Although our Jetta does pretty well in the snow, we recently moved onto a rural road that doesn’t see a plow too often and we are considering snow tires. My husband and I differ on whether we need just two snow tires for the front (it’s front wheel drive) or if we need to replace all 4 tires. We are also on an extremely tight budget!
Four. I would also wait until next year, if possible, since this winter may be nearing its end. Save up for wheels and snow tires to make the change overs easier. See tirerack.com for their package deals next Oct/Nov.
Four, You want to balance the traction so the rear end doesn’t lose grip and swing around on a curve or a highway ramp.
Good point about the balance. Thank you!
Thanks for the website referral!
You need four. With two, the rear tires will have less grip, which can make the car easily go into an unrecoverable spin on slippery roads.
Just to add a little, that should be winter tyres, not snow tyres. Snow tyres are old technology. Winter tyres are considerably better.
I suggest getting four new tyres and four new wheels. It will save you time and money in the long run. If you choose TireRack as I did, they can ship them on the new rims ready to install, which is what I did.
Get a good set of snow tires(Bridgestone, Michelin, or Uniroyal). I had a rear wheel drive car and dreaded the winter season in the Midwest where I live. After spinning out on snow-covered pavement and waiting a month for the body shop to finish repairs, I went and bought four snow tires for my car. Huge improvement noticed right away!! No fishtailing or immediate activation of the traction control. A good investment–remember your life is riding on your tires.