Winter Tires: Light Snow Impressions

"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW) 01/27/2015 at 08:00 • Filed to: MR2, AW11, daily driver, snow

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We finally got a little bit of snow to see how much difference the new snow tires really make. Let me preface this by saying that for the past 7 years or so the MR2 has been my daily driver on summer or all season tires and has always been surprisingly good in the snow, even taking me over the Appalachians in the middle of a blizzard with no issues.

However this year I snatched up a cheap set of used steelies and wrapped them in some 185 series General Altimax Arctic tires. This morning we had about an inch and a half of snow, just enough for it to get packed down on the roadways and make things slippery. With these tires, I could barely tell there was any snow a all. Accelerating from a stop is nothing and stopping distance, while obviously not as good a dry pavement, is still fantastic. I smiled as I passed an AWD Nissan SUV and a 4wd truck stuck off the road, and several front-drive beige-mobiles struggling for grip at stoplights. The thought of the drivers' faces when they see an antique, mid-engine, RWD sports car passing them without the aid of antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, electronic brake force distribution, or locking differentials just made my day.

If you live in a place that has seasons, get a cheap spare set of wheels and put snow tires on for a few months out of the year. It's worth it.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig 01/27/2015 at 08:54

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I have to agree. I've never bought snow tires, but the RWD car I just got came with a set. Huge difference.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig 01/27/2015 at 09:58

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Nice!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig 01/27/2015 at 10:48

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Nokian Nordman 5. Able to get around better than my moms Jeep with all seasons.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig 01/27/2015 at 11:31

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The only downside to this...

Is subjecting said antique RWD mid-engined sports car to salty, grimy, nasty frozen water.... and risking significant rust issues.

If it were inexpensive to pick up another for anyone who wants one, with plenty of indefinite supply, I wouldn't worry... but affordable mid-engined cars are not a dime-a-dozen, and are no longer being produced pretty much at all, with no real obvious future prospects.

It is sad, really.

With nearly EVERY car in the mainstream market being transverse front-engined... one would think the MR2/Fiero/Fiat premise of putting the front engine behind the driver, would be more prevalent. Mini Speedster and Coupe missed a HUGE opportunity for that... (and that ridiculous coupe roof spoiler...)

...But, I am glad you are enjoying yours, and it does sound like a great amount of fun. I drive my Miata in the winter, too, and used to use steelies/snow tires... but when they wore out after many seasons, I had 2 AWD cars in addition to the Miata, and not enough money to maintain 5 sets of wheels and tires, and did go back to using good snow-rated all-seasons, despite snow tires being ideal.