Winter tires

"ncasolowork2" (ncasolowork2) 11/20/2014 at 12:56 • Filed to: None

0

18

My wife has an 06 Pontiac Vibe with FWD. The car did not do well last winter. This winter has an awful start. I'm planning on getting some winter tires for her car. Can I get away with just putting winter tires on the drive wheels? Money is tight and $700 installed is a steep price. $350 sounds a lot better.

CalzoneGolem > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:00

3

Yeah you can but you're setting yourself up for some tail happy action. I had some real shit rears last winter and it made for some interesting times.

Try scoring a used set on cl. People sell cars and then are stuck with a set of snows already mounted.

DrScientist > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:00

0

$700 installed sounds like a fairly hefty price. i'm sure you could get four very serviceable winter/snow tires for ~400 installed. or am i dreaming?

i spent ~800 on 4 michelin xice3's for 18 inch wheels. outside of the performance winter category, i thought i was really pushing the price limit.

Mattbob > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:01

0

it's better than nothing. If its what you can afford, it's what you can afford.

HammerheadFistpunch > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:02

1

can you get away with it? yes. Should you do it? I would say no. This is basically the idea of a 4wd car with worn all seasons: yes you will get going from a stop easier, but the tires are woefully unprepared for braking, turning or resistance to lateral motion. Driving safely in the snow is much more than getting moving from a stop. If money is tight, invest is some chains for really snow days, or look around for cheaper studded winter tires (if allowed by law where you live). I would even go so far as to say that the combo you are suggesting is worse than having all seasons because the car will behave very unpredictably in turning and cornering and the traction balance will create more dangerous situations that then you would gain from having higher front traction.

thebigbossyboss > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:07

0

I would check wreckers or cl for used tires. That's what did a few years ago. Got halfway worn graspics and 4 wheels for 300.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:07

0

NO. My parents did that once. Tried to take a corner (and my father is usually cautious to a fault on the road), the front (drive) wheels gripped, and the back slid 360. no-one was around, luckily, but the first thing they did was go straight back to the tire shop and put snows on the back as well.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch 11/20/2014 at 13:09

0

^THIS.

one kph too hot and the rear WILL slide out.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:10

0

It's actually far more important to put the better tires on the rear, as there is no engine to provide weight for extra traction. In a panic, or even a relatively quick stopping situation the car is going to rotate if the rear tires cannot find grip.

Used wheels/tires on CL is your best option. Or if they haven't been rotated, bring the rears up front and replace the back two tires with new all-seasons.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Mattbob 11/20/2014 at 13:14

0

Yes, but it make the vehicle quite unpredictable. Better to try and budget $30 less spending per month and get snows on all four corners than to drop a bundle on a new car because you totaled the old one because of the weird cornering.

Mattbob > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 11/20/2014 at 13:24

0

true. But if the only two options are no snows or just the front two wheels, then I would say just the front two are better. It wouldn't be that terrible, especially with modern abs systems. The only time it would get real sketchy is braking into a corner.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:26

0

It's going to a similar set-up to if you had the stickiest tires you can find on the front, and bald whatevers on the rear. They are going to lose traction, and the car is going to get tail happy.

Shop around. Craigslist is good. Are you looking at getting a new setup with steelies, or just putting the snow tires on the current wheels?

JEM > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:29

0

Instead of getting a spare set of wheels, just get the tires and have them mounted on the current wheels. Then when you get the extra cash, buy a second set of wheels.

Also: check craigslist for deals.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Mattbob 11/20/2014 at 13:35

1

Trust me, it is that terrible. (source:in-family experience by a cautious driver)

That said, it would vary a little by vehicle, and I can see where you are going with the 2 snows/no snows example, and I would probably take the 2 snows as well. That said, I would put one front right and the other rear left or vice versa, just to distribute the traction.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:42

0

Is your wife worth $350 to you? Winter tires should be installed in sets of four. Two on the front will lead to spinning into the ditch backwards, two on the back will lead to sliding into the ditch head first.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 13:54

0

If you look on TireRack you can get a 16" tire and wheel package for around $600-$650. I put the Blizzak WS70 's on my wifes Escape and they are excellent. Those on steel wheels will run you around $625 shipped to your door. For a little cheaper you can get Firestone Winterforce on steelies which we ran on my wife's old car with excellent results. For right around $600 you can get a set of General Altimax Arctic tires on steelies. Those prices are based on shipping to the frozen north, so if you're within a couple hours of a big city it should be significantly cheaper for you.

ncasolowork2 > JEM 11/20/2014 at 14:51

1

Spare wheels = $140. Mounting seasonal tires = $80. By the time I put the all seasons on in the spring it'll have been cheaper to get steelies.

Sam > ncasolowork2 11/20/2014 at 15:34

0

No. Unless getting a call from her saying the car broke loose and spin into the ditch is a thing you want. Go on CL and find a set of wheels. Then buy some tires for them. I'd recommend the General Altimax Arctics for the best cheap tire. And just remember that unless she's out doing burnouts on dry pavement, they'll last two, maybe three winters.

JEM > ncasolowork2 11/21/2014 at 11:32

0

Ah, ok gotcha. $140 for 4 wheels!? That's pretty cheap! I figured half of the $750 was for wheels, just usually how wheel/tire packages break down.