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I've never put snow tires on a car before and I have a bunch of questions. I live in Pittsburgh, and lived in NJ and MA before, so I'm used to driving in the snow, been doing it for the last 15 years. A few months ago we moved from the south side up into the infamous southside slopes (the same slopes where Mike Gordon's tour bus got stranded and he had to hitchhike to Star Lake). To get to and from my house, any way you look at it there are some steep hills and roads that might not get plowed often enough.I drive a 2011 Chevy Aveo, which is a really light car, but it has front wheel drive and relatively new all-weathers on all 4. I haven't bought snow tires yet and really don't want to, but my girlfriend really wants me to get them now that we live in a really hilly area with a lot of streets that might get pretty ugly this winter.
The thing is, I'm about to be taking a road trip to NJ in a few weeks which will be hundreds of miles of Interstate highways, I feel like if I put the snow tires on now I'll be killing them on that trip unnecessarily. So I'm going to try my best not to get them til after that trip, but it just snowed today and that was kind of a wake-up call. I'm about to be going out to different tire shops to see what the deals are, just thought you guys could lend me some valuable insight here. Thanks!
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Wait til after, the highways should be clear for your trip and if they aren't, you shouldn't be on the road anyway.Tires are expensioso nowadays, so be prepared.
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I live in western ny, the winters are pretty bad cause of the lake erie and ontario. also lived in canigaua on the lake. ive been driving for 15years. never had snow tires.ask yourself 2 questions
1 do you have insurance
2 are u a good driver(0 accidents in your history)
if you answer yes to both u prolly dont need them
But u might wanna get them to apease the women
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I always check out www.tirerack.com before I call around to get the best deal. All you do is punch in the make / model of your vehicle and all the tire options with price pop up. Shipping is only about $30 for 4 tires shipped. Call around to see if the local shops will match the deal on the tires. Usually the best deal ends up being ordering tires from the website and having someone install them for about $80. Michelin's are definitely worth a little extra coin.
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Dude, I haven't been in snow for nearly 6 years. However I grew up in Vermont so hope all my old skills come back to me.
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I've lived in the snowy northeast most of my life, and i currently live in Cleveland. I've never had snow tires, studs, chains, or any of that crap, and I'm not afraid to venture out. The slopes in Pittsburgh are definitely another story. Ditch the Aveo and get an all wheel drive vehicle and go slow. I've got a Jeep Wrangler (4x4), Honda Pilot (4WD), and Kia Sportage (AWD). The Jeep has super aggressive mud terrain tires, and the Honda and Kia both have typical light truck tire tread. Never had any problems.
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November is the best month to buy them as far as sales go. I'd buy them now and put them on after the road trip.A really good set of all weathers can be just as good as snow tires. I've never had snow tires and I grew up in Maine. I think a lot of people are convinced that they need them when they really don't have an every day of the winter need for them.
However, I don't know about the hills you'll encounter new your house.
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If you have the ability to swap out your wheels at home, I'd just buy a set on cheap steel wheels and only toss them on the car when you really need them. Search craigslist for blizzaks, I wouldn't be surprised if you can even pick up a set used.
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Living in killington year round and at the fact i live at the bottom of a hill i use two studs on the front only. I love craigslist for used snow tires. inspect them and pay cash. they work awesome. Snow tires only work when you know how to drive in the snow. Once you put them on find a snow filled parking lot and practice. Stoping, streering, sliding, braking with emergency brake.... Practice is the only way to learn em.... Not every one here will have your exact car.You must understand how your particular car handles them with you driving........... Also thro two bags of sand in your trunk for weight. buy the ones in burlap bags there stronger. Also buy an avalance shovel and leave it in your car too. there light weight and move tons of snow fast and have a detachable handle so you can put more friends in the trunk if need be........Also if you get stuck, use the shovel to dig your tires out and break open the bags of sand and you will have traction......... Yeah im pretty SIC....
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I guess I have a slightly different attitude toward snow tires than most here, but I swear by them. For a FWD car you could probably get away with just throwing snows on the front tires if you want to save some money, but in really deep snow the rear tires might not track very well in the back (back could slide out more easily). The Bridgestone Blizzaks are outrageously soft and they kill it in the snow and ice. I have 4 Bridgestone Blizzak WS70s which are about $100 a tire depending on the size (from tirerack.com) and on my Subaru I can drive through the absolute worst shit storms comfortably at the speed limit. It will definitely give you some peace of mind.
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Go to tire shop ask for the "errors" or something. They are high end tires with some minor cosmetic defect, I got a set of 4 tires for my jeep for like $600 shoulda been $1400; that was always 4 wheel drive though. If you got front wheel drive you only need two. You do need them, anyone who says otherwise is ignorant of Pittsburgh and places like "the hill district" where the snow gets packed before its plowed.
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I live in the northern Vermont sticks and I don't know anybody who doesn't use snow tires. They make a huge difference and are a must in snow and ski country. Once last winter as I was heading to Smuggs the road was so snowy/icy that the state troopers were literally stopping cars and examining the tires of anyone trying to get up the road. Tires are very expensive for sure, but the cost is not so much in the tires but in the twice-yearly tire change. After all, two sets of tires will last you twice as long. I would hate to rely on insurance and good driving (who thinks they're not a good driver?). That said, if you don't live in a snow belt, you can probably get by with good all-weather tires.
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