, your summer wheels will be happier. 
For me, I just have to find a spot in the garage or shed to put the set that I'm not using. 



UncleJohn said:


> Iggy, Did the price include the TPMS as well? if so, do you use your own reset tool or have a shop reprogram for you?
> 
> I'm in the need of new tires in general, and trying to figure in overall costs for putting winter tires into the mix.
> (I'm in the Metro D area too)


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## Cigaro (Oct 12, 2014)

I have a set of 224/45R18 waiting for my RS rims to come back from coating, I will post about it when the snow falls, but I expect to do almost all rain and ice, with the occasional light snow day here and there. Seem well suited to that.


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## FlintCruze (Feb 27, 2014)

Just bought a set of 4 TPMS Sensors off Amazon last week (GM #13581558) for $90.


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

What is the normal wheels size that i can use for winther for a cruze 2LT RS ? Is it possible to put 16" on it? what is the best size i can use to not have a difference with my speedometers? I want to reduce the size more that i can to increase the MPG during the winter period.

Keep in mind that im from Quebec, so temp like -30 degrees celcius happen often in the winter!

Thank you guys !


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Jofiree said:


> What is the normal wheels size that i can use for winther for a cruze 2LT RS ? Is it possible to put 16" on it? what is the best size i can use to not have a difference with my speedometers? I want to reduce the size more that i can to increase the MPG during the winter period.
> 
> Keep in mind that im from Quebec, so temp like -30 degrees celcius happen often in the winter!
> 
> Thank you guys !


If I were you I'd go with the stock size on the base cruze. I don't know if the base Canadian models have a different size than US but that's what I would do. 

I bought a set of stock steel wheels from a member here. You can find them pretty cheap.

I did it with my grand am. I had 16's so I bought the base 15's and went from there. Definitely a lot cheaper than buying 16 inch snow tires. 

In your case 16 inch tires are much cheaper than 18 inch tires!


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> If I were you I'd go with the stock size on the base cruze. I don't know if the base Canadian models have a different size than US but that's what I would do.
> 
> I bought a set of stock steel wheels from a member here. You can find them pretty cheap.
> 
> ...


Hello Blk, thank you for your quick answer,

The base size on cruze in canada is 215/60/r16, it seem to be a rare size here! Is it the same in the US?


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Jofiree said:


> Hello Blk, thank you for your quick answer,
> 
> The base size on cruze in canada is 215/60/r16, it seem to be a rare size here! Is it the same in the US?


Lol rare eh? Well I would say it's safe to say that all 1lt cruzes here are that exact size! That is also the size of my snow tires. What is your stock 18 inch size?


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> Lol rare eh? Well I would say it's safe to say that all 1lt cruzes here are that exact size! That is also the size of my snow tires. What is your stock 18 inch size?


My stock RS mag are 225/45/R18 ! What is the stock size wheels of the US RS Cruze?


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

There are a couple choices but most of us have 16's. The size is 215/60/16. If I were you that would be the size I'd get for snows. They will cause the Speedo go be off slightly. Like a mph or so. Nothing I would worry about personally.


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

And for the record, the US RS package doesn't come with specific wheels. We still just get the 16 inch alloys everyone else has


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I just bought 16" steel wheels for my ctd and paired them to 215/60/16 michelin x-Ice xi3's. Can't wait for snow!


Sent from the sexy electrician


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> And for the record, the US RS package doesn't come with specific wheels. We still just get the 16 inch alloys everyone else has


So in the US, the RS Package get the LT Wheels?? How much it cost for the RS package in USA? The RS Package here in canada is 1875$CN


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> There are a couple choices but most of us have 16's. The size is 215/60/16. If I were you that would be the size I'd get for snows. They will cause the Speedo go be off slightly. Like a mph or so. Nothing I would worry about personally.


Thank you for the advice, i'll search for get that size!

Have a nice day!


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Jofiree said:


> So in the US, the RS Package get the LT Wheels?? How much it cost for the RS package in USA? The RS Package here in canada is 1875$CN


Yup just the lt wheels. I don't know how much that is USD but here the RS package is only 650.


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> Yup just the lt wheels. I don't know how much that is USD but here the RS package is only 650.



That about 750$ CAN, those 18'' mags are expensive!


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Jofiree said:


> That about 750$ CAN, those 18'' mags are expensive!


Geez I'd say so! I like them though. I would have paid for the RS package regardless of price. I just looks so **** good.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I don't know how much the RS package costs, but it's mostly cosmetic... fog lights with chrome accents, body moldings along the bottom of the sides, spoiler, different lower grill, different rear bumper insert, RS badging... not much else really. LTZ is where you get the 18" wheels and a few other features like heated mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror, fog lights ( no chrome accents ), push button start, and a few other goodies.


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

iggy said:


> I don't know how much the RS package costs, but it's mostly cosmetic... fog lights with chrome accents, body moldings along the bottom of the sides, spoiler, different lower grill, different rear bumper insert, RS badging... not much else really. LTZ is where you get the 18" wheels and a few other features like heated mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror, fog lights ( no chrome accents ), push button start, and a few other goodies.


This isn't entirely true. Options such as the heated mirrors and auto dimming mirror are part of the 1lt driver convenience package. And if you compare the rs to a non rs the front and rear bumpers are completely different not just wanted inserts.


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## Cigaro (Oct 12, 2014)

And the RS suspension, at least in Canada.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

The suspension in the RS (assuming you're talking the z-link) comes on the diesel and ltz models along with the lt2 I think. You don't have to get the RS package to get it. 


Sent from the sexy electrician


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

money_man said:


> The suspension in the RS (assuming you're talking the z-link) comes on the diesel and ltz models along with the lt2 I think. You don't have to get the RS package to get it.
> 
> 
> Sent from the sexy electrician


If you have a 1LT, adding the RS package also adds the z-link suspension. Otherwise the diesel, 2LT and the LTZ come with the z-link. A least here in the US anyway


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## Cigaro (Oct 12, 2014)

From what was available in 2012, the 1LT was what you could get RS in, there was nothing here RS wise. Not sure if it was available as an option on 2LT or LTZ.


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Cigaro said:


> From what was available in 2012, the 1LT was what you could get RS in, there was nothing here RS wise. Not sure if it was available as an option on 2LT or LTZ.


As far as I know the LS is the only model you can't get the RS package here in the states


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## Jofiree (Oct 17, 2014)

Same here!

I would have liked a ECO RS model, even if it lost 1 or 2 mpg because of the cosmetic upgrades!


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I don't know all the ins and outs of various packages if/when you start with any given base model. I just know that once your into a LTZ, RS package doesn't really get you much in terms of real performance.


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

iggy said:


> I don't know all the ins and outs of various packages if/when you start with any given base model. I just know that once your into a LTZ, RS package doesn't really get you much in terms of real performance.


True but honestly the RS package doesn't add anything performance wise regardless of which model you have. The RS package for the cruze is purely cosmetic


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## Cigaro (Oct 12, 2014)

I'm not sure it really matters, but picked up a '14 built on August 9th, and it's LTZ RS, they also had RS in 2LT, and said that is all RS is available in. This is in Canada.


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## BlkGrnetRS (Jul 21, 2013)

Cigaro said:


> I'm not sure it really matters, but picked up a '14 built on August 9th, and it's LTZ RS, they also had RS in 2LT, and said that is all RS is available in. This is in Canada.


Yup but in the US the 1LT also has the RS option


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## Green (May 14, 2014)

New Wheels, sensors, and Blizzak WS-80's . Time will tell on how they work for me (appears I may have been muddin a bit with them already


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

BlkGrnetRS said:


> Yup but in the US the 1LT also has the RS option


I think the 2015's only have the RS option in the 2LT and LTZ. I would have liked at least the RS fog lamps for my ECO. There's way too much black up front for my liking.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I suspect you'll be quite happy with them. The WS70 worked amazingly well for me last year, with the WS80 supposed to be even better. 

One thing that I was very surprised about with the WS70, is they really aren't that noisy on dry pavement. In fact, for some strange reason I felt they got louder in the snow... It seemed to me like in the snow, the start to howl a little... I figured it had something to do with all the siping and tread griping into the snow... I thought it was actually kind of a cool sound, gave me confidence the tires were really gripping. 

But anyway, I truly loved my Cruze with Blizzak driving experience...




Green said:


> View attachment 121065
> New Wheels, sensors, and Blizzak WS-80's . Time will tell on how they work for me (appears I may have been muddin a bit with them already


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