snow tires

[Asha]

my dh drives a lot of miles to work and doesn't have the option of coming in late or not coming in at all during snow storms. he already had one accident last year during bad winter weather. at first, we considered buying an suv but for cost reasons we decided against it. we have considered putting snow tires on the car instead. does this really help? you aren't supposed to use them all year round, right? do you only install them on the car during winter months - december - march? thanks for the info...

[2kCougar]

I have nokian hakkapeliitta snow tires on my cougar. The car was totally unable to handle the upstate NY winters before putting on these tires. Now I actually enjoy driving in the snow! I have nokian WR's on for the other 3 seasons. I will never buy any other tires for my car!!

[Kristen78]

I live in Northern Vermont and always put snow tires on my car in the winter months. Buyuing an SUV isn't always the answer in the snow. SUVs with 4WD will help you not get stuck in the snow, but they aren't the answer to sliding in the snow, slush, ice. Snow tires help with this. The tires are made with a softer rubber that grip the pavement, ice, snow better. They are then cure-all but if you drive carefully and safely they do a great job.

Nokian's are expensive snow tires. I've used Cooper Weathermaster tires on my Toyota Corolla, and now on my Subaru Outback, which is AWD. They work great. Like I said, you can't go fast because you will still slide in the snow, but they are a big help.

You only want to use them in the winter months because the rubber is softer, so when the pavement heats up it wears out the tires faster. Also snow tires take a toll on your miles per gallon, so its best for fuel efficiency to take them off when you dont need them.

[Asha]

thank you kristen and cougar for posting. it's good that they prevent slippage. definitely will still keep the snow shovel in the trunk just in case he does get stuck. going fast is not an issue bc my dh goes slower than the speed limit when it is bright and warm outside. :)

so, do you ladies change your own tires or just take it to the shop for the tire change during the change of seasons?

[2kCougar]

I change them out myself. DH & I have air tools, which makes the job much easier. I do all of the work on my car myself, so I just add this to my list. I have the winter tires on a set of inexpensive rims, so I don't have to bother swapping the tires off the rims each time. This was necessary as 17" rims aren't recommended for winter driving.

The nokians can be a little more expensive, but incredibly worth it! We also put them on our Audi (that has quattro). DH said that he's never had so much fun in the snow. He liked to drive the Audi better than his blazer, mountaineer, or 4Runner in the snow. I also have very wide tires with a low profile. I've had to have my Dad make me a set of ramps b/c I can't get the tires on a traditional set of ramps. Since I have an odd size, it was going to cost me over $500 for a set of bridgestone winter tires. I decided to spend the extra $25 per tire and get ones that handle on ice as well as they do on snow.

[Orange]

I use Blizzaks on my car and it makes a huge difference. I have a long commute and it really helps keep me from sliding all over the road. Like 2kcougar, we have the snow tires on a second set of rims so my DH just swaps them. My wheels of choice are 17" alloy wheels with some speedy tires but in the winter I use inexpensive 16" rims (with hubcaps) with the snow tires. I live in MA and usually have them on from Dec. 1 until April 1.

[Asha]

i didn't know that you had to get new rims/wheels, too. this is looking like it will be a costly solution, though, you can't put a price on peace of mind. so, when i go to the tire shop i should request they switch out the old rims and tires for new 16" inch rims and new snow tires. plus, i will keep all old rims and tires to save for the spring?

[2kCougar]

You don't have to get new rims. I did it b/c it is just easier for me to change them out. Also, the size of your stock tire would determine what size rim you could use. My 3 season tires are 17", snow tires are 16", but I could have put on 15" snow tires and probably saved some money. Check out www.tirerack.com you can configure a set of wheels and/or tires

[elladee]

Unless you have a pretty well equipped garage, you can't put tires on wheels yourself. You would have to go into a shop twice a year to have your tires swapped out.

If you have the snow tires installed on a separate set of wheels, however, you can do the swapping youself, just like changing a tire.

[Kristen78]

I bring my car to the garage to get the tires changed because you can't change them yourself unless you have a 2nd set of rims. Then you can have the tires mounted on the other rims and do it yourself.

I dont know about 17" rims not being good to drive on in the winter. My Outback has 17" rims and thats what I use all year round. My tires are somewhat low profile, but not like a sports car would be. I bought my snowtires at Tirerack.com also. They have good prices!

[boilermaker]

I don't have a lot of time to post, but several of the tire companies do make a newer all season tire that have the mountain snowflake approval. So, if you don't want to continually swap out your tires each year, you may want to consider replacing your existing tires for these. They work just as well in the snow and ice as snow tires.

What kind of car and tire size are you needing?

[Lanapoo]

I have studded snow tires and DH has blizzaks. Both are great. But the blizzaks don't have studs which is nice because they don't tear up the road in between snowfalls.

A lot of people just go in and get their tires changed over by proffessionals, it's only about $40 here in AK to do it.

[Asha]

we have a toyota corolla.

[Asha]

i just checked consumer reports and they are talking about two different types of winter tires - H & Q rated tires. What are your experiences with these types?

[2kCougar]

the H & Q refer to the maximum speed of the tire. Performance tires have higher ratings. My summer tires are considered to be performance tires and they have a H rating. My guess would be that the Q is probably for studded tires. You'd have to consult a chart to find out the exact specs on the ratings.

[Asha]

thanks, cougar!

[Kristen78]

I'm telling you, I had Cooper Weathermaster tires on my '98 Toyota Corolla and they worked like a charm! I think 4 tires cost me under $200.