snow tire check in thread

[THATmanMANNY]

Checking in. Blizzaks for RWD model 3. Going be so much fun. I bought them on eBay like @Carson and brought them to pep boys . Made sure I tagged each wheel and tire location because I don’t expect Porsche service from pep. I was and wished everyone Happy Holidays and made sure I didn’t try their coffee. Didn’t do last year because didn’t go anywhere. Also got some mud guards I need install. I may Safari it next

 

[xc62701]

My snows are going on as soon as I have time to do it. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. They've saved my but a few times.

 

[UtahJoe]

good times last year being the only one at the ski hill

 

[one piece crank]

I've always had crap cars for their cheap price, so I always wanted to try snow tires, just never did it. Today most of my fleet is AWD or full-time 4wd, so I get AT's that have outer blocks and lots of siping - if you know what you're doing you can pretty much drive anywhere.

 

[shrpshtr325]

I mean if you live in a 1BR apartment with no extra storage don't do it.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying....It's the same amount of money (besides the extra rims) to run 2 sets of wheels. You're wearing down tires at a slower rate by not using your all seasons year round. I change the rims over in my driveway in 20 minutes. The extra safety is well worth the additional $100 for steel rims. I will get more life from my tires by not using them all 12 months, that's just fact.

All seasons would last ~48 months (50k, round numbers for ease here). I use them 8 months a year. By swapping them I get 6 years from them instead of 4.

My winter tires will probably go bad rubber wise at the 10 year mark before they're worn down (4 months, ~6,000 miles per year). I paid $500 total for the winter tires and rims. $50/year for extra traction and safety seems like a pretty easy decision to me. Maybe unnecessary, but my life isn't worth risking driving into a ditch because it only snows a handful of times a year. They're much better on ice too.

according to NHTSA tires are only good for 6 years before the rubber has degraded and should be replaced regardless of tread depth. . . .

so i used to have a set of blizzaks for my 93 5.0 LX....if you ever tried real winter tires on snow, you would never drive in the snow without them again. WINTER tires, not those shitty things they called snow tires back in the 50s when you got your DL. Just like you would never put goodyear advantage t/a on your gt350 after experiencing cup2s


for your 4wd pick up, ya im not sure I would be so concerned...for my FWD hatchback..winter tires make a world of difference. Plus, either myself or my wife are out driving in the worst snowstorms every year....she worked every single time it snowed last year....or I would take her subaru to the ski hill after dropping her off at work....either way, I used the hell out of my winter tires last year. You have seen my driveway...its nice when its dumping snow, she gets home and midnight and im not worried she will make it up the driveway with 12in of snow on it.

i mean i drove my challenger through 4 or 5 winters with all seasons on it and didnt have any trouble(granted the first 2 or 3 i lived in South jersey), my wife drove her genesis coupe through 9 winters with all seasons never got stuck either, yes awd/4wd is a huge helping hand but modern all seasons work ALOT better than old ones (no not as much as snow tires, and those who do alot of skiing or travel to snowyer locals need to factory that in).

 

[Santapez]

I was going to put mine on this weekend and then remembered every year in the winter I wonder if I have a problem with my car with a vibration and then swap off my winter tires in the spring and the vibration goes away. So I should get them balanced before I put them on...

Also hard for me to justify them now as I don't drive to jobsites much for work and say GFY if it's snowing out and work from home. Winter tires or not, I'd rather just stay home on snowy days.

I have a set of nearly new RAV4 wheels w/ winter tires, sensors, sensor programmer, etc for sale (selling for another board member) if anyone is interested...

 

[shrpshtr325]

I was going to put mine on this weekend and then remembered every year in the winter I wonder if I have a problem with my car with a vibration and then swap off my winter tires in the spring and the vibration goes away. So I should get them balanced before I put them on...

you have a good tire shop walking distance from your apartment, no excuses

 

[UtahJoe]

I used to live in park city utah without winter tires...I got myself to work and school everyday in a 5.0 mustang with goodyear gatorbacks, no traction control and no abs.....its doable....but much like the invention of the dropper post.....I could do it the old way, but the new way is so much better. My car absolutely stops MUCH better with winter tires on snow and at the end of the day.....thats a nice feature when driving in snow.

 

[Santapez]

you have a good tire shop walking distance from your apartment, no excuses

1) My tires are not at my apartment. It's an apartment without a garage.
2) Am I supposed to roll 4 tires on wheels down the street for balancing?
3) Are you referring to Mavis?

I used to live in park city utah without winter tires...I got myself to work and school everyday in a 5.0 mustang with goodyear gatorbacks, no traction control and no abs.....its doable....but much like the invention of the dropper post.....I could do it the old way, but the new way is so much better. My car absolutely stops MUCH better with winter tires on snow and at the end of the day.....thats a nice feature when driving in snow.

Just because someone drove drunk and didn't crash doesn't mean they should continue doing it.

 

[rick81721]

so i used to have a set of blizzaks for my 93 5.0 LX....if you ever tried real winter tires on snow, you would never drive in the snow without them again. WINTER tires, not those shitty things they called snow tires back in the 50s when you got your DL. Just like you would never put goodyear advantage t/a on your gt350 after experiencing cup2s

Not saying it's optimal but will never forget driving from the Gulph Mills train station in Upper Merion, PA to home in Phoenixville PA during a huge snow storm. I passed so many clowns getting stuck because they were driving too slow up hills or slamming on the brakes and losing control. Fun times!

 

[Cassinonorth]

I used to live in park city utah without winter tires...I got myself to work and school everyday in a 5.0 mustang with goodyear gatorbacks, no traction control and no abs.....its doable....but much like the invention of the dropper post.....I could do it the old way, but the new way is so much better. My car absolutely stops MUCH better with winter tires on snow and at the end of the day.....thats a nice feature when driving in snow.

Braking is 100% the huge benefit for me. Going straight with no other cars on the road you can survive with any bald tires you want. Try to brake and you'll find out what that soft tread does.

 

[serviceguy]

Exactly. Back in the early 1980s I drove my rear wheel drive Mustang II through multiple big snowstorms without snow tires. It's about knowing how to drive in snow

View attachment 172178

Says everybody that had an accident while driving on the snow. I'm also sure your reaction time has not deteriorated at all since the 80s.

I always marvel at the proud statements of (alleged) alpha males declaring how good they are at driving in the snow, been there , done that, than I slid in a parking lot...

Unlike other things in life, accidents don't take two to tango, even if you're the best driver in the snow a sudden movement from another car can force you to make a move that results in a crash. At any time during one of the 3 days that snow tires are necessary in NJ.

Driving my Blizzaks is not too noisy, they don't wear all that fast, saves my regular tires from wear and allows me a higher level of safety out there if needed. Kind of a no brainer if you ask me but then to each one their own.

 

[rick81721]

Says everybody that had an accident while driving on the snow. I'm also sure your reaction time has not deteriorated at all since the 80s.

I always marvel at the proud statements of (alleged) alpha males declaring how good they are at driving in the snow, been there , done that, than I slid in a parking lot...

Unlike other things in life, accidents don't take two to tango, even if you're the best driver in the snow a sudden movement from another car can force you to make a move that results in a crash. At any time during one of the 3 days that snow tires are necessary in NJ.

Driving my Blizzaks is not too noisy, they don't wear all that fast, saves my regular tires from wear and allows me a higher level of safety out there if needed. Kind of a no brainer if you ask me but then to each one their own.

 

[Carson]

Exactly. Back in the early 1880s I drove my rear wheel drive Mustang II through multiple big snowstorms without snow tires. It's about knowing how to drive in snow

View attachment 172178

FIXED.

 

[rick81721]

FIXED.

Fix fail - shoulda read:

Exactly. Back in the early 1880s I drove my no wheel drive horse and buggy through multiple big snowstorms without snow tires. It's about knowing how to drive in snow

 

[xc62701]

I once "thought" I knew what I was doing and spun out on 287 doing 70 mph. I was turned around backwards looking at the family in the minivan next to me and would have facepalmed from my idiotic driving, but I was trying to save my life and their lives as well. Somehow I controlled the car enough in reverse not to kill anyone and slowed it just enough to glance off a guardrail and come to a stop. I scraped up the front and rear corners of the car but everyone survived. Now I am a much more cautious driver in the snow and crap. I'll take my snow tires for an extra peace of mind.

 

[GSTim]

I don't understand what the big deal is. If you've ever driven a rear wheel drive car in the snow with "real" winter tires on it, you would be amazed. I drove the M3 year round for almost 20 years and it would have been undrivable in the snow with the summers on it (or "all-seasons").

 

[shrpshtr325]

I once "thought" I knew what I was doing and spun out on 287 doing 70 mph. I was turned around backwards looking at the family in the minivan next to me and would have facepalmed from my idiotic driving, but I was trying to save my life and their lives as well. Somehow I controlled the car enough in reverse not to kill anyone and slowed it just enough to glance off a guardrail and come to a stop. I scraped up the front and rear corners of the car but everyone survived. Now I am a much more cautious driver in the snow and crap. I'll take my snow tires for an extra peace of mind.

this sounds like operator error, wtf where you doing 70 in a snow storm for? winter tires or no thats a recipe for disaster.

I think this demonstrates much of the problem is that people (at least around here) dont alter their driving to match the conditions, they assume that they can drive the same way all the time (and many of those people dont drive all that well to begin with)

 

[serviceguy]

this sounds like operator error, wtf where you doing 70 in a snow storm for? winter tires or no thats a recipe for disaster.

I think this demonstrates much of the problem is that people (at least around here) dont alter their driving to match the conditions, they assume that they can drive the same way all the time (and many of those people dont drive all that well to begin with)

As much as I can control my 4WD SUV skidding on fresh snow packed in front of my driveway when I enter the downhill road where I live in between two consecutive snow plower runs, I much prefer when it doesn't do that, call me a chicken. Enter the Blizzaks...

 

[Pearl]

man, my last memory with snow tires was when i pulled onto a unplowed 287 in mandis fit and just floored it and all the traction in the world.... good times

now it was 77 and i had the windows down on the way home