AWD Doesn't Matter - Your Tires Do (Denver: lawyers, cost of)

[brightdoglover]

I'm moving to the Western Slope next April and am buying a Subaru before I go. I plan to buy winter tires and just make it routine to put them on in November and off in April. I have driven in New England winters for years with only front wheel drive and regular tires but only on regular highways and have envied those with AWD.

And yes, black ice is always a real bear, you need all the help you can get. Peace of mind indeed! I've been driving into night shifts for many years, and often whatever melts during the day turns to black ice for my drive home in the morning. All it takes is a patch and there's trouble.

[jrt1979]

All wheel drive or 4 wheel drive keeps you from getting stuck. Good tires keep you from getting in an accident. It's best to have both if you drive in ice and snow for months on end. I grew up in Golden, so I know all about CO winters.

[BarryK123]

Originally Posted by headingtoDenver

This right here. I've seen many a Subaru in the ditch during bad weather.

It's called false sense of security and driving too fast.

[Norrov]

I’ve got an older (1995) RWD Lexus.

I was kicking around tossing some studded snow tires on it to see how it got me around Denver this winter. I’ve got a big diesel truck too but I prefer leaving it at home !

(I’ve never ran winter tires/studs before)

I’ve been driving pickups and FWD cars in alberta and South Dakota my entire life, just never a RWD car. Really don’t want to buy a new Daily driver as it’s a great car.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Norrov

I’ve got an older (1995) RWD Lexus.

I was kicking around tossing some studded snow tires on it to see how it got me around Denver this winter. I’ve got a big diesel truck too but I prefer leaving it at home !

(I’ve never ran winter tires/studs before)

I’ve been driving pickups and FWD cars in alberta and South Dakota my entire life, just never a RWD car. Really don’t want to buy a new Daily driver as it’s a great car.

Studs are not necessary. Just get a good studless winter tire. Studs are the best on ice, but not better than a studless tire on anything else. They’re terrible on all the dry days we have.

I drove a RWD BMW M3 for 3 winters here with Nokian Hakkaeliitta tires. It was fine around town. RWD in the snow does become a limiting factor on steep hills. If you can avoid them, you’ll be fine.

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by Beanerdawg

Bump.
Is there a consensus here if winter tires are worth it or not? My wife and I are moving to Denver in a week and a half. We will be sharing a car for the time-being. We both can work from home, but will be going to and from DIA about 2-3 times a month. We do ski, but this year since we'll be brand new to the city, and on a tighter budget, I can only see 1-2 ski trips for us this year.

Our friends that live there are pretty evenly split about whether we need them. We do have an AWD car, but my worry is when my wife, who has no experience driving in the snow, has pick me up from the airport late at night, or is alone with the dogs and is forced to drive for whatever the reason during/after a snow storm.

I'm leaning towards buying a set and having them installed late November, but wanted to see what you guys think?

Good snow tires are worth every penny, especially for a driver who is not experienced driving in the snow. The difference is night and day.

[himain]

Originally Posted by Norrov

I’ve got an older (1995) RWD Lexus.

I was kicking around tossing some studded snow tires on it to see how it got me around Denver this winter. I’ve got a big diesel truck too but I prefer leaving it at home !

(I’ve never ran winter tires/studs before)

I’ve been driving pickups and FWD cars in alberta and South Dakota my entire life, just never a RWD car. Really don’t want to buy a new Daily driver as it’s a great car.

Buy yourself some Blizzaks and you'll be fine. You really only need studs to break up ice or head up steep driveways/hills

[Beanerdawg]

Thanks for the advice. Ended up ordering the Michelin x-ice. Install scheduled for the 18th.

[daprara]

bald tires are bad, any type of 4x4 is good
but
just not much snow last year to make me care.

[Vision67]

The key to Winter Tires is to make sure they are installed prior to the first snow storm!

Last year, I prevailed upon my daughter to get them installed. (a set of Blizzaks sitting in my garage)

She hesitated. The storm hit. She spun out on ice. She dented her car.

I used to buy the tires mounted on steel wheels from tirerack.com. That makes them easy to swap on your own terms. However, with the addition to TPMS (tire pressure measurement system) on all cars, the need for additional sensors makes that solution costly.

However, it makes the swap easy: Just do it yourself.