Snow tires - Really worth the money?

[uncleyaris]

Hey man, been so f....n busy with work, kids , wife, holidays, besides sometimes you think you don't mean shit around here anyways!!!

[ChinoCharles]

Screw all that. You're one of the OG's of YW. Don't forget about us! Good to hear you've been busy though, better than doing nothing!

[andries]

I have Yokohama W-drive. They were totally worth it

[nemelek]

Once or twice a year I could use them. For my circumstances, it's not worth the money.

[thebarber]

Originally Posted by nemelek

Once or twice a year I could use them. For my circumstances, it's not worth the money.

does it get below 50F in winter? then they'd be worth the money.

the thing that im sure most people dont realize is that winter rims/tires aren't that big of an expenditure. sure you have to buy an extra set of steelies w/ tires, but while youre running your winter setup, you're not running your summer....so all your tires last essentially twice as long.

[Lafiro]

Left my tires on for the first snow of the season. Leaving work on a hilly curse my backend came out, and my car just did a 90degree turn and kept sliding till it rolled forwards, jumped the snowy bank, and came to a stop 5 inches from a tree. The car was lowered and the snow passing the button of the car stopped it. Not because of the stupid tired I had on at the time.

Then I drove a BMW X5 4.8liter the other night, and WOW was I impressed with the handling, speed, brakes, and ability to not slide easy at all.

So yes everyone, get yourselves a good set of snow tires!

[Doug007]

Although I live in sunny California, we make regular treks to Truckee, CA, where the snow and ice prevail most of the winter and into spring. I have Toyo studless snow tires, which are OK to operate up to 80 dgrees and work well in the Central Valley winter/spring. They are really handy up in the mountains, even without studs.

Gid mentioned the cost factor and I agree. For the price of my deductible in case of accident, I'll get 2-3 years out of the Toyos by rotating my all seasons. For me and my family, as well as other drivers I might encounter, a good investment. As an aside, my wife actually surprised me and got a killer deal last spring from Les Schwab

[Jerkratt]

thinking about picking up a set of show tires.. i slid into the curb well show mound lol and broke some of the clips holding the front lip on... so now i have an excuse to get a body kit hehe but yeah DEFF getting tires maybe i can con my uncle into getting them for me... still owes me a holiday gift..

[Black Yaris]

Hey Chino.... still got those snows?.. I want to try and keep these 17's nice

[TLyttle]

Gotta watch studs on clean pavement! All of a sudden, you are dealing with carbide tires and the attendant lack of traction. The sparks are spectacular, stopping ain't...

[DeliciousYaris2007]

I got snow tires this winter and LOVE them! They are absolutely amazing :) I'd have to look again to see exactly who made them. They were the cheapest to install by Toyota...

[koala]

Snow tires are absolutely a good idea if safety is any sort of concern. One thing I will say though is don't go too cheap. I normally buy good quality but on the Yaris I thought we'd try to save some money so we bought some Dunlop Graspic DS-2's and they're absolute shit tires... can't wait for them to wear out!

[elementalist]

I have michelin x-ice's on 14" rims. They are pretty decent on snow and ice. YOu have to remember, even with winter tires, you have to be a bit more cautious in the winter.

[Nexus1155]

LOL your'e doing it wrong ^^^ !!! (Don't be like them)

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted by devinlamothe

I have snow tires on my HB and they were TOTALLY worth it. Up here in Northern Ontario we have tons of snow. If I didn't have snow tires, I would have been stuck/crashed/destroyed many times.

Studding lets you add metal studs to the bottom of your tires to add traction on icy roads. You'd have to check to see whether or not it was legal where you are (some places do not allow studded tires).

Off-topic... but whoa... a local?!?

I find snow's a requirement for any decent amount of frozen precipitation on the Yaris. My Sunfire didn't need them, but the little 'Yota sure does!

Originally Posted by koala

Snow tires are absolutely a good idea if safety is any sort of concern. One thing I will say though is don't go too cheap. I normally buy good quality but on the Yaris I thought we'd try to save some money so we bought some Dunlop Graspic DS-2's and they're absolute shit tires... can't wait for them to wear out!

I have those on my Yaris right now. Other than road noise, I find they're great.

[gid]

don't recommend over inflating studded tires ( 35 p.s.i. or > ) . Reason being you'll have less contact between the road and tire surface , riding on studs ( wear metal studs quicker ) . Less air , more rubber to meet the road . Have noticed that the steering ( cornering ) is more sensitive with studded tires and the electric assisted power steering too .

[MUSKOKA800]

Installing winter (ice) tires on my sedan took it from scary bad (on OEM Goodyear LS tires) to confident and sure footed. Especially on packed/icy surfaces where the LS's were absolutely useless. I'd never experience tires so poor in ice. Goodyear has a nerve calling those all-season tires. They must mean all-seasons of Mexico.

[nemelek]

Originally Posted by thebarber

does it get below 50F in winter? then they'd be worth the money.

the thing that im sure most people dont realize is that winter rims/tires aren't that big of an expenditure. sure you have to buy an extra set of steelies w/ tires, but while youre running your winter setup, you're not running your summer....so all your tires last essentially twice as long.

Once or twice a year it get below 0. Today is getting up to 65. The snow and ice here melts real quick. We can get 8 inches on Monday and 4 days later be playing golf. The road crews do a great job in clearing the streets. I have yet to be stuck using all season tires. Even when driving to ski areas in the mountains. When conditions are called for, I use more care. The people that get stuck or in accidents are the ones that don't know how to drive in winter conditions. If I lived further north like ND or Canada, I might consider snow tires. I can't justify spending $500 on a car that costs $12,000.