AWD needs the same tires that 2WD needs in the winter, because EVERYBODY HAS ALL WHEEL BRAKES!
This is a concept that seems to escape people who drive their AWD vehicles like they are invincible.
1 Like
One other consideration. If you plan to keep your car more then five more years, buy winter rims. It can cost $50 to remount each time, twice a year. Thatâs $400 over four years. Most tire shops that I know, will count winter change changeover on rims as tire rotations. That should be free for most tire purchase packages. After four years, you save $100 a year assuming you pay as much as $100 per steel winter rim. Thatâs often the rip off dealer price for steel rims ! Another no brainer !
Winter tires are very different than all terrain tires. In âthe dayâ (of biased ply tires) there was an aftermarket process called âsipingâ that we used to have done to increase the number of edges available to bite into slippery surfaces and to allow more flex in the tread blocks. Siping is small slits in the tread blocks, and the process makes a difference on icy surfaces. In modern winter tires, these slits are molded into the tires by the manufacturer. All-season tires have more edges and deeper tread than âsummerâ tires, but if you stop a tire store and look at some of the different kinds youâll see a big difference in the number of edges. You may also be able to feel that the winter tires are a softer compound. All terrain tires are designed differently. The compound and tread blocks need to be strong enough to withstand being beaten about on rocks and such. The blocks are solid and the compound relatively hard. This is a bad combination for icy surfaces.
1 Like
@the_same_mountainbik is spot on. I was at a Michelin / BF Goodrich event a few months ago and I asked the âexpertâ in attendance how well the all-terrain tires are in snow and he said what you see above in the the_same_mountainbik post. He pointed out that for winter tires it is all about the winter compound and sipes, neither of which are found in all-terrain tires.
When shopping for new tires, the first you believe are distributors of many brands, like Tire Rack or independent tire testers like Consumer Reports and not individual tire makers pushing their own product line.
AT tires with the snowflake and mountain emblem have been tested for extreme winter conditions. They perform well in snow, sometimes as good as many brands of dedicated snow tires. With the snowflake/mountain emblem they are accepted on cars and trucks in mountainous areas like Yoesemite by the Park Rangers which require chains or snow tires for winter driving conditions.
AT tires like the BFG AT KO and the Kumho AT51 are both excellent winter tires for areas of infrequent ice conditions. All winter tires do not perform the same on ice and Many AT perform better on dry roads.
If a person refuses to buy separate winter tires for a variety of reasons, they are an excellent option for year round use in areas where extreme winter conditions are very seldom metâŠespecially coastal areas in NE . All tires are a trade off according to CR and the best is to shop your needs and individual requirements.
The average consumer cannot look at a tire and determine which is best for his requirements. It requires research to match your tire needs to the best tire option.
Free Spin Balance w/Tire Rotation???
If it makes you feel better, sure. Generally, rebalancing is not necessary unless the driver and inspection during remounting notice a problem. If itâs free, at least you get new wheel weights if the old ones are on the verge of being thrown off.
I have had some pretty bad tires that wore out fast or didnt bite in the snow . you know those discount specials . and some even leaked air over a month or so, bottom line I purchased a Michelin winter tread all season set of 4 and going on 3 years and winters of snow no leaks and no sliding in the snow .
If you buy your tires (winter tires, or other types) at Costco, the price includes lifetime free rotation and rebalancing on their Hunter road force balancing equipment, as well as a road hazard warranty.
1 Like
Now THIS is helpful b/c didnât know they did such free services.
Our tiny town only has pay-for-everything chains like Firestone, Midas, et al.
Not much to argue with the comments here. I donât know whether to laugh or cry when I see an AWD SUV off the road, because the driver overdrove the tires or (more likely) felt invincible because (s)he was ablwe to pull out of the parking lot/driveway through the snow with no problem. Sadness because the driver wasnât properly trained to drive in winter conditions. Happiness (or at least schadenfreude) because of the driverâs chagrin at his/her lack of respect for the wweather and lack of skill.
Many of those off-road excursions end with the shiny side down, partly because of excess speed for the conditions, but also partly due to the higher centre of gravity that taller vehicles tend to exhibit - and exacerbated, in my mind by the dense/heavy chunk of glass that so many vehicles seem to be carrying around. The relative uselessness of sun/moon roofs alone makes their existence somewhat surprising, but the increased rollover risk should be a point of concern for regulators who keep adding airbags.
When buying winter or snow tires, I think the common assumption is to put one on each corner, to maximise acceleration, steering and braking performance.
But back before radial-ply tires became more or less the standard, we used to put âgripsâ on the drive wheels only, which meant almost exclusively the rear wheels. To see a passenger car with snow tires on the front was rare and looked weird. Nobody thought about the improvement in steering and handling, all we were concerned with was the cost of two more snows to buy.
How times have changed!
Yep, back then I used to get two Firestone recap snow tires for $50 mounted or $100 for four tires all around. White walls no less. We do expect more from tires now than then but also pay for that expectation.
A question: When buying new tires, what manufacture date should I accept? my guess would be 6 months old, perhaps? or 12?
I figure if Iâm going to put winter tires (or chains) on the drive wheels of a FWD car, which has more traction in the front than the rear, I should put them on the tires that have less traction as well. After all, Iâd hate to spin around in an emergency stop because the front wheels grab and the rear wheels donât.*
You only put chains on the drive wheels. Youâll end up loosing traction because of the binding the chains will cause. The rear wheels are just being dragged along.
What about braking and turning? When I think about turning and stopping in low traction conditions, dragging the rear wheels along doesnât sound very appealing.
Were you not convinced by the video? ----> Snow Tire Testing Front Wheel Drive Cars
If youâve ever driven with chains on, you arenât going to be making any emergency stops that will cause a spin. More like 20-30 MPH tops. The intent is traction to pull you through deep snow (or push). Strictly short term low speed use on the drive wheels only.
2 Likes
All too many people only consider getting their vehicle to move on a wintery surface, and somehow manage to forget about the MUCH more important factors ofâŠstopping and steering.
I liked the way that my Michelin X-Ice tires allowed me to get moving without any wheel-spin, but I LOVED the fact that they dramatically reduced my stopping distance on those slippery surfaces, and also allowed me to take curves without sliding.
1 Like