Wintah tiyahs!

[2o6]

Do you live in a region that gets multiple heavy snowfalls per year?

Yes.

[SVT666]

Interesting, any 2WD car I've owned, including the Accord, has been mostly worthless in the snow on all-seasons. At least around here there's lots of hills and our roads aren't all that well plowed. Plus I do a lot pass and ski area driving, which is nigh impossible on all-seasons owing to DOT and area mandates.

I agree.  Snows are mandatory here and I'm happy for that.  People who have never driven a car with snows have no idea the night and day difference there is between them and all-seasons (3 seasons).

[565]

Snow tires makes things better, but you can manage without them if you are willing to drive slower/ plan ahead.

I drove a rwd car without ABS in the snow with worn out summer tires all the time when I was in college and highschool.  I just got used to having no traction and not getting up certain inclines (so I planned around them) and very long stopping distances without being able to steer.

Then I drove my buddy's old civic in the snow with his regular all season tires, and I honestly had my mind blown, it was like defying physics.  I mean, making a 20 mph turn without drifting and countersteering??? what was this sorcery?

Then I got an SUV with AWD and mud/snow tires and was even more blown away.

Snow driving prowess is alot like speed and performance.  You can get used to 0-60 in 4 seconds, but you can still manage with a 0-60 in 14 seconds.  Think about back in the day when roads were not as well cleared, every car was pretty much RWD, ABS didn't exist, and tires sucked.  The northern side of the country didn't completely shut down when winter came.

[giant_mtb]

Yes.

I wouldn't call ~50" annual snowfall a justification for snow tires. lulz.

[The Pirate]

I wouldn't call ~50" annual snowfall a justification for snow tires. lulz.

I view snow tires as the same thing as summer tires.  Sure, an all-season is going to get you around the corner, but a summer tire gets you around it that much faster.    And yeah, I've made all-season work for many years, in an area that receives around 100 inches of snow annually.

To each his own, and I'd probably be less inclined to get snow tires if I owned a something like a Forester or a GM W-body (surprisingly adept in the snow), but the differences in performance on my Mazda are far too great to ignore. 

[Laconian]

I just work from home when it snows.

Most of the time I work, but sometimes there are quotes surrounding the verb: "work"

[the Teuton]

I wouldn't call ~50" annual snowfall a justification for snow tires. lulz.

Snowpocalypse raped them, too; just not as badly as it did everyone east of Ohio. They got 22 inches in a single sitting; we got 34.

[Rupert]

OMG the worst snow in the last 50 yeasr means i needz tires!

[the Teuton]

OMG the worst snow in the last 50 yeasr means i needz tires!

The only reason I got around last year was because I had a shovel and a 260 lbs. roommate to push my car. I only have one of those this year.

[giant_mtb]

Snowpocalypse raped them, too; just not as badly as it did everyone east of Ohio. They got 22 inches in a single sitting; we got 34.

That's absolutely no reason to get snow tires and you know it.  Like Rupert said.  I'm curious if people in areas like yours actually buy snow tires more often than people in actually snowy regions.  People in actually snowy regions simply know how to drive in the stuff.  People in your area of the country get 8" of snow, freak out, and then buy snow tires for the next snowpocalypse that never happens.

[Laconian]

Sounds like here.

We freak out when it rains, too. You'd think we'd be used to it by now!

[the Teuton]

That's absolutely no reason to get snow tires and you know it.  Like Rupert said.  I'm curious if people in areas like yours actually buy snow tires more often than people in actually snowy regions.  People in actually snowy regions simply know how to drive in the stuff.  People in your area of the country get 8" of snow, freak out, and then buy snow tires for the next snowpocalypse that never happens.

Mine were free. Duh.

For reference:

[giant_mtb]

No reference is necessary.

[Rupert]

Seriously. We all know what a foot of snow looks like. But just because I drove through a smokey area last summer, does not mean I need oxygen tanks, ya dig?

[giant_mtb]

I drove through a bad part of town in Detroit once a few years ago.  I didn't go out and buy a gun afterwards, though.

Ya dig?

[the Teuton]

I drove through a bad part of town in Detroit once a few years ago.  I didn't go out and buy a gun afterwards, though.

Ya dig?

Better to be safe than sorry.

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-sKZMbNqP0&feature=related

[giant_mtb]

Safe than sorry?  So, what...in the incredibly rare event of another snowpocalypse in which you won't drive anyway because your car has no ground clearance you can at least look out your window and go "ahhh, at least I have snow tires!"

[The Pirate]

Safe than sorry?  So, what...in the incredibly rare event of another snowpocalypse in which you won't drive anyway because your car has no ground clearance you can at least look out your window and go "ahhh, at least I have snow tires!"

Meh, ground clearance is an issue, but not so much.  I've pushed through snow coming coming up over the hood.  Granted, that was in a field at high speed...

Other than that, we'll have to agree to disagree, I guess.  You're clearly not in the winter tire camp.

[the Teuton]

I miss eh-dubya-dee. Yes, the old car performed better than the new car in inclement weather without wintah tiyahs. It was noticeable.

The best thing the PlastiCar had going for it was the manual transmission made it easier to modulate the car's throttle to get out of snow drifts.

Still, I think this car will rock in the white stuff now. I need to get the wheels balanced, though.

[Rupert]

Meh, ground clearance is an issue, but not so much.  I've pushed through snow coming coming up over the hood.  Granted, that was in a field at high speed...

Other than that, we'll have to agree to disagree, I guess.  You're clearly not in the winter tire camp.

Also dry snow, I bet.

[giant_mtb]

Meh, ground clearance is an issue, but not so much.  I've pushed through snow coming coming up over the hood.  Granted, that was in a field at high speed...

Other than that, we'll have to agree to disagree, I guess.  You're clearly not in the winter tire camp.

Whaaaaa?  I love winter tires.  I just think it's strange/weird/pathetic/silly that Teuts and others that experienced one snowpocalypse think it's necessary to get snow tirez.

[2o6]

Yeah, because you're from the UP.

[Rich]

They aren't a necessity but they make life easier

and they get more than one snowfall a year

[the Teuton]

Whaaaaa?  I love winter tires.  I just think it's strange/weird/pathetic/silly that Teuts and others that experienced one snowpocalypse think it's necessary to get snow tirez.

Uh, I definitely got groceries with A/S tires on my car last year. I don't have a 260-pound roommate to help push my car anymore, though. More traction is always a plus.

[Rupert]

It's only more traction in snow/ice. It's less traction everywhere else.

[the Teuton]

It's only more traction in snow/ice. It's less traction everywhere else.

Yeah, I know. I'm not really a fan of the ride at all right now. The car feels completely unsorted, twitchy, and bouncy like the struts are blown (which they're not).

[Rupert]

And you will suffer through this all winter long, only using the tires in a light snow two times. Sounds like a good purchase to me!

[the Teuton]

And you will suffer through this all winter long, only using the tires in a light snow two times. Sounds like a good purchase to me!

Luckily, the highway driving will only last so much longer. I might have to change the tires back for my 380-mile roundtrip to Columbus and back in a week if the weather keeps being generally pleasant.

[The Pirate]

It's only more traction in snow/ice. It's less traction everywhere else.

Incorrect.

One other important component of winter tires is that they have a different (softer) compound to aid in grip in colder temperatures, even dry roads.  Forty-four degrees is a fairly significant point here - winter tires start to excel in temps colder than this while all-season grip is diminished and summer tire grip is more or less gone.  The difference now is less than it was even 10 years ago;, as technology evolves modern all-seasons are better able to maintain grip in cold temperatures, but proper winter tires are still superior.  There's a really good graph/study that proves this, I can't find it at the moment but I'll dig it up.

[The Pirate]

Whaaaaa?  I love winter tires.  I just think it's strange/weird/pathetic/silly that Teuts and others that experienced one snowpocalypse think it's necessary to get snow tirez.

Hmm.  I distinctly got the impression that you weren't a proponent of snow tires.  That's what I get for finishing up a paper and enjoying a few adult beverage while I read the 'Spin.