I'm tjf67 and I'm too cool for snow tires

Discuss

I just had a vision of a monte carlo fishtailing down the road. Sweet!

I'd be about $1400 richer if I was as cool as him :lol:

If I had a two wheel drive car where I live I would have sno tires.

I have a awd vehicle and dont feel any need for snow. My tires are always in good shape going into snow season.

If you slow down for the conditions on the road there is not a problem.

If you are a POZER like WaLoaf you better get snows to impress you internet friends.:smash:

tjf67 said:

If I had a two wheel drive car where I live I would have sno tires.

I have a awd vehicle and dont feel any need for snow. My tires are always in good shape going into snow season.

If you slow down for the conditions on the road there is not a problem.

If you are a POZER like WaLoaf you better get snows to impress you internet friends.:smash:

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AWD with a suitable pair of all-season tires (and sense behind the wheel) isn't a bad combination...but putting on snow tires isn't a bad idea either.

AWD, snow tires, etc. will only do so much...I think that anyone would have to admit that the most important aspect of winter driving is proper technique and caution.

tjf67 said:

If I had a two wheel drive car where I live I would have sno tires.

I have a awd vehicle and dont feel any need for snow. My tires are always in good shape going into snow season.

If you slow down for the conditions on the road there is not a problem.

If you are a POZER like WaLoaf you better get snows to impress you internet friends.:smash:

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Mr Cool Ice

tjf67 said:

If I had a two wheel drive car where I live I would have sno tires.

I have a awd vehicle and dont feel any need for snow. My tires are always in good shape going into snow season.

If you slow down for the conditions on the road there is not a problem.

If you are a POZER like WaLoaf you better get snows to impress you internet friends.:smash:

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suit yourself. I think we've had this conversation before, but my old Audi A6 did not perform as well in the snow as my FWD Hyundai does with snow tires.

wa-loaf said:

Mr Cool Ice

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WAWA we already saw that. -1 for repeat post. :-o

tjf67 said:

WAWA we already saw that. -1 for repeat post. :-o

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AH the old snow vs. no snow debate.

My 2 cents.

Snows on a FWD or RWD vehicle are a must. (I have Blizzaks on my Saab)

Snows on AWD are a good idea but not ncessary as long as you have "good" all seasons (on the wife's XC-90 we have Michelin all seasons and we do just fine, this is our Mt. Car) Definitly not a good idea if you have sport or performace tires and AWD, they will get to hard and be useless.

To each his/her own. I have friends who cannot belive I switch the tires on my car, one actually said "remember when people used to put snow tires on their cars?" My reply was yeah I just did it last weeknd.

HD

Snow tires aren't just about tread...at least the ones you pay decent $ for.

They are made of a softer rubber in order to better grip in colder temps...which is why (again with decent snow tires) vendors advise against putting them on too early...and keeping them on too late in the season...because they wear out quickly in warmer temps.

Certainly, adjusting your driving for the conditions (for yourself and of your awareness of others) plays a role.

Putting on stickier tires may just help you avoid that one event where you...or another driver...fail to properly account for the conditions.

Investing in yourself, your family, your property...driving with stickier tires which may diminish your angst about driving in wintery conditions and therefore leave more "head-space" for other concerns as you drive...just seems like the smart thing to do.

Personally...I can't imagine arguing "against" having snow/winter tires, mounted, balanced, aligned.

HD333 said:

To each his/her own. I have friends who cannot belive I switch the tires on my car, one actually said "remember when people used to put snow tires on their cars?" My reply was yeah I just did it last weeknd.

HD

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For the average person living near the I-95 corridor, a good pair of all-seasonals is all that is needed. The further away from 95 you go, the more important snow tires become.

My parents in NH don't have snow tires. If I didn't go to ski areas in the mountains 10-20 times a winter, I wouldn't own a pair of snow tires.

Cool guys don't use snow tires.... It's that simple...

dmc said:

Cool guys don't use snow tires.... It's that simple...

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Cool guys are often seen in the snow banks on the road to Jay...

I don't know where he lives... but in Qc, snow tires are mandatory from Dec 15th to march 15th... And if you're into skiing on pow days, snow tires are a no brainer! I don't care if you have FWD or AWD, they are just better suited for deep snow.

I have great tires and FWD car. I never had issues getting to the hill in the worst storms i can think of. Normally when it dumps, i'm on the road to the mountains.

Snow tires are a just a tool.
They improve traction on snow and ice and reduce braking distances, that's all.
If you don't mind having less traction and you don't mind taking a longer distance to stop then don't buy them.
For me the choice is clear, buy the best tool for the job.

Kinda like buying the best ski for the type of skiing you're doing. All skis will work but some will just work better for the conditions they're designed for.
.

BigJay said:

And if you're into skiing on pow days, snow tires are a no brainer!

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Ding ding ding... Cant stop me from a po day...

I have all weathers on my VW with awd...
I am constantly driving on the slopes during winter to drop off drums at the lodge..

We tried it once with front drive on a friends car and it failed...

I got stuck once last year late in the season when my car just sunk into the slop...

BigJay said:

Cool guys are often seen in the snow banks on the road to Jay...

I don't know where he lives... but in Qc, snow tires are mandatory from Dec 15th to march 15th... And if you're into skiing on pow days, snow tires are a no brainer! I don't care if you have FWD or AWD, they are just better suited for deep snow.

I have great tires and FWD car. I never had issues getting to the hill in the worst storms i can think of. Normally when it dumps, i'm on the road to the mountains.

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I travel around the high peaks in NY. Never missed a pow day. AT tires work just fine in the snow. Good thing I dont live in Qc.

Man, there was a lot of harsh language in this thread? Did anyone get a PM warning regarding that?

marcski said:

Man, there was a lot of harsh language in this thread? Did anyone get a PM warning regarding that?

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Let me think about that subjectively...

DAMN - my tel boots aren't fitting right.... F...K!

mlctvt said:

Snow tires are a just a tool.
They improve traction on snow and ice and reduce braking distances, that's all.
If you don't mind having less traction and you don't mind taking a longer distance to stop then don't buy them.
For me the choice is clear, buy the best tool for the job.

Kinda like buying the best ski for the type of skiing you're doing. All skis will work but some will just work better for the conditions they're designed for.
.

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+1

I'd add that for the AWD crowd, it really depends on your driving pattern. AWD with stock tires is useless on black ice. If you live in mountain country, the stock tires are fine. If you drive up from the flats where you often see the transition at interstate highway speeds from wet roads to frozen roads at 32F where black ice occurs, modern friction tires are a huge help. The same is true for people who drive up the western slope of the Greens. You see black ice all the time on Route 4 coming up from Mendon. I'm sure the same thing happens frequently going up the Appalachian Gap to the Mad River Valley. Getting up the pass is no problem. Going back down and hitting the black ice microclimate can be a big issue.

Ice isn't all that slippery at really cold temperatures. It's extremely slippery when there is a water layer on top and that is more prone to happen right around 32F. The siping cuts on a modern snow tire channel away the water layer. Not as good as studded tires but most people don't want to listen to the huge road noise of studs on dry pavement all winter. A good friction tire (Nokian, Blizzak, X-Ice, for example) buys you a huge safety margin.

I have studded Nokians for my Mountaineer. Since it only ever goes 2 miles from my condo to my parking spot, I haven't put them on the car in the last 2 years. If I were back doing an every-weekend I-89 drive where I often hit black ice in that 30 mile stretch centered on New London, NH, I'd put the studded Nokians back on. The Mountaineer truly sucks on black ice with stock tires. Downhill corners on ice are a real white knuckle adventure in a 5,000+ pound car with a high center of gravity. Even using that PRND32L thingie on the steering column for speed control, I never quite know if I'm going to slowly drift into a guard rail. If I touch the brakes, my world ends. If some knuckle-head in front of me starts doing guard rail pinball, I have no safety margin.

I figure most people arguing against snow tires are just trying to rationalize not spending the money. I figure it's cheap insurance since snow tires improve my safety margin so much.