Snow tire question

[kkreit01]

With lots of rebates, I've purchased 2 sets of compete winter wheels/tires from DTD during mid-Fall for < $500 shipped each time. Both sets were the General Artics (excellent!). These weren't tiny 14" sets either. Watch their sales and rebates. You'll get additional rebates with their CC, and 0% interest for 6 months.

But yes, you should always buy 4 winter tires.

 

[Rand]

IMO I'd rather have 0 winter tires than 2.

2 on the front just gives you false confidence.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
If you really want to look at some videos, go on youtube and look for some of the ones about vehicles sliding on ice.

I takes less than a minute of driving on ice to bust up you vehicle, and end up in the hospital or dead.

In all fairness, winter tires will not help you much on glare ice unless they're studded. Unfortunately, studded tires are not permitted on public roads in IL.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

That's a pretty ignorant statement.

Two on the front will:
- Help you up a hill
- Back out of a driveway
- Take off from stoplights
- Stop (remember, most of the weight is on the front of a FWD car)
- Slow down to a resonable speed so you can turn safely.


I run 4 studded snows on my Focus. Wouldn't be caught without snow tires.

I'll take my Focus out in the snow before I'll take the cherokee out.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
That's a pretty ignorant statement.

Two on the front will:
- Help you up a hill
- Back out of a driveway
- Take off from stoplights
- Stop (remember, most of the weight is on the front of a FWD car)
- Slow down to a resonable speed so you can turn safely.

But you won't be able to take turns any faster than with 0 winter tires, so what's the point? If you can take off faster and slow down in a perfect straight line quicker, it's easy to forget that you can't turn any faster, and that'll get one in trouble.

Just get 4 winter tires. There should not be any discussion about this topic.

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
If you really want to look at some videos, go on youtube and look for some of the ones about vehicles sliding on ice.

I takes less than a minute of driving on ice to bust up you vehicle, and end up in the hospital or dead.

In all fairness, winter tires will not help you much on glare ice unless they're studded. Unfortunately, studded tires are not permitted on public roads in IL.

Bridgestone Blizzaks, and a few of the other high end winter tires have traction on ice. Not as much as studs but still enough that if you take it easy you have control.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
That's a pretty ignorant statement.

Two on the front will:
- Help you up a hill
- Back out of a driveway
- Take off from stoplights
- Stop (remember, most of the weight is on the front of a FWD car)
- Slow down to a resonable speed so you can turn safely.


I run 4 studded snows on my Focus. Wouldn't be caught without snow tires.

I'll take my Focus out in the snow before I'll take the cherokee out.


I run snow tires... 4 of them.

let me fix that for you

Two on the front will:
- Help you up a hill-- and possibly wreck if you brake or turn
- Back out of a driveway - and possibly wreck if you brake or turn
- Take off from stoplights - and possibly wreck if you brake or turn
- Stop -if you stop in a perfect straight line and your brakes dont pull. otherwise . possibly spinout or wreck.

- Slow down to a resonable speed so you can turn safely.

its hard to determine how much traction you have in the back when your fronts have plenty.

I always use 4.. with just 2 on the front its hard to determine where your limits are.

so on that note I'm not personally attacking you. I just have a difference of opinion.
I wouldnt use 2 snow tires.. ESP. on a FWD car.

 

[HerrStig]

Never had any problems with 2 snow tires on FWD cars. I've been driving in New England for 40 years or so.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
You guys got some slide learning to do. And when you find your vehicle sliding uncontrolled on ice, and or see other vehicles sliding uncontrolled on ice and slamming into things you will figure it out.

It ain't about only having to pay the deductible, and the inconvenience of having you vehicle unusable for several weeks. That is only a very small fraction of what it is all about.

It is really about the safety of the humans in your vehicle, in other vehicles, and even the pedestrians.

If you really want to look at some videos, go on youtube and look for some of the ones about vehicles sliding on ice.

I takes less than a minute of driving on ice to bust up you vehicle, and end up in the hospital or dead.

On Wikipedia there are statistics about how many people are killed in the United States and other countries in vehicle accidents each year. I think the latest year listed is 2009, when 33,808 people died in vehicle related accidents. Granted there are many ways vehicles get into deadly or serious accidents, but sliding uncontrolled in the winter is a major part of it.

As for not having the funds, snow tires are one of the few things in life that I consider worth going in debt for if you do not have the funds.
None of those accidents happpened in the South, right? I hope your driverless cars work better than Windows . (Cause NOTHING can ever go WRONG go wrong go wrong...)

 

[OilNerd]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
Ok, that settles it. I cannot afford all 4 at this time. I'll wait until I comfortably can.

Thanks,


Keep checking Craigslist. I just picked up a set of studded 175/70/13's for $100 with 11/32" tread. The guy's daughter traded in her Elantra and he was selling her winter set.

 

[JimPghPA]

Years ago when friends of mine were in school, if someone did not have money for new snow tires, they got a set (all 4) of recap snow tires. Those seamed to wear out faster, but they were very low cost. However they did not have the ice traction of Blizzaks or some of the other high end tires.

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
You guys got some slide learning to do. And when you find your vehicle sliding uncontrolled on ice, and or see other vehicles sliding uncontrolled on ice and slamming into things you will figure it out.

It ain't about only having to pay the deductible, and the inconvenience of having you vehicle unusable for several weeks. That is only a very small fraction of what it is all about.

It is really about the safety of the humans in your vehicle, in other vehicles, and even the pedestrians.

If you really want to look at some videos, go on youtube and look for some of the ones about vehicles sliding on ice.

I takes less than a minute of driving on ice to bust up you vehicle, and end up in the hospital or dead.

On Wikipedia there are statistics about how many people are killed in the United States and other countries in vehicle accidents each year. I think the latest year listed is 2009, when 33,808 people died in vehicle related accidents. Granted there are many ways vehicles get into deadly or serious accidents, but sliding uncontrolled in the winter is a major part of it.

As for not having the funds, snow tires are one of the few things in life that I consider worth going in debt for if you do not have the funds.
None of those accidents happpened in the South, right? I hope your driverless cars work better than Windows . (Cause NOTHING can ever go WRONG go wrong go wrong...)



When all vehicles are autonomous, they will decide if the tires are good enough for the trip.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
That's a pretty ignorant statement.

Two on the front will:
- Help you up a hill
- Back out of a driveway
- Take off from stoplights
- Stop (remember, most of the weight is on the front of a FWD car)
- Slow down to a resonable speed so you can turn safely.


I run 4 studded snows on my Focus. Wouldn't be caught without snow tires.

I'll take my Focus out in the snow before I'll take the cherokee out.


Stop and slow down are the same thing...

And the loss of stability due to traction differences between the all seasons and the snows means that often the "stop" will turn into "uncontrollable spin" which leads to "crash". You're best off with 4 winter tires. Next best would be 4 matched all seasons. 2 snow tires would be OK on a RWD car...but not a FWD (back to the "mount new tires on the rear discussion).

That's why every single European manufacturer says "mount winter tires only in sets of 4" and why in Germany, for example, a set of 4 winter tires is the law.

Here in the US however, we are still free to be stupid...

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Never had any problems with 2 snow tires on FWD cars. I've been driving in New England for 40 years or so.


That proves nothing...it's a tautology...I know a few guys who still light their BBQ by pouring gasoline on it.

The fact that they haven't been burned doesn't make it a good idea...any more than your lack of negative consequences makes that practice a good idea...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Here in the US however, we are still free to be stupid...

... and then blame someone else if things go wrong.

 

[dja4260]

Originally Posted By: Astro14

That's why every single European manufacturer says "mount winter tires only in sets of 4" and why in Germany, for example, a set of 4 winter tires is the law.

Here in the US however, we are still free to be stupid...



If a law such as this was to be created. People and fox news would be in a uproar because "big brother" is restricting our rights.

 

[sciphi]

Quebec mandates running 4 snow tires, or at least 4 tires with the "mountain and snowflake" symbol to indicate they perform well in winter conditions, during the winter. There has to be a reason they mandate all 4, and not only 2 on the driven wheels.