Studs vs. snow tires vs. all-seasons (Littleton, Lancaster: how much, home, buying)

[kara3967]

Last year I had a 4WD Durango so I didn't have to wonder, but this year I have an AWD Subaru. So, I am trying to figure out which would be better for me. I live in Lancaster, actually Out East, and we can get a significant amount of snow more than even 6 miles away in town. I have a couple of good sized hills to go up to get home and I work nights, so I am traveling a lot of times before the plows come through.

My Subaru has good regular tires on it, but I know that come winter I will need more. Should I just change over to all-seasons, or switch out for the winter and back in the spring? If I switch out, are studs better than snow tires?

[GregW]

I also have a Subaru and have found the combination of good summer tires (Nokia) with good rain grooves with a very good Snow/Mud winter tires to be ideal. The summer tires provide good wet/dry traction and improve the cornering. The winter tires let me drive near dry road speeds on packed show and salt/wet winter roads. They really reduce stopping distance and provide much more stable cornering.

I use four season tires on my Buick because it is mostly driven on cleared interstates and main roads during the winter. Even so I can activate the automatic traction control (purposely use power to see just how much traction is available) because these tires simply do not as much grip as true snow tires.

I have not found studded tires worth the noise and losses of dry road traction because they do not help on packed snow and ice covered roads are not that frequent. If I encounter ice I just slow way down. I suggest you take your car to a large parking lot before they plow it free of snow and practice low traction starting, stopping and turning to refresh your winter driving skills. Given that you live in the North Country I also suggest you contact Tim O’Neill’s driving school in Littleton. That may be the best way of improving your ability to drive winter roads safely.

I suggest buying a separate set of wheels for the snow tires. I use steel wheels in the winter and the stock aluminum wheels in the summer to avoid corroding the aluminum as much as possible. I bought my steelies at a recycle yard and painted them with Rustoleum anti-rust paint.

[chris410]

My opinion is that studded snow tires wont provide you with that much more benefit then an AWD subaru with a set of blizzaks on it and they will be way louder and provide a worse ride.

[nhdriver]

If you have AWD or 4WD all season should be plenty but guess depends on the vehicle as well. I know with my wife's Jeep good all season tire was plenty to get out and have control in heavy snow. Any FWD cars that are lighter, I personally prefer dedicated winter tires (non studded) with extra weight on the back.

[Sporin]

Unless you are spending a lot of time on dirt roads, then I don't feel studs are necessary. A Subaru with 4 good Winter tires will get you anywhere you need to go.

Did you not run snow tires on your Durango? I think it's a great misnomer that 4WD means you don't need snow tires. Remember, it's only 4 wheel drive... stopping and cornering are hugely improved with true snow tires, no matter how many wheels are moving the car forward.

[audiojan]

4 wheel drive will only help you get going, but it does nothing for staying on the road, or stopping....

All-weather tires basically means that they're a compromise on dry pavement, a compromise in the rain, compromise on snow and ice, i.e. mediocre for everything. A non-studded winter tire is probably the best choice for most people driving only in S.NH (around the cities), but once you're outside of the cities, a studded tire will give you better grip, especially if you end up in more of an icy surface or hard packed snow. Keep in mind that studded tires will be louder and will hurt your fuel economy.

Our choice is to use studded tires in the winter and a good set of all-weather tires the rest of the year (I travel for work quite a bit so I don't want to risk being away and we have a freak snow storm and the wife being stuck with summer tires on... although they are not great for anything, they do offer a certain level of function)

[audiojan]

Actually, should've added that a car with 4wd will be a better choice than a truck or SUV with 4wd simply because of center of gravity. The further up that point is, the more difficult it will be to handle if the tires let go.

[GregW]

Now if you want to have fun get a light RWD car with four snow tires and find some snow covered roads. My old ''82 Toyota was an absolute blast on snow so long as I put a couple hundred pounds of sand over the rear axles. I once took it over the Bear Notch Road after the road was closed to everything but snowmobiles. I didn't realize that until I got to Bartlett. That was a fun drive.

[nanciegord]

Okay, I'm reading this thread with a lot of interest because we bought a new Suburu Legacy 2.5 yrs ago when we were living in MA and were told that by the dealer that we did not need snow tires at all because of the tires that were "standard" on the Legacy. We survived 2 winters in MA like that with no problem, and then last winter (mild, yes I do know. . .) in southern NH, not even thinking of snow tires. Should we have snow tires?? We also have a 2003 Honda Accord, which we do have snow tires for. Any comments about whether we should be using snow tires on the Legacy in the winter would be appreciated. The Accord (my husband's car) is driven much more than my Legacy. We are new to New England, and are trying our best to learn what's best here. Thanks~

[a bag of it]

I'd recommend everyone get a good pair of snow tires, look up the tire rack videos and they'll show you why. I have blizzaks on my Subaru and I live in Breckenridge Colorado, so take it from me when I say they are worth every penny.

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