Today we had our first snow that actually accumulated to an appreciable amount (probably 6 or more inches). I am runing Continental Extreme contact (215/45/17) and the car plowed threw okay. The snow was really slick though. Even my wife in the Jeep said that she felt her car getting pulled around from ruts in the snow and it felt slick.

With the depth of snow we had and it not plowed some roads I did not feel comfortable at more than 30mph. The car just felt so light and easily got pulled in all directions. The back end felt loose even on straight paths.

Do snow tires make that much of a difference on sure footedness? Not just forward traction? I don't think we will be getting enough snow a year to justify the time/money of putting on dedicated snows though...

 

YES YES YES YES OH YES

Without a doubt. Night and day. Light car or not, huge difference. I could go on for a page worth of text with stories of passing Land Rovers in my minvan while they spin their tires, pulling SUVs out of ditches with my old GTI, and watching Hummers spin in front of me, then talking their drivers through getting that big thing OUT of the ditch, driving up hills in my Passat Station Wagon that our neighbor in his Blazer (on new all-seasons) couldn't touch, but the short story is above. Yes, yes, no foolin' yes. BIG difference.

ALSO... snows have a rubber compound optimized for the cold. They don't get "hard" and as slick when the real cold stuff hits. I can't say enough about my Dunlop M3s or the Semperit Sport Grip, or the Michelin Arctic and Pilot Alpins I've had. Wonderful. Better than many all-seasons for allaround cold weather driving.

Nothing can repeal the laws of physics though - even on snows and/or with AWD there is such a thing as "too fast for conditions". Learn winter driving skills, and equip wisely.

 

Snow tires are definitely much much better for frequent snow and even studded snow tires are better, if needed for harsh conditions and heavy snow.

But, in Indiana your snow may vary so if you want to use all season tires just be careful to drive slow enough and always drive defensively.

I used all season tires on two different small cars for 5 winters in Chicago and did OK.

 

Snow tires make a huge difference. I have all seasons on the MINI but dedicated snows on the Saab. On one trip snowy days we drive the Saab . . . I'm solid while all the cars around me are ragged . . . my only task is to steer calmly clear of the edgers. On two trip days (spouse and I going our separate ways, say to work) she takes the short trip to her job in the MINI and I take the long trip to my job (up a hill, down a mountain, across the valley, over the river, up the mountain) with the dedicated snows.

I'm a cheap son of an unwed mother (not really, but I don't want to say bastard on NAM) and since I got all seasons with the rims I obtained for snow tires, I'm postponing the snow tires until I put some wear on the all seasons. Foolish.

Think of the dedicated snows on dedicated rims on a decade basis. It doesn't matter if the time is short each year, you'll get your use out of them.

Oh, the snows on the Saab are performance snow tires. They are so much better than all seasons in the snow but they also are better than the summer tires on cold dry roads. They don't live up to the summer tires on hot roads, but nothing does. Tires are available all the way from all seasons with a snowflake rating to winter tires without it.

 

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Well said. unless you're 100% snow, don't get "cheap" snow tires, since they're pretty much "one trick ponies" - rather good in snow, suboptimal everywhere else. They tend to be squirmy and noisy on pavement, and maybe a little slippy in the dry. Maybe they're confidence enhancing in Sweden or Northern Vermont, but in the icy blowy Midwest, slushy East, or sludgy wet icy compacted Pensylvania they're not the best. For that you need Performance Snows.

Performance snows, as mentioned above, are more "cold weather" winter tires, better optimized for on-pavement, winter usage. That means very good in snow and sludge, yes, better than all-seasons by a long shot, but perhaps trading off some "ultimate" snow performance for better on-pavement cold and wet performance. These include Dunlop M3, Michelin Arctic Alpin, Pilot Alpin, and even X-Ice, Semperit Sport Grip, and some others.

Tire Rack has some great research on their website, also ask around! State your desired performance characteristics, start a lively debate (it appears we all love those) and make your decision from there. Nothing wrong with good all-seasons, but all tires are tradeoffs of some type or another, what are you willing to "give" to get what you want?

Good luck in your search!

 

I kept putting off getting them for my MCS this year but will definately have them for next year. It's true we don't get snow as often as other areas of the country but having snow tires makes such a big difference. You can stay more relaxed while driving so you can keep your focus on what's going on around you. I've got snows on my other car and it's a night and day difference with snow tire.

 

Huuuuuge difference vs. all seasons. In parts of Germany where there is significant snowfall it's mandated by law to run snow tires in the winter - should be in parts of North America as well, and/or qualify you for a discount on your car insurance.

 

As a member of the insurance industry, I totally agree with your premise. Only problem is, use of snow tires would be far too difficult to verify. It's not like a permanent piece of equipment on your car... like an airbag or passive restraints that earn you discounts.

There might be other reasons it's not possible. I'll be out at our Corporate office in April. Maybe I'll drop in on our Actuary department and get their perspective on that one.

 

I agree with all of the posts above. If it helps your decision making process, the Michelin Artic Alpins on my OEM 16" wheels are on their 5th winter. This is the last one for them, but they normally are on the car from November through roughly March to the tune of about 500 miles in the average week. They've been slid around on (dry pavement ) enough to impact their life, so a little more restraint would likely have them last longer.

For winter use, you can pick up a set of OEM wheels from the marketplace section pretty cheap, or get some steelies from TireRack. It is much, much simpler to be able to swap wheels in the Fall and Spring than get tires mounted and dismounted.

Scott
90SM

 

I just noticed that Tire Rack has some RUN FLAT 195/55/16 snows for like $100 each... that's an outstanding buy for runflats, let alone runflat winter tires.

 

I've finally got to give my snows a good work out. The verdict, they are wonderful. Nokian Hakka 2 snows in 185/65/15 on holies, two thumbs up!!!