When most people think of winter tires, they think of aggressively treaded tires with metal studs in them.
I doubt that's true - many people even here in Alberta are not even aware that studded tires are available or permitted (in fact, they are regaining popularity and their use is unrestricted in Alberta). I plan to go to studs with my next winter set (which won't be for a couple of years).
Narrower tires are better in winter. Almost all travel trailers some with tires that are narrow (in relation to the load) by automotive standards. For instance, stock tires for most Escape models are the same width as the stock base tires (optional are wider) for my Mazda3... and each trailer axles carries much more load than even the front car axle.
I think it's amusing that the speeds were limited to 40 mph (65 km/h) in winter conditions, as if people actually slow down to that - perhaps they do in places where it only snows once or twice a year. The test results should be valid anyway.
Overall, I think it's a reasonable test and good article with a valuable message.
If people take nothing else from the article, they should at least pay attention to some of the facts that many people like to ignore:
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Maybe you own an all-wheel-drive vehicle that gets going more readily than a front-drive machine like the Civic. You'll still have to slow down, and in sloppy conditions the unexpected panic stop is far more commonplace. Winter braking performance is crucially important to all vehicles, regardless of the number of wheels driving them up to speed.
Sorry to say that here in Alberta a lot of people don't believe in winter tires and run all season or summer tires in the winter.
I have had people driving behind and in front of me spin out. This usually happens when it gets really cold and the all season rubber compound gets hard and looses traction. I like to run studded winter tires (coming from northern British Columbia) on my truck and notice I get a lot of strange looks when I drive by and people hear them.
Tires are a hot topic right now. There are 4 tire threads going simultaneously on the Fiberglass RV Forum...so with this one you have 5 to chose from...
We don't use winter tires in San Antonio because the chances of freezing precipitation are extremely low. Having said that, we did get a freak ice storm last winter that basically shut down our Highway system for a day and caused hundreds of accidents. I sometimes think it would be better if we had these kind of storms more often. Maybe people would get used to it and stop driving like idiots.
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"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
Hi: rbryan4... When I drove Robert Q Airport service to Toronto and Detroit, I spent about 4 hrs. on the freeway each day. Early one morning in a patch of freezing rain... a passenger asked "Why are we going straight and every one else is spinning out". I answered "We're going 40 miles an hour... in neutral"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
Tires are a hot topic right now. There are 4 tire threads going simultaneously on the Fiberglass RV Forum...so with this one you have 5 to chose from...
I noticed that. I also noticed that two of them in FiberglassRV are old threads (one inactive for two months, the other inactive for eight years) revived by the same member, who apparently did a search in the forum for "tires" or something. Also, another one of them is the FiberglassRV version of this thread, which apparently triggered his volley of tire posts.
Having said that, tires are always a hot topic in trailer forums.
Here in Portland, Oregon we need tires for rain. The ocassional snow storm brings our city to a stand still. But, few city streets are straight and there are a number of hills sprinkled through out town. In fact the entire downtown area starts a sea level and goes up to over 1100 feet in about 70 blocks, as the crow flies.
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Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
Well, here in Oswego (average snowfall 150" - 200") we understand snow tires. I've been putting 4 of them on my vehicles for a number of years, even the two wheel drive ones. That said, I don't need them (yet) this year - bare ground & roads most of this winter.
I've been putting 4 of them on my vehicles for a number of years, even the two wheel drive ones.
Absolutely the thing to do. Before front wheel drive became common, it was common to use snow tires on only the rear (of a rear wheel drive), but the result was poor stopping and turning. With modern winter tires (quite different from the snow lugs of decades ago), this is even more important. With front wheel drive, winter tires on only the front invite loss of control.
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Originally Posted by Vermilye
That said, I don't need them (yet) this year - bare ground & roads most of this winter.
Here, a common schedule is to switch to winters at Hallowe'en, and back to "summer" (usually "all-season") tires around Easter... for those who think of their annual timetable in terms of holidays.
Even on relatively bare roads, the tread rubber compound of winter tires works better than all-seasons at low temperatures, so the tire companies are now advising to switch at 7 degrees C (45 degrees Fahrenheit).
This year for the first time in about 35 yrs I put snow tires on three of my vehicles. We previously used all season tires year round on all of our vehicles. I have not noticed any marked improvement in traction while accelerating but have been pleasantly surprised with the improved traction during braking.
I have used Nokian's "all-weather" WR tires on two vehicles, and Nokian's Hakkapeliitta R as well as other serious winter tires on the same vehicles. I agree with this author's assessment of the WR, although the important thing he fails to mention is the high rate of tread wear in summer conditions - not as bad as normal winter tires, but still too high for me. Between the wear and the less-than-the-best winter traction, I went back to separate summer and winter sets, but if I moved to a milder location I would consider the WR (or Hankook Optimo 4S) again.
The all-weather tires also seem like a good choice to use on a trailer which is towed in moderate winter conditions.
This year for the first time in about 35 yrs I put snow tires on three of my vehicles. We previously used all season tires year round on all of our vehicles. I have not noticed any marked improvement in traction while accelerating but have been pleasantly surprised with the improved traction during braking.
Hi: ice-breaker...On snow or ice covered roads I use neutral to improve traction during braking. Quite like engaging the clutch in a stick-shift car it removes the pull/push of the transmission for improved stopping distances.
My only wish is that the guy behind can stop as fast!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
I have to admit that when having to stop quickly one of the first things I do is check the mirror to see if those following me are going to get stopped. We have x-ice 3 tires on the car and toyo obersve gsi-5 on the van and yukon. I do believe the x-ice-3 do stop better on polished ice intersections but the toyos have better traction in deep snow. I have had studded winters before and they are awesome all the while the studs are fresh but once they are smoothed off a bit I was quite disapointed
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MacRae, 21ft
2016 GMC Yukon SLT
St.Albert Alberta
I have to admit that when having to stop quickly one of the first things I do is check the mirror to see if those following me are going to get stopped. We have x-ice 3 tires on the car and toyo obersve gsi-5 on the van and yukon. I do believe the x-ice-3 do stop better on polished ice intersections but the toyos have better traction in deep snow. I have had studded winters before and they are awesome all the while the studs are fresh but once they are smoothed off a bit I was quite disapointed
Have to agree on studs. We generally drive on either dry pavement or hard packed snow; rarely ice. Studs add very little benefit under those conditions, plus they are niosy, and NY has On/Off dates for studded tires. I run Michelin's Latitude X Ice tires on the RAV4 during the winter, and find them a huge improvement over the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires I run the rest of the year. They also provide a smoother ride. I'd use them year round, but they wear too fast during the warm months.
On snow or ice covered roads I use neutral to improve traction during braking. Quite like engaging the clutch in a stick-shift car it removes the pull/push of the transmission for improved stopping distances.
I think you meant pushing the pedal to disengage the clutch, but I get the idea.
I remember discovering this over thirty years ago - it made a huge difference. That was with a rear-wheel-drive 1971 carburetor-equipped 5-litre engine and hydraulically controlled 3-speed automatic transmission. When we got our front-wheel-drive van a decade ago, with its electronically-managed 5-speed automatic transmission and computer-controlled (including throttle-by-wire) 3.5L engine I found that shifting to neutral made little if any difference... the van isn't fighting itself.