I've been reading lately all of the little wipe out stories, and Im starting to get really concerned. Ive had some annoying experiences with snow, so Im thinking snow tires are the way to go... should I buy them or not

 

just drive slowly and carefully.

 

yeah, but without traction... what good would that do me... we have Somewhat Wide Tires, with Little Tire, on a BIG rim... thats the worst combo

 

i still say drive carefully.. i had an 88 maxima. even with a wheel that was slightly tilted.. did good for me in the winter.

 

That's very true. It's the first thing that I'm going to buy for my wife's tC. Well, maybe 2nd thing. The first being an ice scraper. Third being floor mats. All necessary for snow IMO.

I was thinking of buying a set of lightweight 17" wheels, but with snow tires that have a bigger profile. What comes stock? 17x7.5/45-215? So... I would buy something like 17x7/55-205. Something like that. It would raise the car up a little too, which is another good thing to have in the snow. Oh yeah, something with an offset that would get the wheels closer to the outside of the car as well. It would look better and be a little more stable too.

 

The all season tires should be adequate for most winter days. However, with ice or a blizzard, NO tires will be adequate.

In VA, we usually have just a few bad days during the winter. I have never had special snow tires, just the all season ones. As "litobirdy" says, just drive slow and carefully IF you have to drive. Luckily for me, I can drive my wife's AWD Baja on those days. What I find is that people still try to do 65MPH on a snow/ice surface. Crazy.....

Kevin

 

Driving slowly the most important thing you can do. If you feel you need them, snow tires would be good as well. I myself will probably just live with the stock tires for now. I'm up here in this great Boston weather as well...

 

I'm a firm believer in its the driver more so then the car that makes it better in adverse conditions. Once you know how to drive in the snow or the rain you can pretty much handle any car within reason. Never had any major problems in the snow and always had all-seasons. Then again based on what i've been hearing the tC might be a test for myself. Can't wait to pick it up tonight.

 

its all in the driving...especially with new tires. with ice, etc. just drive like u have no brakes, brakes are useless in the snow and ice, they just make u slide. keep you distance and go slow. on my previous car, a 94 mazda the tires very badly needed to be replaced, i never replaced them b/c i was selling the car soon, and i just drove slow and cautiously and had no problems in chicago winter =) so i imagine new tires will be just fine for me.

 

You are all correct to say you should drive more carefully in snow, only an idiot would drive on snow they same way they drive on dry pavement. But not all tires are created equal and the Bridgestone Potenza RE92's are terrible in the snow. You can make due by going slow but your gonna be screwed if you come across a hill with snow on it or you find yourself in a situation that requires quick maneuvering. My driveway is at an incline and when I had some snow a week or so ago I could not get up the driveway. I couldn't even park the car the short distance I did make it up the drive, it just slid down. I also have an xB (which didn't have a problem on the same snowy driveway) and until recently a Corolla that handle like an F1 car compared to the tC with stock tires when driving in the snow.

A good resource to evaluate tires and read reviews is TireRack.com. Check out the survey results for the stock Bridgestone Potenza RE92's

I'm thinking of replacing them with the Continental ContiExtremeContact all-season tires.

 

I just read the tirerack review, Im worried

 

I'm somewhat of a good driver (I'm cautious and I understand what other drivers will do). I was driving on summer tires in the winter once and it is possible, but not reccomended. I was going so slow! Other people were passing me. Not that I was going slow, the car simply couldn't go any faster in those conditions. When I switched to my all season stockies it was a world of difference. I had control! I could get up hills (slowly, but at least I could do it). I have a very steep driveway and the only way to get up it with those summer tires is to floor it and create heat and melt through the snow/ice to get to the pavement underneath. It's fun, but it wastes tires and it's loud and my neighbors hated me for it. :D

I bought winter tires a while back and wow! What a difference. I went out in blizzards and I was driving normally. Normally as in at the speed limit, while others were driving in the right lane and slower. Mostly SUV's and trucks and AWD vehicles on the road. Oh yeah, and me in my FWD Civic with winter tires. So yeah, I know a couple of things about tires. #1 is that summer tires totally suck in the winter. I spun out once on the highway going ~75 mph with them on with traffic all around me and I was lucky that I didn't slam into anyone. Although I guess I did have some control since I was able to stop the car (after a 360+ degree turn). #2 is that all season tires are ok. #3 is that winter tires are called winter tires for a reason.

 

I think I'll give em a chance... Im still very concerned as to how safe they will be, but I guess I should try anyways... the tires are still new -as new as the car... so I should be alright this winter, but by next winter they wouldnt go... Id prob have new all seasons by then anyways

 

i have tried the pirelli pzero nero m&S i put on my car.. it was in about 2 inches of snow.. works pretty good.. i doubt 4-5 inches would be good.. definitely need snow tires then.. and ice? finally got to hear abs! but these are much better than the bridgestone turanza ls-t's i put on my old civic.. those were not liking ice.. these are better, but then again no tire can put up with ice that well.. blizzaks are probably ones that could deal a little better

about snow tires? if you're going to get them, I'd look at the blizzaks.. the lm-25's i took a look at the michelin alpin pa2.. thinking they would be good, but a lot of people said they weren't that good (tire rack's website reviews).. like deep snow.. sounded like an all-season tire review.. so i went back to look at the blizzak lm-25 tires.. i'm going to see how the winter plays out here in michigan.. so far, i've been able to get away with these pirellis.

 

I think it's rained or snowed every day but 3 or 4 since I picked up my tC 4 weeks ago, and I've not once had any problems with slippage or handling. It's all about how you drive.

Now, granted, I live in MI, which is fairly flat, so I haven't had to mess with any hills in the rain or snow. Potentially the tires could warrant replacing.

Personally, I can't justify a several hundred dollar purchase simply because I can't bear to drive the speed limit (or *gasp* even below the speed limit) in the rain or snow when conditions warrant snow tires such a small percentage of the time.

 

I prefer to not drive my car near snow. I park it near some palm trees and dont really bother with the snow too much. Havent had any problems with tire slipping.

 

well i wasnt going fast at all tonite..then it was time to stop..and it was either someones car or curb..i chose curb..i slashed sidewall..now its $152 for a new tire

 

A lot of people will tell you that all season tires are good enough. Which is true most of the time. But what they dont realize is not all "all season" tires work the same in snow. I have never used snow tires for my previous 2 cars, which had all seasons. But for my 1 month old tC, who has been in the snow twice now, I am seriously considering it. Only thing holding me back is my poor wallet

If you dont feel comfortable with the stocks and have money, then definitely do it.

 

its all about ur driving skills... agressive drivers need snow tires.

 

in my experrience, oh wait i have none i live in sun....um san diego. =)