Winter Setup
 

I just moved out to Denver from Florida and have been doing a lot of research into how the car performs in the snow. From what I gathered, as long as you have very good AS or nice winter tires, you should be fine driving carefully. I only need my car for quick trips (work from home).
Previously I had 18” summer tires on it. I also have tein flex x installed, but at its highest ride height. When I moved here I bought some stock wheels wrapped in continental control contact all season sport tires. I also have 140lbs of sand in the trunk. I hoped this would be sufficient, and seemed to perform fine in light snow and in the cold. But we just had a few inches of snow and I’m unable to pull it off the side of the street, I just slide back into the curb.

My question is, will winter tires make the difference here? I know there’s a huge difference between AS and winter tires, but I’m just reluctant to drop $800 on them if the car will still be questionably safe, while the AS will do fine without snow.

Side note, if anyone has any general winter suggestions I’d appreciate it. Going through as many threads as I can to get up to speed.

Winter tires will help significantly with your traction. If you're having a hard time getting moving, apply a little handbrake pressure- it'll force the LSD to engage ( it can't on snow/ice, as it requires friction to transfer torque)
The sand in the trunk may cause more harm than good at times, I prefer the car without weight on the back in snow/ice- try it both ways and see what you like more.


If you have an upgraded rear swaybar, disconnect it- you'll want pliability in your suspension for traction

Winter tires are absolutely worth it if you need the car to work in any condition.

There are different tier of winters depending on what you need locally. Nordic being most geared to heavy snow storm conditions.

I've got some vikkingcontact 7s on 16" wheels which is setup for our crap Canadian winters. Pirelli sottozero 3 are a nice middle ground tire that isn't near as mushy on dry pavement.

Get snow tires.

Which is cheaper winter tires or your Collision deductible?

I'm running 16" steelies with studded snow tires and she gets around just fine...

Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a try! Had no idea it could be more harm than good.

Do you have an input on Blizzak ws90s? From my previous research they seemed to be overall a good winter tire that I couldn’t find much negative on. I definitely wouldn’t be driving in heavy snow conditions. And generally the only snow I’d be on would be my street as everything else would be plowed by the time I hit the road, with the exception of the occasional spots.

I definitely won’t be driving with the current setup. And without the need to commute to work, I’m fortunate enough to be able to stay home in bad conditions. I’d just like the option to go out despite the weather, but I was unsure if winter tires would be substantial enough for it to be safe.

Get winter tires. Obviously some winters will be better than others but basically any winter will be better than an all-season. Depending on the weather conditions in your area and if it's suitable, a "performance winter" or "euro winter" tire will be geared towards more dry performance. However, based on my understanding of the winters in Denver, you'll probably want to get a "nordic winter" tire which will typically have a softer compound and more chunky tread blocks.

Most people recommend down sizing your tires to get more grip. I personally run 195/65R15 to try and cut through the snow/slush more easily.


Edit: Don't forget to check your tire pressures if there are sudden temperature drops.

SW90 are in the same Nordic category as the vikkingcontacts and are comparable top of their class.

Might be overkill if you don't need to deal with heavy snow, and they feel mushy on dry pavement.

just be sure to check local laws. not all areas allow studded snow tires.

Denver is tricky. It could be 70 in January. It could snow five feet in April. The bottom line is this: rarely will you have the optimal tire for any given day in the winter. You will be driving on tires that aren't always the best for the conditions.
These cars suck so bad in the snow you'll want to lean towards the serious snow tire models, not performance-oriented winter tires. Just realize you're choosing to sacrifice performance so you can get where you want, when you want.

My recommendation would be Michelin Pilot Alpin pa4. It will be good in the dry and cold as well on snow.

I agree these cars are bad in the snow and recommend "nordic winters" for anywhere that gets more than a light sprinkle (0.25" or more). Even with nordic winters, it can be challenging when there's more than 1" of snowfall and you'll still be praying traffic doesn't slow down on hills as you'll need to maintain momentum to get up.

For starters I am in Denver as well and as so many have said, get snow tires. But you do not have to break the bank. The least expensive winter tire is going to handle the snow and ice much better than the best all-season tire.

Personally, other than the up front cost, I consider winter tires to be free. As every mile you put on them is a mile that doesn't go on your summer tires, making them last that much longer.

I appreciate it! With how little I’ll be taking it out in the snow, I just genuinely wondered the safety would merit the money over just staying in/catching rides.

But from everyone’s input it definitely seems like the right move to make and I won’t regret it.