Snowmageddon is Here Again. Post Your Snow Pics

[sajohnson]

I usually have my winter wheels/tires mounted in late Nov or early Dec. Come mid to late March the summer wheels/tires are swapped back on.

Winter.

Summer.

Makes sense to me.

My wife and I are in a completely different climate down here in Maryland. This winter has been an exception. It hasn't reached record lows (about -5*F) but it's been close to 0* with wind chills close to -20* and it's been below freezing for weeks now. Cold for here.

Typically, the temp fluctuates above and below freezing. Well within the range of all-season tires like the OE tires on the Bronco Sport. At our milder temps, they perform better than winter tires -- as long as the roads are clear, which they almost always are.

When I was driving the WRX every day, I was a bit of a fanatic about having the best tires on it for conditions. If snow/ice was forecast, I'd pop the winter tires on but otherwise they stayed in the garage. That's what I did, I'm not suggesting anyone should necessarily follow my example. I had the time and tools to make swapping tires easy.

 

[Warped9]

If I recall it’s advisable to switch to winter tires if you’re getting under 7C/45F temperatures generally consistently. Thats certainly been the case here since late November to early December. My winter tires are also 225s (versus summer 235s) so they sink into snow a bit better.

 

[Dude]

… it's been close to 0* with wind chills close to -20* and it's been below freezing for weeks now. Cold for here.

On the bright side, all the mosquitoes are likely wiped out

 

[Robins21]

You have not experienced Winter driving until you have driven a RWD car in the snow.

 

[Warped9]

You have not experienced Winter driving until you have driven a RWD car in the snow.

For eight years I drove a 2004 Crown Victoria LX and I never had any issues come winter. I always had good winter tires and used my head while driving in it. I never got stuck, spun out or lost control.

Sometimes I really miss that car…

 

[Garth]

In my youth we had LTDs and no snows, they were way better in the winter than the first front wheel drive Fiesta my mom had. Or was it a Festiva

 

[dwrufus53]

You have not experienced Winter driving until you have driven a RWD car in the snow.

I have childhood memories of my dad backing the car up an icy, snow-covered hill, effectively converting his RWD to FWD of sorts.

 

[Warped9]

Way back I had a ‘79 VW Rabbit with manual transmission. It seemed unstoppable in snow.

 

[sajohnson]

You have not experienced Winter driving until you have driven a RWD car in the snow.

Absolutely.

Driving a RWD vehicle in snow -- while avoiding accidents -- takes practice.

The only RWD car I've owned that was good in snow was an old VW Bug, because the weight of the engine was over the rear wheels. All other RWD vehicles I've driven (beginning almost 50 years ago) have been some degree of lame.

The worst were/are RWD pickup trucks with no load in the bed. In the 1970s, we had a RWD '65 Chevy pickup (with a bed made from oak boards!). It had a 292 I6 and a 3-speed manual ("3 on the tree"). The county we lived in had no sheriff's dept., only resident state troopers, and they stuck to the state highways. So I could do whatever I wanted on our rural road. Every time it snowed I'd take the truck out and practice braking, steering, accelerating, intentionally sliding, etc. That was priceless experience that many/most drivers do not get.

I imagine that RWD has gotten a bit better with traction control, but even if it is essentially 2WD now -- vs 1WD with an open diff like our truck -- it's still at a major disadvantage vs FWD.

 

[sajohnson]

If I recall it’s advisable to switch to winter tires if you’re getting under 7C/45F temperatures generally consistently. Thats certainly been the case here since late November to early December. My winter tires are also 225s (versus summer 235s) so they sink into snow a bit better.

Smart to use narrower winter tires.

I've seen 45*F mentioned a lot too. I believe that's the max temp for most true winter tires (as opposed to all weather tires) and it's the minimum for most summer tires.

The minimum for all-season tires varies some by mfr of course. This is from Continental:

" All-season tires are a versatile solution, designed to perform across a broad range of temperatures, from approximately -10 °C (14 °F) up to +30 °C (86 °F). They combine features from both summer and winter tires, providing reliable traction on dry and wet roads throughout the year. These tires can also handle light snow, while generally offering a quieter and more comfortable ride compared to dedicated winter tires."
https://www.continental-tires.com/tire-knowledge/summer-or-winter-tires/

Every test of winter tires I've seen shows them being clearly better on ice & snow, but mediocre at dry & wet braking and handling.

Still, as temps decrease, at some point it makes sense that winter tires would be better. I'd need to see if I can determine the ambient temp at which the tests were done. Presumably it would have been a temp appropriate for winter tires -- below 45*F. If it was warmer that would not be a fair test.

What would be interesting would be a test of several winter and all-season tires at a range of temps -- wet & dry down to just above freezing, and dry from there down to below zero. The winter tires would have an advantage due to their softer compound, but the all-seasons generally have more rubber on the road (narrower grooves and fewer sipes).

 

[Warped9]

Going by the subjective seat-of-my-pants experience all-season tires seem to get “harder” as the temperature drops significantly, below that 7C/45F transition point, almost like the tires were becoming akin to solid rubber. It’s a subtle and hard to define feeling. But winter tires below that 7C/45F transition point tend to feel like all-season tires in warmer temperatures because the tire compound remains pliable. To that end winter tires don’t feel very different under otherwise normal driving conditions.

It should be noted that conventional winter tires have their own temperature limit, and if you get into essentially arctic like temperatures you then need a whole other category of tire.

 

[sajohnson]

Speaking of snowmageddon -- this FEMA map is interesting:

Surprisingly, where we live in MD (NE of the eastern bit of WV) is in the same category as many parts of the northern Midwest.

 

[Garth]

Thats why all weather especially if you want all terrain are the way to go. I use them all year round and if they wear out a year early I still saved the hassle and expense of changing tires out twice a year. My Toyos make a different sound than the Continental atr but are not noisier. Narrow tires are fine if you are in the conditions that require sinking down to a firmer surface but going to 245 from 225 isnt much of a leap. JMO

 

[sajohnson]

This guy does excellent tire testing:


Here he talks about a great winter tire (Michelin X-Ice) that does poorly in wet & dry testing:


He mentions a test done by the German magazine Sport Auto. They tested at 46*F, which is very helpful to know:


According to this chart, the reference winter tire (Blizzak LM005) did very well at wet braking and handling:


He describes the Blizzak LM005 as a 'specialist' at wet handling and braking though. It is basically tied with the Cross Climate 2 for snow braking and handling -- OK, but not great for a winter tire.

In addition, the LM005 did poorly at dry braking and handling:


Here's a second test with results similar to what I've seen:

 

[Warped9]

I have Michelin X-Ice tires and I have no complaints.

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