Snow Tires? (live, shop, safe)

[jerky1280]

I'm going to be moving to Mt. Clemens this fall from Pensacola, FL. Having never had to drive extensively in the snow... are snow tires needed/recommended for the detroit area in the winter? I have a subaru outback, so I'm not too worried about it, but my girlfriend has a FWD camry and she's never driven in the snow at all.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by jerky1280

I'm going to be moving to Mt. Clemens this fall from Pensacola, FL. Having never had to drive extensively in the snow... are snow tires needed/recommended for the detroit area in the winter? I have a subaru outback, so I'm not too worried about it, but my girlfriend has a FWD camry and she's never driven in the snow at all.

Don't drive on ANY low profile tire in the snow. Generally a good all season tire will get you through the snow.

[jerky1280]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Don't drive on ANY low profile tire in the snow. Generally a good all season tire will get you through the snow.

Thanks for the info. When I was a kid my family lived in San Francisco and every time we went skiing (to lake Tahoe) we took tire chains, and used them on occasion.

Would it be a good idea to pick up a pair, or are they mainly used for mountain passes? As I understand it southwestern Michigan is pretty flat.

[topshop]

Originally Posted by jerky1280

Thanks for the info. When I was a kid my family lived in San Francisco and every time we went skiing (to lake Tahoe) we took tire chains, and used them on occasion.

Would it be a good idea to pick up a pair, or are they mainly used for mountain passes? As I understand it southwestern Michigan is pretty flat.

Several comments...

There is not all that much snow where you are moving to.

The use of chains there is between zero and none.

Snow tire use is pretty minimal. As mentioned, good all season tires do nicely as long as they are NOT the super low profile types.

The closest thing to a mountain in Michigan is less than 2,000 feet high and way up in the U.P. As you said, flat is the norm.

Having said that...if you are going to do a fair amount of driving and want to be as safe as possible, I would suggest you get snow tires for both cars. It will help a great deal with the Camry and allow you to go almost anywhere anytime with the Subaru. This is especially true if you are not an experienced snow drivers.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I am an avid skier (not the fair weather type, I will go as long as the road is open). I concur with the comments about all season tires. Specifically, get mud and snow rated (Costco or equivalent has them in their tire shop, generally Michelins). the key is the tread that wraps around the edge of the tire, there should be good vertical faces to grab the snow if it's not yet been plowed (or you are turning). Mud and snow rated tires will have "M+S" written on the side wall.

Going for full on snow tires is even better, as noted, but you'll pay for it in reduced gas mileage.

[css9450]

I bought snow tires (well, they called them "performance winter tires") and cheap black steel wheels so I could preserve my nice factory alloy wheels and expensive tires. Its been worth the investment and if there's a lot of snow I'm good to go.