Winter traction solutions

[nxtlevelmazda6]

In the past few days, it has been snowing a lot here in the Pacific Northwest, which is really rare. So as a result my car an '06 6i has been sitting in the carport because I have performance tires on MS6 rims that don't do well in the snow/ice. I've been reading some of last years posts on snow chains etc... but it doesn't look like anyone has found a good solution yet for traction in snow and ice.

Here's my problem:

I could use an autosock or a goclaw, but then I can't drive on dry pavement, which would be a problem since some roads are covered in snow and/or ice, while most roads are completely or mostly dry. So I would have to take them off when ever I turn onto a dry road.
The other thing is that I don't need studded tires since it doesn't snow that often here, so spending money on those tires would not be worth it.

I'm kinda leaning towards getting a set of winter tires, but I don't know how well they perform in the rain, compared to snow and ice. Right now I need a tire that will be used 70% of the time in the rain, 10-20% on dry roads and 10% in snow/ice.

Sorry if some parts of this post don't make sense, I haven't had a lot of experience with this kind of weather and what you need to do to prepare your vehicle, also I just spent 9 hours outside in sub 25 degree weather today and my brain and body is still a little numb.

[speedtown]

you could always get all-season's. My eagle F1's so far are doing pretty good in the snow here in VT and are fantastic in the rain and dry pavement. If you do decide to get winters instead of switching them back and forth why not put them on steelies for an easy switch and will save your rims.

[Business]

Find a price range that you want to work within and go from there.

My discontinued Blizzak WS-50s (replaced by the WS-60) has had excellent response and grip in dry and wet conditions. They handle snow and ice pretty well too, though not as good as other tires can, of course, so I'll be getting a really, really good tire next year, hehe.

But I'd really recommend a winter tire so you're less worried about that 10% of time in snow or ice and have greater control. There's absolutely no substitute for having a shorter braking distance with tires that can grip in situations you're not accustomed to. Remember, just because it doesn't happen that often doesn't mean that you should think any less of it---hell, much the opposite, in my opinion.

[jd42]

QUOTE (nxtlevelmazda6 @ Dec 17 2008, 04:35 AM)

I'm kinda leaning towards getting a set of winter tires, but I don't know how well they perform in the rain, compared to snow and ice. Right now I need a tire that will be used 70% of the time in the rain, 10-20% on dry roads and 10% in snow/ice.[/b]

A proper winter tire will perform very well in rain. A "performance" winter tire will also provide very good grip on dry roads. Winter tires will generally outperform all-seasons in the rain due to the chemical differences. All-season tires are designed to stick to snow, which means they don't shed water as well, sometimes resulting in poor rain performance.

If you decide to run a second set of seasonal tires, using a separate set of rims is the only way to go in my opinion. You avoid the bi-annual costs of re-mounting and re-balancing and have the convenience of swapping wheels/tires in your own driveway instead of waiting for a tire shop to be available.

[j2south]

I'm having a similar problem, I have tires that are terrible on snow (purely summer), but I don't really have the money to be buying an exra set of wheels.
Do snow tires really help that much? I don't know anything about car tires. Feel free to enlighten me please.
Should I get some all seasons instead of snow tires?

[KevinK2]

For OP, I'd go good all seasons, 205-60-16 with 6.5" steelies, or 5 spoke mazda3 16" alloys for looks. Just going 205-60's would make huge improvement with same tire design due to narrow contact patch.

Good option 4 u, imho:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...uranza+Serenity

[posttosh]

QUOTE (nxtlevelmazda6 @ Dec 17 2008, 01:35 AM)

In the past few days, it has been snowing a lot here in the Pacific Northwest, which is really rare. So as a result my car an '06 6i has been sitting in the carport because I have performance tires on MS6 rims that don't do well in the snow/ice.[/b]

Hello, neighbor. We, too, live very close to downtown Portland (less than two miles via the streets, but 650 feet higher in elevation than the intersection of SW 6th and Morrison). Our Mazda6 has sat in the garage since Sunday morning, and will stay there, it appears, for about a week.
QUOTE (nxtlevelmazda6 @ Dec 17 2008, 01:35 AM)

I've been reading some of last years posts on snow chains etc... but it doesn't look like anyone has found a good solution yet for traction in snow and ice.

Here's my problem:

I could use an autosock or a goclaw, but then I can't drive on dry pavement, which would be a problem since some roads are covered in snow and/or ice, while most roads are completely or mostly dry. So I would have to take them off when ever I turn onto a dry road.
The other thing is that I don't need studded tires since it doesn't snow that often here, so spending money on those tires would not be worth it.

I'm kinda leaning towards getting a set of winter tires, but I don't know how well they perform in the rain, compared to snow and ice.[/b]

Worry not. A good winter tire does well in rain and on wet pavement -- much, much, m u c h better than an all-season tire does on wet pavement. "Good winter tire" = Nokian RSi or Hankook Ice Bear W300. The "summer" tires presently on your car still have the edge over winter tires in the wet, but winter tires are not slouches on wet pavement as all-season tires are.

QUOTE (nxtlevelmazda6 @ Dec 17 2008, 01:35 AM)

Right now I need a tire that will be used 70% of the time in the rain, 10-20% on dry roads and 10% in snow/ice.

Sorry if some parts of this post don't make sense, I haven't had a lot of experience with this kind of weather and what you need to do to prepare your vehicle, also I just spent 9 hours outside in sub 25 degree weather today and my brain and body is still a little numb.[/b]

Heh. We walked up to Strohecker's on Patton Road today and on the way witnessed four major body damage accidents, the offending vehicle in every case being an SUV ("It has AWD, therefore it stops better in snow, right?" No.) fitted with so-called "all season" tires. Complete mayhem.

Here's the problem: No matter what tires you have on your car, no matter how good your traction, you are not the only car on the road. Three out of the four accidents we witnessed today involved a vehicle that was stationary when the idiot ran into it. So far as I have been able to determine, no tire on the market protects you from other drivers who are complete Neanderthals.

When it snows on our hill, we just suck it up and keep the car in the garage until clear roads return, just as you have done so far. To date, I have found no better solution to the problem that most drivers in Portland do not have real winter tires, but that does not stop them from venturing out on the roads. Today, I canceled two meetings as a result. I'll make up the meetings at a later date; our Mazda6 is secure and snug.

[Mz6GreyGhost]

QUOTE (Jus10 @ Dec 17 2008, 06:53 PM)

I'm having a similar problem, I have tires that are terrible on snow (purely summer), but I don't really have the money to be buying an exra set of wheels.
Do snow tires really help that much? I don't know anything about car tires. Feel free to enlighten me please.
Should I get some all seasons instead of snow tires?[/b]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT even THINK about driving your MS6 (or any other car) in snowy weather with summer tires. The tire compound is no better than a hockey puck on ice when the temperatures are 40 degrees or lower. When you add snow to the mix, you're doing nothing but endangering your life and the other drivers that share the road with you. AWD may help you go, but it doesn't help you turn or stop.

Ideally, you want a set of good snow tires with separate wheels for the colder months, and yes, they are a VAST improvement in the cold and snow. I've been using them since I've been driving, and I refuse to tackle a Central New York winter without them. But if money is tight, or snowy conditions aren't as common as they are in NY, a set of all-season tires will do.

[j2south]

QUOTE (Mz6GreyGhost @ Dec 17 2008, 07:46 PM)

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT even THINK about driving your MS6 (or any other car) in snowy weather with summer tires. The tire compound is no better than a hockey puck on ice when the temperatures are 40 degrees or lower. When you add snow to the mix, you're doing nothing but endangering your life and the other drivers that share the road with you. AWD may help you go, but it doesn't help you turn or stop.

Ideally, you want a set of good snow tires with separate wheels for the colder months, and yes, they are a VAST improvement in the cold and snow. I've been using them since I've been driving, and I refuse to tackle a Central New York winter without them. But if money is tight, or snowy conditions aren't as common as they are in NY, a set of all-season tires will do.[/b]

I'm in Salt Lake Utah so we get quite a bit of snow, you think there is a big improvement from all seasons to actual snow tires? The only reason I'm thinking all seasons is for when my summer tires wear out, if I don't have the money for another nice set of summers then I can just use the all seasons.

[Mz6GreyGhost]

QUOTE (Jus10 @ Dec 17 2008, 09:55 PM)

I'm in Salt Lake Utah so we get quite a bit of snow, you think there is a big improvement from all seasons to actual snow tires?[/b]

In a word... Absolutely!
QUOTE (Jus10 @ Dec 17 2008, 09:55 PM)

The only reason I'm thinking all seasons is for when my summer tires wear out, if I don't have the money for another nice set of summers then I can just use the all seasons.[/b]

While all-seasons are not ideal, they will work in winter weather if they're needed. In most cases, they usually have a longer treadlife than summer (and snow) tires, and some of the higher-performance all-season tires have tested well against summer tires.

Are they the best? No. Will they do the job? Yes.