Who here has (had) winter tires?

[SignGeek101]

As we get closer to Spring (sort of?), many of us will have to do the annual change the tire thing at a garage someplace.

We have had winter tires since I'd say 2008, and even though they are expensive, it pays off in ice and snow. I know as a fact that Quebec now requires their drivers have them.

I know where I live, the government has been talking about some rebate or something that would be given to those who purchase them.

So, how many of you have (or had) winter tires?

[Stratuscaster]

I had winter (snow) tires on one car that I bought because that's what it came with.

Other than that, I've never purchased snow tires in the 32 years I've owned vehicles.

That's not to say they aren't useful - they are. I've just never gotten stuck anywhere where it would have made a difference.

[gonealookin]

Living at Lake Tahoe I think they're essential in spite of the recent dry, warm winters.  I was certainly pleased to blow by the chain control stops on US 50 coming up the hill from Carson City yesterday.  If I get into a crash when chain controls are in effect, the first thing I'm looking at is, does the other guy have chains or snow tires?

[slorydn1]

When I lived in the midwest yes.

I haven't even seen snow tires besides on TV since 1991. We do get snow here, once every 2-3 seasons, on average. It is rarely deep enough that snow tires would make any difference at all-its the ice that kicks our ass here and snow tires won't do squat for that.

The all seasons on my Mustang did just fine in the 4 inch dusting we got last week, as well has the 8 inch snow storm we had last year. Prior to the last 2 years I can't remember the last time we had measurable snow here in New Bern, and the last major northern style blizzard here was Christmas 1989.

[corco]

I have snow tires on one car and all-seasons on the other. If it's going to snow a lot or I have to travel a long distance, I use the car with the snow tires in the winter. I'd always used studs, but it seems like studless tires really have advanced in technology to the point that they work just as well for 99.5% of situations, so once my set of studs wears out (getting to that point), I'll replace them with studless snow tires.

We don't use salt out here and nobody plows down to the surface, so in normal winters (not like this year's hot mess) we can go months without seeing much in the way of bare pavement.

They really do make a difference. Second only to driver ability, I think snow tires are the most important thing a person can have in snow. Much moreso than 4WD.  Ground clearance matters in deep snow, but in most day-to-day driving conditions the tires are the key.

[Pete from Boston]

I have "all-terrain" tires–they lack the tooth of snow tires (especially driving on dry road with them) but they're better than regular radials. 

For those of you with snow tires, when do you change them?  I remember this ritual from when I was a kid, until all-seasons emerged.

[SignGeek101]

I have "all-terrain" tires–they lack the tooth of snow tires (especially driving on dry road with them) but they're better than regular radials. 

For those of you with snow tires, when do you change them?  I remember this ritual from when I was a kid, until all-seasons emerged.

Usually end up changing them end of March, early April, but it depends on the year and where you live. When I lived in Hamilton Ontario, you could take them off as soon as early March some years.

[gonealookin]

For those of you with snow tires, when do you change them?

Ordinarily I would do it around early April (and early November).

This year, I happen to be driving down to Phoenix this Wednesday for baseball spring training.  That's a 1500 mile roundtrip, the snow tires wear rapidly, plus with the additional friction the snow tires reduce gas mileage by something like 15%.  The weather forecast says I won't need them Wednesday so I'm pulling them off on Tuesday, and I'll just take my chances when I return for the last couple weeks of March.

[froggie]

For those of you with snow tires, when do you change them?

Usually early November and sometime in April.  Had to put mine on early this season because I got a bubble in one of my all-seasons.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Living in a semi-urban area with no need to go on back roads, and being in Colorado's banana belt, I see no need for winter tires. My vehicles are 4WD or AWD and are equipped with all-season (M/S) radials. Even living in Minnesota, FWD with all-seasons was good enough. Last time I had snow tires was the 1980s when I had a RWD pickup.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Due to the amount of winter storm driving that I do (due to my weekend job as a ski reporter), my car wears snow tires from mid-November to early May (yes, I've driven in snow that early and that late. I've driven in snow in October).

Since a few years ago, snow tires are required on all vehicles plated in Quebec from mid-December to mid-March anyway.

[1995hoo]

I have never had winter tires. During most of the winters we've had in the past 10 years in the DC area they weren't really necessary, although there have been a few times when they'd have been beneficial, and when we've gone skiing in Quebec I've definitely been aware all-season tires aren't adequate up there during the winter (although I've gotten by with them; their winter tire law does not apply to nonresidents visiting the province for obvious reasons).

I'm not averse to the idea of using them because I understand they provide better performance in extreme cold like we've had the past few weeks, even if there is no snow, but the bigger problem I'd have is where to store them. I'd probably opt for wheel/tire sets so as not to have to have the tires mounted/de-mounted twice each year on two cars, but finding room in our one-car garage to store eight wheels/tires with a car parked in there as well would be pretty difficult.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Yeah, I keep two sets of rims and, when the season comes, swapping them is a half-hour job in the driveway or my dad's garage. I agree that space is a hassle (I live in a one-bedroom apartment); I store mine in my dad's house.

[vdeane]

I had snow tires for my 1997 Accord.  They always went on near Thanksgiving and off mid-March, because that's when I was actually home from college.  When I got the Civic I didn't feel like spending the money on new rims, so I did a trial winter without them.  Now that the trial winter is almost over, I don't think I need them here; the only time I'd need them is when it's snowing hard enough that most people stay home anyways, and I managed to get by regardless, though that's largely because the area immediately surrounding Albany has a milder climate than just about everywhere else; just a few miles out, and it's a very different story.

[cpzilliacus]

I roll with Michelin mud-and-snow tires on the truck year 'round.

Acceptable if I need to go off-road (as I do sometimes), they ride smooth even at high speeds and are relatively good in terms of fuel consumption.

[hbelkins]

I had a '79 Olds Cutlass and I bought a set of studded snow tires (called mudgrips in local vernacular) for the rear. The first year I had the car, I had to have a garage dismount the regular tires and mount the snow tires. The following summer, I bought a set of Cragar chrome wheels off a friend and got tires for those rims, so that left me with the factory rims with tires already installed.

I traditionally put the mudgrips on over Thanksgiving break and took them off during spring break (first or second week of March) when I was in college; and in the corresponding time frame once I graduated. I did it myself; jacking the car up and removing and installing the wheels and tires in the front yard.

Got caught without them during a freak early April snowstorm in 1987 that dumped more than a foot of snow on our area. I was having a muffler put on the car that Saturday and by the time they were finished, I didn't know that I would make it home because the road was so slick and snow-covered.

Since February 1988 I've had a four-wheel-drive vehicle so it hasn't been an issue, although the tires on my truck are pretty worn out and I did get stuck in my driveway in the big snow we had a couple of weeks ago. New tires would help but I can't afford them and I hesitate to put brand-new tires on a truck with 268K miles on that's no longer an everyday vehicle.

[PHLBOS]

For those of you with snow tires, when do you change them?  I remember this ritual from when I was a kid

As a ritual, my brother and I (when we were old enough) would put the snow tires on our parents' cars sometime in November and take them off sometime in May.  When we got our own cars (as we got older); we did similar.

Typically, the full-size spare would be one of the snow tires during the summer months with the other in the garage.  If the car in question had a donut spare; we would get a full-size rim, usually out of a junkyard and have the a tire mounted & balanced.

When I moved down to the Philly area; I would typically keep the extra tires in my mother's garage in Marblehead, MA (I have no garage where I currently live).  I would place the snow tires on during my Thanksgiving visit and take them off during my Easter visit.  I've done such until 2007-2008 when I stopped driving my '76 LTD (that was the car I would normally use in the wintertime).  I haven't yet gotten a set of snows for my '97 Crown Vic. yet.

[02 Park Ave]

I had studded snow tires during the 70's when we had several snowy winters her in New Jersey.  They went on in late November and came off in mid-April.

[kphoger]

I've lived in the Midwest my whole life. I'm 33 years old, and I've never even driven a vehicle with snow tires.

Cars I've driven in serious snow (more than 10 inches):
1987 Toyota Corolla hatchback, Chicago area
1988 Toyota Camry, northwestern Kansas
1992 Toyota Camry wagon, NW Kansas
1995 Toyota Corolla, NW Kansas
1999 Dodge Stratus, Chicago & S. Illinois
2003 Isuzu box truck (work, S. Illinois)
2004 Dodge Grand Caravan, S. IL & Wichita
Late model Dodge Durango (rented)

Both the Stratus and the Grand Caravan (our current vehicle) have seen regular trips to Minnesota in the winter months. The Durango was rented for a trip to Minnesota two Christmases ago.

Chicago gets a lot of snow, but they clear it really well and really fast. I only lived in southern Illinois for 1.5 winters, but saw a couple of bad storms while I was there and driving a delivery route. Northwestern Kansas gets large snowstorms that make it past the Rocky Mountains, and nobody knows how to plow the streets there. Wichita just varies year to year.

Our current vehicle (2004 Grand Caravan) does better than most any vehicle on the road when it dumps snow. Part of it is that I actually know how to drive in the snow, but the vehicle has a lot to do with it. It has higher ground clearance than most SUVs I see, it's heavy and has most of its weight over the drive wheels, and my Kumho Solus KR21 tires are amazing in wet and snowy conditions.

Last year's worst storm, which dumped 15 inches, IIRC, was hitting hard right as I was on my way to work. They closed the Interstate while I was on it, so I had to exit and take other streets. At a stoplight, the tow truck in front of me got stuck; my van just went on around him without a problem. Going uphill on a railroad bridge, the SUV in front of me started to lose traction and sliding all over the place; I just went around him in the left lanes without a problem. I was 15 minutes late to work, and I was the first one there. It took two weeks for the ice to melt from the undercarriage of the van, the latter having dragged snow the whole way.

So as long as I have this van, I see absolutely no need for snow tires. I'm thinking about getting an SUV when it finally poops out, though. The Durango we rented to go to Minnesota for Christmas didn't feel as sure-footed to me, but was definitely doable without special ties or 4WD.

We have a friend from church who grew up in central Iowa; her husband grew up in Texas. She laughs at him because he goes on about how you need 4WD in the snow (he has a big 4x4 pickup). Her response: They get big snow every year in Iowa, and they never needed 4x4. In her driver's ed class, the teacher had the students spin donuts in the snow on order to learn how to come out of a skid and correct their steering in the snow.

[corco]

I've stored snow tires in all sorts of places- most apartments I've lived in have had some outside storage that can hold them, but like when I lived in Wyoming I just kept them in my bedroom. Not ideal, but it worked.

As far as the change, when I had one car I'd typically do it late October, usually after the second or third snowstorm (tire place always being slammed after the first snow storm) and pull them mid-March. Now that I have two cars and only snow tires on one of them, I essentially swap at the legal maximums because if can snow here in September and May. Then I just only drive the car with snow tires if it's snowing. I'm trying to keep the miles off of it, so that works out nicely.

I had snow tires for my 1997 Accord.  They always went on near Thanksgiving and off mid-March, because that's when I was actually home from college.  When I got the Civic I didn't feel like spending the money on new rims, so I did a trial winter without them.  Now that the trial winter is almost over, I don't think I need them here; the only time I'd need them is when it's snowing hard enough that most people stay home anyways, and I managed to get by regardless, though that's largely because the area immediately surrounding Albany has a milder climate than just about everywhere else; just a few miles out, and it's a very different story.

I'd keep an eye on my tire tread though- new all seasons are going to perform considerably better in snow than all seasons with 50% tread life, especially in unplowed situations.

[1995hoo]

Heh. If I tried to store wheels and tires in the bedroom, I'd probably be seeking a divorce attorney!

[signalman]

Heh. If I tried to store wheels and tires in the bedroom, I'd probably be seeking a divorce attorney!

No room in the living room? 

Seriously, I've had snow tires since 2010 when I bought my first sports car that came stock with low profile summer touring tires.  I used to think snow tires were b/s, but I tried them (after a lot of positive encouragement and praise about their merits from a motorhead friend).  I was amazed at how well they performed over all season radials.  There is no question that they wear faster than regular tires, and fuel economy does indeed suffer.  However, the rubber compound is different and they remain soft and plyable at -10 (the coldest I've ever had mine exposed to).  Traction is superb and they are worth their weight in gold when needed.

On my old car, my summer wheels/tires were 17 inch and the snows were 15 inch.  The outside circumfrence was the same, so my speedometer wasn't affected.  Obviously I had different wheels for the two sets of tires (so no mounting and dismounting tires each spring/fall).  I kept the set that I wasn't using in my dad's garage.  When I bought my new car in August I wasn't able to use my old snow tires, which sadly had probably two more snow seasons worth of tread on them.  My new car has 18 inch wheels/tires, the bolt patern on the two cars is also different, and a 15 inch wheel won't fit on my new car (wheel won't clear the caliper).  So, I had to buy a set of 16 inch wheels and tires for winter.  The new snow tires paid excellent dividends a few times this winter.  I work very early morning hours and am driving to work before many roads are properly cleared for the morning commute.  I've never once gotten stuck or even spun a wheen in serveral inches of snow/slush. 

Also, I still have the 15 inch snow tires in my dad's garage, as well as my summer tires for my current car.  My dad complains to me on occasion about the space they take up and would like to see them gone.  I have been unsuccessful so far in my attempts to sell the uneeded snow tires.  Is anyone interested?  They're Firestone Winter Force 195/65/15 in great condition with 2-3 seasons worth of tread, depending on how much mileage you put on them in a season.  They're mounted on wheels that may or may not fit on your vehicle.  Either way, they come mounted on wheels and am selling them as is.

[froggie]

I roll with Michelin mud-and-snow tires on the truck year 'round.

Acceptable if I need to go off-road (as I do sometimes), they ride smooth even at high speeds and are relatively good in terms of fuel consumption.

How many miles do you typically get out of a set?

[Pete from Boston]

I roll with Michelin mud-and-snow tires on the truck year 'round.

Acceptable if I need to go off-road (as I do sometimes), they ride smooth even at high speeds and are relatively good in terms of fuel consumption.

How many miles do you typically get out of a set?

I have two pair of the Bridgestone equivalent.  I'm planning on replacing the older pair after the winter after about 50,000 miles.   Probably could have done it sooner, but I've done ok so far in this beast of a winter with those.

[riiga]

They are required by law from the beginning of December to the end of March, so every car I've ever driven during that time of the year has had them.