Snow Tires Needed?

[dukebound85]

So I am about to move to NY. My grandparents decided to help me move out there. However they say I would be foolish to not have snow tires

Thing is, I don't really feel that great blowing 400 dollars on tires when I have All season tires that have not even 10k miles on them. I also am not a stranger to driving in snow here in CO and have never had snow tires

I will be driving on interstates obviously when I go there from Colorado to NY. I can't help but think that the interstates should be in good enough driving conditions to get through on with my current tires

what do you think?

my car is a 1990 celica, fwd as well

[Abstract]

Winter tyres are great, and are called winter tyres for a reason. They do work, and the difference is noticeable.

[NT1440]

With a car as light as a celica, id deffinatly go with the tires.

[zioxide]

don't waste your money

all season tires will be fine. i drive a saturn sl2 in the snow without snow tires (similar size to a celica) and its fine.

since you're in colorado, you obviously have experience driving in the snow. you'll be fine. highways are usually pretty clear anyways.

[kellen]

Is the place going to be snowy now? If not, head over on your tires and decide later.

I would say it depends on your tires now, like brand and type. Not just "all season".
For a good winter tire, I have heard good things about Bridgestone Blizzaks.

To be safe you could just bring chains.

[drichards]

Snow tires for a 90 Celica shouldn't have to cost you more than $250 for the stock size, including new used wheels. You can get brilliant winter tires from euro brands like Nokian Tyre for really cheap. Buy the extra wheels for $15-25 each and it will save you that much in mount and balance fees when you want to switch to the summer tires.

I don't run winter tires on my own car. I work in New York, live in New Jersey, and have been to Colorado. I'd run them on my car if I lived near my cousins above Denver. I'd run them if I lived in upstate New York, or western New York, but not near the city or on Long Island. Especially if I drove a Celica thats two decades old and can use all the help it can get to stay on a straight line.

[Spizzo]

Get your tires siped (http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos) if they aren't already. It shouldn't cost too much. I lived in Maine for 4 years, tons of ice, and I got by on siped all season tires just fine.

[robanga]

Here in Oregon, they frequently require traction tires or even chains on the interstate in bad weather. You get a ticket if you don't have them. Best thing is to watch the road conditions via the internet for each state.


I'd really only be concerned with bad weather or mountainous areas.

[dukebound85]

where can you buy tire cables? i cant seem any "shops" and instead all online options

ideally id like to put them on 215/40/17 tires

[drichards]

Your local parts stores, like Advance or Napa or Pep Boys, will stock tire cables in low volumes. They're, in a word, awful, and tend to cost alot of money for what they are. Their ability to ugly-up your rims is rivaled only by curbs.

One of my boys on G35driver had a typical poor experience with tire cables a week ago or so. (http://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sedan-2003-2006/263284-snow-chains-cables.html) Cables slip and cause abrasion on the wheel surface. Its very common.

His typical snow cable damage:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb78/evosmudge/G35/NorCal034.jpg

[No1451]

Imagine a world where All Seasons are actually an option, I live in the land of ice, snow and cold, lack of winter tires = collisions.

I would say go with the winter's, safety first and all that.

[ucfgrad93]

I have them on both my cars, and noticed a lot of improvement from the all season tires they replaced.

[takao]

why would anybody leave aluminium alloy wheels on the car during winter in the first place ?

[johnmartin78]

Ok I live in northern Ontario Canada,I have never used snow tires.I only ever use all season tires.
If you don't have the money don't worry about it.I don't want to see someone spend a bunch of money they don't need to.

I also have aluminium rims,not a problem.

[LumbermanSVO]

If you get chains, make sure you know how to put them on before you need them. Learning on a cold, wet, windy shoulder id a horrible thing to have to do.

Make sure they are tight when you are all done, loose chains break and come off. Broken chains cause damage.

My first time putting chains on my big truck I lost one entirely, one got wrapped around the axle and two were broken beyond use. All that from not getting them tight enough. In comparison, this year I have used them 5 times already and haven't lost or damaged one.

[ErikCLDR]

I suppose it depends where you are in New York and how much snow you get.

If you live in upstate New York, in buffalo or on the Canadian boarder you're going to get a ton of snow you might as well just go for the snows. If you live in more southern NY all season will probably be fine. We have cars with all season and do just fine, just be careful.

It's not like you're throwing away your current tires with 10k on them. Just swap them off in the summer.

[wwooden]

why would anybody leave aluminium alloy wheels on the car during winter in the first place ?

Actually, I think alloys aren't a bad idea in the winter. They won't rust because they're not steel.

Winter tires are the best investment to make in a snow environment. I have my winters mounted on separate rims so switching over is a cinch; I can do it myself in about 30 minutes with just my jack. IT also minimizes wear on the tires by constantly stretching them each season to have them mounted/dismounted. You also save money by not paying to have them mounted each season. My rims cost about $150 (used alloys off ebay) and they have already paid for them self in the first year and a half.

But as someone else said, they are called winter tires for a reason. It's not a gimmick; they are a much different type of rubber and tread.

[MacNut]

If your car is heavy you should be fine with all seasons, if you don't get good traction get snow tires.

[heehee]

Snow tires do make alot of difference. Some insurance companies offer discounts if you have them, atleast in my country.

[cosmokanga2]

I live on the west coast of Canada and on the highway to Whistler when it's snowing heavy the police won't let you though unless you have winter tires or chains on. Get winter tires, they're well worth it.

[SmartIndianKid]

Are you talking Upstate New York, or closer to the city?

If you mean Upstate, yes you most certainly need snow tires. They're also a pretty decent investment, since, starting from the last few years, we've had snow from October to April. The difference is also noticeable.

And I'm not sure if your car has extra traction, but it's also a solid investment for Upstate New York.

If you mean the city, disregard most of what I said.

[notjustjay]

For most day to day driving, all-seasons with good treads would be fine. Snow tires are better, of course, but do you "need" them, probably not.

My car's all-seasons are nearly bald, so switching from that to nearly-new snow tires obviously resulted in a dramatic difference. But if they were brand new all-seasons, the difference would have been less dramatic.

[johnmartin78]

I live on the west coast of Canada and on the highway to Whistler when it's snowing heavy the police won't let you though unless you have winter tires or chains on. Get winter tires, they're well worth it.
Reading this thread made me think Americans are scared of snow or something.But I guess Americans/Western Canadians are scared of snow.Chains are illegal in Ontario,and snow tires are uncommon.We just use all seasons.I highly doubt in New York,which is about 13 hours south of where I live,you need snow tires.
Especially since you are moving from Colorado,you obviously know how to drive in snow.If you were moving from say Florida,or Texas or something,then ya I would suggest snow tires.

[dukebound85]

Are you talking Upstate New York, or closer to the city?

If you mean Upstate, yes you most certainly need snow tires. They're also a pretty decent investment, since, starting from the last few years, we've had snow from October to April. The difference is also noticeable.

And I'm not sure if your car has extra traction, but it's also a solid investment for Upstate New York.

If you mean the city, disregard most of what I said.

ill be moving to the albany area

is it really that much different than the snow conditions im used to here in colorado? we get quite a bit and ive never had issue driving in snow after doing so for 7 years

Reading this thread made me think Americans are scared of snow or something.But I guess Americans/Western Canadians are scared of snow.Chains are illegal in Ontario,and snow tires are uncommon.We just use all seasons.I highly doubt in New York,which is about 13 hours south of where I live,you need snow tires.
Especially since you are moving from Colorado,you obviously know how to drive in snow.If you were moving from say Florida,or Texas or something,then ya I would suggest snow tires.


good point.

id ideally like to get a pair on my other wheels in a little bit but doing so right now would be a little hard for me as i am pretty much going up there with no furniture so ill be spending quite a bit initially

[cantthinkofone]

One thing that i notice while in Colorado was how easy it was to drive in the snow compared to snow here in say missouri. I'm not sure what it is, higher altitude, different humidity levels, etc etc.

When it snows here and it sticks to the roads its impossible to drive once it's packed down. The snow in CO seemed to never get packed down. We drove around like the roads were cleared, It was crazy (so was watching people run up stairs, while i was huffing and puffing trying to climb up the stairs :p)

I wouldn't get snow tires just yet. But i wouldn't go out there and try to drive like you would have in CO.

[LeahM]

Albany area can get pretty bad. Especially this winter its supposed to be pretty bad.

All season tires are equivalent to an all season jacket, it'll get you through but just barely. Winter tires will make a huge improvement (like stopping BEFORE you hit someone). But good luck finding any because in NYS alot of the snow tires are being sent to Quebec where it is mandatory to have snow tires.

The roads on the interstate are good but if you get stuck in a snowstorm, your SOL.

Good luck on your travels. And if you decide to stay with your all season tires, just drive slower then you normally would for safety.

[bobfitz14]

if you're going from CO to NY and you've never had snow tires in CO then i don't know if you would necessarily need them in NY, depending on where you live in NY though you might. upstate NY gets a lot more snow than NYC.

then again, a FWD light weight car? i'm not sure.

[TSE]

If you are moving into the city, I don't think they would be needed. But if you are going to be spending a lot of time out in the "country" side or less populated places of NY/Northeast, then yeah I would go for the snow tires.

Here in Minnesota snow tires are wonderful. :D

[SmartIndianKid]

ill be moving to the albany area

is it really that much different than the snow conditions im used to here in colorado? we get quite a bit and ive never had issue driving in snow after doing so for 7 years


Let me preface by saying I've never driven in Colorado.

But the nastiness that comes from Upstate is the lake effect from up Canada. The area is also well equipped to handle most of the snow, however, so the roads are visibly clearer by the afternoon.

If you are experienced driving in the snow, you may feel that you don't need them, but it's totally up to you. Some people may not, but for most of us, they really help out.

[Macky-Mac]

I lived in Minneapolis for 12 years and never had more than good quality all-season tires

(i guess this means the issues with the relocation package, etc have been resolved to your satisfaction?)

[Auzburner]

I'm here in Syracuse, NY. Look it up on a map if you don't know where it is... Just got about 24+" of snow in the past week from lake effect and the numerous storms moving across the US. You DO NOT NEED SNOW TIRES! *NEED* Sure they are great to have, but locals rarely use them because most of the time they are not worth it. If your short on money, go ahead and get them, if not - don't... Here it's a matter of preference. You need to keep a much greater distance from cars in front of you and drive a lot slower because no matter what car tire you have - YOU WILL NOT stop when you are on a very slippery surface. Don't get me wrong. They can be VERY helpful, but are not necessary. You should be fine if you over do the slowness and distance factor. With All-Season tires that still have a good tread will be perfect, but without a tread your screwed. Just be careful, make the right decision and take your time on the snowy NY roads. By the way, whereabouts in NY? As a resident, I do not have any snow tires on both of my cars, just all seasons with a tread and they do just fine...

[Rodimus Prime]

something people do not understand about snow tires is it is more than just the fact that they have wider grooves and tread designed for snow. It is also the fact that the rubber compound used in the tires is designed for cold weather.
Rubber gets hard when it gets cold.

I have summer tires on my car year round. When it gets cold and wet out side where I live I have noticeably less grip than a car with all season tires. The rubber compound in my tires just is not designed for that cold of weather and the water prevents them from ever getting up to temp.

[eRondeau]

Dude, I'm not lying when I say my Toyo snow tires have saved my life at least once. Their grip in snow and on icy roads is absolutely incredible. My FWD 300M can actually out-accelerate many 4X4's on packed snow, and far out-brake them. (They actually have walnut shells ground-up in the rubber, which act like a million little serrated edges!) And, just the general sense of confidence and control snow's provide. I will never again spend a winter without snow tires. (Plus, your summer tires will last much longer, as they're only used for 7-8 months of the year...)

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-ca&q=toyo+snow+tires+walnut+shells&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[drichards]

ill be moving to the albany area

is it really that much different than the snow conditions im used to here in colorado? we get quite a bit and ive never had issue driving in snow after doing so for 7 years

Albany will show you much different weather conditions than Colorado. Lake affect snow my friend. Buy the snow tires and put them on the old wheels you said you have laying around. They will absolutely pay for themselves. 14 or 15in stock Celica wheels are super cheap to wrap in 185s for the winter.

[dukebound85]

I lived in Minneapolis for 12 years and never had more than good quality all-season tires

(i guess this means the issues with the relocation package, etc have been resolved to your satisfaction?)

Yea, my relocation issue was resolved for the better. The holiday season was probably a main cause for miscommunication.

I'm here in Syracuse, NY. Look it up on a map if you don't know where it is... Just got about 24+" of snow in the past week from lake effect and the numerous storms moving across the US. You DO NOT NEED SNOW TIRES! *NEED* Sure they are great to have, but locals rarely use them because most of the time they are not worth it. If your short on money, go ahead and get them, if not - don't... Here it's a matter of preference. You need to keep a much greater distance from cars in front of you and drive a lot slower because no matter what car tire you have - YOU WILL NOT stop when you are on a very slippery surface. Don't get me wrong. They can be VERY helpful, but are not necessary. You should be fine if you over do the slowness and distance factor. With All-Season tires that still have a good tread will be perfect, but without a tread your screwed. Just be careful, make the right decision and take your time on the snowy NY roads. By the way, whereabouts in NY? As a resident, I do not have any snow tires on both of my cars, just all seasons with a tread and they do just fine...

I will be in the Albany/Schenectady region. More specifically, will be living just north of Niskayuna (across the river) and working in Niskayuna

Currently, I have Kuhmo Ecsta ASX (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+ASX) tires with about 10k miles on them. Still alot of tread left.

Here (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS) is a chart giving scores for my current tire
Albany will show you much different weather conditions than Colorado. Lake affect snow my friend. Buy the snow tires and put them on the old wheels you said you have laying around. They will absolutely pay for themselves. 14 or 15in stock Celica wheels are super cheap to wrap in 185s for the winter.

True, just that 400-500 is kind of a lot at the moment. I could do it if I had to but would hate to find out that I didn't "need" too if you know what I mean.

With that said, I am currently looking at Dunlop Graspic DS-2 (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Graspic+DS-2) in the 195/55/15 or the General Tire Altimax Arctic (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Altimax+Arctic) at the same size

Whether I will or not, I'm still really up in the air:o

On the other hand, I still have 3 good Toyo Proxes 4 Tires (http://www.toyo.com/docs/tires/tires.asp?lpid=18970&name=Proxes%204%99&category=sport#Features) on my stock wheels. Is it a bad idea to put maybe 2 winter tires on my drive axle and have these on my back?

[it5five]

True, just that 400-500 is kind of a lot at the moment. I could do it if I had to but would hate to find out that I didn't "need" too if you know what I mean.


No snow driving experience here, so I don't know how much help I could be. Would it be possible to just drive out there with the all-seasons (driving very carefully when you do come to the snow), and then make that judgment once you get there yourself? If you find you do need them, then you can get them once you get there, and if you find you don't need them you saved yourself a few hundred dollars.

[dukebound85]

No snow driving experience here, so I don't know how much help I could be. Would it be possible to just drive out there with the all-seasons (driving very carefully when you do come to the snow), and then make that judgment once you get there yourself? If you find you do need them, then you can get them once you get there, and if you find you don't need them you saved yourself a few hundred dollars.

Not a bad plan actually. Get them if I need to once I get a feel for the conditions. Will also help by the fact I will be in a better position to buy them hopefully.

I like that idea

[it5five]

Not a bad plan actually. Get them if I need to once I get a feel for the conditions. Will also help by the fact I will be in a better position to buy them hopefully.

I like that idea

I hope the move goes well. Be sure to let us know the drive is.

[dukebound85]

I hope the move goes well. Be sure to let us know the drive is.

Will do. Won't be making the big move for another couple weeks though

[drichards]

The Nokians that I mentioned before are top notch, and cost half of what you're looking at. They're a euro import, largely unheard of in this country. If you want to check them out on your way, stop off I80 exit 12 in Jersey, 908 475 8111, ask for Kevin. Good friend of mine.

[stevo8]

Bridgestone blizzaks ftw.

[OutThere]

Being that I go to college about 5 minutes from where you'll be, I'd say that snow tires are really nice to have, but not absolutely necessary. If you've had a lot experience snow driving you won't have a problem...however there is a key difference between Colorado and here, in my experience, particularly if you weren't way up in the mountains in CO: here it has snowed maybe 4 or 5 times in the past 10 days, and during that time has not gotten above maybe 25º....the snow falls, sticks and gets compressed into ice and stays there, and when it finally starts to melt it refreezes into more ice. When I've been in Colorado there were big dumps that melted away at lower elevations. Just looking at the weather situation right now...in Denver it's 50º, here it's 8º, tonight it'll be -12º with a high of 1º tomorrow. Ultimately if you're going to want to drive during or soon after a snowstorm you'll want the tires. Parking lots and small drives never seem to get plowed clear anyway.