The tires thread "So I need tires..."

[SlimKlim]

Why do you guys run snow tires in NOVA? Are you on summers now? A good set of all seasons seems to work fine here in MD for the 3-4 snow days we get per year.

All seasons are fine if you live near a main road that you can get to with minimal fuss - the main roads are clear in half a day. If you gotta go a little ways you're either stuck at home for 2 days or need snows.

I'm not saying snow tires aren't better, but if you're careful you can get just about any vehicle just about anywhere on all-seasons. This photo is from the morning after Snowpocalypse 2009. I left Roanoke at 3:30PM, got home at 6:30 (usually a 45 minute drive), and by the time I turned onto my parent's 4-mile, windy, hilly backroad, the snow was so deep that I was pushing it with the front lip.

I didn't get stuck once, until I got to the bottom of the driveway, at which point I decided I had traveled too far to walk the last 100 yards and floored it until I dug down to something grippy, as my dad watched in abject horror from the porch. :lol:



That being said, I realize I'm just being pedantic. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it's easy or safe, if you have the means and the space for a set of winter tires you should run them. The difference between my M3 in college and Ken's Ralliart on snows out was shocking.

I want to get my money's worth out of the OEM tires on the VW, but when they're used up I think I'll try to put summers on the OEM wheels and get an ultra cheap set for winters.