Chicago. Winter. Sh*t....
 

Anyone live in the Chi area? If yes, what do you think.... Winter tires on stock wheels/cheapo steelies or go with all seasons on the stock? Im leaning more towards the all seasons for the all around niceness (and not having to store/switch out winters) but reading some of the threads about people having "OH SH*T" moments is making me think snows... I only put about 5k miles on my car per year and I work about a mile from my apartment 10 days a month. I rarely drove any of my cars in the snow/winter to begin with but this is my first RWD car. I know some extra weight in the trunk will help (sand, cat litter, whatever). And even if it is SNOWMAGEDDON like a few years ago, I just left my car at home and took the bus to work lol. No plan on getting aftermarket wheels/suspension upgrades for at least a few years. Any input would be appreciated.:thanks:

Stick with summer tires and take the bus when the weather is bad.

A/S tires are jack of all trades master of none.

I had this debate with myself as well. However, I will be doing summer tires of aftermarket and winter tires on stock rims. Switching wheels between seasons will at least make the tires last longer :)

I use dedicated winter tires (Winterforce) on dedicated rims. For the reasons posted above, avoid all season tires.

I also HIGHLY recommend getting snows, or snows on steelies if you plan on driving much. The stock tires may do OK in light wet snow, but once the temps drop much below 30°F they turn to rocks and will provide less and less grip, and they're downright scary on snow cover or thick slush. The colder it is, the worse the OEM tires are. Even the mag chloride they use around Denver made the OEM tires scary at 10mph under 20°F, and I've been driving in snow for over 15 years.

Some will argue that the stock tires do fine, and that it's 90% driver 10% equipment, but this is simply poor judgement. It can severely limit YOUR ability to react to a situation. Sure you might be able to get around, but you may be at the absolute limit of grip, still travelling under 20mph.

I've used the Dunlop Wintersport 3D and love them, they're more performance oriented, i.e. they don't suck as bad as other snow tires when the road is dry.

Swap out the tires. If you're thinking about aftermarket wheels, this is easy; summers on the nice wheels and winters on the OEM's. Worst case scenario is you swap rubber on the OEM wheels.

Summer tires are downright scary in snow and All-Seasons suck...all seasons.

I live in chicago and this was my first winter with the FR-S. Snow and Ice tires are a must; you'll have a very hard time in the winter using the OEM summer or all-seasons tires.

These are my default go-to for winter tires...

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...lm60_ci2_l.jpg

And they're on sale!

Get some dedicated winters on steelies. Like you, I was a very low mileage driver as I worked a 5 minute walk from home and I still regret not getting winter shoes on my RSX the first year I had the car because it would've made getting anywhere a lot easier and safer. Not to mention that it's saved me a couple times. From now on, I'll make sure I have a winter setup for every car I'll ever own. I'll be the only IS owner with steelies.:D

+1 on the Blizzaks...they'll let you kick old man winter in the 'nads and laugh in his face.

+1 for winters
but i'm starting to wonder if all seasons might be more convenient for summer use. i've always hated the panic in the fall wondering if this is the week it snows and i need to do a 10pm tire swap or call in sick the next day. i don't have the convenience of living close to work / public transit.
all seasons while crap, can still handle those first few snowfalls well enough, buying a bit of peace of mind. of course i'm speaking from a couple winters experience driving a civic with dedicated summer and winter setups

Snow tires are a must ON ANY CAR if you live somewhere that gets snow. I'm throwing some snowies on my OEM wheels.

I drove my BRZ through the Chicago winter last year with stock rims and stock tires. Wasnt too bad just remember to counter-steer lol

Cost of snow tires on steelies < Cost of an accident / fear of winter driving