Snow tires in NOVa

"mike" (mpbrogandotcom)
11/11/2014 at 15:11 • Filed to: None

do i need em? i have a 328i xdrive with new all seasons on it. should i even bother?

http://frederick.craigslist.org/pts/4743045713…

DISCUSSION (14)

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:13

Yes. AWD doesn't help you stop or turn. I've been trying to convince my dad of this for a year now.

Party-vi > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:14

AWD just means you have two additional tires to spin in the snow. Get some snow tires.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:15

if you have a lot of hills in your area - yes.

I live in almost flat as a board Michigan and I've done fine with FWD and all seasons for 2 years in a row now.

IT takes patience, extreme attention, and some smarts/practice. And last year we had the worst winter in Metro Detroit history with around 100 inches of snow for the winter season.

BrownMiataDieselWagon > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:16

This is NP all day

mike > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:20

just found these.... priced better and closer, thoughts

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/474885…

mike > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:22

i grew up here and learned to drive in the snow in a 82 corolla... no positrack is fun!

i sold my Element that was BADASS in the snow in the spring so idk how the bimmer will do.

Brian Silvestro > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:22

Well that just seems like a good deal.

rhorizon > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:28

I say no - I've lived in NoVA for 5 years now and I've yet to feel that we really need them. We get snow, sure, but it rarely takes longer than a few hours to get plowed and nothing stays on the roads/ground for longer than a few days anyway. (DEFINITELY not long enough to develop into snowpack).

Not to mention that compared to the northern states, our snows are infrequent and laughable in size/length/depth - we'll be "lucky" to average more than 25-30" of snow in an entire season (usually coming in 3-4" spurts and melting the next day)

A good set of all seasons and keeping your wits about you should be enough.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Do you live on private roads, in the hills, down a dirt path, on a long driveway, or frequent those driving conditions in the winter? THEN you might need snow tires in NoVA.

I just bought a new set of all-seasons myself a month ago after asking myself similar questions. I don't deal with those above conditions, so I stuck with all-seasons.

BigBlock440 > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:28

Eh, I've never needed them in the hills of northern PA

sellphones2493 > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:31

I'm in Maryland and I have designated snow wheels and tires. Ultimately, that's for two reasons:
A. I pretty much live in Connecticut in the winter
B. I love my Michelin Pilot SS's enough that I'll never buy three all season tires

My mom has survived in MD in her 2009 A5 with all-seasons and a treacherous driveway since 2009 - I don't see why you can't do it.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
11/11/2014 at 15:37

Counter point: My jeep is 90% rear biased and yes it does help making turning easier. Stopping is a different issue, just don't drive like a fool.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:42

Honestly, you will be fine with all-seasons. Snow itself isn't the issue/tough to get grip in. It is when the snow melts, freezes, and then gets compacted into a very hard ice that makes driving difficult.

The Ghost of Oppo > mike
11/11/2014 at 15:54

I made it through last winter in Northern VA with bald tires on a GTI. And I highly doubt we'll get that much snow this winter... (famous last words)

HiMyNameIsJayAgain > mike
11/11/2014 at 16:03

Just remember one thing about buying snow tires: a used snow tire may not be particularly better than a good all season tire.

Snow tires sometimes (usually?) have two compounds: an outer "snow" compound that provides the grip to run on snow or ice and an inner compound that's just a "winter" rated compound. It's good for cold temperatures but you lose the "snow" handling that you'd expect from snow tires.

Many tires have some kind of indicator to let you know when you're beyond the "snow" part (on the Continental DWS, for example, the " S " for snow will wear away leaving you just D ry and W et).

If you're buying used on craigslist, look for those indicators (particularly the 2nd set you posted from the DC craigslist).