snow tires vs. all-weather tires

[TechieTransplant]

Although most people don't use snow tires, do some reading on how more effective they are than regular all season.

A typical all season tire is only meant to be effective in temperatures to 45 degrees farenheit.

One reason newer cars with all season tires aren't as effective is because 17 and 18 inch wheels are becoming the standard. The larger the tire, the worse it is in snow.

[greg42]

Well, to get a little more technical, the wider the tire the worse it will be, and the lower the profile (shorter sidewall) the worse it will be in snow. The larger wheels mean lower profile tires. This is another reason why if you're going to get winter tires it's more effective to get new wheels. Then you can do what's called "minus sizing" and get taller, narrower tires that work better in snow. Some winter tires are decently balanced for driving on dry roads.

[Honest Bob]

I live in the country, there is no city trucks coming around my house every half hour to plow the snow when we get a inch of snow.

My brother drove 80 miles each way to work and home every day, he had a lot of experience with cars and snow tires. His opinion was that a good snow tire was better then wrecking. He actually put them the whole way around the vehicle.

They were not that old lug style tire, but a real toothy tread that picked up a lot of gravel when he drove in the snow and ice.

If you are in the city and live somewhere - where they plow the roads, then I guess only two winter radials would be all you need. But you need to make sure that the tires on the back have plenty of tread.

Comparing rain to snow, I would rather drive in the rain.

A tire is a simple pump. When you drive down the road, the tread pumps the water away from the center of the tire - towards the edge and throws it to the rear of the vehicle. The thought is - the more water you can pump away from the rubber, the more contact patch you will have with the road.

A all season tire is just a less efficient pump. It can pump rain away from the center of the tread, but the tread is not self cleaning. As the snow and ice builds up in the tread, the car looses traction and when you get to a deep snow covered hill, you loose all traction and you go no where.

At the same time, when you come to a tight curve, the tread is full of junk and when you get in the apex of the turn, the car tends to slide in the direction you wish not to travel - off the road.

Driving in the wintertime, requires you to maintain a safe speed and be in control of your vehicle at all times. If you have no traction - then you are not in control of your vehicle.

This post is more then a year old I believe, so Resurrecting it for the sake of anyone who is considering not putting winter tires on their car this year to save a couple of dollars - would be wise to read this post again.

[greg42]

BTW, don't bother buying just two winter tires. Get all four or don't bother. Two on just the drive wheels will not make enough of a difference. They may give you some traction, but the goal also includes overall more stable handling through the snow. Two snow tires will not give you that.

[LuckyKC]

Believe me when I say that learning to drive unfamiliar roads in winter when you're not used to winter conditions is no time to discover if you've got the right stuff to go it without everything in your corner. Winter tires are for winter conditions. Don't throw your good tires out. Like others have said, interchange your wheels depending on the season.

[Krisps]

Good winter tires (all 4) on your car during a blizzard are like a warm dry sock. Last year after getting good quality snows, I will never go a winter without 'em. I'm actually looking forward to getting pounded with snow. Today's snow tires are much improved... not so much knobby anymore but instead made of material which remains very flexible and sticky in very cold temperatures.

I will agree with the others that 4 snow tires is a must, otherwise you sacrifice braking distance and stability during braking or cornering. After the winter tires have worn to a point, you can then use them during the summer.

[LuckyKC]

Originally Posted by pic-chic

Even when I lived in Massachusetts (waayyyyy more snow up there than here), I never had snow tires. I had front wheel drive cars up until the Mustang I have now. Still no snow tires.
The key is learning how to drive in bad conditions. Snow tires aren't going to keep you from going off the road if you slam your brakes on in a panic or make any other sudden moves. Also, if you drive too conservatively, you can have too little power to keep you going. Once you stop, it can be harder to get moving again than if you'd just maintained a reasonable speed.
Best thing you can do no matter what tires you put on is to go out in an empty parking lot with a couple of inches of snow and play around. See how much it really takes to get the car to slide. If you do it where you have room, then you'll know what you might expect on the road.

Actually winter tires do help stopping ability during an emergency stop. I found that out yesterday at a busy intersection on a snow covered road when I had to make a quick stop. It wasn't slamming on the brakes but the car had to stop and now. This 2010 February has been a test of my Blizzaks. A worthwhile investment considering the conditions of this winter. They don't substitute for winter driving skills, that's true. But if you can afford them, then why not?

[Thegonagle]

I know this thread is really old, but it's been resurrected in the past.

It's getting to be that time when people start thinking about getting ready for winter, and I feel strongly enough about this to be the second person to correct some really bad advice:

It's a B-A-D bad idea to run around in winter with mismatched tires, especially in a FWD vehicle where the rear tires (summer/all-season tires) have significantly less grip than the front tires (snow tires) on a snowy/icy road. You'll be going backwards before you know it if you hit ice on a curve, or if a curve turns out to be sharper than it looks, and you approach it with too much speed.

For safety, the rear tires on a FWD car must have at least as much grip as the front tires in any condition the tire is used in, and the only way to guarantee that is to always use four matching tires.

[tranceFusion]

There are different shades of all-season tires. These Continental ContiExtremeContact DWS are considered the best all-season for winter driving, all though you may lose a bit of feel on dry roads compared to a stiffer tire.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS

I love the number of people claiming snow tires are completely unnecessary. They are probably the same ones sliding down hills and into medians when the first snow hits.. It all depends on where you drive and how necessary it is for you to go out during a snow..

Also, OP, are you certain you don't have all-season tires now, instead of summer tires?

[19hsm]

I just moved from Cleveland. I've had blizzak snow tires for my Nissan Maxima (sold in '08) and bought Blizzak snow tires for a 4wd Chevy Tahoe. My husband has never had snow tires for his car. He never had a problem getting around (and we were in a snowbelt) but you will have to drive carefully and slow. The ONLY reason why I am a worry wart about snow tires is my husband works at a hospital, he MUST go to work. We had weather where we needed to use my Tahoe strictly to travel safely.

If I lived in Pittsburgh when I bought my car, would I get a set of snow tires? Yes, but depends on your personality. I put safety about everything. I also have the highest rated snow tires that you can get. I will ALWAYS own one car with a set of snow tires on them because I have never slid on ice or had problems with traction on the road. Plus the fact that my husband must get to work. I'm always prepared. I do not think I am most people. I think a good set (read: 4 tires - none of this 2 tires of this type and 2 tires of that type) of all-season tires for winter is smart. A little sprinkle of snow makes a dangerous road. I currently ride with light truck all-terrain tires because although I have mostly highway driving, we use the Tahoe for driving to visit family and his family is rural dirt roads. I got my first flat tire EVER on crappy passenger tires. I probably will just keep those on for this winter as its not expected to be that bad. So my look on tires may be a bit different than most.

If you are interested in tires, please visit tirerack.com though and look at the reviews for the tires you're interested in. A smart consumer is an informed consumer.