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Old 01-09-2017, 02:07 PM
 
5,444 posts, read 6,941,644 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pikabike View Post
Good grief; of course tires matter. AND 4WD and AWD can help. So do chains. But the first rule of winter driving anywhere is to just SLOW THE HE*L DOWN. The second rule is to allow more space between you and all other cars, both fore/aft and left/right.
You say this like it is obvious, but if you've seen how a good chunk of drivers around here drive while in snow, you'd think you were speaking Greek.
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Old 01-09-2017, 03:01 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,614,505 times
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Oh, I know full well what drivers in the Front Range are like, especially those who are new to wintery winters. Combine that with big-city tendencies to rushrushrush and it's a nightmare.

Also, freezing drizzle or black ice is bad news no matter what, no matter where.
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Old 01-09-2017, 03:16 PM
 
Location: 0.83 Atmospheres
11,477 posts, read 11,462,772 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brightdoglover View Post
This discussion has convinced me. When I move to CO next spring, I will get winter tires (Blizzaks) for my Matrix if I'm still driving it. If not the Matrix, I'll buy a Subaru and will still expect to buy winter tires. So glad for the good info on this forum!
A Matrix with Winter tires is a perfectly capable vehicle.
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Old 01-10-2017, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Juneau, AK + Puna, HI
10,445 posts, read 7,545,681 times
Reputation: 15826
Quote:
Originally Posted by pikabike View Post
Good grief; of course tires matter. AND 4WD and AWD can help. So do chains. But the first rule of winter driving anywhere is to just SLOW THE HE*L DOWN. The second rule is to allow more space between you and all other cars, both fore/aft and left/right.
There's a guy in this coastal Alaskan town (annual snowfall of 80-90 inches with frequent black ice conditions in winter) who drove an old 80's 4WD 4Runner for years on balding all seasons without incident, and he lives on top of a very steep residential street. So 4WD/AWD certainly can help for getting around. It just doesn't help you stop.

I also know a guy with a 90's AWD BMW who put those high quality stud less winter tires on and though he'd be bulletproof, only to find himself in a 360 on the road not long after leaving home.

I've read one study that says the winter tires are something like 5% better in handling and 20% in braking than all seasons. So yeah, tires definitely matter but "slow the heck down and drive defensively" matters more.
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Old 01-10-2017, 12:52 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,614,505 times
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Slow down and allow more room for error was something many people figured out when RWD cars were prevalent. As soon as some technology allows less care in driving, people just push the limit further instead of benefiting from the technology's characteristics.

And then there is the sheer ignorance factor. I've seen many front wheel drive owners spinning wheels crazily when trying to climb a hill, while RWD owners made it up the same hill. It matters where the drive wheels are positioned relative to slope,nbecause the additional weight helps. And how 'bout them power-obsessed idiots that put pedal to metal when starting from a low-traction surface?! Make sure you keep a LOT of distance between you and them, because that torque-heavy treatment is gonna fishtail all over the place.
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Old 01-10-2017, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Majestic Wyoming
1,567 posts, read 1,172,031 times
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I drove my FWD Honda Civic over 1,000 miles over Thanksgiving weekend from California to Wyoming going through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho this year during the first big snow of the season. Before I left California I had Blizzaks put on my car and it drove through the snow with no issues at all. Not a single slide the entire way. Now that I'm living in Wyoming in winter it has been snowy and icy from the second I arrived here, my car and its tires do great, keep me on the road, stopping easily as needed, and there's no doubt in my mind the tires make all of the difference.
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Old 01-16-2017, 01:03 PM
 
1,849 posts, read 1,794,230 times
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I think this is correct - I have a 2003 Saab 9-3 and moving here from CA last year I was all over the road in spring snowstorms with good ESP (granted - thanks Denver for not salting the roads during a blizzard!) I got two new front tires from Firestone and it's now driving like a tank.
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Old 01-16-2017, 08:55 PM
 
255 posts, read 198,934 times
Reputation: 356
You don't know how happy I am to see something like this. I see so many people driving recklessly in these monster trucks and SUVs with AWD or 4WD like it's a license to drive like a bat outta hell. I wish people would drive more cautiously and considerately, regardless of your drive train and regardless of your tires. Coming down from the mountains tonight was a bit nerve racking as vehicles (large trucks mostly) were driving down steep, winding roads well above the posted speed limits, and while there were signs posted about icy road conditions.

Please, please, please...for the sake of the rest of us and yourselves, drive more cautiously through the mountain corridors. My SO and I had some very close calls on the road this evening that we'd prefer not to encounter in the future.
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Old 01-16-2017, 09:02 PM
 
Location: 0.83 Atmospheres
11,477 posts, read 11,462,772 times
Reputation: 11976
Quote:
Originally Posted by N610DL View Post
I think this is correct - I have a 2003 Saab 9-3 and moving here from CA last year I was all over the road in spring snowstorms with good ESP (granted - thanks Denver for not salting the roads during a blizzard!) I got two new front tires from Firestone and it's now driving like a tank.
Yikes!!! Never ever put the new tires on the front. Always rear. Can't believe they would even do that for you. Regardless of your drivetrain, it's very dangerous to have better traction on your front wheels. It's a recipe for disaster.....especially in slick conditions.

Really you should be replacing all tires, and with real winter tires. Remind me to never go to that Firestone.

When Buying Two Tires Instead of Four, Place the Two New Tires on the Rear - Tire Safety Group
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Old 01-16-2017, 09:04 PM
 
1,849 posts, read 1,794,230 times
Reputation: 1277
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkyDog77 View Post
Yikes!!! Never ever put the new tires on the front. Always rear. Can't believe they would even do that for you. Regardless of your drivetrain, it's very dangerous to have better traction on your front wheels. It's a recipe for disaster.....especially in slick conditions.

Really you should be replacing all tires, and with real winter tires. Remind me to never go to that Firestone.

When Buying Two Tires Instead of Four, Place the Two New Tires on the Rear - Tire Safety Group
To be honest I could be wrong about the placement - I was going off memory but they're a good shop.
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