All season tires for winter?

nikro000

nikro000

Member
Here is my situation: in Austria, by law, we are required in winter to have snow tires on the car. So I have never driven on snow and ice with anything except snow tires. Here in New Mexico we usually get no more than a slight "sugarcoating" in winter, so snow tires were not necessary in the city - that is until last winter. In our backyard we had 17 inches of snow which led most of us on an ice skating tour everytime we used our cars with the summer tires. Clearly that will not do next winter. I first thought about snow tires, but there are several down sides including costs (buying and changing 4 tires for a maximum of 2 weeks of heavy snow a year, that might not even come) and storage (not much space to store the other 4 tires in our garage). Now I see those ads for all-season tires all around. It would be convenient to slap them on and have them on the car all year, even for the 2 weeks of snow. Does anybody have experience with all season tires in snowy conditions? :hmmm:
 
Yes.
They have served us well for many winters.
If you have front wheel or all wheel drive, it should be all you need. If you have rear wheel drive, you may still want snow tires on the rear. I didn't, but my wife did.

Charles
 
We get a lot of Snow here in Toronto,Canada but many people use all season tires here and with a little practise you will quickly learn how to drive/stop in Snow.
Regardless of how good A/S tires are,they just can't compete with a good set of winter tires,the smart way here is to have a set of winter tires with their own steel rims and swap them with all season ones as soon as winter arrives.
 
distrbd said:
We get a lot of Snow here in Toronto,Canada but many people use all season tires here and with a little practise you will quickly learn how to drive/stop in Snow.
Regardless of how good A/S tires are,they just can't compete with a good set of winter tires,the smart way here is to have a set of winter tires with their own steel rims and swap them with all season ones as soon as winter arrives.
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Yeah, that's what we did in Austria too and I thought about it here, but I have to make budget compromises, especially since the snow might not even come. I have visions of equipping my car like a snow plough, only to have a nice warm January sun blazing down on it and my wife nagging me, why I had to spend so much money.
So all season might be the way to go. Sounds like a doable compromise.
 
God I wish it was a law here....I love getting behind a 1992 honda civic with 18" rims and 1/2 " size tires and wondering why he can't go more then two feet...


I agree while all seasons are good, nothing beats a good set of winter tires.
 
Thanks guys - I went to tire rack and found some really good options -I especially like their decision maker.
 
audiboy said:
Most summer tire manufacturers don't suggest using their tires in anything than less than 45 degree weather.
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Gee that's interesting - I have never heard that but I guess that's not what they write on the tire in big letters. Thanks Audiboy!:)
 
Tires that have poor cold performance are designed for high performance driving. They are not good for a year round daily driver but such tires are designated as ultra performance and at tire rack they will tell you that they are not for ice.
I have tires like that on my highly modified Corvette.
Down side they are really expensive and wear very fast due to the soft compound.
The good part is they stick like glue when hot.
Since I only drive my vette in the summer months and drive it like it was stolen they are idea for my situation.
AS tires attempt to do all things so they do everything reasonably well but will not be as good in snow as a winter designed snow tire and not as good for high speed cornering as a ultra performance tire.
If I lived where you do I would choose a AS tire with a good wet traction rating they should do well in your winter climate.
 
I'm in Canada and use all-season mostly. But I have a 4x4, so power for getting through deep snow without them. In Alberta, the crusty ice and low budget snow removal meant they were mandatory. If I had the money, though, I would use them for sure, though they are a little hard on dry roads.
b
 
I agree that you can probably get away with an aggressive All Season tire ...the GoodYear would be a good choice...I use the Michelin MX4 for most of my vehicles including my Tahoe for a better and smooth ride..I've had quite a few sets and have been happy with them on my cars, mini-vans, and trucks. :)
 
nikro000 here is a link to a page with a lot of info for what you are asking about.
I"m sure this will help you make a decision.
Remember the better the traction in snow the more noise so if you don't want to listen to a noisy tire you will either need to compromise or plan on switching to summer tire when you no longer need the extra traction.

Winter Tire Tech
 
on the subject...the 03-06 jeep rubicon's come factory with GOODYEAR MTR RUBBER. E-LOAD! after talking with other owners, they are not great in winter/rain conditions. awesome tire for off road tho. so with PA winters :( i swapped them for BRIDGESTONE DUELER AT REVOS. heard good things about this AT. only had them on about 2 weeks now, but awesome AT tire.
 
nikro000 said:
Here is my situation: in Austria, by law, we are required in winter to have snow tires on the car. So I have never driven on snow and ice with anything except snow tires. Here in New Mexico we usually get no more than a slight "sugarcoating" in winter, so snow tires were not necessary in the city - that is until last winter. In our backyard we had 17 inches of snow which led most of us on an ice skating tour everytime we used our cars with the summer tires. Clearly that will not do next winter. I first thought about snow tires, but there are several down sides including costs (buying and changing 4 tires for a maximum of 2 weeks of heavy snow a year, that might not even come) and storage (not much space to store the other 4 tires in our garage). Now I see those ads for all-season tires all around. It would be convenient to slap them on and have them on the car all year, even for the 2 weeks of snow. Does anybody have experience with all season tires in snowy conditions? :hmmm:
Click to expand...
What type of vehicle are we talking about here?You have alot of good opinions but for cost I would consider falcon tires from Tire Products By Brand - Discount Tire Direct
free shipping and a very good tire also.
 
This is what I put on my wifes explorer and they are the best all round tire I ever owned. They are not noisy great in the rain and if I can't go in the snow then it is so deep that whatever I'm trying to go to will be canceled anyway.
The smallest size they come in is 215/75SR15
much too big for a small car but look at the tread design on these and see if you can Find a tire in the size that you need with a similar tread.
Most winter tires worth anything are noisy but these are not.
When I get the Goodyear RTS on my Ranger worn a little more I will buy the Michelin LTX for it also..
Don't buy these unless you are going to keep the vehicle these are 80,000 mile tires.
Michelin LTX A/T
 
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