Maine's Off-Topic thread: part eight (Bangor, Hermon: sales, pool, radio)
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I have never put "winter" tires on my car in winter, I use all weather radials, I hear they work well, tho
I drive in my work on ave 800 miles per week, even thru the winter and usually just have all season radials- just have some common sense when its snowy or icy
All season tires are a marketing ripoff. Its been proven by many tests that they are bad in the snow, and don't stick as well in the summer. In any northern climate you NEED different tires for the summer/winter. Many folks with all season tires wonder why they get stuck in more than 4' of snow and lose control during snow storms. Proper tires are the key. You should have grip in all conditions, if you don't your tires are not up to the task. Check police cars, they even use summer/winter tires
FB I run Nokian Hakki 4 studded winter tires on the RWD 328i and studded something on the jeep. Because winter tires have a softer rubber compound and can wear down in warmer conditions I tend to wait until daytime temps are only going into the 40s or lower. Spring is the difficult time, one day it's 50, the next 28 and snow. I tent to wait until the mud dries up and the hakkis are mud rated too.
I would recommend getting a spare set of rims and just keep the tirs mounted as well. If you keep switching the out the bead will be damaged long before the tread is bad. My last set of winter tires lasted 6 years, My summer lasted 5 years.
All season tires are a marketing ripoff. Its been proven by many tests that they are bad in the snow, and don't stick as well in the summer. In any northern climate you NEED different tires for the summer/winter. Many folks with all season tires wonder why they get stuck in more than 4' of snow and lose control during snow storms. Proper tires are the key. You should have grip in all conditions, if you don't your tires are not up to the task. Check police cars, they even use summer/winter tires
I wouldn't recommend driving in more than 4' of snow regardless of what type of tires you have!
I wouldn't recommend driving in more than 4' of snow regardless of what type of tires you have!
The undercarriage on my DW's car is maybe 6" high. I suspect if she hits 1' of snow on the pavement, it should totally lift the car's weight up off the tires. When the vehicle weight is held up by snow lifting the frame, it is hard to get traction with the tires. Better to wait for spring.
Her previous car was not much better. She got high-centered a few times. Unfortunately so has my tractor.
Four foot of snow on the pavement, I think would be time to stay home and pour more rum.
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Location: Bangor Maine
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I don't believe that snow tires would perform any better on "black ice" than all weather tires. We have driven in Maine winter weather well over 40 years, always using caution, and only a few of those years did we use snow tires. Have gotten stuck maybe twice.
All season tires are a marketing ripoff. Its been proven by many tests that they are bad in the snow, and don't stick as well in the summer.
Will you name those tests please? I'm usually interested in who paid tests/research and the relationship to the product. It's hard to say the people here who have had good results with their personal experience are wrong because unnamed tests said so.
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In any northern climate you NEED different tires for the summer/winter.
I really don't.
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Many folks with all season tires wonder why they get stuck in more than 4' of snow and lose control during snow storms. Proper tires are the key. You should have grip in all conditions, if you don't your tires are not up to the task. Check police cars, they even use summer/winter tires.
When they're out in four feet of snow there's more to wonder about than why they're stuck.
In my areas of maine, Old Town then Appleton I have found that the road crews do a poor job on the onset, then during the storm. They shine during the cleanup though. We used to commute to Lewiston,3 hrs each day to work. Do you know how hard it is to change lanes to get around a plow with a pile of slush. Not pleasant, but the winter tires have sipes and tread clearing ability so stability was never lost.
When I first bought my car I was coming home in a snowstorm and came through Augusta near the big church and hill north of the downtown. My back end started to come around and I had to coast down the hill out of gear to stay in some control. Not fun. The next day I got snow tires.
Perhaps if you live in a city, don't go out, or get stuck in storms and wait until the road crews clear the roads you can get away with all season radials, but winter tires for the rest of us who live in the country and have to drive when storms are starting/ending. Many back roads also stay packed snow/ice year round are having tires that can stick to ice is a necessity
I don't believe that snow tires would perform any better on "black ice" than all weather tires. We have driven in Maine winter weather well over 40 years, always using caution, and only a few of those years did we use snow tires. Have gotten stuck maybe twice.
When we first moved to Maine, we were using all-weather tires.
That first fall-winter one morning driving out to our partly built house, a curve on our road was iced up. One vehicle had gone straight, off the pavement and into a tree. A police car and a tow-truck were both on scene. As I approached the curve I tapped my brakes which sent my car to spinning. I navigated the curve okay, I managed to miss the police officer who was standing on the shoulder. I was very lucky I did not hit anything. I navigated the curve entirely while my vehicle was traveling sideways. It was only after the curve when the road straightened again. That the ice disappeared and I was once again able to control my vehicle.
The first couple years living in Maine we experienced that each winter, once or twice we would hit a patch of black ice. No snow anywhere, no visible ice anywhere. It is a rare event. But when it does happen, it really gets the blood flowing.
Once on the road where we live, I noticed there were patches off and on, so I coasted very gently to a stop right in front of our driveway. I got out of my car. Standing on it I was not able to get my workboots to grip enough to stand and bear my own weight. I had to grip my car for support to even stand. The ice was that slick, and yet not really visible.
The next year, one morning as we were going to church, we hit a patch at the I-95 on-ramp. We could not see any ice. I slowed to make the turn, turned the wheel and our car continued in a straight line. Turning the steering wheel had no effect on the vehicle's direction of travel.
This was all while driving on all-weather tires.
We decided to shift over to winter tires with studs. I bought new rims, and began every October and March the routine of swapping tires.
Since we began using winter-tires we have not 'noticed' black ice again.
Why pay for car insurance? Do you plan to have a wreck? Of course not, it is a reasonable precaution to be prepared for when accidents happen.
I do not plan to drive on ice. But I know that it happens on our road, and I know that when it happens all-weather tires will not grip enough to control a vehicle. So I use winter-tires, to be prepared for when ice happens.
The sunrise this morning was absolutely spectacular! The morning paper was bemoaning that the foliage wasnt' as something or other as past years.....and while I was reading that.....I was watching the most gorgeous sunrise fill the sky with flaming pinks and deep roses and all the shades of red and liquid gold imaginable.
As in the rest of life.....you just got to know where to look.....and when you count.....count your blessings....not gridge and grumble about what you think you lack.
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