Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
^ good points. Another thing to consider is that many modern AWD cars (as opposed to part time 4WD) require that all tires be the same diameter. I know our Forester requires that, for example. That means if you need to replace a tire, you might need 4, not 1. We were lucky when one of our tires was sliced by a box cutter (not deliberate, street debris) since the car had fewer than 9K miles at that point, so the dealer said OK.
So you do want RWD in the winter? I suppose if you like doing unplanned 360s, then go for it. Or you want a tire that lacks even the bare minimum Rubber Manufacturer's Association rating?
I suppose I might switch to DOT drag radials if I was planning on running at New England Dragway’s "Street Night", but they're closed until April.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbear99
^ good points. Another thing to consider is that many modern AWD cars (as opposed to part time 4WD) require that all tires be the same diameter. I know our Forester requires that, for example. That means if you need to replace a tire, you might need 4, not 1. We were lucky when one of our tires was sliced by a box cutter (not deliberate, street debris) since the car had fewer than 9K miles at that point, so the dealer said OK.
The Subi Forester has a compact spare BTW.
That's another good reason to have a full-size spare and use it in your tire rotation -- if one tire gets destroyed, you replace it with the spare (and take the spare out of the rotation schedule).
Last edited by Nonesuch; 01-23-2017 at 02:51 PM..
Reason: like doing unplanned 360s? Get on the road tomorrow morning with RWD
Now even my "summer" car is AWD, and the trunk of my winter beater has easy-on tire chains.
My first cars were RWD, I've got about a decade of experience driving RWD in the winter.
I had big heavy American cars with V8 engines and limited slip diffs--did okay in fresh snow, but it was easy to fishtail on black ice (only ever did one unplanned 180°).
Can't count how often I would end up with both rear tires spinning, only way out was to get a push or something under at least one tire to restore traction. So all winter my trunk was taken up with rock salt, kitty litter, and narrow lengths of old carpeting.
Now even my "summer" car is AWD, and the trunk of my winter beater has easy-on tire chains.
I did a 360 on the penn turnpike when I was in college, driving a 289 mustang. It was on a straight stretch, so I never really left the travel lane, which was a good thing, since there were semis in the adjacent lane.
Sure did teach me to watch for ice patches and slow down...
I have found that 4 good snow tires are more significant than which axle is being driven. When I started driving some 55 years ago it was common to put snow tires on the rear drive axel. This resulted in a near total loss of braking effect as well as tending to steer off the road. Front wheel drive cars with snows only on the front axle were even more fun as improper (like any) braking started the car into a spin. For the last 10 years or so I have been driving AWD Subaru wagons with good snow tires on all four wheels. This makes for much greater control.
I suggest buying a set of snow tires and having the mounted on their own wheels (buy a used set of wheels from the recycle yard) to make changing a lot less expensive. Use them between November and April and store them in a cool dark place for the summer. Expect about three winters before they need replacement. Expect a lot less if they are driven in hot weather.
Back in the day we had a VW bug with bias ply snow tires only on the back wheels. That thing demanded a lot of attention on snow and ice covered roads as the front of the car was not always pointed in the direction you were going. But it would get you slowly anywhere.
^ problem with snows on their own wheels is TPM systems. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get a set with the same codes as your OEM sensors, but it'll cost you.
You might want to compare cost of swapping tires on your stock rims with the cost of changing rims/tires and re-setting the TPM.
You can also use black tape on many cars - you tape over the alarm on your dash. I can't legally recommend such an approach, so I "highly" discourage it.
RWD vs FWD? I guess it depends on which end you want to imbed in the snowbank?
The viability of the "electrical tape" approach depends on whether your birthday is during the winter
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbear99
^ problem with snows on their own wheels is TPM systems. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get a set with the same codes as your OEM sensors, but it'll cost you.
You might want to compare cost of swapping tires on your stock rims with the cost of changing rims/tires and re-setting the TPM.
You can also use black tape on many cars - you tape over the alarm on your dash. I can't legally recommend such an approach, so I "highly" discourage it.
A few newer cars have TPMS with "auto-learn" feature, or can use a relearn tool, e.g. for GM.
If your birthday is in the winter, the "blackout" solution won't work
^ problem with snows on their own wheels is TPM systems. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get a set with the same codes as your OEM sensors, but it'll cost you.
You might want to compare cost of swapping tires on your stock rims with the cost of changing rims/tires and re-setting the TPM.
You can also use black tape on many cars - you tape over the alarm on your dash. I can't legally recommend such an approach, so I "highly" discourage it.
RWD vs FWD? I guess it depends on which end you want to imbed in the snowbank?
The black electrical tape method over the idiot light works well, unless your birth month is during the winter when you want to be using the tires. Car will not pass inspection with that light on, I'd guess. My birthday is September, so I have my stock wheels/tires on at that point so no problem for me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
At the minumum...
Or you want a tire that lacks even the bare minimum Rubber Manufacturer's Association rating?
Now even my "summer" car is AWD, and the trunk of my winter beater has easy-on tire chains.
The viability of the "electrical tape" approach depends on whether your birthday is during the winter
