by "victor" (victor)
Published 10/17/2017 at 16:16
by "victor" (victor)
Published 10/17/2017 at 16:16
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....if I want to go up to the mountains a few times a season to hit some pow. Is it a good idea to have winter tires? Currently, I’m running
Pilot Sport A/S 3+ ZR (Y rated) tires
that are technically M+S rated on my wagon , that has 4Matic.
Though I don’t technically need any snow tires for plying around the hills of Seattle, should I get some for going to Stevens and Snoqualmie?
"Spasoje" (Spasoje)
10/17/2017 at 16:22, STARS: 0
Vancouver, BC here. My friend has had A/S 3's on his E39 for a few years now, including during last winter when we got that epic snowfall. He found he only spun the tires/got stuck when trying to drive over snow and ice directly, but felt completely confident in the winter otherwise.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/17/2017 at 16:23, STARS: 0
Depends on what you plan to do out there. I had summer tires on my Civic and when I went out east they were pretty good about plowing the roads. I went all the way out to Spokane in January and didn’t have any trouble.
Since you have all seasons, I wouldn’t. Just bring some kitty litter and a small shovel in case you get stuck somewhere. And a phone of course.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
10/17/2017 at 16:35, STARS: 0
I had A/S 2's... They suck bigly in the snow. 10/10 would not recommend using them for more than emergency snow duty. This is for the drier intermountain snow, wetter coastal snow may be okay so long as it doesn’t freeze...then you screwed.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
10/17/2017 at 16:51, STARS: 0
The A/S 3+ is apparently pretty decent in snow.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
10/17/2017 at 16:58, STARS: 2
M+S doesn’t mean jack. The severe snow duty mountain snowflake symbol requires passing a test for a tire to be branded with it. M+S only means the manufacturer intended the tread design to have mud and/or snow capability. There’s no test to pass.
Basically every all-season tire has the M+S symbol on it and plenty of them suck in the snow.
If you’re going somewhere that requires winter tires or chains, the M+S symbol on its own is generally not enough to qualify as winter tires. You need the mountain snowflake.
If you’re not going to places that require winter tires to access them, then this Tire Rack test says the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ is supposedly pretty decent in winter. On an awd car, they’re probably going to be reasonably usable. You’re not going to have the same snow/ice braking capability as a proper winter tire, but they should be alright.
"Spaceball-Two" (spaceball-two)
10/17/2017 at 17:26, STARS: 0
Nah you don’t need them. Snoqualmie and Stevens are generally plowed regularly. If it’s so bad that the plows aren’t out, then you shouldn’t be out there either.
"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006)
10/17/2017 at 17:29, STARS: 1
Depends on what sort of winter we get, last year WASHDOT couldn’t keep any of the passes open regularly, got way too much snow.
"victor" (victor)
10/17/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 1
I know, but west coast states (specifically CA, OR, and WA) have this hilarious regulation where level 2 chain control requires that you either have 2wd with traction device or AWD w/ snow rated tires, and M+S counts! It’s hilarious because hills here are no joke vs. the rest of the country + snow falls like hell her sometimes.
"victor" (victor)
10/17/2017 at 18:06, STARS: 1
But, pow!
"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
10/17/2017 at 18:19, STARS: 0
Something I always go back and forth on too. Don’t go to the snow often enough to really need it – but sure is nice to have. Wife’s car (Crosstrek) currently has the stock M+S tires. She refuses to spend the money on proper winter tires and is OK slapping chains on the front tires (I know it’s a debated topic) for the 2 miles to her work on the few days a year we have snow (Portland – thanks for the plows last year, WA!). So I guess I’d have to side with her on that it just isn’t worth the $ for our needs.
I have a snow rated tire on my commuter (Spark EV) but they
were absolutely useless last winter. Couldn’t even get out of the plowed drive
way – but the electric torque and completely useless traction control may have
had something to do with that too). Thankfully I can work from home when
needed. So definitely do your research, as not all snow tires are created equal
just because they have the stamping. But all in all I think we’re just going to
stick with what we have for now.
I’ve also noticed a lot of cars in town driving around with
snow tires all year long. If you’re an avid skier and the car is just a
commuter mobile for short hauls the rest of the year, I guess that’s a
worthwhile sacrifice to avoid having two sets of tires.
If I were you, I’d say live these tires out while you have them for now (maybe invest in snow tires this year if you really need it) – and assuming that you care about driving dynamics, once your A/S are done take the opportunity to buy a set of proper summer tires so you have two optimal sets for both seasons instead of one jack of most trades. Shopping off-season sales might make having the two type set up more palatable too.
"victor" (victor)
10/17/2017 at 18:49, STARS: 0
Skiing and parking lot donuts....in what my wife calls my “grandma” wagon.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
10/17/2017 at 18:52, STARS: 1
We had some all seasons that the les Schwab guy was adamant about winter driveability and they were a good step up and more than adequate in Oregon passes in snowy weather. But I’ve also had all seasons that I cursed as my car slid all over the road. One thing is for sure, you don’t want to bail on a ski trip because of your tires. And remember, steep inclines, variation in condition, and unexpected storms are all worse in the passes.
"victor" (victor)
10/18/2017 at 13:51, STARS: 0
That’s why I pointed out that I wanted them for Skiing purposes.