Is it worth it to get winter tires?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I'm trying to decide whether to just keep my all weather tires or replace them this fall with 4 winter tires.

I'm in Kansas City. Last winter I didn't need snow tires at all. We never had a bad snow. But we could and we do some winters.

[newfie11]

1. We never have but

Here in western SD we only have 4x vehicles. Our Subaru does very well and our truck with weight in the back does well.
We do have chains if needed as we live out of town.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. I Never Had Them

And i live near Chicago, so we're not strangers to snow.

But, i guess if you need new tires anyway, and unless they're way more expensive or wear out a lot sooner, maybe the piece of mind is worth it.

[RGinNJ]

3. From what I've heard it's good to do if you have rear wheel drive.

[onehandle]

4. If your roads are covered in snow/ice for the majority of Winter, then yes.

Here in eastern Pennsylvania for instance, they would largely be a waste. And we have 8-11 inch snows a few times each winter.

I just got some very good all-weather tires.

Been very happy with my Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires.

[RobinA]

22. I Can Recommend

those tires as well. Got a terrible review from Consumer Reports for snow handling, but I think that must have been a fluke. I HAVE to get to work and I live in the country out a long driveway. These have done well by me for two years now on some rather poorly plowed roads (and the aforementioned driveway) here in SE PA. I will be getting a Subaru this fall, but these will do well if you don't try to be a hero.

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. Hmmm.

My current tires still have quite a bit of tread on them.

I was thinking maybe I should wait and see how the winter shapes up. The tires are about $90 each and then there are all the fees for putting them on. It will be pretty expensive.

[bluedigger]

6. Your vehicle's traction and handling in snow will be much better.

All season tires are a compromise after all. How important that is to you is a personal preference to be weighed against the cost and trouble of mounting different tires twice a year on your vehicle, and storing the other set. Also, people generally get a second set of wheels to mount them on, so you will probably want to figure that into your budget as well. Of course, your good weather tires will last longer, too, so that will be a plus, budgetwise.

[Aerows]

11. keep into account

gas mileage!

[bluedigger]

14. I guess that would be a factor.

But if you are driving enough in bad winter conditions to need snow tires, the small loss in mileage would probably be worth it.

[randome]

7. Buy a unicycle. Then you only need one tire.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]

[whistler162]

8. On youtube there are a couple of

videos showing the difference between all-weather and winter tires in snow. I had them on my Chevy Cruze which is not the best in winter driving with out winter tires. The car handled well with them. Next door neighbors wife also has a Cruze and made the same decision. We are in the Central New York area and do get a small mount of snow and ice during the winter time.

I will be buying a new set this winter for my Subaru XV which has AWD.

[Aerows]

12. Do you get less gas mileage

with the winter tires? That's kind of the balance, I think to traction vs. affordability.

Not dissing either - just curious on your thoughts since you have them.

[whistler162]

17. Not too much of a difference.

You will always see a difference in summer versus winter gas mileage.

[hobbit709]

9. Here we need tires that won't melt in the summer.

[ileus]

10. Knowing how to drive in the snow trumps tyre type.

I can make my FWD cars go places many folks won't / can't take their SUVs.

Winter needs a combo of Big-Mo and finesse when and where needed.

[RobinA]

23. Gotta Disagree

I've had a couple cars that were absolutely awlful in the snow with the factory tires but turned into different cars with a decent set of all-seasons. Same driver. Obviously, tires aren't going to turn a bad driver into a good driver, but I do think they can make a huge difference in winter performance given a competent driver.

[Vinca]

13. I live in New England and have all weather tires and AWD.

The only time I've had a problem is during "mud season" and snow tires wouldn't do a thing to save me. I haven't had snow tires in about 30 years and think they're a waste of money (depending on what kind of car you have).

[Blue_In_AK]

15. I've lived and driven in Alaska for 40 years on all-weather radials.

I've always had front- or all-wheel drive vehicles, however.

[Fumesucker]

16. What car do you have?

If it's rear wheel drive it might be worth it to get a couple of extra wheels and have snow tires put on them and only use them in the winter, you don't really need snow tires on the non drive wheels. Another alternative for a rear drive car is a few bags of sand in the trunk in winter..

Front wheel drive cars tend to do better in the snow than rear wheel drive because the engine weight is over the drive wheels.

On the other hand you could just get the All Wheel Drive Tesla P85D.

[MineralMan]

18. It used to make more difference than it does now.

I live in Minnesota and, while this winter wasn't nearly as bad as the other 10 winters I've lived here, all-season radials have performed well for me all along. When it's really icy, snow tires won't help much, but the all-season radials do a pretty darned good job when it's snow you're driving through.

I've had 4WD, Front wheel drive and a rear wheel drive Volvo wagon while living here, and all did just fine in the snow, when driven appropriately. This past winter, I drove a 2007 PT Cruiser and a 2013 Kia Soul. Both are front wheel drive. The PT cruiser did very well, despite not having the ABS brakes or stability control that is in the Kia. Both did fine, though, on all-season radials with very good tread depth. I never got stuck, never skidded in a serious way, and never got even close to an accident.

I'd invest in some good-quality all-season radials for your vehicle and rely on your careful driving to survive a Kansas winter. I think you'll be fine, year-round, with them. Save some money.

[PeaceNikki]

19. I'm in WI and have always used all-season tires.

[Agschmid]

20. Never had them...

I've lived in cold weather climates my whole life, but I also do drive a all wheel drive car.

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. you have to have them on all 4 tires

If you put them just on the front tires it will cause the car to spin out. But i've had that happen with my all weathers.