Winter Tire Question

[thedon809]

Or you can just move down south. Problem solved.

[HSKR]

Adding studs really only helps on ice or hard packed snow. Which most people won't encounter. The studs will actually decrease your traction on clean pavement. ANY snow tire will make a night and day difference over ANY all season tire. If you haven't tried more than one brand of snow tire, then most will always recommend the snow tire they have used touting how great it was. I have used the studded Winterforce tires on my truck and they were great, allowed me to get anywhere I needed to without ever getting stuck. I can't say the studs added any "confidence" with being able to get around. You still need to drive the conditions of the road. And I learned quickly that they decreased traction when there was no snow or ice on the road.

[dwh4784]

They're also annoyingly loud and damage the roads. I've never used them but have ridden with people who do. We can have them on from November through March in Washington, and in that time maybe see snowy/icy roads for 15% of that time.

I've personally tried three brands of studless. Gislaved Nordfrost, Yokahama Ice Guard, Michelin X-Ice. All three offered more than enough traction for my needs. Especially cornering and braking which is what really matters. If someone has a problem getting stuck they need more drive wheels, not studs.

[fcasta308]

Thanks everyone for your input. I had found a great deal on a set of 4 Altimax winter tires on craigslist. They were also in the same city I lived in! I thought it was a miracle! But, I can't downsize on tire height. Even though the caliber is tall I'll end up getting my wife stuck anyway... I'll keep searching!

Also, if anyone has winter tires they wanna sell for a LeBaron, here is a good chance to plug that in!

[dwh4784]

Also, if anyone has winter tires they wanna sell for a LeBaron, here is a good chance to plug that in!

I have the previously mentioned set of Michelin X-Ice mounted on Crab wheels. One is brand new zero miles. Had a slow leak and wanted the tire store to fix and they mistakenly replaced the tire. They're just sitting in my shed I'll (hopefully) never drive my Lebaron in the winter again and they're too small for my Caravan. You can PM me if you're interested, I can ship.