Snow tire thread......dammit.

I wonder if anything has changed on them in 15 years. Back when I used them, they were so soft and spongy that they wore out quick but that is what made them good on ice (as good as anything can be on ice). I guess if you are comparing to studs then no they wont compare. When it comes to icy roads nothing will beat studs.

It also may be that today's newer technology has better options? Four wheel drive is all I will use in this area now and a good all season tire works well.

 

Last winter we had two cars. My Mountaineer with Goodyear Forteras and my wife's Fusion with Blizzaks. Unless the snow on the road was deep (>1 ft), the Fusion was way better to drive. In deep snow the 4x4 and bigger vehicle win easily, but the Blizzaks made a huge difference in traction and handling otherwise. They're a no brainer in a snowy climate. NW OH gets 25-30 inches of snow, so it's not quite as useful here.

 

I put just under 5000 miles on my tires last winter, and they wore a lot better than I thought they would. Granted, last year there wasn't a whole lot of bare pavement to be driven on, so that probably has something to do with it. The biggest problem I have with my car is ground clearance. Just under 5 inches of ground clearance doesn't help.

I bought a truck last February, so I plan on driving that this winter when the snow gets deep.

 

Im sure you are aware however, that 4 wheel drive wont help you corner or stop on snow/ice. Around here I see more 4 wheel drive vehicles of the road on bad days than anything else - overconfidence.

Sure I like 4WD/AWD also (and now both vehicles we own are) but I still run snow rated tires.

Yes, its called siping. Any snow tire made now will have them, and many all season tires do to. Its thin slits in the tread blocks, looks like this:



The general rules of thumb for good winter tires are:

* Softer rubber compound that doesn't get hard in cold
* Taller narrower tires so they sink into snow better (sports cars are often hurt by their wide low profile tires more than anything else)
* Big blocky tread with large channels to grab loose snow (for this reason all-terrain tires to good in deep snow, but not great on ice if not siped)
* Siping the tread blocks to improve ice traction


4 wheel or all wheel drive will get you up a steep hill better. Good tires will provide the cornering and stopping traction to keep you out of an accident.

Some all season tires have suprisingly good winter traction - I love tire rack tests and reviews to get this info. The Michelin LTX-M/S2 we have on the Honda Pilot do admirably in the white stuff.

But stil nothing beats a winter rated tire. Which is why I put those snowflake labelled Nokians on the truck.

 

Start here, do some reading and a little research and you will come to the same conclusion that I have. Winter tires are safer than summer or all seasons in the winter, and if you have the means the inconveniences are worth the safety.
Winter vs. All Season Tires

 

I had a VW Fox, that car was a like a tank in the snow with decent tires...miss that car.

 

I honestly wouldn't recommend my tires without studs (Firestone WinterForce). They're a harder compound and don't grip all that good without studs. They do churn through snow and slush nicely though, good voids in the treads. But ice, not so good.
But with studs, I can make AWD's look stupid. Funny story...-
I was driving home in a blizzard a few years ago, east side of the tunnels. I pass a number of vehicles until I'm driving in virgin snow. Next thing I know, I have a caravan following my tire tracks. Sooo.. I start to switch lanes just for the heck of it. Back and forth, back and forth, for no reason. I had the most awesome 45 mph snake following me, it was cool.

 

Well 2 years late but we have a bit of experience with winter up here off lake superior. To date have used studded and what we refer to as winter ice and snow tires. Ice is the key word for us. Hills out here are so severe even 4x4's if pulling a sled on a small trailer end up jack knifed half way up. We did Goodrich winter slaloms studded on a half ton 2 wheel drive. OK with 500lbs in the back. Wore the same on a saturn FWD and sort of ok. A few times had to go up backwards. Then put Yokohama IS20's on the Saturn and much improved. Finally went to Michelin XICE2's or maybe it was 3's. Better than studs. Put them on the 1/2 ton and as good as before with no weight in the back. Now the new car is a Subaru with extra rims and Michelin XICE and you guessed it - amazing car and absolutely unstoppable in snow and ice on long grades that go up forever. The worst hill has a sharp, blind 90 degree left at the bottom so you must start from almost a dead stop and it is always icy there where folks spin. It's probably too late now as your post is 2 years old but it may be useful down the road.

 

Simple, General Altman Arctic. Friendly cost and very effective.

Forester with these tires is unstopable. Have a hard time getting the ABS to engage with them on....

 

We used studded somethings the last two years, trying Continental ExtremeContacts this year (on a Ford Focus). So far I am pleased with them, they are certainly better than the studded one in what I have driven through so far (dry road, wet road, soft snow, packed snow). We'll see how they do on ice.

I run winter tires with 5psi more air than my fair weather tires. I feel it penetrates the snow better than way, but I may be deceiving myself. Does anyone do the same or think that is crazy?

Greg

 

I run 3 psi higher. The Continental extremes are good. Had them on a forester XT and they were my favorite all season. Don't hold a candle to dedicated snow tires though.

 

Sorry, I meant Continental ExtremeWinterContact, they are studless winter tires.

Greg

 

All this chatter about snow and ice have me wanting to check airfare to Phoenix

 

I have been running the LT Firestone Winterforce on my Ram 2500 MegaCab work truck for the past few winters here in Ontario but they are not studded. I've been impressed with these tire so far.

 

I run non studded winterforce P series on my wrangler unlimited. HUGE improvement over the stock MT/Rs.