Winter Tires (Pontiac: buy, live, shop)

[cyrinex]

I'm a recent transplant from California and used this forum extensively to plan my move to Michigan earlier this year. Now I'm a full time resident and enjoyed my first three seasons, but am faced with the dreaded winter months (or at least that's what my friends back in 80 degree weather keep teasing me about).

One question I now have for the natives of snow states is about snow/winter tires. Do you use them in the winter months and if so, what suggestions do you have for purchasing the tire/wheel combo? I currently drive a Chevy Tahoe with Dunlop sport tires, which are rated as all season. Since I am not experienced with driving in the snow or slick conditions other than rain, investing in tires for the season seems like a good investment. Does anyone have advice on driving in winter conditions?

Thanks so much for the help.

Nicole

[us66]

I've only ever known one person in SE MI who ever bought snow tires. Those tires you have should be okay as long as you don't drive like a jerk. I have a pickup with 2wd and no weight in the back end. It gets stuck a lot but it's not all that bad.

[Coldjensens]

We are going to put Blizzaks on our RWD pickup. We will not bother with the front wheel drive minivan. OUr full sized van is so heavy that it does ok in the snow and it is so beat up that it is not worth it ot buy a second set of tires and wheels for it. My Camaro is a hopeless case, it would get stuck in the summer if a kid spilled a slushy on the street and they do not even make snow tires to fit it. I am hoping to park it for the winter if can keep enough of the other cars out of the shop long enough to drive them (which in part requries keeping the darned deer from running into oucars).

[Retroit]

I never put winter tires on my car (Pontiac Grand Prix) and don't know anyone who has. I've never had any problems, except when I tried to get one more winter out of my practically bald tires and went slip-sliding-away on my first turn in the slush.

I would say that as long as you are driving in the city on streets that will have a reasonable chance of being plowed before a lot of snow accumulates, you should be fine with what you have. If you live out in the boonies or where roads may not be plowed in a timely manner, you might want to consider winter tires.


As for driving advice:

• Be extremely cautious the first few snowfalls. Not only because it's a new experience for you, but because most drivers -- even those that have lived here all their lives! -- forget how to drive on slippery roads. Take your car to an empty unplowed parking lot and practice some tight, moderate speed turns to learn how your car handles.
• Drive slower and leave more space between yourself and the car in front of you. Pretty obvious, but a hard habit to break for tailgaters.
• Beware of what we term "black ice", which is really just clear ice on dark pavement. This can really surprise you when the temperature is hovering near freezing and some of the road is frozen and some isn't. This can occur when it is raining or sleeting and the road looks only wet, but may be partially wet and partially ice.
• Avoid drivers of 4-wheel-drive vehicles who don't realize that although they may have a greater ability to accelerate, they have the same braking capability as everyone else.

[css9450]

I bought winter tires for one reason - I wanted my pretty factory aluminum wheels to look perfect for as long as possible, so I bought the tires as well as a set of plain black steel wheels to mount them on. Actually, my first thought was to get "regular" all-seasons instead, but then I figured since I'm only going to use the steel wheels in the winter, I might as well get actual "winter" tires.

I chose Dunlop WinterSport tires, and they're great. After three winters of use, they show no signs of wear, and the car goes through snow like a tank. Compared to what I was used to before, its a big improvement.