Tires - what would you do? Studded snow tires vs siped all seasons

[drewtam]

Blizzaks

Michelin X-Ice is consistently ranked in the top 3 of studless snow tires. And is the best I can find available in the US market, see link below.

If ice is a major problem, then studded is the only way.

Braking on ice (31mph - 0mph)
Michelin studded = 53.9m
Michelin studless = 61.0m

Acceleration on ice (3mph to 12mph)
Michelin studded = 4.7 seconds
Michelin studless = 5.7 seconds


If virgin and plowed snow, packed snow, rain and slush is the problem, then the good modern snow tires are very close to being as good as studded.

Braking on snow (50mph - 0mph)
Michelin studded = 52.6m
Michelin studless = 54.3m

Acceleration on snow (3mph to 22mph)
Michelin studded = 5.6 seconds
Michelin studless = 5.6 seconds

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I vote to get a good tire for the job. I pay enough money to the car insurance company that I don't need some accident jacking it up, then left wondering if a good snow tire would have prevented the problem. Besides, once the snow tire is bought and used only in winter, it increases the life of the 3-season tire (especially since I'm not spinning the tires on the pavement as much) and so I figure that the total money spent equals out in the end. So by my reckoning, reduced chance of accidents for almost no extra money.

[Tallpine]

Seriously, maybe you should consider getting four more wheels and having winter tires and summer tires that you can switch out yourself.

That would give you a real spare tire, also.


Back in the good old days of rear wheel drive, I had an extra pair of wheels with studded tires for my Impala.  That thing would go just about anywhere in Colorado winters.   

But with FWD/AWD you have to have all four studded or not.  (really don't want studded tires on front only!)

[41magsnub]

Seriously, maybe you should consider getting four more wheels and having winter tires and summer tires that you can switch out yourself.

That would give you a real spare tire, also.


Back in the good old days of rear wheel drive, I had an extra pair of wheels with studded tires for my Impala.  That thing would go just about anywhere in Colorado winters.   

But with FWD/AWD you have to have all four studded or not.  (really don't want studded tires on front only!)

That's where I'm headed.  I've been looking at rims and the aftermarket stuff locally available are ghetto looking as hell.  What I'll do is get snow tires put on my current rims, then find some OEM rims and have the summer tires put on them.

[Scout26]

Studded snow tires with wheel spinners would be da bomb !!!



 

[Tallpine]

That's where I'm headed.  I've been looking at rims and the aftermarket stuff locally available are ghetto looking as hell.  What I'll do is get snow tires put on my current rims, then find some OEM rims and have the summer tires put on them.

Salvage yard wheels ...?   

[41magsnub]

Salvage yard wheels ...?   

Maybe.  Not gonna find and acquire those this afternoon though.

[Gewehr98]

Blizzaks on steel rims here, plus a wooden frame holding 3-4 tubes of sand between the S-10's rear wheel wells and tailgate.  

I moved the big buckets of wheelweights to wife's Jeep.  They're in the back behind rear seats.  

[Tallpine]

One thing about Suburbans is that they are so damn heavy that they don't need any extra weight 

[drewtam]

Tirerack.com will sell you the tire on whatever rim you want, mounted and balanced for free when you buy a set like that. It'll arrive on your doorstep ready to install on the car. I never seen a better deal piecemealing it together. Though, if you go the used rim route, you'll probably save a few bucks compared to new.

[41magsnub]

Tirerack.com will sell you the tire on whatever rim you want, mounted and balanced for free when you buy a set like that. It'll arrive on your doorstep ready to install on the car. I never seen a better deal piecemealing it together. Though, if you go the used rim route, you'll probably save a few bucks compared to new.

If I weren't trying to get something done this afternoon for a weekend road trip, I would be going down this road :)

[Bob F.]

Had a front-wheel-drive Buick years ago and had a step uphill to get home. After I had to back off the hill the third time I replaced the all-season radials with Mohawk Radial Snows---HAPPINESS!!!! I'd avoid studs for snow. Great on ice, but better off w/ radial snows on snow! Just MNSHO..........

[Sergeant Bob]

Had a front-wheel-drive Buick years ago and had a step uphill to get home. After I had to back off the hill the third time I replaced the all-season radials with Mohawk Radial Snows---HAPPINESS!!!! I'd avoid studs for snow. Great on ice, but better off w/ radial snows on snow! Just MNSHO..........

There is indeed a big difference between "All Season Radials" and real snow tires. I'm afraid snow tires might go the way of the Dodo bird because of consumers lack of education on the realities of "All Season Radials" vs actual "Snow Tires".

[41magsnub]

I ended up doing a set of Cooper M+S sport tires w/o studs on the OEM rims.  I remembered I had a coupon for a 1 free tire with purchase of 3 at the local Cooper dealer and I was out the door for $340.  I decided not to do studs, I've never got into trouble with all seasons in FWD and this is a definite step up from there with real snow tires and AWD.  They didn't have an all season I liked or I might have gone that way too.

[Tallpine]

Had a front-wheel-drive Buick years ago and had a step uphill to get home. After I had to back off the hill the third time I replaced the all-season radials with Mohawk Radial Snows---HAPPINESS!!!! I'd avoid studs for snow. Great on ice, but better off w/ radial snows on snow! Just MNSHO..........

We just (a couple months back) bought a set of Kumho for our FWD to replace the Coopers that had been ruined from mud/ice building up under the front fenders.  Now we can't get up our drive and into our garage (took three exciting tries yesterday) even with the temp way below zero    I don't know what the hell we are going to do because it ain't gonna thaw out before spring now.  Finally got the Suburban doors open and got it started.  The other 4wd wouldn't start, even though I had driven it Tuesday evening.  Damn fuel injection/computer is great until it gets twenty below.  It's out of reach of our extension cord so hopefully I can jump it when/if the temp gets above zero again.

I ended up doing a set of Cooper M+S sport tires w/o studs on the OEM rims.  I remembered I had a coupon for a 1 free tire with purchase of 3 at the local Cooper dealer and I was out the door for $340.  I decided not to do studs, I've never got into trouble with all seasons in FWD and this is a definite step up from there with real snow tires and AWD.  They didn't have an all season I liked or I might have gone that way too.

That's cheap - we paid $120/tire for the Kumho's.     The Coopers were $165, about the same as they were several years ago when we got the 4 for 3 deal.

[Tallpine]

Just thinking out loud ...

Traction on snow is normally much better when it is really cold.  OTOH, 30-35 F above is generally the most treacherous.

But I wonder if some tires just harden up and won't grip below a certain temperature 


It's really wierd that the FWD car was getting around great Wednesday and Thursday, and then Friday it was all it could do to get started on the level 

[drewtam]

Absolutely tires get too hard in cold weather. That is the main technology of winter tires. Their compound is designed to stay soft and grippy even in very cold temps. Unfortunately, that means they get too soft and wear way too fast in moderate and warm temps and high speeds.

[geronimotwo]

I ended up doing a set of Cooper M+S sport tires w/o studs on the OEM rims.  I remembered I had a coupon for a 1 free tire with purchase of 3 at the local Cooper dealer and I was out the door for $340.  I decided not to do studs, I've never got into trouble with all seasons in FWD and this is a definite step up from there with real snow tires and AWD.  They didn't have an all season I liked or I might have gone that way too.

cooper makes a decent tire.  my only complaint with their all seasons is that we usually only get half the expected life out of them.  let us know how they perform....

[thebaldguy]

Wife had a set of Goodyear Assurance triple tread on her old car, those tires were freaking awesome in the snow and rain.

These are real good tires. I know people who use them in snow and they love them.

They don't work on my 2005 Toyota Corolla in snow. Nothing does. It is the worst front wheel drive winter car. The car is way too light. My sister has a 2007 Honda Civic with the same problem. The only solution is real snow tires with studs where legal. She uses Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter and she says it helps a bit. I take my 4x4 Jeep on snowy days. 

[zxcvbob]

These are real good tires. I know people who use them in snow and they love them.

They don't work on my 2005 Toyota Corolla in snow. Nothing does. It is the worst front wheel drive winter car. The car is way too light. My sister has a 2007 Honda Civic with the same problem. The only solution is real snow tires with studs where legal. She uses Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter and she says it helps a bit. I take my 4x4 Jeep on snowy days. 

You could put tubes in the tires and fill 'em with antifreeze or calcium chloride...   

[Frank Castle]

The only solution is real snow tires with studs where legal. She uses Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter and she says it helps a bit.

I had the Blizzaks studded tires on my HHR up in AK. The Blizzaks work great !  


I miss my Blizzaks studded tires, i didn't  think i would need them in Oklahoma.  

[bedlamite]

cooper makes a decent tire.  my only complaint with their all seasons is that we usually only get half the expected life out of them.  let us know how they perform....

That's my experience as well. I had a set of Cooper WeatherMaster ST/2 before my current set of Blizzaks. The Coopers only lasted two winters, and I only run them Nov through March here in Wisconsin.

[thebaldguy]

You could put tubes in the tires and fill 'em with antifreeze or calcium chloride...   

The wife and I already thought of that. We were thinking about using duct tape to keep a piece of railroad track or bricks on the front bumper.

She has made it very clear that the next car we buy will have all wheel drive. She hates the lack of traction more than I do.

Years ago we had a 4 door 1994 Plymouth Sundance that was the ultimate front wheel drive winter car. This car with good tires was unstoppable. I'm serious. It was shocking how well this car went in snow. It had a heavy cast iron engine and good ground clearance which helped a lot.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

tirechains.com

[Matthew Carberry]

The movement in parts of Canada and up here is to ban studs due to the dust they create while damaging the road surface. The concurrent effort is to require non-studded winter tires rather than ASRs.

[Tallpine]

tirechains.com

Farking car has barely 1/2 inch tire clearance 

I've got a pair of heavy duty chains for my C-20.  With those and some weight it the back it will go just about anywhere and pull just about anything.