Snow tires

With the first real snowfall today, I noticed something interesting. Lots of people have the money for a $40,000 "truck" but apparently don't have $400 for a decent set of snow tires. These, as many of you have probably seen, are the idiots driving 20 MPH dowm a straight stretch of level highway with their windshield wipers on high (during a very light snow) and leaning over the steering wheel to see out better, because of course they can't afford the $12 for a set of wiper blades either. Will people ever learn!? My truck is worth $180 (scrap metal price, although it looks very rough it runs perfect). It has $800 worth of snow tires. My Beretta is worth $90 (also scrap price). It has $300 worth of snow tires. And guess what, besides slowing down to a reasonable speed, I have NEVER been inconvenienced by any amount of snowfall. Anyone could achieve this by spending $500. And yet they drive a vehicle that, although shiny, cost 10x more than it's worth. And what kind of cars are usually in the ditch? The tow and collision repair probably cost more than a set of snow tires and wiper blades would have cost. And what do they have to show for that money? NOTHING, besides maybe frostbite on 9 toes because they wore fashionable shoes and had to walk 3 miles in the snow to the nearest house because their $200 stylish, but thin, phone barely gets reception outside the city.

I agree. They probably don't have any money left to buy those items after they make their vehicle payment and insurance payment. Reminds me of a story my wife's grandmother told me awhile back. She had a part time job with some organization that visited new homeowners and gave them info on the area,(kind of like Welcome Wagon). She told me on a number of occasions some of the houses her and her co-worker visited that were brand new in these new developments, those ones you see that are called "McMansions."Well some of the people living there had cardboard boxes for tables and old rickety chairs and the like. One new homeowner told her that after the mortgage payment and other bills were paid there was not enough money to buy furniture. One even said that if it weren't for her parents buying the grandkids beds, her kids would be sleeping on the floor? :eek: :screwy:

Here in Idaho you are still allowed to use studded snow tires. I gave up on snow tires and just run with all weather radials and chains in the trunk. I only have to use the chains maybe once or twice every few years when the highway district requires them over the passes if you have two wheel drive even with snow tires. Just learn to drive in the snow, slow and steady.

The funniest thing I've seen so far this year was a Honda owner chaining up the rear wheels instead of the front. We have a lot of California transplants here and the first snow fall is always like bumper cars at the carnival.

Yeah I hate the people who think they know how to drive in snow when they have little or no experience and end up over a curb or in a ditch. After our first real hit of snow and slush a couple weeks ago I was making my run out to Pep Boys for new wipers (one day too late lol) and I saw this guy in a late 80s Mercury Grand Marquis and he kept mashing on the gas and sliding his rear end all over the road. It was ridiculous. Maybe people think that since the road is slippery they need to apply more pedal pressure to get grip :dunno:

But more on topic, I still have my 225-40-18s on and I get by just fine. I won't lie, it gets a lil tricky when the slush and muck covers the streets, but as long as I keep a light pedal and a soft clutch I'm fine.

On a $40,000 truck, $400 is one, maybe two, decent quality tire. At the price of gas it takes to drive a $40,000 truck, do you think they can afford tires and wiper blades too?

My favorite snow tire story is from my brother...

He swaps his summer wheels/tires in for his winter rims/snows. He then proceeds out on a wet (not snowy) roadway... only to brake too late and rearend some college kid. His excuse "um, the snow tires don't handle like my summer tires, so it's not my fault".

Pittsburgh drivers never cease to amaze me. EVERY day there is precipitation, the whole city comes to a grinding halt because it's something new and amazing - despite that we have more rainy/cloudy days than Seattle. UGH!

...sounds like a lovely place to live Tangie :p

Pittsburgh drivers never cease to amaze me. EVERY day there is precipitation, the whole city comes to a grinding halt because it's something new and amazing - despite that we have more rainy/cloudy days than Seattle. UGH!

Sounds a lot like Mass. First snow every year there's HUNDREDS of accidents. Short memories i guess. Most of the accidents are in SUV's too. I guess people can't grasp the concept that just because you can accelerate faster in the snow with 4wd or AWD doesn't mean you brake any faster.

funny thing about my commute to school: during the rowing season i get there in 16-18 minutes (nobody's on the freeway at 4:30am), in light traffic it'll take me ~25 minutes, sometimes as much as 30, in heavy traffic it'll take me 40-60 minutes. the thing is that if there is fresh snow on the ground, it'll take me 1.5hrs to get to school, one day it even took me 2hrs. i can almost get to montreal in that time.

thing is that most people here can handle the snow, but there are those few people out there (i'll assume about 1 for every road lol) who just can't seem to drive at a reasonable speed. if you're going in a STRAIGHT LINE you can go more than 30-40kph. stupid drivers piss me off.

Pittsburgh drivers never cease to amaze me. EVERY day there is precipitation, the whole city comes to a grinding halt because it's something new and amazing - despite that we have more rainy/cloudy days than Seattle. UGH![/quote]

I agree,I don't drive in Pittsburgh but I have to travel 28 everyday and it really sucks anytime we get snow. 28 turns into a parking lot and a 30 min. commute turns into an 1hr commute all because people don't know how to drive. I was in an accident a couple of years ago when a 16 yr old girl spun out in front of me because she kept hitting her brakes. Their she was broadside on 28 and I hit her front tire. My car was totalled and she drove hers away. The cop took her side of the story and cited me for driving too fast for conditions. I fought it and lost because I hit her therefor I didn't have controll of my vehicle. I can't remember but I think the fine was like $150 and I got 3 points on my driving record. She got nothing! How is it I get screwed because somebody else doesn't know how to drive in the snow?

The cop took her side of the story and cited me for driving too fast for conditions. I fought it and lost because I hit her therefor I didn't have controll of my vehicle. I can't remember but I think the fine was like $150 and I got 3 points on my driving record. She got nothing! How is it I get screwed because somebody else doesn't know how to drive in the snow?

Honestly, the collision really was your fault, from a legal point of view. That certainly isn't to say that she didn't cause it.

I had something similar happen, I was technically at fault but got off easy. I was on a solid sheet of ice going about 15 MPH, about 100 feet behind the car in front of me (not very good at judging distances, but I couldn't read the license plate with 20/20 vision). A semi cut off the car in front of me, and the driver of that car slammed on the brakes. She kept them on after the truck was already in front of her and moving away. The sheet of ice ended and she immediately stopped. I hit the back of her car and totaled it (two very small dents in my "chrome horn" :)). She didn't have insurance, and didn't want to call the cops. The ticket here for no insurance is $660, which was about double what her car was worth.

When I was in high school, I had an '87 Astro van RWD. I had snow tires on the back, and about 500 pounds of sand tubes. I loved seeing someone in a 4x4 truck sliping and sliding spining all 4 tires going up a small hill, and driving right past them without even sliping a tire.

Oh, my cheap snowtire fix: i screw in aobut 30 hex head screws into my tires. Yep. Those +the automatic low pressure = awesome traction.

I agree,I don't drive in Pittsburgh but I have to travel 28 everyday and it really sucks anytime we get snow. 28 turns into a parking lot and a 30 min. commute turns into an 1hr commute all because people don't know how to drive.

I'm so sorry for you... I absolutely HATE 28. I only take it late at night.

Now that I have AWD, I haven't bothered with snow tires in 2 years. My all-seasons work just fine for the snow we get here. That, and I take public transportation to/from work, so I don't have to drive anywhere unless I want groceries. :p

I'm so sorry for you... I absolutely HATE 28. I only take it late at night.

Now that I have AWD, I haven't bothered with snow tires in 2 years. My all-seasons work just fine for the snow we get here. That, and I take public transportation to/from work, so I don't have to drive anywhere unless I want groceries. :p
What? They don't have groceries stores that deliver down there? Heck, you can even buy groceries on amazon.com :lol:

An okay range for tires and professional install is $400. I stay in this budget whenever I tire shop, which has been just about every November the past 4 years. Spending more $ gets you more quality of course.

Cheapest tow here is 20 bucks a hookup and 20 bucks a mile. I had to pay $180 just to get my Blazer out of a goddamn ditch last year. Ridiculous if you ask me.

As for driving in the snow, I drive normally in the city, with my bad driving habits, and take it easy everywhere else. City driving on snowpacked roads isn't that bad here and the Blazer handles it quite well so I'm still speeding on the straights.

An okay range for tires and professional install is $400. I stay in this budget whenever I tire shop, which has been just about every November the past 4 years. Spending more $ gets you more quality of course.

For a car, yes. My 195/75/14 Goodyear UltraTracks(? something like that) were $72 each. That's with a slight discount from the tire store, and installing them myself.

The most I ever spent on snow tires was $180.00 x4. Those were 235/85/16 BFG Commercial Traction T/As. They're actually not technically snow tires, but are better than any tire I've ever had for any vehicle. They grip ice like most tires grip snow. They grip snow like most tires grip wet pavement. They grip... well, you get the idea. My big V8 won't even start to spin them on dry, clean pavement.

EDIT: I just looked on tirerack, and the BFG Commercial Tractions are $120. I don't know where I got $180 from.

$120 for tires? I wish. I just replaced all 4 on my truck, cost me $660 just for tires. Then the install and alignment by the dealer, plus a few other things like oil change, rear axle oil, cooant system service and the total was $1100....

Yes for a car, I should have said that.

I spent about $750 on 5 tires (effing full size spare) for my Stupidru. And of course I went with what I read in consumer reviews instead of getting what I really wanted, and I ended up with the crappiest tires known to man - Goodyear TripleTreds. After the install, I thought the handling felt soft, so I figured some goofball didn't bother to check the air pressure... I was right... they were all about 10lbs OVER inflated! The tires do have good wet/snow traction, but the sidewalls are about as sturdy as the sidewalls on my Huffy.

there's huge demand for winter/snow tyres over here this time of year with all the eastern europeans going home for christmas. we don't need winter tyres here in the uk so it's a pain to get hold of them for customers.

to make it worse, some manufacturers don't have long enough production runs and snow tyres aren't available until after winter.

crazy.

$120 for tires? I wish. I just replaced all 4 on my truck, cost me $660 just for tires. Then the install and alignment by the dealer, plus a few other things like oil change, rear axle oil, cooant system service and the total was $1100....

$120 each... $480 total. The tire size makes a big difference in price, especially if the rim size is over 16.5". Of course, being a mechanic and doing all my own work saves a ton of money, plus my 235/85/16 are strictly truck tires. The ride is harsh, and the sidewall flex on turns is amazing. Going to a smaller (but better riding) 245/75/16 is $10 more for the same tire.

$120 each? I couldn't find what I wanted for that price out here, 265-75-16 bfg at/ko's cost me $165 each. And that was with a discount from the shop I buy tires from all the time.