mnipwr

i ordered my cms all4 with 18" wheels so i got summer tires

the first day below 35F, i knew i was going to need different tires for winter

so i went all the way and got the studless ice and snows

my first set, but they will not be the last

the difference from winters to all-seasons is more pronounced than the difference from summers to all-seasons

scott

 

Get some of these, haha

 

a postscript to my cms all4 on the icerink

after i finished playing with the all4, i went out on the ice with my 17 year old gmc sonoma 4x4 v6 5speed equipped with on-off road AT style all-seasons

i have been driving this p/u since new for 289,000 miles and have found it to be unstoppable in snow, but in 17 years, never had a chance to drive it on ice like this

it was better than my buddys buick, but nowhere near the cms all4

with a lot of care and a very light throttle, i got up to 40 mph, but once there, all i could do was go straight ... any attempt to turn resulted in a spin

stopping took over 400 feet, and it has ABS brakes

the fastest speed i could do a 180 degree turn was 10 mph, and then it took a lot of corrective steering input to keep from spinning and the radius was over 250 feet

the sonoma and the cms all4 weigh almost the same, so i attribute the difference to the winter tires on the all4

in the all4, i used DSC, DTC and both off with very similar results, but with more input needed from me as i progressively turned the traction controls off ... again, i come back to the winter tires

scott

 

studded tires are not allowed here due to the road wear and tear they cause

if they were, i would have them

scott

 

Those aren't even close to being legal. My blizzaks work better then studs most of the time.

 

Look where I live...my MINI with Blizzaks does amizingly awesome in snow and ice.

 

I live in Montreal so i am not new to winter driving.
From what i have experienced, my R53 handles winter driving very well compared to other cars i have tried ... granted it is pretty low and rubs anywhere there is snow accumulation

I am currently running vredestein winter tires (probably on my last season with them) and they still provide great traction.

As mentionned above, when you drive on icy conditions the most important thing to remember is to avoid abrupt inputs (unless you want to slide the back out for some fun ;-) ) go easy on the throttle and never enter a corner with too much speed since once you start sliding it is very hard to bring the car back to a neutral state (especially when understeering)

 

I was at Elk Mountain in the Pocono's for a ski trip two weekends ago - arrived right before winter storm Nemo dumped almost a foot (we measured 10" at the lodge). Hopped in the MiNi (Cooper S with Blizzak 70's x 4) and she effortlessly plowed a path through the uncleared snow up a long, curvy incline. We were doubtful she'd get to the top, and amazed that it was just so seemingly easy. Two years ago on the same driveway with half the snow, we were stuck in an SUV with all-seasons - it kept sliding backward every time we tried to inch forward. So suspension, DCS, front vs rear wheel drive, etc are all factors, but it's the tires that make all the difference. Might help? A little? I would argue will help a lot.

It is worth repeating the sentiment echoed here earlier in this thread that the choice can be between $600 snows or $6,000 in collision damage (not to mention injuries and loss-of-life potential). Buying four new Blizzaks was a painful purchase - and I don't regret it for a minute. It not only makes me safer on the road, it unlocks a whole new world of fun. The MiNi is a snowmobile!

 

i think of mine as a snow-cat because it has a heated cabin!



scott