Snow Tires, best compromise between MPG and grip

Add to that the fact that studded tires are more dangerous under 90% of winter driving conditions per all the studies. Unsafe, damaging...an anachronism that needs to go.

 

Certainly true. Furthermore, studs only help on sheet ice. In other conditions they are neutral or even make things worse. For heavy snow you want chains, or better yet, not to drive.

Tom

 

Sorry, I think where the confusion was was that just because I balked at almost $170 per corner for the Michelin X3's, it doesn't mean I was shopping for the cheapest deal or cheapest tires. If I had been, then there are plenty of sub-$100/each tires out there, or even used for much less.

There are always going to be "better deals" on any item if you truly want them. But different people make difference choices depending on their situation, locale, wants, needs and budget.

I originally wanted the Michelins because of the great reviews and on TireRack they were cheaper then Nokians which are a pricey tire. When I found the Michelins locally were even more expensive then the Nokians, I decided to go with the Finlandians instead.

I'm glad you are happy with your purchase, I'm also quite happy with mine. I have no interest in a second set of wheels because I don't want to buy a second set of TPMS sensors (VT State Inspection won't pass you with any lit dash lights and my inspection comes due in winter.)

 

Couldn't you just install your regular tires for the inspection & then swap back to winter wheels & tires? We don't have any inspections like you have. All we have to do is have a smog inspection every other year after 7 years. All they do is stick a sniffer up the tailpipe & check the readout. The car has to not have a CEL but that's it since the TPMS has nothing to do with the car running right.

 

I suppose I could, but that's too much work during messy, snowy, frozen winter. Our state inspections are pretty stringent, and it does a good job of keeping junkers off the road, but it's occasionally a pain as well. I generally run a separate full set of wheels and snow tires on my pre-TPMS cars though.

 

How wide is the time window for the inspection? If it is as wide as my state's smog inspections or license renewals, you could take it early, just before putting on the winter wheels.

 

No, it's within a month long window but it's in January and I'm snow tired (necessarily) from Thanksgiving through Easter (generally, I pushed it a bit later this year).

We don't need to keep beating this poor, deceased, horse. I'm happy with the decision I made on these tires, and happy with the way I've been swapping snows the last 5 or 6 years. It's all good guys.

 

Confused here ? ! ?

Are you saying that; They were NOT expecting snow this week?

Are you saying that; The plows DO NOT all have new edges installed on them, the 1/2" stock plate used has square cut edges not really 'blade-like' so they need to be shaped?

Are you saying that; Iron blades scraping pavement DO NOT send sparks shooting out 10 feet in all directions as the trucks go by?

Or are you saying that: By the end of the season most of those plow blades will NOT have worn away 3 to 4 inches of 1/2" iron stock?

When you say that this is "not at all true". It is confusing. What I stated is factual.

There are in fact plow trucks, they do have blade edges. They blade edges do get ground down every winter and they do need to be replaced.

Which of these facts, are you arguing?

 

Looks like he's talking about studs on tires, not plow blades.

 

The post that said: "Not at all true" was in response to a post that had no use of 'studded tires' in the entire post.

A post about how much damage is done by plow blades, was addressed as "Not at all true"

I was called out for lying, when I stated facts.

BTW plow trucks do far more damage to pavement then studded tires do.

And studded tires grip the roads far better then all-season radials do.

 

I already chose another tire, I'm good now, thanks.

 

Tom had been conversing with PorximalSuns and others about Studded tires and Scandinavian studies about studded tires and road damage. So it's far more likely he mistakenly quoted the wrong post, happens all the time.

I can't speak for him, but he didn't seem to be addressing your plow issue at all, but points by others, which is how I draw that conclusion.

But if you are determined to be insulted, then have at it, I'm sure at some point Tom will come in and clarify things himself. Who knows, maybe I've got it completely wrong, but I'm one of those happy optimists.

 

Sorry, this post is was so unrelated to my comments that I hadn't realized it was directed to me. I'm not sure where your comments came from. Perhaps you had SAP turned on and it didn't read right in Spanish.

My comments about the Scandinavian tire studies revolved around the relative wear and tear between two alternative methods of gaining traction on ice. In one method sanders or gritters are used to spread sand or other tractive material over the road surface. The other method leaves the road surface untreated, but requires studded tires for grip. The Scandinavian tire studies found that modern tire studs caused less damage to the road surface than conventional tires used in conjunction with sanding.

Plow damage doesn't figure into the discussion directly, as either technique requires snow removal. Interestingly enough, plow damage is lower in areas where the roads remain snow covered, as the plow blade is less likely to contact the pavement.

Tom

 

I apologize. I had a bad day and all that. Please forgive my previous outrage.

 

No problem. I've gone off more than once, only to discover that the poster was really saying something else. It happens to us all.

Tom

 

You are so right good snow tires don't need studs. Unless you live in a area where it's all ice studs only do better in braking. I have had just about every snow tire from Blizzak to Nokian Hakkapeliitta Rsi's and now i use General Altimax Arctic and they are an amazing tire and they are cheep. They are awesome on the ice and incredible in the deep. All around great tire made by Continental.