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Tuesday, November 18. 2008

Winter in New England #5: Do you need snow/mud tires?

Snow and mud tires are called "Winter tires" nowadays. They are made of a softer rubber (so as to provide better suppleness in cold temperatures), which is why they don't last as long as regular tires. That's the reason to put them on in November and to take them off in March or April (around here, anyway). At that rate, they will last 3-4 seasons.

Important safety considerations with winter tires: Always put them on all 4 wheels and never replace just one: replace all 4 at the same time.

But how do you know whether you need them? In my opinion, if you need them, you will know it - but here's a good piece on the subject. 

With global cooling picking up its pace, everybody may need them soon. 4 WD is good but, where you need them, winter tires are as good or better.

Posted by The Barrister in Hunting, Fishing, Dogs, Guns, etc., Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 12:30 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)
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When I was a student in Canada my old 4wd Subaru car "wore out" and I replaced it with the same model but FWD. I'd been happy with "all season" tires on the 4wd, but after the experience of winter tires with only FWD, my preference is for the winter tires -- they make much more difference in snow and ice than does 4wd.
#1 Douglas2 on 2008-11-18 14:25 (Reply)
Even in Amish Appalachia the winter weather is not to be taken lightly, especially for those who drive long distances in the mountains and valleys. It's best to prepare for the worst conditions, the need to drive more gently when the roads are dry is a small price to pay for the ability to actually get home when the conditions turn ugly.

There are performance winter tires for daytime main-roads travelers. But the newer generation of Ice & Snow tires are the real thing, for those who often find themselves in lonely locales as the snow or sleet piles up on the last roads to be plowed.

Michelin has its X-Ice, Bridgestone its Blizzak WS-60, but the Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSI rules among studless tires. If you need studs, Hakkapeliitta 5 are amazing tires.

Be careful out there when it gets wintry.
#2 Seppo on 2008-11-18 14:27 (Reply)
We always did the Lincoln head test with pennies to determine if we needed new tires. Put it in the tread head first, if the penny is in the tread and his head is not covered, you need new tires.
#3 Pajak on 2008-11-18 15:04 (Reply)
I've seen far too many SUVs with 'All Season Radials' end up in ditches or sliding uncontrollably one way or another once the snow got more than a couple of inches deep. I've never had problems with my FWD cars during winter weather because I've always used actual snow tires (the Nokian Hakkapelitta being my favorite, with the Michelins coming in second). They make all the difference. 'All Seasons' are a compromise at best, and a bad compromise at that.
#4 DCE (Link) on 2008-11-19 08:07 (Reply)
As a lifelong Commonwealth guy (PA then MA) I've never bothered with winter tires. Tire chains for rear wheel drive cars, but that's about it.

And those SUV's stuck in a ditch? Fools seem to think that 4WD helps with braking and turning - at speed no less!
#5 Jack Diederich (Link) on 2008-11-19 11:16 (Reply)
"All-season" tires ARE a compromise, but Nokian makes the best ones out there. Their WMR tires that we put on my wife's Escort turned a tinny econo-box into a winter-weather-warrior. It literally drove like a new (and different, and much better) car.
#6 Blackwing1 on 2008-11-19 13:58 (Reply)

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