AWD Doesn't Matter - Your Tires Do (Denver: apartment, store)

[usayit]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

I remember driving up hills that had awd cars slid over to the side and stuck while I drove on by without any real tire spin

Same observation here as well.

One thing people don't realize is that many of the AWD vehicles are still equipped with performance or all seasons tires that simply not designed for snow. My Miata with 4 snow tires was far better than my Audi TT AWD with the tires it had (all seasons).

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by usayit

Same observation here as well.

One thing people don't realize is that many of the AWD vehicles are still equipped with performance or all seasons tires that simply not designed for snow. My Miata with 4 snow tires was far better than my Audi TT AWD with the tires it had (all seasons).

I went from a BMW M3 to a 4Runner. I always ran Nokian winter tires on the M3 because it was a high horsepower RWD car. My first winter with the 4Runner I thought "All Seasons will be fine in this beast". It took me exactly one snow storm before I ran out and put Blizzaks on it. There is no comparison.

We currently have a 4Runner and a Land Cruiser. Both get Blizzaks in the winter.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Everyone says their tires work great until they find out what they're missing.

Ha! I have them on both our 4Runner and Tacoma. Do you change out your Blizzaks after winter or they kept on all year? Now I want to drive a car with Blizzaks.

[Dogmama50]

Had Jeeps for years with mud snow tires and manual transmissions, I felt confident in the mountains and never had a problem. Bought a Subaru Outback a couple years ago and put some blizzacks on for the winter, I had no idea what I was missing out on by not putting on dedicated winter tires for all those years. The Subie with blizzacks maneuvers around all the folks that don't know how to drive in mountains in the snow.

[jim9251]

I noticed the troopers in their Dodges don't have any trouble getting to that 4wd or awd suv in the ditch. Saw they have Blizzaks on their patrol cars.


It's not the fact I know how to drive on snow and ice and have great tires, it's everyone else I worry about.

[usayit]

Just remember to switch them out once the snow season is done ... especially if you like to drive hard in a sports car.

We had one member in a club get into a bit of trouble when he decided to have a bit of fun in early spring. He forgot that the blizzaks were still on instead of his performance tires. They are very soft compounds. So handling on dry pavement won't measure up to all seasons/performance tires (not close) AND they will wear quicker.

I had them on my Miata but not on my Jeep YJ 4x4 with its mud terrain t/a tires. The jeep was fine in the snow (wife drove it). Tire rack sells packages of 4 snow tires pre-mounted on steal rims shipped to your door.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

Ha! I have them on both our 4Runner and Tacoma. Do you change out your Blizzaks after winter or they kept on all year? Now I want to drive a car with Blizzaks.

Swap them out every November and April.

[Vacanegro]

Originally Posted by usayit

Just remember to switch them out once the snow season is done ... especially if you like to drive hard in a sports car.

We had one member in a club get into a bit of trouble when he decided to have a bit of fun in early spring. He forgot that the blizzaks were still on instead of his performance tires. They are very soft compounds. So handling on dry pavement won't measure up to all seasons/performance tires (not close) AND they will wear quicker.

I had them on my Miata but not on my Jeep YJ 4x4 with its mud terrain t/a tires. The jeep was fine in the snow (wife drove it). Tire rack sells packages of 4 snow tires pre-mounted on steal rims shipped to your door.

I have summer tires - they are terrible in the Snow but I am not going change them when for 350 days or more they are great. For most of the East and all of the South, it is simply not worth it to change tires for 5 days (or less) of snow per year.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Vacanegro

I have summer tires - they are terrible in the Snow but I am not going change them when for 350 days or more they are great. For most of the East and all of the South, it is simply not worth it to change tires for 5 days (or less) of snow per year.

If you live somewhere that it routinely gets below 40 degrees in the winter with some snow, they are worth it. If not, they aren't. Snow is a consideration, but cold temps are too. Winter tires perform much better in cold temps when other rubber gets very hard.

[Mike Ryan]

When I first moved to Colorado I had a '08 Jeep Grand Cherokee RWD w/ Hemi. It slipped everywhere my first winter and I almost sold it right away. I decided to try some Blizzaks before selling, and can honestly say that in the following winters, with sensible driving, I can't recall ever having a problem again for the rest of the time I owned it.

Needless to say, I'm a huge advocate of snow tires!