https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a2944 ... 670&src=nl
All seasons have improved significantly. But, so have snow tires and I think the gap is still there with how much better snows are. I will say that in southern New England, the need for snows is questionable.
Canada has winter tire appointment week
Re: Canada has winter tire appointment week
I think Americans are far too quick to assume they need AWD when a decent set of winter tires would probably do more for them at a lower cost.
Re: Canada has winter tire appointment week
https://www.motortrend.com/news/are-sno ... 780356E243
Mainly because this:
That said, my Caprice is the last car that I did snow tires for. Modern all seasons with modern systems like ABS and stability control and, yes, AWD, seem to render them less useful for ME, a southern New Englander, who, unlike when I was in my teens and early 20s, avoids driving in snow as much as possible. I've become an old man. It also preserves my poor, rusty vehicles...
lol. This doesn't mean that snow tires AREN'T better of course...At a recent winter tire test event sponsored by Tire Rack
Mainly because this:
it became evident to this tire novice just how big the gap is between all-season and winter tires when freezing temperatures come into play
Having the chance to test-drive all-season tires and winter tires on slippery and icy surfaces back to back gave me a lot of perspective on the advantages of winter tires and why they're worth it. The test mules were a pair of new Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD models fitted with a set of name-brand all-season tires and a set of name-brand winter tires.
AWD is key here; many drivers believe that having a vehicle equipped with AWD is sufficient to deal with snow, slush, and ice. But I would soon find out that even an AWD vehicle equipped with all-season tires would quickly reach its limits when put in a dynamic situation in inclement winter weather. Testing consisted of driving on ice and performing three different, seemingly innocuous tasks: accelerating over a 60-foot span, braking to a halt from 12 mph, and navigating a corner at 11 mph.
That's about a 19% improvement. Of course, acceleration is not really the safety part of this equation. In fact that falls into more of the "convenience and false confidence" department. You don't necessarily want way better acceleration - you want braking and handling.The results of the 60-foot acceleration portion were similar, since the AWD system did much of the hard work, with times coming in at 3.7 seconds for the all-season tire versus 3.1 seconds for the winter tire. Driving impressions between the two small SUVs varied, though, with lots of wheelspin off the line on the all-season tires, whereas the winter tires seemed to pick up speed quicker.
This is big. 68% improvement. Could be the difference between stopping in time, and not stopping in time. Of course, if you have a pile of cars behind you and you stop in time, it doesn't matter much...But it was the braking portion where the winter tires really outperformed the all-seasons. Braking from 12 mph down to a complete stop resulted in lots of ABS modulation for the vehicle equipped with all-season tires—with a stopping distance of 57 feet. The winter tire provided more grip, which allowed the ABS to do its job, stopping the RAV4 in just 34 feet. Given that it took an extra 1.5 car lengths to stop from just 12 mph, just think of the extrapolated stopping distances at boulevard or highway speeds. What's more, stopping the RAV4 shod with all-season tires felt violent as the ABS engaged more often, compared to the winter-tire car, which was more composed under full brake.
It is good they tested AWD with all the modern stuff like stability control, just to show that you can't cheat physics.The cornering test consisted of a 90-degree turn at a steady 11 mph. The winter-tire-equipped vehicle made the turn without losing traction. The car with the all-season tires lost traction and wanted to plow straight ahead—even after the stability control system kicked in and tried unsuccessfully to change the course. It was alarming to note the immediate loss of traction at such a slow cornering speed; the all-season tire simply gave up without much effort.
This needs to be said and not just because Tire Rack would rather sell 4 tires. Really should be sets of 4 and frankly all tires should be matched regardless of season...One pair of winter tires and one pair of all-season tires used together on the same vehicle is a bad idea. Sure, it costs half as much, but you only get half the control. Consider that front-wheel-drive cars still rely on the rear wheels to keep the vehicle balanced when weight shifts during a turn. Two winter tires on the front and two all-season tires on the back can result in snap oversteer, better known as an uncontrolled spinout. On the other hand, if the car is rear-wheel drive, having a pair of all-seasons on just the front wheels will result in massive understeer.
That said, my Caprice is the last car that I did snow tires for. Modern all seasons with modern systems like ABS and stability control and, yes, AWD, seem to render them less useful for ME, a southern New Englander, who, unlike when I was in my teens and early 20s, avoids driving in snow as much as possible. I've become an old man. It also preserves my poor, rusty vehicles...
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frankbreau
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:47 am
Re: Canada has winter tire appointment week
Every year I consider getting a set of winter tires/wheels for the Subaru, then I just never end up doing it. By the time you've got the TPMS added in and the codes reset, you're over $1000 no matter what..
Re: Canada has winter tire appointment week
Yeah it can be a hassle. Only other option is to utilize free changeover deals at local tire places which is a thing. Well, not a "deal," just something I think they offer when you buy snow tires.
All seasons have gotten pretty good. Still, I wanted to see a comparison between FWD with good snows and AWD with all seasons (perhaps performance-oriented all seasons as may be more likely on certain vehicles). I don't know who is talking about summer tires with AWD being sufficient...
All seasons have gotten pretty good. Still, I wanted to see a comparison between FWD with good snows and AWD with all seasons (perhaps performance-oriented all seasons as may be more likely on certain vehicles). I don't know who is talking about summer tires with AWD being sufficient...
Re: Canada has winter tire appointment week
Ha. This video was made for Frank.
https://youtu.be/EC1E2eDt1JY
Doesn't even have enough nut to engage traction control with the winter tires. Oh man. But yeah they are clearly better. Still not sure the climate is severe enough in southern New England to warrant it. Unless you have a year round RWD car. Then yes.
The video still makes a good point though. The braking and steering test was illuminating.
https://youtu.be/EC1E2eDt1JY
Doesn't even have enough nut to engage traction control with the winter tires. Oh man. But yeah they are clearly better. Still not sure the climate is severe enough in southern New England to warrant it. Unless you have a year round RWD car. Then yes.
The video still makes a good point though. The braking and steering test was illuminating.