It depends on the car, the difference is massive in mine, ie the difference between being able to drive relatively normally and not being able to get enough grip to exit (a flat) driveway. Previous cars have been fine without winter tyres, for this one I get them switched as soon as temps drop below 5C.

I imagine there's something there. Also the number of barriers to the sensations of driving would be a factor. If you have a minivan or, gah!, a Cadillac, with an automatic gearbox and power steering you'll likely only realise that the wheels are spinning when the kids complain that they're late for school.

You'd be surprised what people test

http://picolio.auto123.com/art-image...11-ang-car.jpg

+2 I'd rather be on the road than in the ditch, so don't go with a cheap brand to save a few bucks

Dunno, if its a choice between cheap winters or none then cheap is OK.

The best way to save money is to invest in steel wheels an inch or two smaller than your alloys and then get higher profile winter tires to keep the "rolling radius" close to the same. You can save hundreds that way compared to getting 45 or 50 section winters on 18 or 19" rims. Plus then its much easier to change them over yourself each time if you want.

Just makes sure your smaller steel wheel still clears the brakes OK.

lol, you must have different snow down there! The X-ice are great especially in comparison to the er summer tires we have on, they skid easily in the rain.

Part of it I expect is that if you compare old winters that have worn down treads with new tires, the new ones are always going to seem better.


Many of the high end winters vary the rubber type from outside to inside, so the difference between new and old can be even more striking... For example Blizzacks have lots of pores in the surface rubber, once they are half worn the rubber lacks that extra traction feature, Likewise Michelins I believe have bits of walnut shell or something, others have special silica based additives etc etc etc.

My experience was comparing Blizzaks and "Winter Performance" Michelin Primacy Alpins on the Subaru. The Primacy is nicer on dry roads, corners better (firmer), its quieter, and grips OK in ice and snow. But when its really shitty it breaks free a lot easier than the Blizzaks did, and its the shitty stuff that we pay $800 for a second set of tires to deal with. The X-ice is on a par with the blizzaks as its a true ice/snow tire.

My impression is that what they class as "Performance winter tires" are more designed for sportier performance in the less demanding winter conditions, rather than better performance when the roads are really a mess.

Actually if the choice is "none" you shouldn't be on the road.

If you're looking for cheap, the tire places will sell used tires and I'd even suggest trying the auto wreckers - I found an almost new set of winters on alloy rims for my ford truck in wrecker yard for a third the price of new.

Nothing proves the efficacy of a set of tyres like taking them off a vehicle that's crashed.

One thing I've noticed is that with all the gravel on the road in the winter the small holes in our Nokian tread have become clogged with tiny stones. That may be another reason why they don't seem to work as well as they did when we first got them.

Decent tyres make a massive difference in terms of stopping distance in the rain on a good set v a cheap set...also in the slush, makes a huge difference.

Do you have a good set, maybe for Sundays, and a cheap set?

Oh well the Yokohamas are going on today. I'm hoping to see a difference - the all seasons that have been on were down to 3/32 and definitely not up to the job any more. I seem to remember when the all seasons were new they weren't too bad in the winter until the temps dropped to -15C to-20C.

I don't need winter tyres anymore...no real need in MA, nor can we have them for very long to make it worth while.

We did have a decent set when we were up in Maine and when we replaced them with a cheaper set, they were night and day in stopping distance, grip and confidence of going around a corner in the slush/ice/snow.

Certainly the OEM all season tires on the Civic we test-drove at -40 were useless; didn't much want to stop and spun when trying to start. I've had a hard time making the winter tires spin or lose grip in normal road driving at any temperature.