2005 Altima 3.5 SE - This car came with summer tires which are terrible in the snow. Should I look into snow tires for next winter or would all-seasons make more sense? I live in southeastern Mass. It doesn’t snow all the time but we get a few good storms each year.
Remember that winter tires don’t just help you to get going on snow and on ice. They also allow you to stop your car in a much shorter distance, as well as to stay on track–avoiding spin-outs on curves–as long as the car is still driven with a realization that the road is slippery.
Being able to stop in a shorter distance and being able to avoid some skids is a major safety factor that all-season tires will not give you.
I think I speak for VDC as well as myself when I say to purchase 4 steel rims and 4 good quality WINTER tires (NOT snow tires), have them mounted and balanced so come winter all you have to do is switch the wheels.
(Winter tires are designed with better flexibility when cold than snow tires which allows for better traction)
(Related to first sentence) This is especially important if your original wheels are alloys.
Continual mounting and dismounting of tires on and off the alloys will damage them.
There is another side benefit to using steel wheels in the winter. If you happen to slide into a curb, there is less chance of damaging them. Plus, they’re cheaper to replace if the need arises.
Buying snow tires is like buying insurance. How much protection do you feel you need and how much are you willing to pay for?
There may be some dry and warm winters where your existing summer tires will be just fine. You may also get a snowy-cold winter where a good set of serious snow tires may be the only thing that keeps you from hitting the little girl who just darted out in front of your car.
I agree with VDCdriver that winter tires will give you more stopping power than all-season tires.