Are Hyundais bad in the snow?

Maintenance/Repairs
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41

All I did was point out that they also sell tires…that is no way casting aspersions. I always want the source of people giving me advice. I can take it from there.

You’ve obviously never driven in snow…you just read someplace on google that this is what you should do.

But let’s get back to real subject.

Will winters give you better traction in snow? Answer is YES. Why I’m saying winter tires aren’t needed is because in the past 5+ years and averaging 30k+ miles a year I can count on one hand I’ve driven on road conditions that warranted snow tires. People think our roads are snow covered like Tester video above. Only time I see road conditions like that is when we go up north for skiing. And thus the reason I have an AWD vehicle. Most of the time here in southern NH and Northern MA you’re driving on clear roads. There is little to zero advantage for winter tires in those conditions. And since Boston is the 10th snowiest area in the country, you can conclude that most people have even less need for winter tires.

42

Some people can’t wait for the roads to be cleared down to the pavement before driving. In my area, black ice is an issue. The added traction of winter tires on ice is invaluable for those surprises.

43

You’re right. I have a neighbor who’s a nurse, and she needs to get to work at all hours of the day. And she has an AWD vehicle for that reason. Sure if you can’t wait then get what you need. But most of us can. Towns and state road crews know when most people go to work. So by 6am after a storm - most roads are clear. Rarely are there storms during commuter hours. Only ONCE did I have to venture out on un-treated roads going to work. And so what if there is? It seems people want winter tires so they can keep their vehicle under control while doing the same speeds as if the road was dry. All my wife does is slow down a little.

The other part of the equation is when the roads are dry (most of the time)…that all-season tires are BETTER then winter tires.

Winter tires may give you marginal help on black ice.

44

So your reason for mentioning it was to strengthen the validity of Tom and Ray’s advice, not weaken it?

…or did you expect what you wrote to have no effect on perceptions of validity of Tom and Ray’s advice?

You mentioned it for a reason, but you lack the courage to admit that the reason. That’s okay, we all know the reason.

If you’re going to lie about your motivation for mentioning it in the first place, go whole hog. So far, you’ve told us what wasn’t your motivation for mentioning it, but you haven’t told us what was your motivation for mentioning it.

Well, that’s not true, but if you’re going to insinuate I am not qualified to have an opinion either, it’s safer to attack me than it is to attack Tom and Ray a second time. I’m not nearly as popular as Tom and Ray, and you don’t have to back down on your attacks on me like you did your attack on Tom and Ray.

45

You can any opinion you want. Your problem is you HATE IT when someone disagrees with you. You can’t take it. You get all huffy. Gee I disagree with you. Grow up.

46

Actually, this is where they really shine. I’ve mentioned this before. Snow isn’t that big a deal. Been driving on snow all my life. It’s ice that presents the biggest challenge IMO. Snow is fairly predictable but roads can be clear one moment and iced over just down the road a bit. And once I had winter tires designed for those conditions, the difference was nothing short of amazing. And frozen water on the local roads is prevalent in this area. Snow melt during the day and frozen at night…

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47

Exactly!
Winter tires provide some advantage on snow-covered roads, but on roads with ice of any type–where conventional tires have zero traction–winter tires can easily make the difference between hitting another vehicle/a person/a dog/a tree, and NOT hitting anything.

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48

We just had 10’’ snow fall over a 12 hour period.

It was snowing so hard, that I could just barely make out the neighbors house across the street.

We didn’t see the snowplow until the afternoon because they were too busy keeping the snow emergency routes and main arteries open. Then the snow finally slowed where residential streets and country roads finally got plowed.

By that time there was 8" of snow on the roads. Cars that didn’t have winter tires couldn’t move. And those that did could barely move.

When I got to the freeway, there was no salt or sand on the road surface. This is because they don’t salt or sand while it’s still snowing because they may have to plow it off the roads anyway.

There were vehicles skidding into the ditches, into each other, spinning down the freeway. I saw one car try to make a slight curve but the car kept going straight, until there was an explosion of snow when it hit the snowbank.

I was really glad I had my snowshoes on, and not my sneakers.

Tester

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49

Lots of people disagree with me, and I take no issue with it.

The only issue I have with you right now is that you don’t have the moral courage to admit you attacked Tom and Ray’s credibility.

You disagree with their expert professional opinions and have nothing to substantiate yours without attacking them. That makes me sad, not angry, because it’s pathetic.

50

Winter tires cost you almost nothing. You should consider getting a set. I’ve tested every make of car and Hyundai Elantras are no different from any of the other mainstream FWD models. In fact, I tested an Elantra GT Sport and found it to be better than average.

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51

Well, I kinda think this whole discussion has turned into a hunk of stupid, but I thought I’d comment on the “winter tires cost you almost nothing” thing.

We tend to become accustomed to our own wealth level and not understand that there are people below it. The ultra-rich guy doesn’t understand why we all complain about flying coach. Just buy a jet! And the upper middle class guy doesn’t understand why some people don’t have winter tires.

It’s expensive to be poor. There are a lot of things that save you money, or make your life better for little outlay over time, but which are out of reach for many if not most people because the buy-in is too steep.

Kinda like shoes. Cheap shoes wear out a lot sooner than good shoes, and so you might end up replacing them every year whereas you keep the good shoes for 5 years. But if all you can afford is the $50 pair of shoes, then even though paying $150 for the good shoes would save you $100 over five years, you can’t afford the buy-in and so you get the cheap ones.

The idea that winter tires cost you almost nothing is, honestly, asinine. In order for them to cost you “almost nothing,” you need a second set of wheels, because otherwise they cost you $120 a year in mounting and balancing fees. Wheels aren’t free either, so they do absolutely cost you something unless someone gives them to you as a gift.

Yes, those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to afford the buy-in on winter tires can take advantage of how much nicer they are, but there are a lot of people who can’t. I can’t get behind the attitude that comes out of this forum regarding winter tires, which basically boils down to “you’re a moron if you don’t have them.” Maybe they’re not being stupid. Maybe they’re just being frugal out of necessity. There are people out there – a lot of them – who have to carefully add up everything they put in the grocery cart because if they go over budget by even a little, they’re in very deep trouble. And we’re supposed to be telling them to get winter tires? Give me a break.

Since you can, in fact, get through snow just fine with a good set of all-seasons, then if buying winter tires would make you have to scrimp elsewhere, you should not feel obligated to buy them.

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52

Good perspective. My argument on why they cost almost nothing is based on two things I have found by buying them for many years. First, winter tires cost less than do all-season tires in most cases. Second, while you use them, your 3-season tires are not in use. Over the life of a car, a set of winter tires do not cost the owner much at all since those miles would have been covered by a tire, be it winter or all-season. It is true that mounting and balancing, or the cost of steel wheels and TPMS sensors if needed, are expensive. But they are a one-time purchase and can be sold on with the vehicle later. I do like your points though, and some all-season tires are good in winter. Others are horrible. I like Ram’s recent move on one of its trims. The truck comes with winter-rated tires standard. It would be very cool if more automakers offered that as a trim option on more vehicles in cold-weather locations.

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53

That’s a good point. That was the reasoning that I used when I bought a second motorcycle, saying “most of the maintenance costs are accrued based on mileage,” but it doesn’t really work out that way. I can’t really explain it, but maintaining two motorcycles means more work and more money, even if you ignore insurance and registration.

Your example of work boots rings true, because the junk yards that sell steel rims and used tires know they’re selling them to people who can’t afford to buy them new, so they price them at a point where they’re more expensive than they should be because: Where else are you going to go?

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54

When I read these snow tire threads, they seem to converge on:

  • Snow or Winter tires provide better traction than All Season tires on slippery winter conditions.
  • Some contributors say because they drive on roads that get plowed often, they don’t need snow/winter tires, and you don’t either.
  • Others contributors say they do drive on unclear roads and share how winter/snow tires help them.

I occasionally find myself on unplowed roads where I am glad I have winter tires.

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55

Believe it or not…even here in NH…there are very few days me or my wife are driving on slippery winter conditions. Roads are dry and clear most of the time.

Winter tires do provide better traction on snow and ice…I’ve stated that several times already. The point I’ve made over and over again…is all-season tires have more then enough traction to get you where you want to go. You may have to slow down a little and give yourself more room in adverse weather…but they are not UNSAFE.

If you live in an area that you drive on unclear roads enough then you should get winter/snow tires. We don’t. I think only once this year my wife had to drive on unclear roads. That doesn’t warrant getting winter/snow tires. But most people in southern NH and northern MA drive in those same conditions.

56

Exactly. If you want to get really pedantic, walking is much less likely to cause a crash than driving around on snow tires, and so we should all be walking in the winter.

There’s a problem in our society where we have this insane notion that things must be 100% safe, and anything that is not 100% safe should be shunned.

Almost nothing is 100% safe, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. We have to make a proper evaluation of the risks vs rewards and act appropriately.

Am I at (very slightly) greater risk of causing a wreck when I drive on all-seasons than when I drive on snow tires? Maybe, if you don’t factor in the fact that I know I’m driving on all-seasons and not winter tires, and will slow down to compensate, but I’m also at a greater risk of causing a wreck when I drive at all, and no one is advocating that we stop driving.

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57

Most probably do, but that type of all-inclusive statement is misleading to people who don’t know the difference. If you ever had the misfortune to drive on Bridgestone Potenza RE-92 tires, you wouldn’t state that “all season tires have more than enough traction…”.
Those particular all-season tires were downright hazardous in winter conditions, and they can’t be the only so-called all-season tires that are not fit for winter road conditions.
:thinking:

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58

You can say that about any type of tire. I’ve driven my brother-in-laws 2005 Avalon with 4 winter tires…My wife’s all-season Michelin were far better in snow then those things. They were brand-name tires, but I forgot what ones. But you are right…it does depend on the tire. Wife loves her Michelin…so she’s been driving on nothing but Michelins for decades. Usually gets about 50k+ miles on the Lexus.

59

You mean more than.

Not true in my experience in WI and MN. Especially if where you want to go is home, up hill, and it’s been snowing while you were at work 10 miles away.

60

I am also a confirmed Michelin customer.
They were OEM on my '74 Volvo, and those tires were the only good thing about that POS car. When I finally dumped it, I had 76k miles on those tires, and I estimated that they were good for at least another 10k miles.

When I had to buy winter tires because of those crappy Bridgestone Potenzas, I chose Michelins and my Outback with Michelin winter tires was unstoppable, even in deep snow. And, of course, I came to really admire them when I had to drive in icy conditions.

When it came time to replace the awful OEM Continentals on my present car, I opted for Michelins and these all-season Premier tires are… decent… in winter conditions. If I still had to go to work, I would probably opt for winter tires again, but as a retired guy I can make do with decent all-seasons.