Snow/winter tires & driving (long, sorry)

[sad_rocc at yahoo.com (Dan Smith)]

I had true snows on my 16v last year, some closeout special that was at the tire store. They worked well and the car handled quite comfortably and predictably. It rarely slid, most of the times it did I was helping it, but when it did it was pretty easy to maintain. This year I think I'm going to try studs on the front and regular tires on the back. Because salt isn't used where I am, at night all the snow that was on the roads that melted freezes up into an ice rink. I think another lister uses that combo and it seems like it makes sense to me. Don't get studded tires though if you don't have a pretty constant issue with ice. Since you're basically riding on small points of metal, traction on dry pavement sucks. I'd be a little nervous to have them on the highway. Also, they don't really help snow traction either. Lastly, personally I don't see a real need to buy the super expensive blizzack/artic alpin type snows, most of them have silica as a top layer which supposedly grips
 better, but wears very quickly. The cheapo tires most likely just copy the tread pattern and make their tires out of harder rubber. Check your classified section for tires, there's tons of people around here who buy new snows every year so you can get great deals on very lightly used tires.
 
Dan
 
P.S- Excellent advice on the practice techniques Kent. I'll have to see if I can spot a parking lot somewhere where I can try them out. 

C Boyko <roccit_53@hotmail.com> wrote:
And to this I'll add that I have true snow tires and I really love them, if 
you do get all seasons, make sure they have a fairly blocky tread, and that 
you begin each winter season with no signs of the wear bars seeing the light 
of day, worn all seasons are useless in the snow.
Cathy, getting Buffalo's leftovers when the wind shifts


>From: "Kent McLean" 
>To: "T. Reed" ,
>Subject: Re: Snow/winter tires & driving (long, sorry)
>Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 06:54:04 -0400
>
>T. Reed went on and on about snow tires:
> > So, I'm thinking about buying a set of snow tires and I would
>appreciate
> > some advice from those with experience (both using snow tires and
>driving
> > in the snow)
>
>For occasional snow, you probably don't need real snow
>tires. All-season tires should suffice. Just make sure they
>have lots of tread left. If they're worn down to the warning
>bars, they will be useless in snow.
>
> > What's the deal with studs?
>
>Good on ice, but not really necessary if you slow down
>and drive with care.
>
> > Thinner tires do better in snow, right? But of course have worse
>traction
> > when dry..
>
>Correct. But not really a factor if you stick to standard
>sizes on your rims.
>
> > I've been drifting around some crushed-gravel roads (don't worry, I'm
> > being extra careful not to harm my 'baby') at high speeds trying to
>get a
> > feel for controlling the car with less than perfect traction.
>
>That's the best thing -- experience. Wait until it snows.
>Then find an empty, unplowed parking lot and drive
>around it. Feel how much traction you have taking
>off from a stop (spin those wheels!). Start off in 2nd
>and feel the difference; you'll probably be less likely
>to spin your wheels. Get up to speed (which on snow
>may be just 10-20 mph) and slam on your brakes;
>you'll skid. Do it again but gently apply your brakes;
>get a feel for when you skid and when you don't.
>Get up to speed again and make a 90 degree turn.
>Did you plow straight when you turned the wheel?
>You carried too much speed into the turn (that is,
>you didn't have enough traction). Try again, but
>make the turn more gentle. Try again, but give it gas
>when you turn. Try again, but give it some brakes
>when you turn. For some real fun, try again but
>pull up on the hand brake (keep the release button
>pressed in) while turning. The rear end should kick
>out and help you complete the turn. Keep playing
>in the snow until you get comfortable with it. Then
>your fears will disappear. The only thing I fear in
>snow is the other idiots on the road.
>
>If you are really paranoid about snow, sell the
>Scirocco and look for an Audi quattro. You should
>be able to pick up a mid-80s 4000 with quattro for
>under $1000. You can window shop here:
>http://www.audifans.com/marketplace/view.php?table=cars&type=true
>And being from the VW family, the mechanicals
>should look familiar, especially the 4-cylinder engine.
>
>Kent
>35 years of driving in snow, with front-engine-rear-drive
>(Austin-Healeys, MGs, Miata), rear-engine-rear-drive
>(air-cooled VW Beetle), front-engine-front-drive (Hondas,
>Fords), and the best for snow, front-engine-all-wheel-drive
>(Audi 200).
>
>
>
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