Do I need winter tires?

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by i heart ricers

frs is fine in snow on stock tires

no issues here

location = pa, ny, oh

You are the greatest troll on the forum currently. Every post is pure gold.

[winstonscifi]

Would siping the original tires help?

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by winstonscifi

Would siping the original tires help?

It would be an improvement, yes, but I'm not sure how much. The problem is the rubber compound will still become very hard and inflexible at cold temps; "hockey puck" is a pretty accurate description.

[HeartbeaT91]

What do you guys think about me just replacing the current primacy HP's with michelin Pilot Super Sports now, and keeping them on from now on?

That would eliminate the need for keeping 2 sets of wheels, and would save me a good chunk of money

edit - oops i meant michelin pilot sport a/s 3. Basically, what are the thoughts of me putting on all seasons instead of having 2 sets of wheels (that i don't really have the storage for)

[rixter145]

Originally Posted by HeartbeaT91

What do you guys think about me just replacing the current primacy HP's with michelin Pilot Super Sports now, and keeping them on from now on?

That would eliminate the need for keeping 2 sets of wheels, and would save me a good chunk of money

edit - oops i meant michelin pilot sport a/s 3. Basically, what are the thoughts of me putting on all seasons instead of having 2 sets of wheels (that i don't really have the storage for)

If you want one set of tires... the Michelin Pilot sport a/s 3+ is great for the seattle area. The 3+ is the new edition and I just got it for my friend's bmw. She loves it.

[Djratrap]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

You are the greatest troll on the forum currently. Every post is pure gold.

Not necessarily, I've driven the stocks on fresh powder and they were fine. Terrible on ice, however. I'm not sure why everyone hates on these tires in the rain unless they drive like idiots. They handle decently for wet conditions.

[HeartbeaT91]

Originally Posted by rixter145

If you want one set of tires... the Michelin Pilot sport a/s 3+ is great for the seattle area. The 3+ is the new edition and I just got it for my friend's bmw. She loves it.

ah gotcha. Okay! It looks like pilot sport a/s 3 it is for me then!

Also, yes. I've never had problems with them in the rain. Sometimes I go slight hard on throttle on left turns (when no one's around) and immediately back off for the mini drifts for fun. But I've always found it manageable. And it rains like everyday in seattle :P

[Stang70Fastback]

Haven't read this whole thread, so I'm sure it's all been stated, but I'm Copy/Pasting this from a post I made on the Facebooks:

Originally Posted by Me

Winter is coming, and I'm starting to see the re-emergence of the same question we get every year, along with the same uneducated replies in the comments underneath. I am posting this to educate as many of you as I can, so that you can help spread the CORRECT information, and shut down any misinformation before it becomes "gospel."

Q: "Do I need snow tires to drive in the snow, or will I be fine on the stock tires?"

A: Our cars came equipped with two different tires. A few Toyobarus came equipped with Bridgestone Turanza All-Season Tires. The majority of our cars, however, came with Michelin Primacy HP Summer Tires (the "Prius tires," as they are affectionately called.) It is those of you riding on the Primacys to which this post is primarily directed.

First off, the Primacy is a SUMMER TIRE. It isn't a Michelin Pilot Super Sport, or a ZII Star Spec, but it is, nonetheless, a SUMMER TIRE. Summer tires are NOT INTENDED to be used in snow, ice, or even dry pavement below 40 degrees. At all. Ever. Don't believe me? Take a look at the Performance Ratings for the Primacy HP on TireRack's site. Notice that they don't even offer the OPTION of rating the performance of these tires in snow or ice. They are not meant for it, and they shouldn't be driven in it. EVER. End of story.

I'm repeating myself because this is something that not everyone seems to want to understand. One of the typical comments I see runs something along the lines of, "I drove through a snow storm on Primacys and I didn't have any problems. They're fine if you know how to drive." That's great. I will now make a comparative statement to demonstrate just how illogical that argument is: "I drove through a rain storm on racing slicks, and I didn't have any problems. They're fine if you know how to drive." Do you see how silly that statement sounds? It's bad logic at best. Just because you survived doing something incredibly careless, doesn't mean it's a good idea. Racing slicks are NOT meant for rain. Period. Likewise, summer tires are NOT meant for snow. Period. There is no debate to be had here. This isn't something you are allowed to have an opinion on. It is a FACT. The only reason it seems "okay" to have that viewpoint is because of the existence of all-season tires, which aren't great in the snow, but have conditioned people to "accept" poor traction in wintery conditions as a "fact of life."

So why do summer tires suck in the winter? "Summer tires have plenty of tread! They should be fine for light snow, right?" Wrong. Tread is important, but most people don't realize that the rubber compound is equally as important. Summer tires use a very stiff, hard rubber. This is great because it reduces flex in the tread blocks, and sidewalls, which provides good steering response, and also allows the tire to remain firm, and maintain grip in hot situations. However, when the temperature drops, that stiff rubber becomes VERY stiff... almost solid. So stiff, that the rubber becomes too hard to grip onto anything. They become, essentially, hockey pucks. This sounds like an exaggeration, but it isn't. In cold temperatures, they are only marginally better than the plastic wheels on the old Power Wheels you drove when you were 4.

Winter tires are made of a MUCH softer rubber compound. On a hot summer day, they almost feel like chewing gum; as though you could peel the tread off with your bare hands. This means that when the temperature drops, the rubber still stays compliant enough to actually do its job. Combine that with deeper tread blocks with lots of sipes, and you have a tire that can offer SIGNIFICANTLY more traction in the winter months.

Lastly, I want to reiterate that just because you can manage to to do something, doesn't mean it's an intelligent decision to do so. You certainly shouldn't recommend doing so to others. The "getting going" part of driving in the snow is all anyone ever seems to think about, but it's the stopping part that matters. "Well, I just leave an extra-long following distance between myself and the car ahead of me." Great. What do you do when the light turns yellow? The light that doesn't give you any more time to stop in the winter than it does in the summer? What if another idiot on summer tires slides out in front of you from a side street? Are you going to inconvenience everyone else on the road by driving everywhere at 5 MPH since your stopping distance at any higher speed is 3 blocks? Are you going to piss everyone else off on the road by taking 45 minutes to accelerate from every stop because you were too cheap to properly equip your car for the conditions?

If you are driving this car, you can afford a set of winter tires. You can get a brand new set delivered to your door, already mounted and balanced on steelies for $700 from TireRack. You can get a used set for many hundreds of dollars less than that. They are absolutely worth it. If you don't believe me, watch the video I've linked below (which also makes a good argument for why All-Season tires suck at everything.)

Winter tires provide so much more grip, that you can actually enjoy driving the car in the winter, and even have fun, rather than spend the entire time sweating bullets and managing the tiny amount of traction you have.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYEMH10Z4s"]Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice - YouTube[/ame]

[Tokay444]

Do you drive in a winter climate? If yes, you need winter tires. If no, you do not need winter tires.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Djratrap

Not necessarily, I've driven the stocks on fresh powder and they were fine. Terrible on ice, however. I'm not sure why everyone hates on these tires in the rain unless they drive like idiots. They handle decently for wet conditions.

It isn't snow that is the issue. As said many times it is temperature. To say they were "fine" is great right up until the point when they are not and you are too dead to say they were not so "fine".
Summer tires are made hard so that they become the right pliancy when it is hot. Those same tires in cold weather harden up to a point you may as well be driving around with wooden wheels. Driving around on ANY summer tires in cold weather is foolish no matter how careful you are.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by HeartbeaT91

ah gotcha. Okay! It looks like pilot sport a/s 3 it is for me then!

Also, yes. I've never had problems with them in the rain. Sometimes I go slight hard on throttle on left turns (when no one's around) and immediately back off for the mini drifts for fun. But I've always found it manageable. And it rains like everyday in seattle :P

Perfect choice for your environment!

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by Stang70Fastback

Haven't read this whole thread, so I'm sure it's all been stated, but I'm Copy/Pasting this from a post I made on the Facebooks:.... <major snip>
....

EXACTLY what I was saying a few posts back, but in many more words. Most folks here wouldn't think it was possible to use more words than I do. Congratulations!

Barry

[Somerandom18]

Continental DWS 06 are the bestest.

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[i heart ricers]

waste of moneys 1000%

cars back in the day were all rwd no issues