I am considering getting a winter set of tires for a Suberu Outback, I was very impressed by the advantage non-studded snows did, and would like to know everything there is to know about getting studded snows.
Thanks
Studded tires do give better traction on ice and snow, but on dry roads can cause damage to the pavement. For this reason they are either totally illegal, or illegal during certain months in some states. Check your local laws.
I never use them. I drive a CR-V and keep all-season tires on it year round. I have yet to have a problem unless I’m not paying attention, in which case studded tires are not going to help. The best preventive medicine for winter driving is paying attention to the task at hand, not driving like an idiot, and watching out for the other guy.
Studded tires must, of course be changed out twice a year, an expense of around $30-$40 each time. The studs wear out after a couple of seasons and have to be replaced (cost unknown).
How much you need them depends on where you live. My mother lives in a condo, and drives mostly only within town. She gets along fine with all-seasons.
I live up in the mountains, where we get a lot more snow, and I have a long and pretty steep driveway, which used to defeat my efforts to get up it three or four times a year. I got studs a couple of years ago and havn’t had a problem since.
I think studded snows are obsolete now.
Green Diamond tires (www.greendiamondtire.com) have little carbide bits molded into the tread. They’re supposed to give a lot more grip on ice or hard-packed snow than anything else.
Boy, it’s hard to diverge opinion on snow tires with someone from Alaska, C/G, but I’ve had mixed results with all seasons, much as I love the convenience. We live in a moderately hilly area of Vermont, and I’m struggling this year with a brand new set that came with a toyota car I recently bought. I’m going back to snows next year. I had Nokian Hakkapellitas put on my wife’s caravan two years ago, and they are simply awesome. No studs, just a really aggressive tread. It works. They do sound a little louder than all seasons, but are not even close to the noise from studs on dry pavement. A point to consider. Some auto cabins are better sound proofed than others. A four hour drive listening to the whine of studs can grate on you.
Good luck on your choice, kanicbird.
Yeah, some of the tires you can buy are phenomenal. I had two Jeep Wranglers that came with the Goodyear Wrangler tires, which were hands down the best winter tires I every owned. The things seemed to grip better the colder it got.
Re hills: The houses across the street have inclined driveways. Even with studs, they have a difficult time getting out unless they sand the drives. I won’t say there haven’t been times when I’m sliding towards an intersection that I wished I had some extra grip, but all-in-all, I don’t feel they’re necessary.
Studs are noisy as hell, reduce gas mileage, and rip the crap out of asphalt.
completely unnecessary unless you live in an area with 4 monthes or more of continuous snow. I grew up in montana driving a honda civic with all season tires. You have to be careful, you have to stop a lot sooner than you normally would. If you can’t drive in foul weather, you can’t drive in foul weather and snow tires will not help. A better solution is not driving at all if the roads are glare ice.