Winter tires - Do It
 

After 30+ years of Midwest and western driving I finally ponied up for some winter tires. I just bolted them onto the Fit today - just in time for 3 or so inches of snow with maybe more on the way. What an amazing difference! And for a lousy $400! My Yukon can just sit in the garage for all but the deepest stuff now. Fact is, the Honda will outperform the (4x4) Yukon XL in (most) snow hands down, especially in the stopping department. I was able to depart from being stopped on a snow covered incline with no spin at all. Unprecedented. Unplowed, unsalted roads were a piece of cake. The car felt glued to the road.

For those not in the know, it has as much to do with the compound as anything. I guess regular tires get hard vs winter tires remaining pliable. That is HUGE especially on ice.

As far as brand, I'm sure there are some that are better than others, but even the cheapies like I got (General Arctimax) are like night and day from regular tires so don't be too afraid to shop by price. I would love to throw a set on a 996 C4!

yep, winter tires are the cats meow, i had a set on my turbo omni which made it like a rally car, it also forced me to fix my e-brake so it could be driven as such :D

i however never plan on buying another set of snows.......being in florida now and all :D

All season tires are a myth for places that have all seasons.

I got hooked in college (Golden, CO - snow, steep hills and weekly commutes to ski country). My '90 corolla would go anywhere anyone else could in up to a foot of snow, all on (then) $85/ea el cheapo snow tires.

More recently, our Volvo V70T5 was heroic in the snow on the Pilot Aplines or whatever they were. Even better on the X-ices.

The 02 C2 is telepathic in the snow on V-rated Blizzaks yet still tolerable on the dry.

All hail snow tires.

Narrow is better. Much better. Today, I tried a set of the old German-made Pirelli Winter 190's - 185/65-15 on 6 inch wheels on my 81 Ur quattro. These are probably 15 years old and nowhere near the current state-of-the-art. They do have siping and an aggressive shoulder design. I probably shouldn't be driving on them :rolleyes: but they're in great shape - no dry rot or cracking of any kind.

Anyway, they were spectacular today in some real greasy snow. I chalk it up to the narrow tread. That increases pressure on the road and digs right through the snow. I've used snows for years but usually just the same size as my year-round tires so I can use the same wheels. This has sold me on narrow wheels/tires for winter.

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It's not like you are actually spending extra money. You end up with two sets of tires, twice the price but they will last twice as long. The only cost is the extra steel rims which can be bought for cheap used. I always use winter tires.

I love my Bridgestone Blizzak Revo1's on my MazdaSpeed3!

Winter tires are one of those things that once you try them you will never go back. I took my new to me Saabaru out in the first snow fall and figured I would be okay with the AWD. While the car did take off okay, stopping and turning were an issue. I have Hankooks on it now, Khumos on my wifes Mazda 3 and I have had Walmart brand winter tires on a BMW I had. Even the cheapest crappiest winter tire is still vastly superior to the best "all season"

That was my reasoning. Storage can be a pain - especially if your equipping 4 cars like I am.

I believe winter tires are mandatory for your neighbors in Montreal. Understandable as the traffic can be miserable in summer there, let alone snow clogged winters.

Blizzaks on both the 911 and the BMW 325i!

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Haha - that's exactly what I was going for. Just saw it again the other night.

They should be mandatory in all snow areas imho.

Ian

They became mandatory in the province of Quebec. I am not too sure if this is a good idea or not. I have a feeling that people are going to end up running around on bald winter tires (either due to lack of funds or availability) when they have good all seasons at home or you will end up with people thinking, "I have winter tires, I can go twice as fast now". Sort of how you always see SUVs going really fast in winter conditions because of the myths they have of AWD. Usually you see those same SUVs in a ditch a few miles later.

As for the traffic, yes it can get bad in Montreal. They basically have two seasons; winter and construction.

What is this "winter" you speak of?

heh heh. Thinking the same thing. Went for a motorcycle ride today. Beautiful, sunny, and warm. Shoulda taken my perforated leather jacket.

There are asbestos coated tires for you guys. ;)

Oh and don't forget the mudslide tires!

the best thing you can do w/ all season tires is either throw them away or tear up on the track. otherwise it's summer/dry ones april-oct and full snows for the rest.

Which brings up a point I had not considered - When my stockers wear out, I can replace with summer/wet tires instead of the bogus M&S crap that I've been buying. Better traction in winter and summer. Nice!

After years of driving in the Midwest on all-season and then AT tires on my Jeep, I finally bought a set of Blizzaks for my BMW. I haven't driven on the really heavy stuff yet, but over the ice and packed snow that I drove on this morning, the tires were great! I tried them with and without the traction control over the slick stuff, and I'm glad I spent the money. I actually bought them on Craigslist, new never mounted LM-25's for $400.

While searching for the tires, I found plenty of good deals on used winter tires.

Like Dave said...winter tires for winter....summer tires for the rest of the year.