Which all weather tires to buy? (Detroit: apartments, insurance, condos)

[djshinodalp]

Posting this in the Detroit forum instead of the Auto forum, because this is where I'll be purchasing the tires and driving around.

Own a 2010 Acura TSX and the threads are almost completely worn off. Which all weather tires do you recommend I get that has excellent gripping in snow/wet conditions?

[zthatzmanz28]

Nokia

[Regajohn]

Read the reviews on the Tire Rack website. there's all kinds of comparative dad at it has to snow traction, ice traction, wet traction, dry traction, etc.

All season tires are a compromise, they aren't that great in the winter and they aren't that great in the summer.

[scorpio516]

Blizzaks in the winter.
Just about anything in the summer. Besides the OEM Goodyears I had on a Jetta, I've never had crappy tires.

[djshinodalp]

Staying in an apartment, so storing extra set of tires might be a hassle but I get the point that winter tires are definitely better for winter than all weather. Let me also read up some reviews on tire rack.

thank you guys.

[canudigit]

I've lived in this climate my entire life and have been driving in it for over thirty years. I have yet to purchase special tires for the winter, nor has anyone that I know. A good all purpose tire will get you through all four seasons here, no need to buy anything special for the winter time.

Winters in SE Michigan are very up and down. Last winter we got quite a bit of snow, this winter we've essentially had none, with none in the immediate forecast. The road crews here are very much on top of the weather conditions and very proactive, meaning that if snow is predicted, they will have already put brine on the major surface streets and expressways and have plow trucks on standby in anticipation of it. Unless you get up in the wee hours of the morning to go to work or go in late at night, most roads, especially the major through streets, will likely have already been hit at least once by a plow truck. Subdivisions may be a different story, however, since it takes a while to get to every street.

Honestly, you should be fine with just one set of all purpose, year round tires.

[canudigit]

I just saw a commercial on a local Detroit TV station this morning advertising winter tires and indicating that you simply must have them...or else! I say nonsense. Again, neither I, nor anyone I know, has ever exchanged their car tires between seasons, and it has never been a problem.

I could maybe see it if we lived in a sparsely populated area Up North where they get feet of snow and the roads are much less traveled, but anyone living in Metro Detroit who is led to believe that they must buy separate tires specifically for winter driving should consider the actual road conditions and percentage of really snowy days there before succumbing to this expensive practice.

[MI-Roger]

Originally Posted by canudigit

I just saw a commercial on a local Detroit TV station this morning advertising winter tires and indicating that you simply must have them...or else! I say nonsense. Again, neither I, nor anyone I know, has ever exchanged their car tires between seasons, and it has never been a problem.

I could maybe see it if we lived in a sparsely populated area Up North where they get feet of snow and the roads are much less traveled, but anyone living in Metro Detroit who is led to believe that they must buy separate tires specifically for winter driving should consider the actual road conditions and percentage of really snowy days there before succumbing to this expensive practice.

I disagree! I have run winter tires on my daily driver for over 13 years and there is a HUGE difference in winter traction. My daily work commute has been over 100 miles for most of this time period. I only use All Seasons for summer time driving. It isn't necessarily the snow but rather the icy roads since Washtenaw County refuses to run salt trucks except between 10am and 2pm, making the morning and evening commutes especially treacherous. The softer rubber compounds used in winter tires and fine siping of the treads (very much like Sperry Top Sider boat shoes) allow fantastic grip on icy roads.

My wife's car runs All Weather tires, basically an All Season which is good enough for winter use to have earned the "Snowflake within a Mountain" symbol on its sidewall. She only has a 4 mile commute and works for the schools - which means she doesn't need to drive on the crappiest days. Nokian and Vredestein are the only two brands which sell an All Weather tire in the US - as far as I know.

As far as cost, winter tires are usually less expensive than summer/all-season tires. Therefore I spend 4 months each year running less expensive rubber that grips better during that season's weather conditions which actually decreases my lifetime tire costs. A set of winter tires on steel rims also cost less than one auto insurance deductible payment from spinning into a snow bank.

Sometimes you have to spend a little to save more.

[Coldjensens]

All seasons do not do well in snow. they are fine for all other seasons. Winter tires for winter make a huge difference, but it is expensive. You either need a separate set of wheels or you have to constantly switch tires on your wheels (expensive). Blizzacks or Winter-force tires are generally the best winter tire. Many of the other "snow" tires are not much good in snow. Nothing is much good on Ice. most people just run all seasons and put some weight in the trunk if they have rear wheel drive. You will have a few days with hellish driving (5-20), but you can usually get through most of the time. However the difference good snow tires make is really remarkable.

Some all terrain truck tires are reportedly very good in snow as well as usable during the warmer weather. (Duratrac comes to mind). Snow tires should be changed out int he warm weather. They are soft, wear quickly on dry pavement and are a bit mushy handling wise.

[Regajohn]

Belle Tire will store your summer / winter tires during the "off season". I no longer live in Detroit so I've never used them, but it sounds pretty impressive, especially for people who live in apartments / condos.

Tire Storage: Winter Tire Storeage Systems at Belle Tire