Snow Tires Needed?

[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.

 

[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]

Central New York

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...yo+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 tires with about 10k miles on them. Still alot of tread left.

Here 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 in the 195/55/15 or the General Tire Altimax Arctic at the same size

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

On the other hand, I still have 3 good Toyo Proxes 4 Tires 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.