Any All Season Tires good? (vehicle, auto, traction, van)
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From my experience all seasons aren't particularly good in snow. I only hit snow once or twice a year to visit family but if you're dealing with it on a fairly consistent basis I would strongly advise getting a proper set of snow tires.
All season tires are pretty dependent on having nearly full tread depth to work well in snow, sounds like yours are worn enough to not have that any more.
You can go on Tire Rack's web site and see some ratings of various all-season tires in terms of dry, wet, snow and ice traction.
If you have a place to store them, I would definitely spring for a set of dedicated snow tires on junkyard steel wheels. You *can* mount and dismount tires, take your current tires off and bag them, put snows on your current wheels, but this costs you probably something like $40 for the 4 tire mount/dismounts, which would probably buy you the 4 junkyard wheels. Some better indy tire stores will have steel wheels in stock to fit your ride.
Again, Tire Rack is your friend as to what snow tire to buy.
If you don't personally have a place to store the tires, think about a mini-storage, even the smallest storage bin would work. You probably have some other "stuff" that you could put in there, would like to get it out of the way in your apt. or small house or where-ever it is you don't have room to store 4 wheel/tire assemblies. Or parent's or friend's home/garage.
I only use all season tires but it doesn't snow where I live. Did drive in snow and ice once to visit family in Arkansas. I drove at least 10 mph below the highway speeds, coasted and braked early and gently before stops, increased the distance between me and the vehicle in front of me, and was cautious over spots that appeared to be icy. Amazing how many drove above the posted speed limit on snow and ice.
I'm in the Rocky Mountains, where low temperatures at altitude and a long snowy season is the norm. As a manufacturer's rep these days, I travel 40-50,000 miles per year. Back in the days when I had my auto service shop in Denver, I used to commute to the mountains every week, sometimes several 'round trips. With the exception of running Gislaved/Nordfrost tires on my RWD BMW's and MB's, I've never run snow tires on any vehicle and never found them necessary.
As well, in over 50 years now of driving the Front Range and mountains of Colorado, I've used chains only a few times ... decades ago.
I drive All Season tires all year 'round, with excellent results ... on my Subaru OBW's; currently running Michelin's and Bridgestones and am very satisfied with their abilities in snow, snowpack, hardpack, and icy roads.
On my Class B RV, 1993 Dodge 3500 Van chassis, which I drive extensively all year around for business travel, including the snow months ... I run top of the line Michelin's 245/75/R16's. When I got the RV, I was concerned that these All Season rated tires might not be adequate in the winter months. But my tire shop resources all assured me that these tires would be adequate for my needs, and they have been right. Haven't needed snow tires, haven't needed to put the cable chains on, and I've driven this vehicle into remote area campgrounds in the winter months without difficulty getting in and out for a night's stay.
Additionally, I run Goodyear Commercial tires on my Ford F-250 Powerstroke RWD, all year around. On snow and snowpack, these tires have proven to be more than adequate. The only time I am concerned about using it is when there's icy conditions, and then I'll run my Dodge 2500 Cummins 4x4 ... which has a motley set of old Michelin all-season truck tires on it ... and only if I need the truck to haul a load. Last winter, I didn't even start this truck but a couple of times and my records show that it didn't go 200 miles last year. That's two trips to town, so the rest of my hauling needs were done with the 4x2 Ford.
IMO, all-season tires have been well proven to deliver very good all season performance. I doubt that the winter season in NJ presents the challenges that I encounter for many months of the year here in the Rocky Mountains ....
While these aren't marketed as AS tires, they most certainly ARE. Nokian WR2 are M&S rated (winter) tires that can be run year round with no major penalty. There's about a 4% hit on fuel economy (my TDI went from 50mpg to 48mpg), and they only run 60k miles instead of 80~100k miles. Given that the tires are good enough to run around the Rockies (CO/WY/MT, lots of going over passes, to ski hills, etc..) in full winter without any issue, it's a small tradeoff.
They are also Phenomenal in the wet/rain. I've seriously not had any tire that's been better in the rain off the racetrack (on the track, I've used full on rain race tires... those are king).
We're nearing the end of our 2nd set and if we still lived somewhere where precipitation fell in frozen form, it'd be a no-brainier to buy another set. As it is, we're going back to a touring AS tire for the longer life.
I'm in the Rocky Mountains, where low temperatures at altitude and a long snowy season is the norm. As a manufacturer's rep these days, I travel 40-50,000 miles per year. Back in the days when I had my auto service shop in Denver, I used to commute to the mountains every week, sometimes several 'round trips. With the exception of running Gislaved/Nordfrost tires on my RWD BMW's and MB's, I've never run snow tires on any vehicle and never found them necessary.
As well, in over 50 years now of driving the Front Range and mountains of Colorado, I've used chains only a few times ... decades ago.
I drive All Season tires all year 'round, with excellent results ... on my Subaru OBW's; currently running Michelin's and Bridgestones and am very satisfied with their abilities in snow, snowpack, hardpack, and icy roads.
On my Class B RV, 1993 Dodge 3500 Van chassis, which I drive extensively all year around for business travel, including the snow months ... I run top of the line Michelin's 245/75/R16's. When I got the RV, I was concerned that these All Season rated tires might not be adequate in the winter months. But my tire shop resources all assured me that these tires would be adequate for my needs, and they have been right. Haven't needed snow tires, haven't needed to put the cable chains on, and I've driven this vehicle into remote area campgrounds in the winter months without difficulty getting in and out for a night's stay.
Additionally, I run Goodyear Commercial tires on my Ford F-250 Powerstroke RWD, all year around. On snow and snowpack, these tires have proven to be more than adequate. The only time I am concerned about using it is when there's icy conditions, and then I'll run my Dodge 2500 Cummins 4x4 ... which has a motley set of old Michelin all-season truck tires on it ... and only if I need the truck to haul a load. Last winter, I didn't even start this truck but a couple of times and my records show that it didn't go 200 miles last year. That's two trips to town, so the rest of my hauling needs were done with the 4x2 Ford.
IMO, all-season tires have been well proven to deliver very good all season performance. I doubt that the winter season in NJ presents the challenges that I encounter for many months of the year here in the Rocky Mountains ....
Thanks Sunsprit!
Any opinion on these tires which I was about to buy, until I read they are only good in light snow?
winter tires are cheaper then an accident if it saves you from one.
You are a wise man
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