Amen.It is impossible to overstate the difference between real winter tires and anything, ANYTHING else in snow, ice etc.
It also makes me laugh that the post that started all this is comparing two all season tires, not even a real winter tire.Amen.
The people claiming that winter tires don’t make much difference are the ones who have never owned winter tires.
Those of us who lived where it snows frequently (Stowe, VT, for example) and had real winter tires know better.
But even that, there is every few years since I know I exist, "new" technology that will make us drive the same tires in summer and winter.It also makes me laugh that the post that started all this is comparing two all season tires, not even a real winter tire.
That is tricky proposition.It's pretty simple. You consider the driver, the vehicle, and the environment including temperature.
If all seasons can't get the job done you move to winter. If winter won't get the job done you move to studded, unless it is illegal to run them like it is here and in many other less northern areas.
Most people base their decision on snow accumulations not other factors.^ Doesn't seem that tricky to me, considering night temperatures should be obvious if one drives at night, and all the other things an aware person would consider, like that if it's below freezing and roads are salted, there may still be black ice on bridges which is where I see most people losing control.
AWD just puts you further into the ditch.Yep. My buddy drives tow truck part time and gets called up every time it snows. He said his most common snow call is middle aged ladies with a stuck Subaru or small SUV. They can get going fine which gives them unwarranted confidence which bites them when it's time to stop.
Most common vehicles in the ditch when it snows:Yep. My buddy drives tow truck part time and gets called up every time it snows. He said his most common snow call is middle aged ladies with a stuck Subaru or small SUV. They can get going fine which gives them unwarranted confidence which bites them when it's time to stop.
Interesting how my CX5 goes up a 27% grade snowy slope just fine on its terrible all-seasons though, huh?But even that, there is every few years since I know I exist, "new" technology that will make us drive the same tires in summer and winter.
We just had an absolute nightmare driving-wise (not snow-wise, we are opening slopes on Sunday) on I70 west of Denver. Bunch of people on all season, all-weather tires trying to negotiate 9% grade going up, or worse, down, at 9,000-10,000ft altitude during the snow storm. I mean the amount of chaos it happens bcs. tires is just ridiculous. And that route I could comfortably negotiate in the middle of a blizzard with my VW CC FWD vehicle on snow tires. Without sweat, while various AWD, 4WD would struggle on all seasons, all terrain etc. tires.
It is driveway not a mountain! I also don’t encounter other people in my driveway. Which proves my point that after 10 pages of discussion you still don’t get that accidents happen bcs. braking performance.Interesting how my CX5 goes up a 27% grade snowy slope just fine on its terrible all-seasons though, huh?
It all depends on the snow and ice conditions, but yes, for going up a slope I would say new good all-seasons on a AWD vehicle are better than most 2wd with winter tires. But for stopping or turning the snow tires will win over all-seasons 99% of the time regardless of drivetrain.Interesting how my CX5 goes up a 27% grade snowy slope just fine on its terrible all-seasons though, huh?
We are beating this horse all the time here. But some people need to feel better about their purchase. Fine, as long as they are nit behind my vehicle.It all depends on the snow and ice conditions, but yes, for going up a slope I would say new good all-seasons on a AWD vehicle are better than most 2wd with winter tires. But for stopping or turning the snow tires will win over all-seasons 99% of the time regardless of drivetrain.
If you get down to half tread depth on all-seasons, where almost all the siping is gone and they have hardened up a bit, then they get much worse than half worn winter tires.
It stops going down the hill, as well, and it's not as if my driveway is the only steep hill in the area.It is driveway not a mountain! I also don’t encounter other people in my driveway. Which proves my point that after 10 pages of discussion you still don’t get that accidents happen bcs. braking performance.