Are winter tires worth it and do they work? I live in Ann Arbor and it is cold and snowy 4 months of the year.
Yes, they make a huge difference in the type of weather you’ll be experiencing in Ann Arbor. They can truely save your life.
Yes, they are worth every penny. If they prevent only one single accident over the entire span of time you live in Ann Arbor then the entire cost of every snow tire you’ll ever buy will have been paid back and then some.
This is a safety issue. And you’re talking only a few hundred bucks. Less money than you’ll pay this year just to dine out.
Yes,Yes,Yes! The new winter tires have the perfect treads for your area. One of the worst snowstorms I ever drove through was going from Benton Harbour to Detroit on I94. The snow was the heavy, sticky kind and completely covered my headlights, and overtaxed my wipers. These tires, I have Michelin X-ICE, will realyy pull you through this stuff and they they brake on ice like gumshoes! Do not get “Performance Winter Tires”; they have performance first and winter traction second, and cost a great deal more. The Michelin Alpin is a performance winter tire and does not have near the traction of the X-ICE. All major tire manufacturers now have winter tires, and recommend buying 4 and mounting them on their own rims.
If you really need to get around on bad days, buy four good snow tires and have them mounted on an extra set a wheels so you can easily swap them back and forth every year.
Michigan is one of the places where I think snow tires are REQUIRED…I surely wouldn’t drive in Ann Arbor winter without them.
Let me second the advice of the others who have already posted, particularly the advice regarding the Michelin X-Ice tire. Besides excellent snow and ice traction for going, stopping, and turning, the Michelin X-Ice also has MUCH better tread life than the competition and is also very good on dry roads in terms of both handling characteristics and noise–two areas where most winter tires are terrible.
The Michelin X-Ice tire is well worth the investment, especially in terms of both accident prevention and when you factor in the fact that your regular tires won’t be getting any wear on them for the months that you are using your winter tires. Just be sure to get them mounted on their own steel wheels, so that you can mount/demount them when you want, in the comfort of your own garage.
I agree it’s worth it, especially if you plan to keep the car for a few years. Over the long run, the extra cost is basically just the cost of four steel rims. The benefits are well described by the others here. For best snow performance, use the narrowest of the acceptable tire sizes listed on your car’s tire sticker or owners manual.
Winter tires absolutely work. Any winter tire whether performance winter tire or pure winter tire will absolutely trump even the best in winter all-season when its bad weather. You will get much better stopping power and lateral traction(side to side).
Worth it depends on your need to get out at any moment. Our area has plows that turn white roads either into sand or black pavement after a bit of time. Also if you go the pure winter tire route they give up wet/dry traction and sometimes ride when pavement is clear if that matters to you.
I just mounted my new Blizzak WS-60 snow tires on my Camry last night. All I can say is WOW! they are unbelievable in every respect. I could not even get the tires to slide on the granular ice/snow we have here right now. The traction is amazing. What was a white knuckle ride down my road (snow/ice covered, wicked crown w/ big trees right on the shoulder) is now very confident feel. I can’t say enough about tirerack either. What a professional operation. I bought them mounted and balanced on new steel wheels. They even had the right air pressure in them for my car. They also came with the best quality lug nuts included.
The Blizzaks are rated very high w/respect to their competition. Time will tell but first impression is outstanding!
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