Winter tires??

MH2004 · 10-11-2004, 12:39 PM

Hi there, I live in Utah and the winter season is fast approaching. I routinely drive up in the mountains where 3 feet of snow is not uncommon. I was wondering if anyone has purchased any winter tires? If so what type and how well did they work in the snow?

thanks in advance
Mark

TitanicSE · 10-11-2004, 12:53 PM

If you have the 4X4 Titan, Save your money. You have Actice Brake Limited slip front and rear......you'll be doing better than most other 4X4s WITH snow tires!

srvfan · 10-11-2004, 01:20 PM

TitanicSE you obviously don't live where it snows very much. NOTHING no amount of traction controll beats snow tires. You can't brake effectivly with ABS and crappy tires you must bite the snow and ice. Your ABS will pulse to oblivion as you slide right off a cliff. a front driver with good snows will go places an all wheel drive audi or subaru with performance tires never could. When it snows the number 1 spun out vehicle up here is a Yuppie in an SUV wondering why his wizz bang traction controll didn't keep his BMW X-5 or lexus rx300 on the road. Bridgestoe winter Duellers are an excellent snow for trucks you can get them at the Tire Rack.

juma · 10-11-2004, 01:26 PM

get a set of XE steel wheels and use the bridgestone winter dueler 245/75/17, or it sounds like you may need studded. in that case, nokian hakkappillitti suv 265/70/17 studded would be the best. juma

TitanicSE · 10-11-2004, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srvfan

TitanicSE you obviously don't live where it snows very much. NOTHING no amount of traction controll beats snow tires. You can't brake effectivly with ABS and crappy tires you must bite the snow and ice. Your ABS will pulse to oblivion as you slide right off a cliff. a front driver with good snows will go places an all wheel drive audi or subaru with performance tires never could. When it snows the number 1 spun out vehicle up here is a Yuppie in an SUV wondering why his wizz bang traction controll didn't keep his BMW X-5 or lexus rx300 on the road. Bridgestoe winter Duellers are an excellent snow for trucks you can get them at the Tire Rack.

You're kidding right? LOL...I live in a part of NY state that averages over 200 inches of snow a year! If you drive (not meaning you personally) a 4X4 and need snow tires, you need driving lessons and are probably one of those 4X4 drivers doing 75 MPH in the snow...only to be found in a ditch a mile down the road...then complain about their tires! My 02 Frontier 4X4 with NOTHING in the bed for weight gave me no problems...even in a blinding storm that dropped over 2 feet in a matter of hours. You CANNOT drive in the snow and ice like you would on dry pavement. Even though a true snow tire is best, the M&Ss on the truck are MORE than enough.

WazzuCoug · 10-11-2004, 01:56 PM

Hate to break it to ya, but snow tires are the real deal. I lived in Alaska for the last 20 years and they are a necessity. I agree everyone should slow down when it is snowing, but that motto goes out the door when it is "snowing" for 6 months out of the year. You just learn how to drive and live in the snow. However, in my opinion there is no substitute for studs when driving down a street that resembles a frozen slip and slide. Add some grade, and its game over without studs. The traction control system would give itself a hard attack trying to keep up. True, going 75 doesnt help but it turns out we all cant do 15 MPH everyday like we should, and studs are key.

JerseyDirt · 10-11-2004, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitanicSE

You're kidding right? LOL...I live in a part of NY state that averages over 200 inches of snow a year! If you drive (not meaning you personally) a 4X4 and need snow tires, you need driving lessons and are probably one of those 4X4 drivers doing 75 MPH in the snow...only to be found in a ditch a mile down the road...then complain about their tires! My 02 Frontier 4X4 with NOTHING in the bed for weight gave me no problems...even in a blinding storm that dropped over 2 feet in a matter of hours. You CANNOT drive in the snow and ice like you would on dry pavement. Even though a true snow tire is best, the M&Ss on the truck are MORE than enough.

How does 4X4 or limited slip help you stop? There is no substitute for good winter tires. The 4X4 will only help you accelarate faster but traction will always be limited to the grip between your tires and the road surface, hence crappy tires=crappy traction. Don't fool yourself into thinking that 4X4 is all you need in the winter.

JD

TitanicSE · 10-11-2004, 02:09 PM

I'm not "fooled". I've been driving for almost 40 yrs in snow...a lot of those years with plain old RWD cars and have never gotten stuck. If you need snow tires to stop in snow pal...lol...you're driving too fast or just can't drive in the stuff. Are snow tires better?..Of course....but not for the price. M&S tires are adequate. And studs (which hamper dry traction) are not even legal in some states. So...the "real deal" here is, if you feel better, buy snow tires, otherwise....slow down and learn to handle your vehicle in the white stuff. Alaska is much more extreme in most cases...which is why the state population is about what.....7?.....lol. You'd also do better driving a bulldozer there in the frozen state. Now that's traction for ya.

JerseyDirt · 10-11-2004, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitanicSE

If you need snow tires to stop in snow pal...lol...you're driving too fast or just can't drive in the stuff.

Your comment makes no sense. Winter tires provide better traction in the snow, PERIOD. This reduces your stopping distances, and provides better overall handling. So I may not NEED snow tires everytime I stop in the same sense that I may not need all four brakes to work. I could come to a stop with just my e-brake but obviously it's not advisable. If the snow is not too deep I could probably run circles around you in the winter in my M3 equipped with winter tires.

bestatchess · 10-11-2004, 03:00 PM

I cast my vote for Bridgestone Winter Duelers. They made a world of difference on a Chevy Suburban 4x4 that previously had some Goodyear all season radials.

Budweiser · 10-11-2004, 07:50 PM

Hey MH - My vote is for the Bridgestone Blizzaks. I got into a situation on glare ice on an incline and had total control in my rear drive Lexus IS300 before I got my Titan. Totally sold on their Blizzak series. If you examine each tread block you'll see these tiny little cuts, I think its this technology which makes the difference. Once you wear through these however it will perform like a regular snow tire.
I believe these tires are also legally good for severe snow service. So you'll be able to drive when they have those snow emergencies and start closing roads down.
Anyway I think your're doing the right thing by buying snow tires for your area. Safety and control are more important than trying to save a few bucks.

giuseppe · 10-11-2004, 08:09 PM

Snow tires make a huge difference. I live in the Canadian Rockies, and going up and down the mountain passes is suicide with anything other than snow tires. Yes all seasons are O.K. to get your truck moving, but they are not going to stop you when going down a moderate hill. You don't have to go out and spend thousands of dollars for tires which you're only going to use for a few weeks out of the year. But do get a decent set and be safe. Some insurance companies are a pain if you wipe out in the snow without snow tires.

akangl · 10-11-2004, 08:13 PM

I love seeing 4x4s in the ditch up here, I usually stop, walk over and look at the tires.......100% of the time they are running all season tires, NOT dedicated snow tires (my dad rolled his Ram last year running Michelin tires). I've done the all season tires on a 4x4 route, then I switched to Blizzaks one winter..........I will NEVER go back for winter driving. Although this year I didn't spend the money on blizzaks for my Focus, I grabbed a set of lightly used studded snow tires for $100. Only because we have a 99 Ram 3500 (running Michelin M&S tires) that NEEDS snow tires (hubby went over an embankment last year with it) and my Titan needs snow tires, so money ran short and the Focus had to get used tires, but they still work great.

Our Ram will get Cooper Discoverer M+S studded snow tires because most of its driving is snow packed roads with heavy loads. The Titan will either get the same or Winter Duelers, not sure yet.

There is NO substitute for a dedicated winter tire and YES, I can drive, quite well I might add. I WISH I had snow tires on my Titan for my drive to Anchorage the other day........20 miles on glare ice in 4WD going about 30 mph, couldn't get traction with the Goodyears on the truck, but Winter Duelers would have stuck like glue (did the same drive last year with an 04 Explorer and Blizzaks on the ice). The rest of the drive was wet roads, slush, just miserable for 200+ miles, lots of ditch diving going on, thankfully not me.

srvfan · 10-12-2004, 05:53 AM

Besides your not wasting your money. if your running snows your not wearing the stock tires.

MH2004 · 10-13-2004, 12:33 PM

Well, I must thank everyone for their insight!!! It is greatly appreciated. As I like to find "vacant" areas in our canyons and drive like a deranged fool I think I will start scouting around for some snow tires - since getting stuck in 3 feet of snow would really suck!!

Mark