Winter doesn't stand a chance now (and I love Discount Tire)

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 01/13/2015 at 13:22 • Filed to: None

1

19

I got my new General Grabber AT2 tires put on my Grand Cherokee today at Discount Tire. Severe snow duty rating + Quadra-Drive II 4wd = I shall now bend foul winter weather to my will. How well am I prepared for winter? Let me count the ways:

1. The aforementioned spiffy tires and 4wd system with front & rear electronic LSDs. The tires have the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! meaning they're rated for severe snow duty.

The e-LSDs can go to full lock and help do nonsense like this:

2. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

3. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

4. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

5. Healthy supply of extra hats and gloves stashed in the back

Discount Tire price-matched the cheapest online price I found, which was $126 each from TireBuyer.com after a couple coupons. Today they tried to sell me the road hazard warranty. I asked them to knock something off the price of said warranty—they kept the warranty full price but knocked $64 off the price of install & TPMS rebuild kit, and the warranty for all 4 tires was $82, so net cost on the warranty was $18. All in, it was $650 for the set installed, road hazard warranted, and taxed.

Hey winter, come at me bro!

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:27

0

Hey, their corporate headquarters is three doors down in my companies complex.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:29

0

I love my severe snow rated tires even though I live in Florida! When I lived in Pa., I didn't even need 4WD to blast through piles of snow. It was fun.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:34

3

Plot twist, it's not going to snow anymore.

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:35

0

just one negative - no studs!

philsphan09 > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:35

0

Had NO idea M+S was that! I have Dunlop winter's on my S4 and obviously knew S was snow...figured M might be mud or something lol.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 01/13/2015 at 13:36

2

After I put my 135is in storage, it didn't snow for a month. So you could be right.

You're welcome, Wisconsin, for the mild winter. It was all because of me.

Textured Soy Protein > philsphan09 01/13/2015 at 13:38

0

M+S and mountain-snowflake are two separate things. M+S just means the tread is designed for mud & snow, but there's no real testing for determining whether a tire is M+S rated. The mountain-snowflake, while also an M and an S, is its own symbol, and tires need to pass an actual test to be branded with the mountain-snowflake.

philsphan09 > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:39

0

gotcha thanks! Will have to go look at my tire after work now

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 01/13/2015 at 13:39

1

These are actually studdable, but studs are illegal in Wisconsin. (I also wouldn't run studs year-round anyway, and these are going to be year-round tires.)

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:40

0

ah gotcha. Really no studs in Wisconsin?

Textured Soy Protein > philsphan09 01/13/2015 at 13:46

1

I just looked at the big high-resolution pictures of all the Dunlop winter tires on TireRack, and they all have both M+S and mountain-snowflake symbols. So you probably have them. ;)

Pretty much all dedicated winter tires have the mountain-snowflake, and some all-terrain truck tires also have the mountain-snowflake (like mine). Any tire with a mountain-snowflake is likely to also have M+S, but there are many tires that have the M+S and no mountain-snowflake.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:49

0

THANKS! Can you make it less cold though?

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 01/13/2015 at 13:51

1

Well, pretty much. There are certain exceptions. Here's the statute .

347.45 Tire equipment.

...

(2) (c) A pneumatic tire may have embedded in it wire or wire coils for improving traction on ice and snow, but such tire shall be so constructed that the per cent of wire or wire coils in contact with the roadway does not exceed, after the first 1,000 miles of use or operation, 5% of the total tire area in contact with the roadway. During the first 1,000 miles of use or operation of any such tire the wire or wire coils in contact with the roadway shall not exceed 20% of the total tire area in contact with the roadway. Tires equipped with tungsten carbide studs shall be limited in usage and design as follows:

1. The department shall, by rule, designate the times of year during which any type of tire described in this paragraph may be used.

2. Such tires may be used only on authorized emergency vehicles, vehicles used to deliver mail and automobiles with out-of-state registrations and then only if such automobile is in the course of passing through this state for a period of not more than 30 days.

3. Such studs shall not project more than one-eighth inch beyond the tread surface of the tire.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 01/13/2015 at 13:52

0

Maybe if I start wearing my hat inside that'll do it.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 13:54

0

Maybe buying new boots and gloves and crap will help.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 01/13/2015 at 14:01

1

I'm already well stocked on boots, gloves, hats, scarves, and coats. Although my warmest coat is a wool peacoat and I don't have a big tech-y parka. Maybe buying a parka will fix the temperature.

3.14 rad/s > philsphan09 01/13/2015 at 14:14

0

Yep. M+S = Mud + something...

3.14 rad/s > Textured Soy Protein 01/13/2015 at 14:24

0

I went with the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs from Discount Tire. They work really well in both mud and snow. I also got a jump pack, tow strap, blankets, gloves, hats, and a brush/scraper to prepare for my first real winter (recently moved from NC to MI).

Textured Soy Protein > 3.14 rad/s 01/13/2015 at 14:54

0

Everything I've heard about Duratracs is good, and they also have the mountain-snowflake symbol. They're just a bit more aggressive than what I wanted for my stock WK.

That reminds me though, I do need to add some blankets to my winter kit. I've thought of getting a tow strap as well. Just have to resist the urge to try pulling people out of ditches.