Are snow tires needed for SE Michigan winters?

[Kestas]

I have a winter-only vehicle that needed new tires two years ago. I had winter tires installed. For my driving it was worth it. If your car is driven year round, all season tires are probably good enough.

The province of Quebec requires car owners to use winter tires between October and April. Michigan driving is not that much different.

 

[Donald]

I bought wheels and snow tires for my Forester. Went last winter with the factory all season.

Look at it this way, assuming you plan to keep the vehicle for a few more years, its really the cost of changing tires and/or winter rims. Your all season will last longer as you will not be putting any winter miles on them. So the cost for tires is roughly the same to have all season and snow tires.

I got a set of mounted snows from DTD with all kinds of rebates on Black Friday.

I seldom drive the Forester however, my wife drives it in the winter. I have a Jeep and if too much snow for the Jeep, then I have a Bombardier snow cat with 7' tracks.

 

[A_Harman]

The answer to that, considering the last few days of weather, is an emphatic YES!

 

[Inspecktor]

Winter tires work better in winter, period. Any other considerations are personal decisions.

 

[mlatour]

Originally Posted By: Kestas


The province of Quebec requires car owners to use winter tires between October and April. Michigan driving is not that much different.


More precisely December 15th to March 15th.

 

[MNgopher]

Needed? Likely not. Nice to have? Definitely.

I was once in the camp of all season tires are good enough. Had a set on a 4WD Explorer that were downright scary in winter driving, and tried snow tires.

That was over 5 years ago, and now both vehicles (both 4x4 vehicles) have snow tires on them in the winter... Draw your own conclusions!

 

[iahawk]

one more big benefit of switching to winter tires (assuming they're mounted on a dedicated set of steelies) is that your factory alloy wheels will stay much nicer, with no exposure to winter salt.

These threads always crack me up..someone always responds back with "heck, I'm driving a 2wd full size Chevy with a 454 and bald rear tires and I ain't got no problems!"

It's not always about having problems..it's about stopping better, accelerating better from a stop, being able to get up your icy driveway or not..in the end, who cares, do what you want.

As others have said, it's a personal decision. For $600 do I like the peace of mind that my wife can safely drive in winter conditions? Yeah.

 

[kschachn]

I always thought that all-season tires were "good enough" until I bought my first set of winter tires. The difference is unbelievable, I've now become an annoying Winter Tire Evangelist to anyone who will listen. A friend's daughter recently bought a new Toyota RAV4 because she has a fairly long commute on secondary roads here in southeastern Wisconsin. I tried to explain to my friend (and her) that her existing car would have been a lot better if she just would have purchased winter tires for it. She wouldn't hear of it and now is complaining that the RAV4 isn't as good in the snow and ice as she thought it would be. I'm still explaining it's about the tires...

Even if you just purchase the inexpensive General Altimax Arctics and a cheap set of reconditioned Keystone steelies you will be light years ahead of any all-season setup.

 

[edyvw]

You see last year here in Colorado we had 68 car pile up on I70 Eastbound. Many people in Colorado think that they do not need winter tires because we have same amount of sunny days as Florida, or: I do not ski, or I will stay home.
Well what happened was that it was beautiful weekend and people rushed to mountains. In the afternoon at that spot, part of I70 that has 6% downgrade just before you enter suburbs of Denver from mountains where you drop like 2500ft in 5 miles, the rain started to fall, then froze and bunch of snow covered it. Of course those who "know" how to drive, do not need winter tires, will never get out of house if it is snowing etc. created 8 hour stop, costed economy estimated 1 million dollars. Luckily no one died but 68 cars had to be towed away. That accident prompted legislation to mandate snow tires in mountains, but people who think that somehow endangering others is constitutional right, blocked that, but State police managed to find some loopholes in current law to go after all season tire drivers when it snows.
I personally avoid I70 when it snows because of all season tire drivers, and especially those that have AWD and AS tires, so I use local roads that are usually in worse condition but people who use in those conditions local roads usually have winter tires.
The thing is that it does not matter are you or your wife good drivers. Situation can occur that is beyond your skills, knowledge etc. I lived in Detroit (well Clinton Twp. on 20th mile) for some time, and there is no doubt if that was my residency that I would have same like here two sets of tires for each vehicle. Maybe I would not go with Blizzak's which are more appropriate for mountains, but definitely something like Michelin Xi3.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: iahawk
.

These threads always crack me up..someone always responds back with "heck, I'm driving a 2wd full size Chevy with a 454 and bald rear tires and I ain't got no problems!"


A couple times now my snow tires have helped me avoid an accident with someone sliding onto my side of road, or pulling out in front of me.
And driving in snowy weather is actually kind of fun if there's no one else around. I did a near perfect Scandinavian flick to a nice 4 wheel drift this morning on the backroad. Was a good start to a slow slog in the snow.

 

[OldSparks]

Originally Posted By: Donald

Look at it this way, assuming you plan to keep the vehicle for a few more years, its really the cost of changing tires and/or winter rims. Your all season will last longer as you will not be putting any winter miles on them. So the cost for tires is roughly the same to have all season and snow tires.


This is how I look at snow tires for any car I plan on keeping for more than 2 years (which is most of my cars).

For the OP, my brother commutes between Windsor and Monroe 5 times a week, and he rolls on snow tires on both his Murano and his JKU.

 

[Bluestream]

 

[Dominic]

We had a "freak" 1 hour snow last night at 6pm just as I got off work. The plows and salt couldn't get out in time in PA, and people were slipping/sliding all over the area on their all-seasons. Many people couldn't stop, or climb hills, and turning at intersections were 5-10mph max and dicey.

I was well prepared with winter tires. Pirelli SottoZeros. Not only did I not slip, slide, or have any issues - I was able to climb hills and go around stuck traffic that was in my way getting home. I yelled at over 50 other people for being unprepared as well. In Michigan it's not a matter of if it snows, but when, and there is never a time when getting stuck or sliding into a ditch is fun or desirable. I wouldn't even consider running All-Season tires in an area that gets dependable snow every year.

When you buy winter tires you are buying an extra set of rubber that will extend the life of your other tires you aren't using in the winter. If you run a set of winter tires for 4 months per year and drive 1,000 miles per month like the average car owner, you can easily go 3-4 years on one set of winter tires (12-16k miles), and at least 5 years on the all-season tires (40k miles). Your cost per mile ends up the same, you have less risk of colliding with cars and objects on messy roads, and the only downside is the upfront cost of the new wheels (minor cost).

Keep in mind your AWD Subaru (and I loved mine) is still 4-wheel stop and 2-wheel turn like every other car made. It's the stopping and turning that's difficult in the slick.

https://youtu.be/JGfvyPtYR0Y?list=PL63B764B37ABFF533

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: Dominic
I yelled at over 50 other people for being unprepared as well.


Sounds like you need a hobby.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Dominic
We had a "freak" 1 hour snow last night at 6pm just as I got off work. The plows and salt couldn't get out in time in PA, and people were slipping/sliding all over the area on their all-seasons. Many people couldn't stop, or climb hills, and turning at intersections were 5-10mph max and dicey.

I was well prepared with winter tires. Pirelli SottoZeros. Not only did I not slip, slide, or have any issues - I was able to climb hills and go around stuck traffic that was in my way getting home. I yelled at over 50 other people for being unprepared as well. In Michigan it's not a matter of if it snows, but when, and there is never a time when getting stuck or sliding into a ditch is fun or desirable. I wouldn't even consider running All-Season tires in an area that gets dependable snow every year.

When you buy winter tires you are buying an extra set of rubber that will extend the life of your other tires you aren't using in the winter. If you run a set of winter tires for 4 months per year and drive 1,000 miles per month like the average car owner, you can easily go 3-4 years on one set of winter tires (12-16k miles), and at least 5 years on the all-season tires (40k miles). Your cost per mile ends up the same, you have less risk of colliding with cars and objects on messy roads, and the only downside is the upfront cost of the new wheels (minor cost).

Keep in mind your AWD Subaru (and I loved mine) is still 4-wheel stop and 2-wheel turn like every other car made. It's the stopping and turning that's difficult in the slick.

https://youtu.be/JGfvyPtYR0Y?list=PL63B764B37ABFF533


If those people that couldn't have made it up the hills had drove slower, they would have made it up the hills

Clearly, you don't know how to drive in the snow and had to resort to putting snow tires on your car. It's just a ploy to sell tires to the uneducated.




[That post was completely facetious, by the way]

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: glock19
Originally Posted By: Dominic
I yelled at over 50 other people for being unprepared as well.


Sounds like you need a hobby.


Agreed! Having winters is nice but not everyone does and if traffic speed is at a crawl who cares.....

Only once have I thought I should have winter tires. Ups trucks and school buses had chains and snow was constant at around the jay peak ski area in northern vt. Annual snowfall is 350"+. My wrx with all seasons struggled at best!

 

[stevejones]

I'd recommend snows for anyone who doesn't have 4WD or AWD. When I'm rolling my K1500 in 4HI & you pull out of a sidestreet, it's helpful to keep me from plowing into your wheel-spinning front end!

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: stevejones
I'd recommend snows for anyone who doesn't have 4WD or AWD. When I'm rolling my K1500 in 4HI & you pull out of a sidestreet, it's helpful to keep me from plowing into your wheel-spinning front end!

Who cares about going forward? Give me decent all seasons and I will go with X5 through any snow in CO, granted harder, but yes I will move forward. And if I get stuck? Oh well, someone will stop to help me pull out car same as I stop to help people who got stuck.
Problem is braking and staying on the road in the curves, and that is all up to the tire!
I am always amazed when people say: oh my god, I barely made it up the hill. OK, did you make it? YES. What about going back down the hill? That is when accidents and unfortunately deaths happen.

 

[krzyss]

Suggestion to be going slower is funny when going uphill as going at all in intended direction may be a problem.

Krzys

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: stevejones
I'd recommend snows for anyone who doesn't have 4WD or AWD. When I'm rolling my K1500 in 4HI & you pull out of a sidestreet, it's helpful to keep me from plowing into your wheel-spinning front end!


I hate to be in front of you when it comes time to come to a full stop for something like a stop sign or traffic light.

Since you can't stop, you'll be plowing into my car than can stop.