winter tires

[DDD]

since studebakers use tires I will put this thread here. tell me about your opinions on winter tires like brands and models you have used and what you think of how those tires perform in winter.

[PackardV8]

I put winter tires on everything I own. The greatest fraud ever is "all-season tires." There is no such thing for those of us who live in the frozen north.

Any major brand name is good enough. There are small differences, but I've never had a major brand winter tire to be not as promised. At present, I'm running Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear; the Nokkian are absolutely the best of the bunch.

jack vines

[sweetolbob]

since studebakers use tires I will put this thread here. tell me about your opinions on winter tires like brands and models you have used and what you think of how those tires perform in winter.

I won't disagree with Jack until I know what you mean by winter.

In my part of the world, Central Michigan, the need for a dedicated winter tire is minimal at best. I run Michelin Defenders on my cars and trucks with no issues. We get ice, a foot or so of snow at most and we are fairly flat terrain. If you need to climb mountains in three foot of snow or need traction on miles of ice then I can see dedicated winter tires in your future.

What are you putting them on also. Old one wheel drive pickup or latest all wheel drive Audi.

More info needed. Bob

[RadioRoy]

In Minnesota we used snow tires. That's what we called them 40 years ago. I have not kept up in winter automotive technology/technique/terminology since 1973.

I can't imagine how much nicer it is to drive in the winter snow and ice these days with traction control, stability control, anti-lock braking, front wheel drive, heated seats, and all the rest.

Try driving a first generation Mustang with a V-8 automatic and no positraction in the snow every day.

These days drivers really have it good - from a snow perspective.

[thunderations]

I think it best to not add my two cents into this discussion. Just rotated the tires on the 66 Daytona. Rears to the front and cris-crossed the fronts to the rear. There, it's ready for the winter. Geeze I like living here in the winter.............summer, not so much.
Kinda like RadioRoy, when I lived in the South Bend area and drove a 4 speed with a little over 400 HP, studded snow tires were a must, and then when there wasn't enough snow, kept tearing the studs out. OH, to be young again and have such problems.
BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to all our Studebaker friends and to those serving our country abroad. God bless.

[PackardV8]

we are fairly flat terrain

Been driving up here in WA, ID, MT, and UT for forty-five years and winter tires on wheels are worth what it costs for me and mine. We drive over mountain passes from 5,000' up to 12,000'. The vehicles upside down almost always have the mis-named "all-season" tires. Rare to see one with true winter tires lose it.

It's also interesting, those with AWD are often equipped with all-seasons, because they can get around in most situations. Getting going is not their problem. It's when they are at highway speeds and have to stop or turn with some momentum up, the all-seasons aren't enough.

Another fact some don't know or don't want to know, winter tires don't work in deep snow past half-worn. The 3-mm tread wear bars shouldn't be there. Once a winter tire is worn down past half its original depth, time for new ones.

jack vines

[TWChamp]

The last time I bought snow tires was about 1971 to put on my 1965 Corvair. Corvairs were great in snow with the rear engine over the drive wheels, but with snow tires they were really great. When the snow tires were about 60% worn I figured I'd run them through the summer and buy new ones in late fall. Well, snow tires have soft rubber for cold weather and snow, and they wear very quickly in the summer. I had two blowouts when I was 250 miles from home because they wore way faster than I'd have expected.

Anymore they dump so much salt on the road that I'm either driving on dry salt or slush all through the winter, so I never buy snow tires.

[Buzzard]

My experience is 40+ years in the tire/automotive industry and I heartily agree with Jack in posts# 2 & 6. I have always run 4 studded winters to put the edge on my side and have never been disappointed. Yes, front drive gets you going no matter what it is equipped with but as Jack states, slowing, steering and stopping is a whole different kettle of fish. If you live on the plains, you can get away with a whole lot less than we can in British Columbia (Washington) mountainous states. It all gets down to "how safe do you want to be? Studded tires are the absolute best. Next up is the new generation such as Toyo & Bridgestone Studless Winters with technology such as walnut shells embedded in the tread as well as specially designed tread and composition. If studs weren't the best why would a very great company(Toyo) reintroduce a stud-able tire after all this time? The trouble with a front wheel drive car in winter conditions is that (due to front weight bias) it loses the polar moment and the rear end rotates around the front which exhibits the most initial grip. Either equip for the worst or stay home.
Cheers, Bill

[TWChamp]

Studded tires were legal in Minnesota in the 60's and early 70's but were then outlawed due to the excessive wear they caused to the roads.

[Deaf Mute]

I wonder what would happen if I put chains on the front of Mama's Chrysler to get through snow.....
On the rear; they really pushed the '51 Commander through Minnesota winters.

[Kurt]

For about 2-3 hours after a snow we need snow tires in Illinois. Really what we need is people with a brain. Every time after every snow we see countless accidents. People do not slow down. The state department puts so much salt on the roads that the snow hardly has a chance to accumulate. They even pre salt bridges and overpasses when it gets below 32 to prevent frost/black ice on the surface. for us good tires and some common sense go a long ways. I currently run all season tires on our three winter drivers

[Skip Lackie]

Agree with Jack Vines. In years past, I always put snow tires on my RWD Camaros and Studebakers during winter. During winter, I still replace the 4 all-season tires on my old 4WD GMC pickup with 4 snow tires. I have never seen a verified number, but I would guess that they improve traction in real snow by about 25%, compared to all-season tires.

While I agree that street-salting greatly reduces the need for snow tires, there are times when one confronts serious snow early in a snow storm or when traversing an alley or parking lot.

[Colgate Studebaker]

The last snow tires I bought for my 2wd S10 were Winterforce, I believe made by Bridgestone. That was when we still lived in Wisconsin, had lots of hilly terrain, and lots of snow and ice. They worked great, I had several people that used them on my recommendation and all were satisfied. I agree with Jack that all weather/season tires are not as reliable as the old fashioned snow tires. Bill.

[Stu Chapman]

It's interesting that none of you have mentioned ALL-WEATHER TIRES. They appear to be in limited production by just a few makers but their huge advantage is that they qualify as winter tires where such are mandatory and their formula allows them to be used year round. No more storage and changing annoyances.

Stu Chapman

[JoeHall]

"Small town USA" is not helpful, in determining where the OP lives. At any rate, here in KY the weather is mild enough that we never change tires on anything for winter. Unfortunately, the roads are hosed down with a brine solution that melts anything from the sky. My Studes, and even the brand 'x' cars are not on the road, during the few, brief periods when roads are severe here. If I ever need special tires for winter, it will be time to move further south.