Winter Tires

With that time of year now upon us, I thought I would share some info that I have some knowledge on that could help others. Winter tires.

So many people don't bother, as they think all season's are just fine. They say all season don't they?
As the temperature drops, around 4 degrees celcius and lower, the average all season rubber compound starts to harden. This of course, results in lost traction. Think of a hockey puck on ice. This is where winter tires excel. They are designed to stay soft in extreme temperatures.

Here comes my bit of knowledge gained from experience;

I have been driving for a living for over 20 years now and logged well over 1,000,000 km in my work vehicles (which are crappy in snow). Yes, you read that number right. That's not to mention my own personal vehicles. I drive in adverse, wet, slippery mountain areas, and have not found a better winter tire than the Hankook IPike. They are a directional, siped studdable snow tire, but do NOT need to be studded. I even put them on my bronco I commute in, and have NEVER used 4 wheel drive with them on. I live down a logging road that does NOT get ploughed, and drive a winding highway to Victoria daily.

General tire, and Continental tire also make the same tread pattern, and are actually rated a bit better.
With more and more provinces enforcing mandatory snow tires from October until March, and many highways requiring it, or use of chains, snow tires are becoming ever popular. And why not? Yours, and your fellow motorists safety are at stake, and those of us that spend all day out there trying to get around in adverse conditions.

Stay safe this winter. I see so many horrible, avoidable accidents.

Good to know!!!!
thanks

I will go one further. Get studded winter tires if your laws allow it. Those studs have saved me on many an icy road!

Sue

We drive crapper vehicles, but we invest big money in winter tires, all on their own rims. I wholeheartedly support Hillbilly and his wisdom. You can have al the 4x4 technology you want, but crappy tires leave you as vulnerable as can be. Tire up!

It's true , the part about studed tires anyways .Around here we don't have the mountains and sloped roads as you have in the western provinces .I started seeing people going back to them a few years ago , and although I don't use them I would most certainly encourge the younger / new drivers to use them .I to have over a million miles under my belt and have never felt the need to own a set of "" winter "" tires as of yet ( never hit the ditch , got stuck etc ).I drive as the conditions warrent , which it would seem doessn't enter the minds of some ? All season tires work on the same theory as any tire , they heat up when driven on , but there is a technology out there now that makes the rubber more "" softer"" and thus giveing more traction ...with the proper driveing skills / conditions . I'm more worried that the drivers who don't adjust there driveing in adverse conditions will continue to take out others and it won't have nothing to do with what kind of tires they have on .I do have Nokia all season tires on the wifes SUV and they behave cvery nicely in rain / snow /ice , must be that new technology at work .My thoughts

I agree with your sentiments PD. However, it is this attitude that has forced me to run snow tires. If I were the only one on the road, I would never even think of snow tires. But I'm not. There's thousands of them out there where I drive that are more reliant on their summer tires, anti-lock brakes, power assist this and that, that really have never driven something that is a completely manual operating vehicle. They seem to only know how to jam their foot to the floor to stop their vehicle, counting on the anti-lock brakes to save them. They have no idea what feathering a brake pedal means. It is the stopping distance, and ability to avoid the nignogs out there that has changed my attitude.

Although your tires will never leave you stuck, as we are both aware, with good snow tires, your chances of avoiding the unskilled drivers out there increase greatly. I spend 13 hours a day driving, and watching, sometimes in amazement, the countless idiots out there in the snow. They are what scare me too.

Well said HillBilly , I've been working with my wifes driving ( she's not a bad driver ) and trying to get her more confident in her abilitties as a driver and start watching out more for what's ahead of her , or should I say Oncoming traffic ? .Tires do make a world of a differance no doubt about that , and if saves a life ? well then we should all be doing it ( changeing tires for the winter months ) .Owning a four wheel drive does make it a bit expencive for some people because you have to change all four tires and most people will not spend the extra money for it .Wasn't it almost a manditory thing way back when ? I seem to remember that everyone had there studded tires for the winter months , front and back ??

Here's a link to General's version of them, so you can see what they look like, with price list.

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Back in the 70's and 80's, we all just snowed up our rear tires, as this is where you lost traction. Stop and think about that for a minute... How are you going to stop fast when 80% of your braking power is on the front and your snow tires are only on the rear? How are you going to be able to turn sharply to avoid something?

Common sense should tell us to winter up all 4 tires, not just 2. It all makes sense now, why didn't it then? LOL.
It is becoming mandatory in many provinces now, and on two of the highways I travel.

Did you, (everyone really) realize, that if you get into an accident in the winter, you can be found negligent if you don't have snow tires on?

There are lots of people out there that say, "but I can't afford a second set of tires!". Well that might be the case, but those people should, at the very least, insure that their good tires are on the front!!! As already stated, your fronts are not just your braking tires, but they are also your steering tires too! Without good traction on the front, good luck with your maneuvering around objects while your slamming on your breaks!!!

Here is my response to that logic, DWD. If you buy winter tires you keep both pairs twice as long since each set only receive wear for part of the year. There is no loss on $$$ in the long run.

I have 4 of the grippiest studded tires I could buy on my rear wheel drive pickup. Usually a two wheel drive truck is like a carnival ride in the winter. After purchasing it and driving the thing home during the biggest snowstorm of the year, my next stop was Canadian Tire.

Sue

All good points , but it really doesn't matter what you have on if your driving skills are lacking ! I see so many people driving when you can clearly see that they are s**t scared ! That is more dangerous then anything else on the road , Good tires yes , manditory ?? in some parts of the country yes ! Maybe a refresher every five years to see if you got better with your driving as well as the tires .Most head ons and other winter related accidents are due to poor driving habits , and I doubt that any tire will fix that ! My thoughts

Schipperkesue wrote:Here is my response to that logic, DWD. If you buy winter tires you keep both pairs twice as long since each set only receive wear for part of the year. There is no loss on $$$ in the long run.

I have 4 of the grippiest studded tires I could buy on my rear wheel drive pickup. Usually a two wheel drive truck is like a carnival ride in the winter. After purchasing it and driving the thing home during the biggest snowstorm of the year, my next stop was Canadian Tire.

Sue

No argument here from me about the money thing! I agree with you!
I was just trying to make a point to the people who feel they don't have the funds for a new set of winter tires. And seeing how people are not going to stop driving because of their tires, or because they are scared, it brings it back to the rest of us to be extra cautious, just like Hill Billy said!!!

I know its not YOUR logic, DWD. But as you point out, sadly it is the logic of many. Just wanted to let you know I was not refering to you!

Sue

Schipperkesue wrote:I know its not YOUR logic, DWD. But as you point out, sadly it is the logic of many. Just wanted to let you know I was not refering to you!

Sue

I didn't think that!
But thanks for the "pointing out" and not the "finger pointing"! LOL!