hockeypuck
Feeling the Heat
Continental makes some good snows...check out the reviews on tirerack
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Snow tires
- Thread starter Easy Livin’ 3000
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lml999
Minister of Fire
Snow tire recommendations should be based on your expected usage. In SE PA, if you occasionally see a couple of inches of snow, and can avoid going out until the roads are cleared, I'd recommend real all season tires rather than true winter snow tires. For good all season tires that can handle snow, I'd go with the Nokian WRG3.
On the other hand, if you're a skier, first responder, etc., who loves driving in snow and heads north at the first sign of precipitation, I'd recommend a "real" winter tire, M&S rated. I run the Nokian R2 on all of my cars and strongly recommend it. I run separate summer wheels/tires as well. This allows me to optimize the size for each -- shorter and wider for summer, taller and narrower for winter. Fat summer tires just don't do well on snow...
The cost difference between a cheap snow tire and a top of the line snow can be as much as $500 (for 4). However, the difference in performance between the two will also be significant, and over 5 years, that cost differential is only $100/year, probably a lot less than your deductible. It only takes one "incident" or one time getting stuck that will easily justify the better snow tire.
You can find Nokians at some upscale tire shops, and by mail at discounttiredirect.com. My local guy in Boston, Hogan Tire, usually matches the mail order price and sometimes beats it.
I've been running Nokians for 25 years, wouldn't consider running anything else in the winter.
Here's a link to the Nokian tire dealer locator.
On the other hand, if you're a skier, first responder, etc., who loves driving in snow and heads north at the first sign of precipitation, I'd recommend a "real" winter tire, M&S rated. I run the Nokian R2 on all of my cars and strongly recommend it. I run separate summer wheels/tires as well. This allows me to optimize the size for each -- shorter and wider for summer, taller and narrower for winter. Fat summer tires just don't do well on snow...
The cost difference between a cheap snow tire and a top of the line snow can be as much as $500 (for 4). However, the difference in performance between the two will also be significant, and over 5 years, that cost differential is only $100/year, probably a lot less than your deductible. It only takes one "incident" or one time getting stuck that will easily justify the better snow tire.
You can find Nokians at some upscale tire shops, and by mail at discounttiredirect.com. My local guy in Boston, Hogan Tire, usually matches the mail order price and sometimes beats it.
I've been running Nokians for 25 years, wouldn't consider running anything else in the winter.
Here's a link to the Nokian tire dealer locator.
rowerwet
Minister of Fire
I priced it out and found that it was a wash between buying a set of four new wheels with snow radials from the tire rack dot com, and buying steel wheels and tires here and there to make a winter set.
Then I found brand new alloy take off wheels that were cheaper still on line. (take offs are when someone drives directly from the car dealer to a wheel shop to put new after market wheels on a new car)
I only got around to buying two , but with traction control and anti lock brakes it hasn't been an issue for the past three years .
I start work about the time the plows are just leaving the highway yard, and travel all over the northeast US for my job.
Then I found brand new alloy take off wheels that were cheaper still on line. (take offs are when someone drives directly from the car dealer to a wheel shop to put new after market wheels on a new car)
I only got around to buying two , but with traction control and anti lock brakes it hasn't been an issue for the past three years .
I start work about the time the plows are just leaving the highway yard, and travel all over the northeast US for my job.
The little lady was in Costco the other day and stopped by the tire department to see what they had available. A random stranger who overheard the conversation offered up his opinion that snow tires were a waste, that all she needs to do is let some air out (she thinks he said to let out 8-10 psi), and the regular all-seasons will work as well. Any opinions about this?
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Dangerous and ineffective. Tires run 10 psi below recommended pressure at highway speed have a high probability of overheating and failing in spectacular fashion.
Recommended pressure is listed on sticker in drivers door jamb, or inside gas door on some Euro cars, not on tire side wall.
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Recommended pressure is listed on sticker in drivers door jamb, or inside gas door on some Euro cars, not on tire side wall.
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be careful with using the door jam sticker for the guide of air pressure. that sticker is for the tires that the car came with. change the brand and model of the tire and the door jam sticker is out the window. proof is a few years ago ford was going by the sticker on their door jam on the explorers and people on the highway were having blow outs and rolling over the vehicle result was a long drawn out court battle to see who was at fault ford or the tire company. if you don't want to use what is on the tire ask the tire company thru email. i use a tire shop that has been in the tire biz for three generations thay put my 80 truck tires at 55 pounds result is bad fuel milage and wishy washy ride bad on corners. usually slightly less than max of what the sidewall of the tire says. my car came with tires that had a 35 pound max. the tires i have on there have a 45 pound max. using the door sticker is useless for my tires. as far as running tires at a lower pressure that makes things worse. it's like running wide tires in the snow. narrow tires make for a better grip in the snow. more pounds per square inch than wider tires.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Your first sentence here is correct, but the sidewall numbers are simply maximum allowable, not a guide to proper inflation on YOUR vehicle. I run heavier than stock tires on my 1/2 ton truck (the factory tires were actually under-rated for vehicle capacity), and going anywhere near the listed sidewall pressure on those would have me riding on the center bead of the tire, since my truck is never loaded anywhere near the maximum allowable weight rating of that tire.
The goal is to get uniform weight distribution and uniform wear across the tread width of the tire. As you correctly point out, this pressure has been calculated and tested for the factory tires on your vehicle, and listed in the door jamb. If you go to larger or heavier ply rating tires, the door jamb number is no longer exactly valid, but it is still closer to "proper" than what may be listed on the side wall of the tire.
In my case, I end up running about 5 pounds heavier than the door jamb number, to account for the heavier ply rating of my after market tires. Monitoring tread wear over the life of the tire (I've been running this brand/model on this truck for 10 years) tells me I'm pretty much dead-nuts on the proper pressure.
semipro
Minister of Fire
My understandings about this is that Ford specified a tire pressure that was too low due to issues with handling and ride quality. The Firestone tires overheated because of this and suffered tread separation. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy
When new tires are installed I start with the door jam specs and then watch tire wear and adjust the tire pressures accordingly. Having spent many years as a mechanic at tire dealers dealing with lots of tire issue and doing thousands of wheel alignments I recommend this method. I would never start with the sidewall spec, which as Ashful relates, is a "maximum" value based on tire construction and potential loading.
rowerwet
Minister of Fire
that is old info developed by the military to help increase traction on ice and sand, it worked for the old bias ply tires, and is similar to what off roaders do today when they leave the pavement, but will ruin a modern radial tire quickly if you run at any speed that way.
It also won't work on snow as the tread will be crunched together and therefore not grip as well. It still works on sand as it slightly increases the size of the area resting on the sand, possibly keeping you from sinking in as deeply with soft sand. You will need to reinflate the tires to spec though before going fast on a paved road.
snow radials are great for those of us who live where it snows often, not every car needs them though. My car is a ford Focus and the new focuses have very large, wide, tires rated for 90 mph running. Since they used a wide tire, the grip is maximized for cornering on dry pavement, but the weight is rather spread out over such a large contact point for slippery conditions.
The snow radials I have, have carbon bits mixed into the rubber to give grip on ice, and the tread pattern gives me a better grip in snow.
cars with narrow tires might not need snow tires. My last car was an '02 focus with much narrower tires, it did just fine in the snow with regular old radials even though it weighed almost 1,000 lbs less than the '12 one does.
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i usually run them at 80 psi and get the best milage possible for the vehicle and my last 3 sets of e rated tires i got 55000 miles out of them i don't don't think that i'm doing anything wrong. i get 50000 miles out of simple 40000 mile tires.
but to each his own
but to each his own
Ashful
Minister of Fire
i usually run them at 80 psi and get the best milage possible for the vehicle and my last 3 sets of e rated tires i got 55000 miles out of them i don't don't think that i'm doing anything wrong. i get 50000 miles out of simple 40000 mile tires.
but to each his own
Running tires that are inflated to less than sidewall maximum, but over recommendation for your vehicle, does not typically increase incidence of spontaneous failure. However, it actually reduces tread life, the opposite of your stated goal. This is because a tire inflated beyond the level recommended for the load of your car will bulge and wear much more quickly in the tread center, while preserving the shoulders of the tread pattern. You will also have much poorer traction, with less rubber contacting the pavement, simulating the footprint of a much narrower tire.
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velvetfoot
Minister of Fire
Replace all 4 tires studded if possible. Regarding tire pressure, sidewall will say max load at max PSI. So for example my one ton dually 80 PSI will essentially hold a load of 3042 lbs so multiply that times four tires in the rear, 12,168. So without a load i dont need max pressure if you want to be exact you can go to a public scale and get your axle weights. Do the math. I run 35psi year round and my rears. Or you can take a wax marker draw a line across the tire, ideally you should have 1/2 inch on the inside and outside after driving around.
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Buy 4. I've only had experience with a certain type... Firestone Winterforce. Put them on a girlfriends car for year round use. Broke up with her... 2 years later different girl (who ends up being my wife now) her dad put them on her Toyota Corolla for year round use... got 30K miles out of them with decent tread left, just not much of the winter tread. Bought another set and running those year round as well on same car. I then bought a set for my Ram 1500 4x4. Got them studded on some dedicated steel wheels i found on craigslist. What i like about them is the tread is not the super soft compound that wears quickly on warm or dry pavement. Studs help with ice. They are also on the cheaper end for snow tires due to them using normal compounds and not the new soft rubber compounds. Snow tires are amazing. You can have the most advanced traction control system around but if your tires cant grip it doesnt matter. Also remember it's not always about acceleration. Snow tires matter most in stopping and turning, 4wd and even antilock brakes dont help much when you need to stop in a hurry in winter conditions.
Wildo
Minister of Fire
sportbikerider78
Minister of Fire
That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
No matter what the PSI of the tire, all tires bend and deflect when the run over pavement. This deflection causes internal friction and friction causes heat. Sometimes this heat buildup is exponential with very low PSI (anyone remember the Explorer/Firestone fiasco?) and can destroy a tire (catastrophically) and cause a blow out/car flip/other deadly situation.
The best things she could have done and punch the guy in the mouth. Maybe then he wouldn't hurt someone else with horrible advice.
He was in a wheelchair, so I'm not sure that would have been the most charitable thing to do. I do appreciate your strong opinion, I like when folks don't mince words and there is no doubting what they are thinking. I'm glad I asked!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
While said advice was a very un-informed opinion, and dead wrong, I can say you don't get around much. I've heard more stupidity than that in just the last two weeks, much of it while standing in line to vote last Tuesday.
lml999
Minister of Fire
i usually run them at 80 psi and get the best milage possible for the vehicle and my last 3 sets of e rated tires i got 55000 miles out of them i don't don't think that i'm doing anything wrong. i get 50000 miles out of simple 40000 mile tires.
but to each his own
To clarify, you're talking about tire pressures on a truck rather than a passenger car...those pressures would be inappropriate for most passenger cars...
https://www.kaltire.com/the-right-tire-pressure-why-the-maximum-isnt-the-best/
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Do not get only two tires (snow) mixed with all season tires. Check out the youtube videos on that subject... they do comparisons
I finally bought Falken winter tires for 350. at Pep Boys and they made a huge difference over my all season tires.
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