After getting through my first winter in the DC area, I'm wondering what's the best combination of sets of tires for winter driving and autocross. Right now I have a set of Azenis just for autocross and a set of all-season tires for everything else. Would it be better to have a dedicated set of winter tires and run something like the Azenis or Hankooks the rest of the year and for auto-x events? If I did, would I go through a set of the Azenis each spring-summer-fall (I'm not that agressive of a daily driver)? I did just fine this winter with all-seasons, but I'll have an actual commute next winter (Alexandria to Gaithersburg, probably). What seems to work best?

 

In all honesty, I don't see a need for winter tires in this area. We don't get hit with snow very often. On a heavy year, 3-5inch storm maybe 3 or 4 times. For the state of Maryland avg. snowfall is 20.8inches, that includes the mountians in the west, not just the metropolitian areas. Just my opinion on the tire situation, no need for dedicated winters.

 

+1, I use one set all year long (because I have only one ).
Unless you live well off the main street or somewhere in the mountain or very hilly road or in the housing complex which never clear up the snow. Then you might have to get a winter set.

 

I'm going back to an HPAS tire for winter use once I wear out the Nokians. Too much penalty for the 116 normal days of winter vs. the 4 days of snow we get.

 

I've run the past 3 winters with all seasons and I haven't had a problem that I thought "you know, I could really use some snow tires". That's with 2 different brands too. The first two were with the Goodyear Eagle RSAs that came with the car and most recently with some Hankook Ventus V4ES (H105). I like the Hankooks better as they have provided a better ride and more grip compared to the Eagles.

 

i used to fun azenis all summer long as my tires. i never ran into a problem, and they did quite well in the rain. A few scary moments on MTTS going into charleston, but it was raining buckets...

other than the excessive noise i would run azenis year round again! the traction is just amazing in the dry.

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

I too understand that you don't need Winter tires in this area, but...... if your only tires a Summer only tires, than you at least need All Seasons, so I decided to go Winter than All Season since I would only use them for Winter.

 

Well in his initial post he says that he has some auto x-ing tires, and some all seasons. Which one could assume means that he is wondering if he'll need to purchase winter tires for his longer commute.

 

Yeah, I have two sets of rims, and I'm worried about the longer commute in the winter. Also, if using the summer tires most of the year in addition to auto-x if I'd go through them in a single year.

 

we run 2 sets of wheels, 1 all-seasons and 1 we swap on for auto-x's. the all-season are good enough for the cold weather, but they're not great in light snow, and in things like that ice storm, they're no good at all

 

i just use a different vehicle for winter.

but seriously, you don't really need snow tires. all seasons will be fine here. every year i'm disappointed at the amount of snow we get. my next set of wheels will be more of a summer tire with good rain grip.

 

People need to remember that winter tires aren't just about snow, but temperature too. If you choose to run all-seasons, all year long, then sure, you'll be OK. But let's face it, all-seasons are "jack of all trades, master of none".

If you choose to run performance tires, then you'll have serious issues as soon as the temperature drops, even without any snow. Summer rubber tends to get VERY hard and brittle when temps are low (say... under 40 degrees), and it will feel like you are driving on bricks.

Once you make the decision to use performance tires during the warmer months, you'll then pretty much have to buy another set of tires for the winter (assuming you aren't using another vehicle instead). At that point, why not winter/snow tires? You just need to find the appropriate type to use. Super-soft rubber like those on Bridgestone Blizzaks will wear out too fast on the dry pavement. That's why I love my Pirelli SnowSport tires - their dry pavement performance is actually managable, and they don't wear super-quick!

 

I totally agree.