iaink

If you keep them long enough its doesnt even cost that much as you are reducing wear and extending the life of the regular rubber anyway. Just the cost of the rims really, and many insurance companies offer a premium discount (5% or so) for using winter tires.

iaink

It was more like 80% where I am. A suprising number of people actually swap the rubber on their existing rims it seems.

Anyway, regarding safety, the G&M had a recent article...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2206902/
Its not the snow, its the cold, and out west there is more of that. You can "get by", but when you really need to stop in a hurry winter tires can be the decisive edge between a "near miss", or having to make a claim and living with excruciating insurance costs for the foreseeable future.

busycouple

Sounds good. Im guessing ESP, ABS and Traction control are crucial though for ice and snow?

dbd33

Last time we had this argument I went and counted not only in the car park but at the dump. What people drive to a dump in a part of the country rural enough not to have dustmen seems to me to be a good indictation of what's actual needed. Out there no one has snow tyres, they're as urban a phenomenon as SUVs.

I quite liked them because I didn't have to roll that stop sign but they're a long way done my list of essentials. I wouldn't, for example, switch to domestic beer to afford them.

dbd33

You need to be able to turn the traction control off so as to be able to get going on ice so you need a system with a defeat switch.

iaink

No, the rubber is the critical factor, everything else is entirely dependent on having grip. My Civic has ABS, but no traction or ESP, and to be honest ABS probably makes stopping in snow worse as it cuts in before the tread has cut through the snow, but at least I can steer while its doing it. If you need ESP, then simply put you are an idiot and you are driving way too fast for the conditions.

Ice and snow are not the only enemy, even on dry tarmac, when its -20 regular rubber is rock hard and wont grip worth a damn, and that wont be unusual in a Calgary winter.

busycouple

Didnt think about the tarmac. Just thinking I should get them all as want the family to be safe. Winter tyres seem a must so I will get them.

dbd33

By all means get some but "a must" is too stong. Hire cars are driven by all sorts of people often in a great rush, they don't have snow tyres though the fleet managers and their insurers (if any) have doubtless done the sums.

Steve_

Subaru, and so does Iain although apparently he has a Civic as well. I don't agree with getting a Civic, they're more popular back east but in Alberta people like SUVs and pick-ups, so as I was saying in the other very similar thread we had on this subject you can have problems with getting hit with gravel from being lower down. If I was going to get a new car now I think I would get a Forester.

Also station wagons are really popular in the UK but not so much in Alberta, this has a bearing on how well they retain value.

Being able to see in traffic is also important, and if 50% of the other cars are high up and you're in a Civic, you're at a disadvantage.

As for winter tires, I certainly agree you are better off with them, but better off and needing them are two entirely different things, I've never had them since I've lived here, the snow clearance is usually pretty good (although everyone moans that it isn't) so yes they do provide an advantage but not a massive one, imo. Also bear in mind Alberta is colder than southern Ontario so if the ground is absolutely frozen solid which does happen at certain points in the winter then winter tires don't provide much of an advantage.

I've got to say the main point that everyone misses is that really it's more to do with how well you drive and what kit you have in your car that matters, rather than the car itself. You don't need a block heater in Calgary, contrary to popular belief, but you do need jumper cables, window deicer, snow scraper, etc. in your car. If you're going anywhere rural or steep then also chains.

busycouple

True, I will speak to my family over there and see what they do as it may depend on the journeys we do as well.

Is it better to go to America and get a car, would I get more for my money?

dbd33

Yes, but you'll have to go back there for any warranty work.

MikeUK

Winter tires

They fall into two sets, snow tires and winter driving tires

Snow tires are knobby and designed for driving in snow, unless you’re living off the beaten track in the rural areas these are not for you.

Winter driving tires, these are made with a different surface design and with specialized softer rubber that will remain flexible down to about -40c, these work better than normal tires from about 7 degC downwards, these are designed to give better traction on cold surfaces, that includes dry tarmac, ice and packed snow..

These are not needed as many will say, as you can try to drive on cold hard standard rubber, but you will need to factor in longer and longer stopping distances as it get colder as the rubber will lose its flex and you will get also snow and ice buildup in the tread.

But you should also consider that you very rarely hear of anybody that has tried winter tires and who has then moved back to using all season in winter!

iaink

Rural Ontario is also home of the "Truck by Default", but being in the civic, or the legacy before that, close to the ground has really been not much different to driving the Jeep before that a lot higher up, you just drive accordingly thats all.

I just got fed up of paying for gas in the Jeep, and the Neanderthal ride and handling.

I do get this desire to be high up though, after all thats why I went for the Jeep in the first place, but I am now so over it.

Not sure height has anything to do with rock strikes though. The Jeep got it more often than the others. Maybe aerodynamics plays a part? I realise its a lot worse for rocks out there though.

FWIW Chains are illegal in Ontario.

iaink

That makes absolutely no sense at all. Its the cold that winter tires gives you an advantage in. Colder is more of a reason to have winter rubber.

Atlantic Xpat

Ahhh....a car thread. Always a popular thing on BE.

I've started thinking ahead to next year when the lease on the Mrs's Kia Soul is up. We're going to need something a bit bigger, but still relatively economical both to buy and run. Pondering what to get without buying a 2wd SUV or a Minivan (which are both the work of satan in mine, and the Mrs's eyes) is a challening exercise. Back in Blightly an estate car would fit the bill. In Canada, they are virtually non-existent.

Snow tires will be purchased for whatever we get. Plus we have the old Zuki SUV I drive for those times (and there are some) when 4x4 and ground clearance are needed.