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I've run Hankook iPikes, Michelin Arctic Alpins, Cooper Weathermasters, Firestone Winterforce, Gislaved, and Nokian Haka2's. Each had minor pros and cons but honestly I didn't find much of a real difference in day to day driving between any of them including the Hakka's which cost twice what the others costs.
The more aggressive treaded ones (winterforce and weathermaster) were louder on dry roads but better in deep snow. The smoother treaded ones (Alpins and Hakka's) were quieter on dry roads but spun more in deep snow.
These were on a variety of front wheel drive and rear wheel drive cars. I currently have a set of "generic" Winterclaws* (made by Cooper) on the Prius and while they are louder than I'd like on the highway, they are exceptional on snow and ice and stay grippy on cold wet & dry pavement. Worth the trade off imo.
At the end of the day, most any dedicated Winter tire is going to be a massive improvement over your average "all season" tire in temps below 40 and consistent snow, ice and bad road conditions.
The AWD might get started easier off the line but is of limited usefulness at speed. When none of your wheels have traction, the drive type is irrelevant. Of course an AWD with snow tires is ideal, but it's tires not drive type that makes the biggest difference.
If you do not want to pay for instruction (aka Team O'Neill) then find a snow/ice covered EMPTY parking lot and slide around enough to learn how to control skids.
I am from Southern CA and thinking of moving there too but I did live in Big Bear Lake, CA for a while and I learned some things up there.
I don't know if you do chains out there but we did in Big Bear, I never needed them though as I 1) Had a 4WD (Ford expedition) and 2) really good mud/snow tires, chunky etc. 3) drive slow and pull over if others behind you like someone mentioned (I pull over a LOT lol)
If it is a 2WD the new tires but not sure about chains in NH, I am sure CA is 100% different on that.
Also be sure to seal your car, I bet the salt will wreak havoc on it if you don't (or wash it a lot or something!)
Blizzaks have a sticky rubber layer on top of regular rubber. Worn Blizzaks are actually very slippery in winter conditions. Blizzak tire owners need to keep an eye on their snow tire tread depth after the first season on them. I'd rather not the worry, so I've never considered buying them.
Nokians are my snow tire of choice, even worn Nokians.
Not really. The grip on a Blizzak WS-80 goes in the toilet at about 12,000 miles when the outer rubber compound wears off. I've run the Nokian Q, R, R2, and studded Hakka SUVs. My Blizzaks went in the dumpster after 12,000 miles. Nokians have better performance on most winter driving conditions and give you 2x to 3x the tread life. Blizzaks are a bit better on black ice until they hit that 12k wear problem.
The Michelin X-Ice is another excellent option.
A RWD car with snow tires is fine. You don't need AWD. My FWD VW GTIs with Nokians and Blizzaks were better than my much heavier SUVs on plowed, snow covered roads. Few of us see deep unplowed roads where AWD and some ground clearance matters.
I'd also comment that snow driving requires a very different driving style. Avoid any sudden steering, braking, and acceleration inputs. Use that PRND32L thingie to control your speed instead of the brakes. Drive like grandma downhill and entering corners. Keep your momentum going up hills. Black ice is the most dangerous condition. Pay close attention to the outside air temperature and be very cautious on wet roads as the temperature drops to 32. I lived in Vermont for years driving RWD cars with summer tires. You can do it but you have to be very aware of your control and traction at all times. If you can afford snow tires, it all becomes much easier and safer.
Tires
Learn how to disable the traction control.
Get out and practice.
OP - I assume you got some practice during the last snow. How did it go?
Be prepared for tomorrow morning.
Sorry for the late response! I was so busy all of Feb. Well, I can say that I have improved a lot since my first post, lol. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that part of the reason why I had so much trouble was because I didn't know what to expect, since I didn't know how it felt to drive on snowy, icy roads, which caused me to constantly brake and speed back & forth, causing my car to stop moving. I learned that when I kept a steady speed, I no longer had that problem.
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