Snow tires would they help?

brandoro · Feb 7, 2011

My last truck had a factory limited slip and real snow/winter tires. If it stopped going forward in the snow in 2WD it was time to poke it into 4X4 and back it out of there. Usually by the time it stopped in 2WD the snow was up to the door handles. I had a little trouble getting the door open

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Current truck also has a set of real winter tires mounted on steel rims. It doesn't have a real limited slip differential but "electronic" limited slip by using the brakes to slow the wheel that has lost traction. I like the real limited slip better.
These aren't "mud and snow" tires they are winter tires with the mountain and snowflake symbol on the sidewall. Attached is a photo of the tire I am using on the current truck, excellent traction, fairly quiet and the least expensive of three that I looked at.

sld · Feb 7, 2011

What does it take for a tire to get the mountain snow flake symbol?

I am currently running Michelin MS2's and was told by the dealer that they were very close to being rated for snow use...but not quite.

They have done real well in the little snow we've gotten this year. Not much slippage in 2wd but I use the 4wd most of the time anyway.

Is it deep tread? Shallow tread? Lots of tread blocks? Sipes? Anyone know?

gladehound · Feb 7, 2011

sld said:
What does it take for a tire to get the mountain snow flake symbol?

I am currently running Michelin MS2's and was told by the dealer that they were very close to being rated for snow use...but not quite.

They have done real well in the little snow we've gotten this year. Not much slippage in 2wd but I use the 4wd most of the time anyway.

Is it deep tread? Shallow tread? Lots of tread blocks? Sipes? Anyone know?

The tire has to be tested to have 110% percent of the traction of a specific reference all-season tire. Some snow tires actually have 140+% of the traction of the reference tire. So all snow tires are not created equally. See link for more info.

Don?t trust the snowflake We need a new standard - Winter Driving Guide - Autos - MSN CA

aczlan · Feb 7, 2011

We put new tires on my wife's Caravan last april and they did pretty good last winter, but they were slipping and sliding this winter, so I found a set of steel rims on Craigslist for $60 and got 4 new snow tires. It cost $400-500 when all was set and done, but she is now a snow tire convert.
Overall, it might cost a little more to run shows in the winter, but there is that much less wear on the "all season" summer tires, so that helps and the snows are cheaper than the effects of losing traction at the wrong moment (ie: a crash or getting stuck), so it is worth it for me.

It takes me about an hour per vehicle to swap the tires over and check out her van (or my Volvo) in the spring/fall. Not a lot of time in the big picture, plus that way I check the fluids, brakes and suspension at least twice a year.

Aaron Z

gladehound · Feb 9, 2011

We put a set of Hankook snow tires (w409?) on my wife's Kia Sedona. I just spent a few days Lake Placid where they got about 3ft of snow the week we were there and can confirm that it is a snowmobile now. It went one place that got my dad's suburban stuck in all wheel drive with good all season tires. Although all he had to do was lock the transfer case to get unstuck.

An added bonus is that these tires are extremely quiet. Much quieter than the all season radials that we took off of it.

2 wheel drive with good snow tires seems similar to 4wd with average all season tires for going. Keep in mind that 2wd with snows is superior for stopping and turning to anything that doesn't have snows.

irvingj · Feb 9, 2011

I'm with aczlan. With every new car my wife & I have purchased in that last 20 years ... I immediatley order a set of mounted snows from TireRack. (Same for the 72 Blazer I had for 30 years....)

All-Season tires are NOT snow tires, in my experience.

Having a set of mounted snows --on plain-Jane steel rims-- gives me all these advantages:

Less wear & tear on the summers, so they last longer; dedicated summers, that do better --and I feel are safer-- than "all-seasons" in warm weather; I can put the snows on at MY convenience, without making an "appointment" somewhere and a) waiting an hour or more, b) watching some youngster tearing the bejeezus out of my tires' beads, c) getting the lug nuts wound up so tight they break off at the first flat tire and/or warp the discs or drums, and d) paying $$$ twice a year.... not to mention getting at least three seasons out of my snow tires and keeping the OEM alloy wheels in good shape by not exposing them to NH road salt.

Oh- and did I mention? We generally get around a lot better when there's snow on the ground....

NIdaho · Feb 14, 2011

Check out some Michelin LTX M/S2. I ran the LTX M/S on my last pickup and they were one of the best tires I had ever run. I picked up the LTX M/S2 earlier this season for this pickup and they have done extremely well. They were not cheap ~$250 / tire at Costco. They are suppose to a have a 70,000 mile tread life warranty.

mbrule · Feb 14, 2011

Cooper Discoverer M+S at all 4 corners of my 3/4 to 4WD pickup. I can plow UPHILL on driveways that I could not even get into without the snow tires!!!!

Snow tires (and a bit of weight) WILL make a big difference!

Just my (VERY opinionated) $.02......

schmism · Feb 14, 2011

i just put snow tires on both of my BMW that normally run a performance street tire on them. traction before was about a 1.. .after was a solid 6 on snow.

I got an entire set of snow tires with wheels for my 540 from CL for $350. bairly used tires

I needed new tires on the 325is a number of years ago and also needed a rim. Found a set of "stock" rims with fresh rubber for $200 on CL. So i pulled the old tires/rims off and set them the barn. Tried to sell them a couple of times on CL no takers. Then when i needed snow tires for the 3 series i looked at CL and found a set of 4 15" snow tires (rubber only) for $200. Had 2 mounted for the rear.

In short if you do your shopping (espeically in the off season) you can likely find an entire set of snow tires (rims and tires) for $400.

After experienceing the diffrence first hand in how the cars drive on snow, i would recomend them to anyone that lives in a often-snow-fall-event location.

NOTE: both my sets of my snow tires are acutall SNOW tires... DOT snow flake on the side. Blizzak to be exact

My 4wd toyota (with rear locker) and full MT tires (kumho MT) goes and stops as well as the cars, but gets half the gas millage....

PILOON · Feb 14, 2011

You guys are lucky.
In Quebec they passed a law that makes it mandatory to have snow tires as of Nov 15 each year.
Said tires MUST be snow and not M & S.
They also banned studs on all vehicles over 3000 lbs.

There was also a push to ban snows after May 15 as it was claimed that the softer rubber was dangerous on hot asphalt.

Rental co's have fits over this law.