# mini rant... Winter packages on new cars **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524 "2016-03-19T14:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/61 "2016-03-24T00:23:32Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > You have serious snow and (I seem to recall) a steep driveway. My various Outbacks have always just had the all-season tires and the only time I ever got truly stuck was when I got cocky and didn’t plow after a 20+ inch snowfall. > > It’s a rare car dealer, even in Colorado, who is going to deliver a car on March 20th and think “We should give this customer snow tires.” Yeah, the driveway is steep. And I’m certainly not wanting anyone to give me snow tires. I’ll gladly pay the difference. I screwed up tonight and tried to get up in my Pathfinder (with snow tires) and stuck it. Had to winch it out and then plow. I had plowed Friday, and then really cleaned up the driveway with the Kubota on Sunday. But, temps where a bit warm, and 8"s of new snow on packed snow/ice got me. Didn’t look like it would be a problem. Oh well, first time this year I had to winch the Pathfinder with the plow truck (I put a winch on the back of it). You DON’T want to stick a plow truck that is chained up on all four wheels. Makes for a very long night. The winch helps a great deal, provided I’m pointed in the right direction 😃 My Wife should be able to get home. Looks like I’ll be plowing again tomorrow night. I’m gone Friday and Saturday (going down to Denver), but she can park in the bottom of the driveway if the snow continues. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/62 "2016-03-24T02:20:31Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Yes, manufacturers do indeed offer different option packages, trim levels, and configurations on vehicles. They do this by configuring the production line to run a particular trim/configuration for 4-5 days at a time so that there isn’t any slowdown or errors by having to change tooling or confuse installers with different configurations on vehicles coming down the line. Although your other points are valid, I’ll just point out that this is relatively uncommon for mass-produced vehicles these days. We’re actually very, very good at operating flexibly and coordinating this flexibility throughout the entire manufacturing process through a sophisticated build schedule system. For example body shop will receive an order for a battery electric vehicle with a panoramic roof and right hand drive for export to Europe, including the final assembly options because maybe we have to laser cut some additional mounting holes for stupid, plastic ground effects. This unit (every unit, actually) is tracked everywhere. Most of the complexity, of course, is in final assembly, where a lean market system is in place to accommodate delivery of the required components pretty much on demand as the schedule vehicle arrives at its work station. It’s literally a giant, sophisticated machine (with a lot of human parts). About the only thing we batch build these days are service parts. I would be possible in my company to accommodate snow tires without much effort. I’m not Subaru, and I have no idea if we offer this option or not. If not, it’s probably a marketing-based decision, because the added material and logistics cost would be negligible for us. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/63 "2016-03-26T01:26:24Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I would be possible in my company to accommodate snow tires without much effort. I’m not Subaru, and I have no idea if we offer this option or not. If not, it’s probably a marketing-based decision, because the added material and logistics cost would be negligible for us. Balthisar, thanks for your boots on the ground input. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/64 "2016-03-26T15:53:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > OP, spare a thought for those of us who are forced to buy cars with heated seats in places where the mean annual temperature is 74 degrees. What the fuck do I need heated seats for? I see frost on the windshield one morning per year. There is one use for them at least - when you pull a muscle in your back, crank up the heated seat, the AC and a drive becomes therapy 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/65 "2016-03-26T16:05:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How about putting decent tires on new vehicles? I would gladly pay for it. Make it an option. But no… that’s not an option. So we are stuck with bullshit ‘All Season’ tires. We will struggle through the rest of winter with these crap tires, and get real tires next October when winter starts again. What a waste. > > HELLO. Winter Package? How about some snow tires? Try going to a large-volume local tire shop and see if they’ll give you some decent value for those barely used tires. They can sell them to someone else. Congrats on the new ride. Cars these days are incredible. I love my heated seats and steering wheel that come on automatically when it’s cold outside. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524/66 "2016-03-27T17:31:02Z")
I will try to get some money for the barely used tires. Wife got stuck in drive last night. I was in Denver 100 miles away. Our one neighbor saw her plight and was able to pull the Subaru out with his daily driver Jeep. The neighbor had come to borrow my Dodge plow, since his plow would not start, but needed to plow his drive so a mechanic the neighbor knows could try to get it running. My neighbor has three Jeep Wranglers or whatever they are now called. One is fitted with a plow with chains on all four. That was not starting. I have the Pathfinder, our new Subaru Outback and the Dodge plow truck. Neighbor used the truck for a quick plow on both drives. I’m just really glad he did not get the Dodge stuck. He had never driven it before. If you get that truck stuck, well, THATS’s a problem. And now I must go. And plow. Finish things up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-winter-packages-on-new-cars/749524.md?page=3)