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What are Winter Tires? (1 Viewer)

TheIronSheik

SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?

 
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
Yes, you should have winter tires if you live somewhere with heavy snowfall.

 
They're the same as regular tires but significantly more expensive from October through March.

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.

 
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?

 
If you only have 2 wheel drive do you still need all 4 tires or can you get away with just the 2 on the drive wheels?

 
Tire options are summer / all-season / winter (basically).

Summer tires are performance tires. They are softer rubber with treads that generally aren't very deep. They're made to be super grippy and allow maniacs like me to fly through corners. (Old me, as that fun car has been replaced by a family hauler. :cool: )

Winter Tires are made for snow & ice driving conditions. They have deeper & chunkier wedges in the tread to grab / grip better in those conditions and are made from a slightly different rubber compound that is less affected by prolonged cold temperatures.

All seasons are ok at everything but not great at anything. They will generally be fine unless you are way north, in which case you can do chains.

How far "up north" are we talking?

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
I'm a FBG :shrug:

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
I'm a FBG :shrug:
That's a valid point.

 
If you only have 2 wheel drive do you still need all 4 tires or can you get away with just the 2 on the drive wheels?
For the most part, buy 4. Otherwise you'll be choosing turning vs. moving unless you're driving a fwd. Also, see below . . .

And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?
I have a Ford Mustang 6 speed manual and I live outside of Philly.
In general, if you have to ask then you're not messing with /modifying your car and it probably came with all-season tires and you'll be ok. Unless you bought it somewhere that was warm all year, but even then, I think it's cheaper for car manufacturers to go with all season tires anyway.

Still, as a RWD performance car, you'll find winter tires far more manageable in snow/ice, especially if you have no experience driving in winter conditions.

 
Also, it just registered that you said 3rd year in Philly. You have all season tires. I had an early snow one year and didn't get my summer set off my RX-8 and getting to my mechanic to swap them was quite an experience. I was all over the place and couldn't go more than ~8 mph without starting to fishtail. Summers turn into hockey pucks below 35. You'd have learned the hard way in your first true cold if you had summer tires. lol

eta: OFF, not OF.

 
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If you only have 2 wheel drive do you still need all 4 tires or can you get away with just the 2 on the drive wheels?
For the most part, buy 4. Otherwise you'll be choosing turning vs. moving unless you're driving a fwd. Also, see below . . .

And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?
I have a Ford Mustang 6 speed manual and I live outside of Philly.
In general, if you have to ask then you're not messing with /modifying your car and it probably came with all-season tires and you'll be ok. Unless you bought it somewhere that was warm all year, but even then, I think it's cheaper for car manufacturers to go with all season tires anyway.

Still, as a RWD performance car, you'll find winter tires far more manageable in snow/ice, especially if you have no experience driving in winter conditions.
See, that's why I was a little worried. Because I bought it in Houston. Of course, this thing has trouble handling in the fog.

I didn't have a job the last time my lease was up so I had to get something cheap until I got back on my feet. So I got this in a 3 year lease. This will be my last winter with it. First rear wheel drive car I've ever had and it hates anything expect sunny days. And even then, it's moody. I don't feel like dropping $500+ on tires for 3-4 months of driving. I'll probably just park it if the weather is bad.

Anyway to know if my tires are all-season?

 
If you only have 2 wheel drive do you still need all 4 tires or can you get away with just the 2 on the drive wheels?
If you're going to do it, you should probably put them on all four.

In general, I believe the recommendation (if you are going to replace only two tires) is always to put the two with the best grip on the rear, whether the vehicle is FWD or RWD. This results in the best safety while braking.

 
WInter tires on snow handle far better than summer tires on snow. It's like night and day. The cost is about the same as summer tires (with rims), at least over here. Sure it sucks to have to change them twice a year and have to store an extra set of tires all year, but well worth it when you have grip and everyone else not in 4WDs (with winter tires) are skating all over the place

 
Cant you just use snow chains?
Not legal everywhere. Mostly, it's only way north that lets you use chains (at least in the North East). NH / VT / Maine. No legal in RI / MA / CT and I highly doubt they are in PA / NY / NJ, etc.
Yes, watch the monorail episode of The Simpsons for what can happen to roads when chains are left on all year while driving around with a piano strapped to the roof.

 
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
Yes, you should have winter tires if you live somewhere with heavy snowfall.
What's considered "heavy snowfall"?
:shrug:

If there is a good layer of snow/ice on the roads for a few months, you should probably have them.

 
Also, it just registered that you said 3rd year in Philly. You have all season tires. I had an early snow one year and didn't get my summer set off my RX-8 and getting to my mechanic to swap them was quite an experience. I was all over the place and couldn't go more than ~8 mph without starting to fishtail. Summers turn into hockey pucks below 35. You'd have learned the hard way in your first true cold if you had summer tires. lol

eta: OFF, not OF.
This is good info. :thumbup: We haven't got much snow the past two years but when we did the one day, I was all over the road. It's funny to think back about how I was sliding all over the place and spinning tires, but at the time, I'm pretty sure white faced fear was my only thought. Any time they called for snow last year I'd call work and tell them I wasn't coming in because I'm from the south and I drive a Mustang. They never questioned it.

 
If you only have 2 wheel drive do you still need all 4 tires or can you get away with just the 2 on the drive wheels?
For the most part, buy 4. Otherwise you'll be choosing turning vs. moving unless you're driving a fwd. Also, see below . . .

And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?
I have a Ford Mustang 6 speed manual and I live outside of Philly.
In general, if you have to ask then you're not messing with /modifying your car and it probably came with all-season tires and you'll be ok. Unless you bought it somewhere that was warm all year, but even then, I think it's cheaper for car manufacturers to go with all season tires anyway.

Still, as a RWD performance car, you'll find winter tires far more manageable in snow/ice, especially if you have no experience driving in winter conditions.
See, that's why I was a little worried. Because I bought it in Houston. Of course, this thing has trouble handling in the fog.

I didn't have a job the last time my lease was up so I had to get something cheap until I got back on my feet. So I got this in a 3 year lease. This will be my last winter with it. First rear wheel drive car I've ever had and it hates anything expect sunny days. And even then, it's moody. I don't feel like dropping $500+ on tires for 3-4 months of driving. I'll probably just park it if the weather is bad.

Anyway to know if my tires are all-season?
write down everything it says on the side of the tire and google it. But given that it's from Houston you can be pretty sure they are summer tires

ETA Considering your explanation on what happens with your car when you are driving on snow, they're summer tires

 
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They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
Cheap and worth it. They'd pay for themselves within a year or two. Getting your tires re-rimmed will probably cost you $60+ a time.

 
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
Yes, you should have winter tires if you live somewhere with heavy snowfall.
What's considered "heavy snowfall"?
:shrug:

If there is a good layer of snow/ice on the roads for a few months, you should probably have them.
That's not Philly. We get snow. But the roads are always cleared. Worst case scenario is that there may be snow on the roads for 36 hours.

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
Cheap and worth it. They'd pay for themselves within a year or two. Getting your tires re-rimmed will probably cost you $60+ a time.
Is that a Canadian Steel Wheel? Seems hard to drive on. Doesn't Canada have rubber? :confused:

 
Also, it just registered that you said 3rd year in Philly. You have all season tires. I had an early snow one year and didn't get my summer set off my RX-8 and getting to my mechanic to swap them was quite an experience. I was all over the place and couldn't go more than ~8 mph without starting to fishtail. Summers turn into hockey pucks below 35. You'd have learned the hard way in your first true cold if you had summer tires. lol

eta: OFF, not OF.
This is good info. :thumbup: We haven't got much snow the past two years but when we did the one day, I was all over the road. It's funny to think back about how I was sliding all over the place and spinning tires, but at the time, I'm pretty sure white faced fear was my only thought. Any time they called for snow last year I'd call work and tell them I wasn't coming in because I'm from the south and I drive a Mustang. They never questioned it.
Ha! Yes, you have summers, then. They really are almost useless once there's even a dusting of snow. I figured if you weren't dead already you must have A/S but you're not dead b/c you just didn't use it in snow. In cold they get hard and you have way less grip but it's when the snow hits that the two combine and you have hockey puck tires on snow/ice and you're driving experience becomes a white knuckled ice-capades trip.

 
Anyway to know if my tires are all-season?
Pretty much all tires anymore are "all season" Getting winter tires may help a bit, but I don't think they will make a huge difference on a Mustang. You could look at a "winter tire" with or without studs. I have quite a few customers that do swap out their tires in the winter, but like was said you are looking at more expense. You will either have to get another pair of Rims to mount the tires on or pay to have the tires mounted and dimounted every spring and fall.

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
Cheap and worth it. They'd pay for themselves within a year or two. Getting your tires re-rimmed will probably cost you $60+ a time.
Is that a Canadian Steel Wheel? Seems hard to drive on. Doesn't Canada have rubber? :confused:
We wrap beaver fur around them.

 
Anyway to know if my tires are all-season?
Pretty much all tires anymore are "all season" Getting winter tires may help a bit, but I don't think they will make a huge difference on a Mustang. You could look at a "winter tire" with or without studs. I have quite a few customers that do swap out their tires in the winter, but like was said you are looking at more expense. You will either have to get another pair of Rims to mount the tires on or pay to have the tires mounted and dimounted every spring and fall.
No, there's a big difference. All season is jack of all trades & king* of none. Winter performance tires are absolutely awesome for the more adventurous, spirited driver. My RWD speeder handled better and stopped faster than 4WD and AWD vehicles with A/S tires.

edit to correct again . . . "kind of none" makes no sense. ;)

 
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They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
Cheap and worth it. They'd pay for themselves within a year or two. Getting your tires re-rimmed will probably cost you $60+ a time.
Is that a Canadian Steel Wheel? Seems hard to drive on. Doesn't Canada have rubber? :confused:
We wrap beaver fur around them.
Of course you do, all the rubber is reserved to make hockey pucks.

 
They're engineered to grip snow/ice better. Think different tread patterns, deeper grooves, and different rubber (softer, I think) used in the tires.

They wear faster and drive rougher in warmer conditions, but they do handle better in the snow (at least in my experience). When I had some, I had them mounted on their own rims and would swap them out for the other tires when the weather got cold.
That seems expensive.
Cheap and worth it. They'd pay for themselves within a year or two. Getting your tires re-rimmed will probably cost you $60+ a time.
Is that a Canadian Steel Wheel? Seems hard to drive on. Doesn't Canada have rubber? :confused:
We wrap beaver fur around them.
Of course you do, all the rubber is reserved to make hockey pucks.
From summer tires, obviously

 
sheik - if it snows enough you cant drive your mustang anyway.

i have lived here my entire life and never owned sbow tires

 
They came with the suburban i bought 2 yrs ago, i was skeptical. Ive spent lots of time in 4wd in snow with aggressive offroad tires, so figured these wussy looking winter tires would blow.

Nope, they work great. Ive got 32k miles on em and theyll get to 45k before i need to replace. Never even come close to chaining up and im driving through the cascade mtns 80 times a year during winter.

 
And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?
I have a Ford Mustang 6 speed manual and I live outside of Philly.
If you survived that series of N'oreasters from a couple years ago, you'll be fine with regular tires, unless you're a lunatic. I drove in Southern NJ for 11 years, and rarely had a problem.

 
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And is this something I was supposed to have? :confused:

This will be my third winter up north. I heard someone talking about Winter Tires and I was completely nonplussed. Have I just been lucky I haven't died yet? Is this something everyone knows about and has?
What kind of car do you have and where do you live?
I have a Ford Mustang 6 speed manual and I live outside of Philly.
If you survived that series of N'oreasters from a couple years ago, you'll be fine with regular tires, unless you're a lunatic. I drove in Southern NJ for 11 years, and rarely had a problem.
I believe those happened three years ago. Or as I call it, 1 year B.S. (Before Sheik)

 
Get all-season tires. Unless you are really concerned about your performance in the summer (ie you race). Rear wheel drive is tough in winter regardless of the tire. Winter would be better than summer tires, but having all-seasons on all year is the best IMO. I'm from MN, live in Chicago. I've never owned specific winter tires.

 
I always put 200 pounds of sand bags in the bed of my pickup for winter driving. Try putting some weight in the trunk of that Mustang. With those summer tires, I am not sure anything is going to help though.

 
I always put 200 pounds of sand bags in the bed of my pickup for winter driving. Try putting some weight in the trunk of that Mustang. With those summer tires, I am not sure anything is going to help though.
Yeah. I've got a bunch of crap I put back there for weight and it hasn't seemed to do anything. I've only tried going out in the snow about 4 times this winter and I seem to be getting better at it, although it is still terrible. The steering wheel becomes more of a suggestion of which way I'd like to go. I've told my employer that my car has trouble handling when it's cloudy out and we've come to an agreement that if they even are calling for snow, I'm working from home.

 
So now that I have an AWD car, what should I expect in snowy conditions? I'm sure AWD doesn't mean that it won't slide at all in snow. But it's better, right? How much better?

 
If you are like 90% of the other morons driving 4x4 suv's and AWD suv's ... it'll mean you are impervious to any hazardous driving conditions and can do 90mph in a blizzard with snow covered roads...

Oh yeah, and I'll honk and wave when you slide off into the ditch :bye:

 
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If you are like 90% of the other morons driving 4x4 suv's and AWD suv's ... it'll mean you are impervious to any hazardous driving conditions and can do 90mph in a blizzard with snow covered roads...

Oh yeah, and I'll honk and wave when you slide off into the ditch :bye:
Although to be fair.. almost every single time this happens, I see a female driver.. and it's almost always a Ford Explorer or Jeep Grand Cherokee...

"But I have FOUR WHEEL DRIVE!!"

 
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If you are like 90% of the other morons driving 4x4 suv's and AWD suv's ... it'll mean you are impervious to any hazardous driving conditions and can do 90mph in a blizzard with snow covered roads...

Oh yeah, and I'll honk and wave when you slide off into the ditch :bye:
Well, no. I know it won't do that. And since I don't want to be a guy stuck in the ditch, I'm asking ahead of time what can I expect.

 
If you are like 90% of the other morons driving 4x4 suv's and AWD suv's ... it'll mean you are impervious to any hazardous driving conditions and can do 90mph in a blizzard with snow covered roads...

Oh yeah, and I'll honk and wave when you slide off into the ditch :bye:
Well, no. I know it won't do that. And since I don't want to be a guy stuck in the ditch, I'm asking ahead of time what can I expect.
A false sense of control.

 
So now that I have an AWD car, what should I expect in snowy conditions? I'm sure AWD doesn't mean that it won't slide at all in snow. But it's better, right? How much better?
AWD will help you get going. It won't help you stop. :tfp:
Interesting. What about control while driving? I'm not asking about if I'm flying down the road. But I mean if I'm doing 20 mph. In the Mustang, 20mph was the equivalent to trying to jump 30 school buses. I imagine this car, even without the AWD will be much better. I'm just wondering how noticeable it'll be.

 
So now that I have an AWD car, what should I expect in snowy conditions? I'm sure AWD doesn't mean that it won't slide at all in snow. But it's better, right? How much better?
AWD will help you get going. It won't help you stop. :tfp:
Interesting. What about control while driving? I'm not asking about if I'm flying down the road. But I mean if I'm doing 20 mph. In the Mustang, 20mph was the equivalent to trying to jump 30 school buses. I imagine this car, even without the AWD will be much better. I'm just wondering how noticeable it'll be.
False sense of security is exactly right... it'll drive a billion times better in the snow and slippery conditions than the Mustang...

But don't let that fool you into thinking you are invincible on snow.. Like stated, it will NOT help to stop any quicker.. and the faster you are going, the further you'll slide

 
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