Need snow tires or are brand new tires good enough

Milo Maltbie wrote

Here is the answer if you think AWD with all season tires is good enough:
http://jalopnik.com/lets-settle-the-winter-tires-vs-all-wheel-drive-debat-1462180324
If you don't want snow tires because you think you spend too much time in dry pavement, read this:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/winter-tires-track-tested
The hardest thing abut winter driving is passing all the boneheads who don't think they need proper tires.

Mm

I have one quibble with the R&T review. They don't take into account wet road performance at all. Both summer performance tires and winter tires pretty much suck on wet, rainy roads. That's the downside of track testing. It rains in the real world. I've seen more than one BMW in the trees here in the summer during and after a rainstorm, with some kid standing next to it looking embarrassed, and probably regretting those "race" tires he put on it to be cool.

Benny Profane wrote

I have one quibble with the R&T review. They don't take into account wet road performance at all. Both summer performance tires and winter tires pretty much suck on wet, rainy roads. That's the downside of track testing. It rains in the real world. I've seen more than one BMW in the trees here in the summer during and after a rainstorm, with some kid standing next to it looking embarrassed, and probably regretting those "race" tires he put on it to be cool.

I've found winter tires to be much better than high performance tires in the rain.  Some of them are as good as all seasons, and they are all more manageable in the rain than all seasons are in the snow..  Modern tires are so good that I never get close to the limit on the highway except when there's snow.  I'll be using my winter tires next summer until I trade my car for a BRZ.  

MM

Hoo boy, a BRZ. As a frequent Miata driver, all I can say is, don't be cavalier about tire choice with that car. Get a good all weather tire good in the wet. (The Yokohama Avid Envigor is excellent) And don't even think of driving it in the winter.

The passion that so many can bring to this topic never ceases to amaze me.  You guys have any strong opinions you'd like to share on garage door openers?

Noah John wrote

The passion that so many can bring to this topic never ceases to amaze me.  You guys have any strong opinions you'd like to share on garage door openers?

NJ for the win

Benny Profane wrote

Hoo boy, a BRZ. As a frequent Miata driver, all I can say is, don't be cavalier about tire choice with that car. Get a good all weather tire good in the wet. (The Yokohama Avid Envigor is excellent) And don't even think of driving it in the winter.

BRZs have nearly 50/50 weight distribution, moderate power and good ground clearance.  It should be alright in the winter.   Scroll down here for a picture of Miata winter driving:
http://www2.icerace.com/street-legal-information/street-legal/

MM

Noah John wrote

The passion that so many can bring to this topic never ceases to amaze me.  You guys have any strong opinions you'd like to share on garage door openers?

It's only because we are frustrated by guys who think it's acceptable to drive their Subarus in the left lane at 30 mph whenever it snows.
As far as garage door openers, if I could hack them to keep them closed until you put real tires on your Subaru, that would make me happy.

MM

Milo Maltbie wrote

Benny Profane wrote

Hoo boy, a BRZ. As a frequent Miata driver, all I can say is, don't be cavalier about tire choice with that car. Get a good all weather tire good in the wet. (The Yokohama Avid Envigor is excellent) And don't even think of driving it in the winter.

BRZs have nearly 50/50 weight distribution, moderate power and good ground clearance.  It should be alright in the winter.   Scroll down here for a picture of Miata winter driving:
http://www2.icerace.com/street-legal-information/street-legal/

MM

Good luck with that

Milo Maltbie wrote

Here is the answer if you think AWD with all season tires is good enough...

This one time, it was.

I think the state of emergency(ies) was the key. Roads were well plowed, and trucks were banned from the Thruway.

I fully acknowledge the good luck I had.



Noah... clearly obsession with tires is more of a flatlander thing.  If you live close to the mountains you can run snows all winter and not be beating on them with endless highway driving. Or not.

Milo Maltbie wrote

Benny Profane wrote

Hoo boy, a BRZ. As a frequent Miata driver, all I can say is, don't be cavalier about tire choice with that car. Get a good all weather tire good in the wet. (The Yokohama Avid Envigor is excellent) And don't even think of driving it in the winter.

BRZs have nearly 50/50 weight distribution, moderate power and good ground clearance.  It should be alright in the winter.   Scroll down here for a picture of Miata winter driving:
http://www2.icerace.com/street-legal-information/street-legal/

MM

Um, listen. A few things.  This last storm that blew through here on Friday? Always comical to see some dude in his non X Drive BMW with low profile, I guess, "all weather tires" sitting on a slight incline at an intersection just spinning his wheels. Well, not too comical if I and others are now stuck behind him.
Second, I used to live upstate in Saratoga Springs, and worked in a huge printing plant. Of the hundreds of cars out there in the lot, I never saw one Camaro. You would think the working class of upstate NY would be a big market of bitchin' Camaros, but, they know better. Kinda useless half the year.
Did you see the commercials for the BRZ? Remember the drifting, sliding turns the car was doing with quasi rock music in the background? That would translate into uncontrollable 360 to 720 spins with 2 inches of snow on the ground.
Hey, I salivate over the BRZ, too. Awesome car. Super value. But, it's a toy. It's for somebody who has a more practical, second car. And, seriously, be careful in the rain. I almost wrapped that Miata around a few trees trying to be Jackie Stewart at Spa a few times.

campgottagopee wrote

We can thank our government for those stooopid TPMS lights

All they do is cost us more money ----- aparently the government doesn't think we can tell when we have a soft/flat tire

Yeah.

My light came on Friday morning after I had been driving in the relatively unplowed snow for about 45 minutes. It was really cold. I checked all the tires, and they were good. So, wtf? Hard to ignore such a thing, though. Later I'm on 287 in Jersey on my way to Baltimore, and a get a nasty vibration at 60mph after I filled up with gas. Light still on. Who knows what my computer driven car might be freaking out about. Fortunately, there's a Subaru dealer at the next exit. They confirm my suspicion that it was all about ice buildup on the inside of the rims, reset the light, and send me on my way. So, I guess the sensor detects abnormal wheel rotation in Subarus, not tire pressure. I could live without it.

I had been using all season tires on my 2011 RAV4 until this year. With 30000 miles on the all seasons, I thought it was time to stop taking chances. It's hard to compare the all seasons to snows since I last drove the all seasons in the snow last winter, but I really thought the car behaved much better getting up my driveway as well as on the road Thursday and Friday.

tom

Benny Profane wrote

Milo Maltbie wrote

Benny Profane wrote

Hoo boy, a BRZ. As a frequent Miata driver, all I can say is, don't be cavalier about tire choice with that car. Get a good all weather tire good in the wet. (The Yokohama Avid Envigor is excellent) And don't even think of driving it in the winter.

BRZs have nearly 50/50 weight distribution, moderate power and good ground clearance.  It should be alright in the winter.   Scroll down here for a picture of Miata winter driving:
http://www2.icerace.com/street-legal-information/street-legal/

MM

Um, listen. A few things.  This last storm that blew through here on Friday? Always comical to see some dude in his non X Drive BMW with low profile, I guess, "all weather tires" sitting on a slight incline at an intersection just spinning his wheels. Well, not too comical if I and others are now stuck behind him.
Second, I used to live upstate in Saratoga Springs, and worked in a huge printing plant. Of the hundreds of cars out there in the lot, I never saw one Camaro. You would think the working class of upstate NY would be a big market of bitchin' Camaros, but, they know better. Kinda useless half the year.
Did you see the commercials for the BRZ? Remember the drifting, sliding turns the car was doing with quasi rock music in the background? That would translate into uncontrollable 360 to 720 spins with 2 inches of snow on the ground.
Hey, I salivate over the BRZ, too. Awesome car. Super value. But, it's a toy. It's for somebody who has a more practical, second car. And, seriously, be careful in the rain. I almost wrapped that Miata around a few trees trying to be Jackie Stewart at Spa a few times.

The key thing about a BRZ is equally balanced weight, good ground clearance (for a car) and moderate power. The drifting, sliding and quasi rock music is optional.  I'm thinking it will be way better than my Mitsubishi Starion, which would have been OK except if you weren't careful the turbo would kick in without warning and send you sideways.   Every time my BRZ blows by an AWD on the Taconic Parkway it will just prove my opinion that if you don't have the right tires, nothing else matters.

MM

I know I am late to this post but my 2 cents from recent personal experience.  We have a 2013 Outback.  Stock tires were fair at best.  On my way to Killington to an early season tele instructor clinic, I was going over Rt 4 with "wet" roads and single digit temps.  I felt very uneasy.   The colder the weather, the worse the tire performance.  Not a good combo.  I rode the chairlift with PSIA tele legend John Tidd and he told be about Nokian all season tires.  He swears by them and has used them for years.  I did some research and ultimately decied to replace my OEMs at 20K with the Nokain WS 02s before my 2 week stint at Gore over X-Mas. It made a huge difference. I took them out in the ice that Sunday after x-mas and in the snow late last week.  The tire can be used all year and they wern't that expensive ($160 tire installed).   Adjusted warranty is 50K miles, so I will see how it goes.  I recommend them.  

telerider wrote

I did some research and ultimately decied to replace my OEMs at 20K with the Nokain WS 02s before my 2 week stint at Gore over X-Mas. It made a huge difference. I took them out in the ice that Sunday after x-mas and in the snow late last week.  The tire can be used all year and they wern't that expensive ($160 tire installed).   Adjusted warranty is 50K miles, so I will see how it goes.  I recommend them.

Thanks. I think this may be the compromise I need.

Harv, the model is actually the WR G2s.  I just looked at them on my Sube.  I also learned that Nokian is replacing them with the WRG3.  If you can find the G2, save a few bucks, they have a big cult following.  

I just saw this and it made me think of this thread:

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/living-with-a-sports-car-winter-canada-and-no-parkin-1513866963

I'll be searching Craigslist for a new car in the spring.

MM

Benny Profane wrote

and worked in a huge printing plant.

Unrelated, but, was that Quad?

Yes sir.

Nokian snow tires totally rock.  I'm now on Nordmans, which are a reproduction of the old Hakkapellitta 4.  I don't need the current Hakka 7s, which only come studded.