Do you use winter tires?

[aucjmo22]

I thought radials would do the trick and people who purchased winter tires were throwing their money away - was I wrong. I purchased winter tires 7 years ago and I swear by them. I've used Toyo Open Country and they do the trick. I live in Canada and with the amount of snow, freezing temperatures, my wife's crazy driving habits, I can say I have piece of mind. Winter tires dig into the snow, you have better traction and you never have to worry about stopping at a red light in deep snow. You give gas, you move!

[Finboy]

totally depends on where you live... some can get by with 3 season tires 365,
where conditions only ask 70% in tire performance.

live in the north with snow and ice, and you'll be asking for 100% of the tires to perform

regardless if you have 1 wheel spin or AWD, tires tires tires are the most important component on a vehicle.

Winter/Ice tires are like R compounds.. they make a HUGE difference when asked to perform at their limits

if you can avoid an accident by just having better tires, the choice is obvious

our MDX is a family and friends mobile.. I want a piece of mind when they're being driven
in poor conditions

(the MDX is a replacement for our 07 Subaru Legacy Spec-B)

if you are involved with motorsports.. you'll always appreciate the function and performance of the right tire for the right conditions

tirerack and other places offer winter packages 18inch stock sizing or 17 inchers which are
cheaper and perform better

generally speaking...any winter tire regardless of brand or price point will out perform a good all season tire

if you can't afford new.. you can always get a deal on used rims and tires on craigslist, kijiji etc.

just don't be that guy stuck in the ditch or in an accident saying to yourself.. i should have bought tires

[vetdude]

I've used Blizzaks in the past - great snow/ice performance. Switched to Michellin X-Ice on our gone but not forgotten '02 MDX - excellent tires. Traded the '02 for a new MDX/Tech in the spring of 2010 and have run the OEM Michelin Latitude All Seasons through two winters here in the NE with no problems (the full-time all-wheel drive helps). We'll see what happens in a few months with over 32k miles on the original Michelins.

[woof]

I just swapped in my Michelin X-Ices on the MDX today and my Bridgestone Blizzaks on the A4 yesterday. As I've mentioned, I absolutely love Blizzaks. This will be my 1st winter on the X-Ice so I'm quite looking forward to the first snowfall!

[hondacuraplanet]

My only reservation regarding Blizzaks is that they tend to chop BADLY when on dry pavement. I admit this was years ago when I last owned a set, but it seemed to me that Nordman/Nokians seem to hold up a lot better, over the long run.

[kokerj]

Anybody have any experience with the Nokian Hakk R SUV? I used a HAkk Q on my Audi Quattro and VW 4 -motion and they were great. I'm planning to get them on the MDX later this month.

[Snow White]

Don't have experience with Nokian snow tires personal but a friend had them on his Accord and praises them for being the best snow tires he's owned. I have not heard any negative things about Nokian tires, only that they are a but hard to find.

[nsxtasy]

In winter conditions, the difference between all-season tires and winter tires is HUGE. What many people don't realize is that they're not just for snow and ice; winter tires grip much better in frigid temperatures, even when the roads are dry, thanks to their ability to remain soft and pliable at those temperatures. All-season tires are designed as a compromise - okay in warmer temperatures (not as grippy as summer tires, but okay), and okay in cold temperatures (not as grippy as winter tires, but okay). Winter tires do better at the specific conditions for which they were designed.

Note that there are three types of winter tires. Using the Tire Rack terminology: "studless ice and snow" winter tires, "performance" winter tires, and "studdable" winter tires. The "studless ice and snow" winter tires give the best grip on ice and snow, but their handling when temperatures aren't so cold can be only so-so and less responsive. The "performance" winter tires offer better handing on warmer days than the studless variety, but aren't quite as grippy on ice and snow. "Studdable" winter tires really aren't a good choice, because tests have shown that in most winter conditions, today's modern "studless" winter tires give better traction than the studdable tires with studs installed. (Ref 1) (Ref 2) The use of studded tires is also illegal in many of the states and provinces with some of the worst winter weather.

Whether you need winter tires, and which type you choose, may depend on the conditions you face. If you live in an area with mild winters, or if you have another vehicle you would use when winter strikes, all-seasons might be sufficient for your needs and you might not need winter tires at all. If you do a lot of long-distance interstate driving, the performance winter tire might be a good choice. If your winter driving is mostly on local streets that aren't always kept clear, the studless ice and snow tires might be best. If you have no alternative but to drive even in the worst winter weather - maybe you're an emergency responder, or maybe you just HAVE to drive to work - and you absolutely must get where you're going no matter what, then the studless ice and snow tires are probably a good choice. And if you live in a cold climate with a fair amount of snow and/or ice as well as frigid temperatures, again, the studless might be best.

If you want to use winter tires, it's worth it to get an extra set of wheels, so you only have to get the tires mounted and balanced on the wheels one time. If you don't already have an extra set of wheels, you can find a used set of stock wheels for as little as $200, on eBay or at car-parts.com as well as in the Classifieds forum here.

I've considered winter tires money well spent. As I see it, all they have to do is prevent an accident once, and they've paid for themselves (depending on the amount of your insurance deductible). And because I only use them for 2-3 months a year, they don't get many miles on them each year; I just buy them once, and that one set then lasts many years.

Last year I needed to buy a set of winter tires for my MDX. Because I live in an area with extreme cold temperatures (temps of -10F or colder are not uncommon) as well as plenty of snow, I wanted the studless ice and snow tires. On the advice of the knowledgeable folks at Tire Rack, I got the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1. I love 'em.

Of course, there's also the "jinx effect". If you buy a set of winter tires, you will then have very mild winters. If you don't buy them and try to get by on all-seasons, you will then have very harsh winters. In which case, it's easier to get around on winter tires when you don't need them, than on all-seasons when you really need winter tires.

[vetdude]

Originally Posted by Jeff Spahn

I use Blizzaks on my MDX for the stopping on ice. They go really well in the snow but they stop amazingly well on glare ice.

Just pray to God the idiot tailgating you has them, too.

[Roadster Pete]

The trouble is, you (nor I) would never know when they may have saved that life.
Yes, the OEM Michelin Cross Terrain tires were good in the snow the first winter, but after a year and a half, I was concerned about tread wear and traction, so I had Michelin's Latitude Alpine tires installed on used OEM MDX wheels (style for the same price as black steel rims).
The tires have demonstrated their ability in both deep snow and slush.
For me, it's only a 1/2 hour job to switch wheels, spring and fall, and I
consider it "cheap" re-assurance.
My regular drives between London and Brampton have been without incident.
I understand, that accelerating isn't the problem, maintaining control and braking is.
Hope you all-seasoners can keep it on the road.

2005 MDX Black with Tan (purchased new).

[Bill_de]

Originally Posted by Roadster Pete

Hope you all-seasoners can keep it on the road.

I've managed for 45 years, driving without winter tires, to keep my cars and SUVs on the road in summer and winter. Just because something new comes out, it doesn't mean that nothing that came befoe it won't still do the job.

It's like saying that since power screw drivers are here, I hope you people with manual powered screwdrivers can still drive a screw. I do know a couple of people who will wait for a battery to charge before using a manual tool. New innovations too often go from being a help to being a crutch.

It is nice that we all have choices.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by Bill_de

I've managed for 45 years, driving without winter tires, to keep my cars and SUVs on the road in summer and winter.

Glad to hear that you've been so lucky. Not everyone has been, including drivers with plenty of winter driving skills. For all drivers, winter tires offer additional traction, an extra measure of safety protection against accidents, so they can actually "do the job" in some conditions where all-seasons can't. They may keep you on the road when all-seasons would strand you, and they may help you avoid an accident. But there's nothing that says you have to use them, except for certain parts of Canada (notably Quebec) where winter tires are required by law. Aside from that exception, it's up to each of us to decide whether to take advantage of them and their capabilities, based on the climate where we live, our budget (although as posted wisely by TWOxMDX yesterday*, the cost of miles put on winter tires is typically offset by savings in miles not put on tires used the rest of the year), our confidence in continuing to be lucky, and convenience and other factors.

*The rest of his analysis was solid too, and is worth repeating here:

Originally Posted by TWOxMDX

Bill, at the risk of feeding the troll I will respond to your post but let me point out that a bit of manners would make this forum and others like it a much more pleasant place to frequent.

By your own admission you have not owned a car long enough to need to replace the tires over the last 20 years; how nice for you. My father would suggest this is the behavior of someone with more money than sense, but I can appreciate the idea of never dealing with wear and tear and longer term maintenance. However, this also means you have likely never experienced the amazing capabilities of today's modern swow tires; I would say the difference between all weather tires and today's snow tires rivals, if not surpasses the enhanced capability of AWD vs. RWD. You can poo-poo that if you like, but until you have driven cars w/ and w/o snows, you really shouldn't comment.

As for my own circumstance, I have typically held on to my cars for 10 years or so and easily put 140K miles on them. As a result, I fully anticipate putting at least 4 sets of replacement tires on my cars. Knowing that I will eventually be replacing tires multiple times, I will simply put winter miles on winter tires which are optimized for winter conditions and the non-winter miles will go on tires optimized for those conditions (yes, I even drive on summer tires, perhaps I need some summer driving lessons as well?). For me the winter tires themselves are not an extra expense, just an alternative expense (however, to be fair, the extra set of wheels certainly is an added expense).

Assuming you drive an MDX, I would be interested in your answer to the following question, perhaps it might help you wrap your mind around the idea of winter tires: "except for people who live off-road, why would anyone need AWD? Perhaps they just can't operate their two wheel drive vehicles properly?"

Peace

[kokerj]

I am the OP. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered 4 blizzaks on new wheels with TPMS from Tire Rack. I went with the -1 sizing (down to 17") as recommended. I hope to have them here in a week or so. Now I just need a bigger floor jack

[adr5]

Originally Posted by kokerj

I am the OP. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered 4 blizzaks on new wheels with TPMS from Tire Rack. I went with the -1 sizing (down to 17") as recommended. I hope to have them here in a week or so. Now I just need a bigger floor jack

What rim did you end up getting? I was about to trade in our 07 MDX, but I may end up keeping it for another year. If I do keep it I want to get winter tires as our original tires, about 38K, are starting to wear thin.

Living in NYC we don't get lots of snow, but we do get hit with deep snow every so often. I've relied on the SH-AWD and the stock all seaons tires with good tread depth to keep me going, and stopping. I've only had to drive in deep snow, over 6" deep, on one occasion. The MDX did ok. On an unplowed road with a slight incline I had to get a running start and feather the throttle to keep the car moving. That is the only time I wished I had winter tires.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by kokerj

I am the OP. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered 4 blizzaks on new wheels with TPMS from Tire Rack. I went with the -1 sizing (down to 17") as recommended. I hope to have them here in a week or so.

Originally Posted by kokerj

Now I just need a bigger floor jack

I had to do the same thing. I assume it's because the floor jack you already have, doesn't give you enough height to get the MDX tire off the ground. On my 2004 MDX, I found that I needed a jack with at least 17" lift height. That figure is probably true for the 2007+, but if you want to check, you can always use the stock jack (the one that comes in the back of the car) to jack up a wheel/tire, and measure the height needed to lift it off the ground.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money, since I'm not going to use it very often (mostly for swapping winter tires on and off). Unfortunately, none of the $20-30 floor jacks have enough lift height. I found two jacks at Home Depot with a maximum lift height of 21" and that, at the time were $50. The first one is still $50 and should be available in stores as well as online (click on photo for more info):



The second one is now $60 and is available online only. This is the one I got. It works okay, but it has two downsides: a very short throw on the handle (so you have to pump it a lot), which is probably true of the green one too since it has a similar handle mechanism, and a place where it's easy to pinch the palm of your hand and hurt yourself if you're not careful (BTDT):