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Winter Tires: Worth the Incremental Investment?
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NormPhillips
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:02 PM
 
Hi all,

Weird question to ask on an Apple related forum... However, I trust you guys the most.

I just bought a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5S over the summer. I have a 25 mile commute each way between Northbrook, IL and Hoffman Estates, IL. (Chicago metropolitan area) I decided a while back I'd replace the tires on the car because factory tires are usually mediocre at traction.

I've now been thinking with the long commute... Which tires should I get?

* Winter - Bridgestone Blizak WS70
* All Season - Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All Season

*** Is it worth the incremental investment in getting the Blizak tires (having to change tires twice per year)? Or is it not and should I just get the Assurance TripleTred All Season? ***
     
Thorzdad
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:13 PM
 
I'm next door in Indiana. I used to do dedicated winter tires (Dunlop SP Winter Sports) on my old Maxima. They were good tires and all, but, in the end, I didn't get radically better performance than I did with a good set of all-weather tires. The thing about performance winter tires (which the Blizzaks qualify as) is that they really need to be driven in snow and ice. They tend to deteriorate quickly, and have a bit of compromised handling, if you end up driving a lot on dry roads between snows.

When I did the winter tires on my Maxima, it turned out that they were actually going through snow or ice only about half the time. We'd get snow, drive through it for a couple of days until the roads got cleared, then we were driving on dry pavement for a good long time until the next snow. And, most of the miles were done on the interstate, so that was a lot of dry, high-speed wear on the winter tires.

After a couple of years, I just went for a good set of all-weather tires with a relatively aggressive tread. So far, winters haven't been a problem.
     
imitchellg5
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:36 PM
 
I'd get good all-seasons instead. They have a harder compound, so they'll last longer. I had Blizzaks on my Accord and I only got about 25k miles on them. I just put a set of Goodyear Eagle GTs on my E-class and they do really well in the snow and have great summer traction too. They're also the quietest tire I've ever owned.
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:45 PM
 
Whether it's "worth" it from a pure price perspective I wouldn't be able to help you with (as mentioned there's a factor of tire lifetime which also depends on the amount you drive, and on what surface).

But from a performance perspective, I can say with absolute confidence that having snow tires will result in much (and measureably) better handling performance in winter driving conditions. I've done back-to-back test drives with similar small cars in a parking lot, using cones - the difference was quite perceptible. There's no doubt that having snow tires could in some situations be the difference between having an accident and "driving" your way out of one.

Whether you feel that's a risk you can accept is another matter.

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hayesk
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
I'd get good all-seasons instead. They have a harder compound, so they'll last longer. I had Blizzaks on my Accord and I only got about 25k miles on them. I just put a set of Goodyear Eagle GTs on my E-class and they do really well in the snow and have great summer traction too. They're also the quietest tire I've ever owned.
No offence, but no. You've just outlined why you should never use all-seasons (even "good" ones) for winter driving.

All-seasons have a different rubber compound that becomes harder at cold temperatures. That means less traction, even on dry pavement. They also have different tread design that is less optimal on ice and snow.

Yes, winter tires are noisier. Yes, they don't last as long (well, in warmer temperatures), but they keep you on the road and in your own lane far better than all-seasons. I'm glad your tires have done well for you in snow, but winter tires would have worked even better.

Oh, and get winter tires on their own set of rims - it makes changing them much easier. And cheaper if you don't change them yourself. If you pay a garage to change your tires, rims will pay for themselves before it's time to buy new tires.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Nov 14, 2011, 02:57 PM
 
For me winter tires are a must since I can't get all season tires. With my old car the all seasons were fine because I stayed out of snow deeper than 2 inches. Changing all 4 tires only takes an hour but I've been using the tire kit that came with the car.
     
BadKosh
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Nov 14, 2011, 03:12 PM
 
Michelin Pilot Sport AS. They work great on my 2004 Jetta Wagon. I drive it around DC.
     
turtle777
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Nov 14, 2011, 03:30 PM
 
I live and commute in the same area, North-Western Chicago suburbs.

For me, winter tires are a must. The handling and traction is far superior to all-season tires.

I have Continental ExtremeWinterContact tires.

-t
     
imitchellg5
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Nov 14, 2011, 03:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by hayesk View Post
No offence, but no. You've just outlined why you should never use all-seasons (even "good" ones) for winter driving.

All-seasons have a different rubber compound that becomes harder at cold temperatures. That means less traction, even on dry pavement. They also have different tread design that is less optimal on ice and snow.

Yes, winter tires are noisier. Yes, they don't last as long (well, in warmer temperatures), but they keep you on the road and in your own lane far better than all-seasons. I'm glad your tires have done well for you in snow, but winter tires would have worked even better.

Oh, and get winter tires on their own set of rims - it makes changing them much easier. And cheaper if you don't change them yourself. If you pay a garage to change your tires, rims will pay for themselves before it's time to buy new tires.
Did you read anything I wrote? I had winter tires previously and I honestly can't tell the difference, apart from all-seasons lasting way longer.
     
turtle777
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Nov 14, 2011, 03:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Did you read anything I wrote? I had winter tires previously and I honestly can't tell the difference, apart from all-seasons lasting way longer.
Really ?

No difference in braking or accelerating on snow ?
You must have had really crappy winter tires.

My experience is the opposite: winter tires on snow is like driving on tracks. Much better control and handling.

-t
     
olePigeon
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Nov 14, 2011, 04:05 PM
 
How comfortable are you with changing your tires? You could save a little bit of money by only using your snow tires from November until maybe March (or whenever your snow season is.)
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Eug
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Nov 14, 2011, 04:10 PM
 
Winter tires are an improvement on snow and ice. In my experience winter tires are NOT like driving on tracks on snow/ice, but they are an improvement. However, they're noticeably worse when there is no snow and ice than all seasons.

However, in Toronto, in most winters the majority of the time there is no snow and ice on the road. I ended up selling my winter tires and going all seasons all year round. (My street is a residential street, but happens to be continous with a major city road, so the city plows and salts it after every big snowfall at 7 am, and I usually take major roads on my commute to work, so I'm actually only rarely driving in significant snow.)
( Last edited by Eug; Nov 14, 2011 at 04:17 PM. )
     
imitchellg5
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Nov 14, 2011, 04:13 PM
 
Originally Posted by turtle777 View Post
Really ?

No difference in braking or accelerating on snow ?
You must have had really crappy winter tires.

My experience is the opposite: winter tires on snow is like driving on tracks. Much better control and handling.

-t
I've never gotten stuck with either, and I've never even slipped with either or came close to losing control. Colorado snow is very, very dry though, which helps. And the E-class is RWD and diesel, so lots of low-end torque, but when we had about 6 inches a couple weeks ago I didn't have any issues at all.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Nov 14, 2011, 04:16 PM
 
Compare to all seasons, the dry performance of winter tires is very similar, compared to summer only tires the dry performance of winter tires is very different due to they way the tires are affected by the temperature.
You can also get summer tires that will last longer and perform much better than all season tires.
     
Eug
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Nov 14, 2011, 04:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV View Post
Compare to all seasons, the dry performance of winter tires is very similar, compared to summer only tires the dry performance of winter tires is very different due to they way the tires are affected by the temperature.
You can also get summer tires that will last longer and perform much better than all season tires.
Well, summer times are often absolute crap in snow and ice (not surprisingly). For the winter tires I've had, the handling was noticeably worse than all seasons in the summer, but not dangerous by any means.

All seasons (if good), have decent handling in summer and are OK in the winter, but not as good as winter tires.

Also, IMO good all seasons can be better than low end winter tires in the winter, but presumably you'd be buying good winter tires.
     
sek929
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Nov 14, 2011, 05:13 PM
 
FIgure you get more snow than we do around here, but I just switched over from dedicated Ice and Snow tires to a decent meaty set of all-seasons. Thing is, we get alot of slushy mix icy BS and my snow tires were amazing in those conditions, but most of the time the roads would be clear, meaning I'd get very little mileage before they started to wear out.

We'll see how well my new all seasons fare this Winter, but with Snow tires it was like driving on dry pavement when in 4WD on sheer ice.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Nov 14, 2011, 05:52 PM
 
My only problems last winter was in 18 inches of fresh powder during Christmas at my parents house, getting moving from a standing start through the snow under the car required pushing. I blame the RWD and wide tires. Handled fine once I was on the packed / plowed snow.

Their neighbor came by with his jeep cherokee with 30' mud tires, up the steep driveway before it was plowed. If I worked construction that far north id drive something like that too.
     
Athens
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Nov 14, 2011, 05:56 PM
 
I didn't read all the replies so some one else might have said it. The advantage to winter tires is the way the rubber is designed to grip in cold temps. If its near freezing winter tires generally perform better at stopping distance. Its also why they don't last as long as all seasons because its a softer rubber. I don't get enough snow here to worry about it. But the temp is near freezing enough of the time I have considered it. Black ice, cold wet roads are good reasons to get them. Im actually picking up some this year because I like to go up to Whistler and its a requirement for mountain roads in winter. Like Eug said good all seasons can be better then low end winter tires in the winter.
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mduell
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Nov 14, 2011, 09:03 PM
 
I lived in Boston for 2 winters and I never found winter tires to be worthwhile on my Subaru. In the metro region with reasonably plowed roads the driving conditions were such that all seasons were fine or nothing short of chains would help you. I could see how winter tires could be useful if you were in a more rural area where slush persisted on the roads longer.

Now that I'm in Houston, I use "Extreme Performance Summer" tires year round.
     
Athens
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Nov 15, 2011, 12:53 AM
 
You are ignoring the fact that Winter Tires are also better on dry cold pavement. You do not need snow, slush and ice to get benefits from it.
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amazing
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Nov 15, 2011, 01:33 AM
 
It all depends on what level of risk you're comfortable with--and how much money you have. There's no question that good winter tires and studs work--and that studs are noisy and tear the roads up--but you may only need that advantage 4 or 5 times per winter. And you need to invest in separate rims. You pays for your safety--and you may feel like a fool in a mild winter (as if anyone could predict that in advance.)

You might be in job where you can just work at home on those bad days. But if you have to be out, they might save your life (and someone else's life if you can avoid an accident.)

And whatever you do, you can increase the gripping power of the wheels by putting weight in the back (it has to be significant weight--25 or 50 pounds won't do it.)

If I had a kid in the back, I'd absolutely get the best winter tires.
     
mduell
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Nov 15, 2011, 01:36 AM
 
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
You are ignoring the fact that Winter Tires are also better on dry cold pavement. You do not need snow, slush and ice to get benefits from it.
I am not. Dry cold pavement fell into the times when I felt the "all seasons were fine."
     
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Nov 15, 2011, 01:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
You are ignoring the fact that Winter Tires are also better on dry cold pavement. You do not need snow, slush and ice to get benefits from it.
That's what I used to think, until I actually got some winter tires. I found that my all seasons were better on dry cold pavement than my winter tires. The only time I saw an improvement with the winter tires was with snow and ice.

Note though my all seasons were a bit on the soft side, which I presume are one reason they were rated better at the time than average (in terms of all seasons) for winter use.

The stock tires that came with the car (Prius) were quite hard, and not surprisingly did quite poorly in the winter. However, I'm not surprised they spec'd those, because they make for slightly better gas mileage.

As for studded tires, they're not even allowed here AFAIK.
     
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Nov 15, 2011, 05:59 AM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Did you read anything I wrote? I had winter tires previously and I honestly can't tell the difference, apart from all-seasons lasting way longer.
I'll take you on a little trip to the Austrian alps. You will be able to pin point the idiots who think winter tires are optional (they're not, they're legally mandated in Austria and the Southern parts of Germany). It's usually people from »warmer« countries such as the Netherlands. You cannot overtake these bastards who are inching along icy narrow roads and long lines form behind them.

Winter tires have considerably better handling characteristics, not just because of the different type of rubber, but first and foremost because of the different treads. All season tires are by design a compromise and I'd only drive all season tires if I knew for sure that I'd get snow only every other winter or so. If snow and ice are common on your roads, winter tires are a must-have.

@Eug
Your observation is correct, winter tires are optimized for snow and ice, so on dry cold road, all-season tires may be on par. But all it takes is a small part of ice on the road (e. g. on bridges or so) and you'll be glad to have proper winter tires.
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Nov 15, 2011, 02:47 PM
 
Yeah, I agree with the above. Like I said, if you can't notice the difference between winter tires and all-seasons, you were either 1) on acid, 2) not driving in winter conditions, or 3) on acid.
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andi*pandi
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Nov 15, 2011, 03:05 PM
 
The last time I had winter tires I lived in Maine and drove a rear-wheel drive car with some cement blocks in the back. They were a necessity for that car.

Subaru + all-weather tires are working great for me now. If I lived in the mountains perhaps it would be worth swapping to winter tires. And buying chains.
     
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Nov 15, 2011, 03:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Did you read anything I wrote? I had winter tires previously and I honestly can't tell the difference, apart from all-seasons lasting way longer.
I read everything you wrote and concluded you couldn't tell the difference, not that there wasn't a difference. Big difference.

It's been proven time and time again winter tires are better in snow and ice, and in many cases, dry pavement if it is cold enough, depending on the tread design. So if you are driving somewhere that never has ice and snow, you may be able to get a model of all-season that is better than some winter tires, but it is not a universal truth. By and large, the softer rubber in the snow tire results in more grip at cold temperatures.

And if you have any snow and ice, forget the all-seasons. There's no way they are better.
     
Athens
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Nov 15, 2011, 03:40 PM
 
One thing to consider is a spare set of steel rims for the Winter as a investment. If you have nice alloy rims, road salts can really shorten the life of the finish. So even if you have real good all season tires (as some have pointed out will be better then cheap winter tires) you still might want to consider a set of steel rims for winter to protect your alloy rims.

Best test some one can do to see the difference between All Seasons and Snow tires is on a sunny dry cold day must be near or below freezing, measure your stopping distance from a hard stop. Winter tires (good ones) should give you 10-30 feet more stopping distance depending on the speed you do it at over All Seasons. At least that's how it is marketed. I never had 2 sets on 2 rims to swap out to try it out with, but a friend did and the Winters ended up stopping his car at a average of 5 feet quicker then the All Seasons. (far less then what is advertised) but a repeatable and substantial difference that could make the difference between impact and no impact. though its hard to justify that kind of money for 5 feet of stopping distance in a situation that could occur once in a few years where you need it.

Car didn't have ABS, older Honda Prelude. So it was a skid stop test. Perhaps ABS makes it 10-30 feet like in the advertisements or removes the difference totally?
( Last edited by Athens; Nov 15, 2011 at 03:49 PM. )
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Nov 15, 2011, 03:41 PM
 
Let's put it another way then:

I'd MUCH rather drive a front wheel drive car with all seasons in the winter than a rear wheel drive car with winter tires, even in a snowstorm.

I agree that in winter on snow/ice, good winter tires are better than good all seasons, but good all seasons may be "good enough" if your area is relatively flat, doesn't get a huge amount of snow, gets plowed and salted regularly, and if you're a careful driver with at least a front wheel drive car.


Originally Posted by Athens View Post
steal rims for winter to protect your alloy rims.
     
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Nov 15, 2011, 10:26 PM
 
Living here in CNY, and having an average yearly snowfall of 115 inches (292 cm), and driving for forty years, I have NEVER owned snow tires for any of the many cars over that time.

That does not mean that snow tires do not make a difference, but I have found it simpler (and cheaper) to just make sure I have good all season tires on my vehicles.

Come spend a winter in Syracuse. The winter wonderland.
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imitchellg5
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Nov 15, 2011, 11:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by hayesk View Post
I read everything you wrote and concluded you couldn't tell the difference, not that there wasn't a difference. Big difference.

It's been proven time and time again winter tires are better in snow and ice, and in many cases, dry pavement if it is cold enough, depending on the tread design. So if you are driving somewhere that never has ice and snow, you may be able to get a model of all-season that is better than some winter tires, but it is not a universal truth. By and large, the softer rubber in the snow tire results in more grip at cold temperatures.

And if you have any snow and ice, forget the all-seasons. There's no way they are better.
I didn't say that winter tires weren't better. I said that, in my experience, a great all-season tire, the Goodyear Eagle GT, doesn't seem to have any different characteristics in deep, dry snow than the Blizzaks that I used to have, plus, the Eagle GTs will last much longer. You lot make it sound like you're going to end up in a fireball on the side of the road if you drive in any snow at all with all-seasons. That's simply not true. And I suspect that if you're in a situation where the difference between having a good all-season and a good winter tire will be the difference between life and death, you likely shouldn't be on the road at all.
     
imitchellg5
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Nov 15, 2011, 11:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
Winter tires (good ones) should give you 10-30 feet more stopping distance depending on the speed you do it at over All Seasons. At least that's how it is marketed. I never had 2 sets on 2 rims to swap out to try it out with, but a friend did and the Winters ended up stopping his car at a average of 5 feet quicker then the All Seasons.
You mean less stopping distance?
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 10:00 AM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
I'd MUCH rather drive a front wheel drive car with all seasons in the winter than a rear wheel drive car with winter tires, even in a snowstorm.
Having done both, I'd pick RWD with snow tires in an instant. Most of the comments in the thread are ignoring the gains in steering and stopping that snow tires offer over all season tires. RWD, AWD, FWD all brake with 4, and steer with 2 wheels. With a cheap set of wheels, the cost of winter tires really is quite incremental over time and can be installed at home the day before snow is forecast. I can't see a good reason to give up whatever safety advantage I might be able to get in the winter, so I always use winter tires.
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 10:29 AM
 
Originally Posted by macforray View Post
Living here in CNY, and having an average yearly snowfall of 115 inches (292 cm), and driving for forty years, I have NEVER owned snow tires for any of the many cars over that time.

That does not mean that snow tires do not make a difference, but I have found it simpler (and cheaper) to just make sure I have good all season tires on my vehicles.
The Chicago area gets 40-50 inches of snow per year, so much less than this. Also, there are no mountains in Chicago, and cities are pretty aggressive about salting and clearing snow and ice off the roads quickly. In my years of driving in the Chicago area, I'd say that you're actually driving on measurable snow maybe 3-5 days a year. And on those days, traffic pretty much everywhere slows to a crawl anyway. For me, all-seasons are adequate for that - storing and changing out winter tires is just not worth the expense and hassle.

If you frequently leave the area in the winter and drive on rural roads or into hilly areas, maybe it'd be worth it.
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 10:31 AM
 
Hmmm, that's actually a good question and I'd go with Eug here. RWD cars are simply turrible in winter conditions - FWD is far superior. I'm not sure snow tires would mask the inherent problems RWD cars face - I'd probably take a FWD with all-seasons.
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Nov 16, 2011, 11:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by ChrisF View Post
Having done both, I'd pick RWD with snow tires in an instant. Most of the comments in the thread are ignoring the gains in steering and stopping that snow tires offer over all season tires. RWD, AWD, FWD all brake with 4, and steer with 2 wheels. With a cheap set of wheels, the cost of winter tires really is quite incremental over time and can be installed at home the day before snow is forecast. I can't see a good reason to give up whatever safety advantage I might be able to get in the winter, so I always use winter tires.
I've done both too. I personally think RWD cars are basically useless in snow going up an incline, snow tires or not.

Originally Posted by CreepDogg View Post
The Chicago area gets 40-50 inches of snow per year, so much less than this. Also, there are no mountains in Chicago, and cities are pretty aggressive about salting and clearing snow and ice off the roads quickly. In my years of driving in the Chicago area, I'd say that you're actually driving on measurable snow maybe 3-5 days a year. And on those days, traffic pretty much everywhere slows to a crawl anyway. For me, all-seasons are adequate for that - storing and changing out winter tires is just not worth the expense and hassle.

If you frequently leave the area in the winter and drive on rural roads or into hilly areas, maybe it'd be worth it.
That's true for me too. If there is a mild snowstorm, my commute time home doubles. If there is a heavy snowstorm, my commute time triples or quadruples.

My route normally has a 40-60 km/hr (25-37mph) speed limit anyway, but in a snowstorm that slows to a crawl. Stopping ability is an issue of course, but becomes less of one when you're driving at 10-15 mph.
( Last edited by Eug; Nov 16, 2011 at 12:02 PM. )
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 01:03 PM
 
Here's something nobody's mentioned yet: Good snow tires help you avoid and go around all the other idiots on the road.
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 01:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
Here's something nobody's mentioned yet: Good snow tires help you avoid and go around all the other idiots on the road.
If you're doing that when all lanes are jam-packed with traffic, then, well, you ARE one of the idiots on the road.
     
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Nov 16, 2011, 01:17 PM
 
If money's an issue, don't get winter tires, buy good chains.

/thread
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Nov 16, 2011, 03:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by CreepDogg View Post
If you're doing that when all lanes are jam-packed with traffic, then, well, you ARE one of the idiots on the road.
Ahh! Well, a lot of people move here from fair-weather states, and they've got absolutely no experience with driving in snow and ice. From my point of view, they're the idiots...
     
Athens
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Nov 16, 2011, 03:31 PM
 
Or from other countries and have never seen or driven in snow before... They are always fun to watch during the years first snow fall
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Missed 2012 by 3 days, RIP Grandma :-(
     
imitchellg5
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Nov 16, 2011, 03:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by Shaddim View Post
If money's an issue, don't get winter tires, buy good chains.

/thread
Chains aren't legal everywhere anymore.
     
amazing
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Nov 16, 2011, 03:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
Or from other countries and have never seen or driven in snow before... They are always fun to watch during the years first snow fall
Yes, loads of fun! (Unless you're in their path?) And they can have the best tires in the world: they'll still be spinning their wheels...

Seriously, the best argument for having good winter driving skills and good winter tires: you're less likely to be a victim of their ineptitude.
     
Athens
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Nov 16, 2011, 04:29 PM
 
I would put skill above tires any day. I could get around fine on bald all season tires in heavy snow with my Prelude. And I saw people wipe out with good aggressive snow tires.

I always took cover from any potential mishaps with new people to snow.


COQUITLAM CARS SLIDING IN THE SNOW ON - YouTube

Coquitlam Snow 2008 - YouTube
Blandine Bureau 1940 - 2011
Missed 2012 by 3 days, RIP Grandma :-(
     
amazing
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Nov 17, 2011, 01:27 AM
 
Skill only takes you so far...skill and good tires takes you further.

But there's always someone totally unskilled and on bald tires...
     
amazing
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Nov 17, 2011, 01:43 AM
 
Just to emphasize how ridiculous some tires suggestions are, here's what the BBC says:

"Tyres: Ensure your tyres are inflated correctly and that you have a minimum of 3mm (0.11in) of tread on your tyres to cope with wet and slippery conditions."
BBC News - How to drive in snow and icy weather

Granted, the UK doesn't usually get a whole bunch of snow, but can you imagine anyone driving with a tenth of an inch of tread? Makes you wonder how much tread UK drivers have when there isn't any snow...
     
Athens
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Nov 17, 2011, 01:55 AM
 
1.5 mm is the legal limit in most states, 3mm is double that and 4/32 which is the min recommended for snow and hwy wet driving in most US states.
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Missed 2012 by 3 days, RIP Grandma :-(
     
amazing
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Nov 17, 2011, 02:29 AM
 
"If snow-covered roads are a concern, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 6/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. You need more tread depth in snow because your tires need to compress the snow in their grooves and release it as they roll. If there isn't sufficient tread depth, the "bites" of snow your tires can take on each revolution will be reduced to "nibbles," and your vehicle's traction and mobility will be sacrificed. Because tread depth is such an important element for snow traction, winter tires usually start with noticeably deeper tread depths than typical All-Season or summer tires. Some winter tires even have a second series of "wear bars" molded in their tread pattern indicating approximately 6/32" remaining tread depth to warn you when your tires no longer meet the desired tread depth."
Tire Tech Information - Measuring Tire Tread Depth with a Coin

Rather than getting bogged down in measurements, I imagine we can agree that "newer" snow tires are better than "worn" snow tires?
     
turtle777
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Nov 17, 2011, 02:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
I would put skill above tires any day. I could get around fine on bald all season tires in heavy snow with my Prelude. And I saw people wipe out with good aggressive snow tires.

I always took cover from any potential mishaps with new people to snow.
LOL, you are one of those idiots mentioned above.

Seriously, if there's something worse than people with bad equipment, it's people that think they are superman, in bad equipment.

-t
     
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Nov 17, 2011, 07:34 AM
 
My mom used to drive in Southeast Michigan's nasty weather, commuting about 50 miles each way every day. On snowy, slippery days, she would frequently cruise (carefully, of course) past big guys whose big Jeeps and 4WD trucks allowed them to drive into the ditch with confidence (but not get out of that ditch, of course), while her little Fiesta kept her firmly on the road. Skill played a huge part in this of course (stupid drivers that figure their heavy vehicle with 4WD is all they need are still stupid drivers), but she also made sure she had good tires. And she had the option of hunkering down at a local hotel if the weather was too bad to drive home through, as her firm had a contract there "just in case."

Depending on the equipment to keep you safe is stupid, just as stupid as trusting crossing your fingers and thinking clean, pure thoughts to keep you safe. But the most skilled driver cannot stay safe with inadequate equipment, which includes tires that provide sufficient traction to grip the road and provide for steering and braking. "Bald tires" is a bad choice in ANY weather, which is one reason most places have a law about minimum tread on street tires. Front wheel drive helps a lot (i.e. a Prelude's advantage), but if your tires don't grab the road (or the snow on top of the road), you're still going to have problems eventually.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
 
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