Poll - Should winter tires be mandatory for all vehicles

[LoneWolf_53]

I'd be tempted to try all seasons if I didn't have such an unpredictable job and if we didn't also have to travel outside of Kelowna in the Winter.

As it is we travelled to Lake Country last night and I was awfully glad we had the right tires. Nothing beats studded.

studded now?
kelowna to lake country is flat driving, if you couldnt do that with all seasons last nite then you missed part of the driving training.

Have to admit I was thinking the same thing.

Where winter driving is involved, I always also get a chuckle out of the ones who are under the misquided notion, that somehow they are invincible because they have a four wheel drive. The same type of character that will fly past me on the connector, in a snow storm, doing 120kph, only for me to pass them in the ditch a short distance further down the road.

[keith1612]

Have to admit I was thinking the same thing.

Where winter driving is involved, I always also get a chuckle out of the ones who are under the misquided notion, that somehow they are invincible because they have a four wheel drive. The same type of character that will fly past me on the connector, in a snow storm, doing 120kph, only for me to pass them in the ditch a short distance further down the road.

i bet you the other guy in the thread promoting winter tires does the same.
thinks because you have $900 tires you are safer on ice.
drive for the road and all seasons are fine.
all winter i pull my double snowmobile trailer up and down mountain forestry roads and hunters range with all seasons on my jimmy with no problems ever.
its called learning how to drive.
too many just listen to a salesman and buy into whatever they are told.
a fool and his money are soon parted.

[LoneWolf_53]

i bet you the other guy in the thread promoting winter tires does the same.
thinks because you have $900 tires you are safer on ice.
drive for the road and all seasons are fine.

I tend to agree, plus to be honest, I'm of the mind that if the roads are so treacherous, that I must have studs to travel, then I probably shouldn't be on them in the first place.

It's all well and good to have proper equipment, but I've seen far too many examples of where drivers put too much stock in their equipment, and no or too little emphasis on their driving skill. A false sense of security if you will.

Even if a person has dedicated winter tires, they degrade a bit more each season so they really only are at their best the first winter, while tread depth is maximum, and rubber is still more pliable.

The rubber continues to get harder with age, and with that comes changing grip, and characteristics that you have to be ready for. You can't just throw them on, tell yourself you've installed the snowflake tires, and assume you can drive like you do in summer, which is precisely what far too many clueless ones do.

[Bpeep]

If you are referring to me, no, I dont use studs.
But I do put on winters on the vehicles I drive in the winter.
I can and will go through an entire winter without any traction loss or spinning, I bet you dont do that with your all seasons.

As for this debate, I invite the few of you to learn the difference between all seasons and proper winters.
As for the comments I read here today about the agressive lugs on ''snow'' tires of yesteryear (do you REALLY think they are better than todays winters?) and that you cant tell the difference between a winter tire and an all season based on looking at the tread, so therefore they are the same, tells me you know absolutely zero about what makes a winter tire a winter tire.
The facts are out there tho.

You can justify running a/s all you want, but when it comes down to trudging thru snow and ice, you cannot compare an a/s to a winter. You are only fooling yourself if you think an all season will do the same job.
Learn what a winter tire is and the reasons behind the design and composition.
To say that all seasons are just as good is dead wrong.

[keith1612]

If you are referring to me, no, I dont use studs.
But I do put on winters on the vehicles I drive in the winter.
I can and will go through an entire winter without any traction loss or spinning, I bet you dont do that with your all seasons.

As for this debate, I invite the few of you to learn the difference between all seasons and proper winters.
As for the comments I read here today about the agressive lugs on ''snow'' tires of yesteryear (do you REALLY think they are better than todays winters?) and that you cant tell the difference between a winter tire and an all season based on looking at the tread, so therefore they are the same, tells me you know absolutely zero about what makes a winter tire a winter tire.
The facts are out there tho.

You can justify running a/s all you want, but when it comes down to trudging thru snow and ice, you cannot compare an a/s to a winter. You are only fooling yourself if you think an all season will do the same job.
Learn what a winter tire is and the reasons behind the design and composition.
To say that all seasons are just as good is dead wrong.

nobody is saying they are as good.
but are expensive full winters really needed for the driving here?
i say no.
they may help poor unexperienced drivers stay on the road.
i have driven in white out snow storms with almost bald tires as a kid and had no problems.
you drive for the conditions.
i find more fools crash because they have better tires or a 4x4 thinking that makes them safer on ice.
no it doesnt.
defensive safe driving is always your best tool.

[LoneWolf_53]

Babbitman, at this point, one can only come to the conclusion, that you're being purposely obtuse.

Even a link you posted, highlighted the very tires I use, as being a great winter tire, so quit the preaching, and just for a moment try to grasp, that the point has been, and still is, that not all tires carrying the all season designation are the same.

In my case I have to factor in the tires load ratings, size, as well as what weather they are made for. I could actually have chosen a tire from the same manufacturer that's cheaper, even better designed for snow, but the trade off is lesser load ratings, and speed ratings if memory serves correctly. Not a trade off I'm willing to make, yet based on the great experience with the last set of Nokian tires, I was determined to stay with the same brand.

Besides which, I'd point out that tires alone, don't dictate how great ones winter driving experience will be. I've always driven a half ton Chevrolet truck, standard cab, long box 2 wheel drive model, for example, and believe you me there was a huge difference in inclement weather driving performance, between truck one in which the rear end was a posi track, as opposed to truck two, which has just a standard issue rear end. The best winter tires on the planet won't make the two trucks perform exactly the same.

I drove both vehicles successfully however, as one simply needs to be aware of what they are driving, and adjust accordingly.

FWIW Babbitman who said the the old aggressive lug snow tire tread patterns of yesteryear were better?

I simply said that back when those were the norm a driver couldn't wait for spring to take them off, they were so noisy and annoying compared to what we have today.

[Bpeep]

They were also crap.
You can get a winter in any speed and load rating you want, so you dont need to succumb to your favorite brand, theres options.
As for the link, I posted one off wikipedia just to point you in the right direction. Theres lots more info on winters out there, I invite you to look for yourself. Its not my job to educate you or sell you tires.
As far as conditions go, when you are on an icy road with 3 inches of snow with your all seasons, you will find conditions much less severe with a good set of winters.

[Bpeep]

. The best winter tires on the planet won't make the two trucks perform exactly the same.

I drove both vehicles successfully .

But they will make them both perform better.
Yes, you obviously do drive them both successfully. You are still alive.

[Queen K]

I'd be tempted to try all seasons if I didn't have such an unpredictable job and if we didn't also have to travel outside of Kelowna in the Winter.

As it is we travelled to Lake Country last night and I was awfully glad we had the right tires. Nothing beats studded.

studded now?
kelowna to lake country is flat driving, if you couldnt do that with all seasons last nite then you missed part of the driving training.

Oh, then you missed the part about the drive on the Glenmore backroad not exactly being flat. Don't assume everyone loves to take the highway or even wants to. I haven't missed anything about driving training, I just knew that by putting Winter tires on by Monday would exempt me from long line ups by Friday. What's it to you?

[keith1612]

Oh, then you missed the part about the drive on the Glenmore backroad not exactly being flat. Don't assume everyone loves to take the highway or even wants to. I haven't missed anything about driving training, I just knew that by putting Winter tires on by Monday would exempt me from long line ups by Friday. What's it to you?

hehehe no i thought you ment there was some big winter storm that hit that you needed winter tires.
its still bare pavement here.

[Glacier]

Nokian tires are the way to go. As far as I understand the "all weather" Nokian WRGs are not all-seasons, but they are not exactly winter tires either. They are legal in the winter, however. While I would ideally run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires in the winter, I cannot justify the cost of running 4 sets of tires (two different vehicles).

There are some very real disadvantages to winter tires besides price:

1) Winter tires don't come with a 100,000 km guarantee.
2) It is true that for the 4.51 days a year that we get snow winter tyres work better, but maybe people should drive a little slower on those few days, and thus make up for the advantage of winter tyres.
3) If you want to drive 100 km/h in the snow, hey, you only live once, so why not live on the edge a little and have some fun? Nothing keeps you more alert than doing 4-wheel slides around corners. Sure, they can be fun with winter tyres, but it's even more fun with all-seasons.
4) If the temperature is 30 degrees in April (as it can be sometimes) you are breaking the law using all-seasons (unless you are carrying chains). 30 degree weather chews through winter tyres like nothing, and breaking the law isn't good either.

I used to run all seasons while driving back and forth over the Coq. all winter long without a problem, but since I don't own chains, don't want to break the law, and don't like throwing money down the toilet, I go with the Nokian WRG all weather tyres now. It's the best bang for you buck (IMO).

[dreamon]

As another frequent Coqu and other winter highway driver (25,000+ winter kms per year), I always use studded winter tires for winter driving. They make a significant difference. I have driven the Coqu in every condition possible and never had a problem, sometimes it just take a little longer.

Now if we could just persuade truck drivers to chain up before getting part way up snowshed hill and spinning out and blocking the road, it would be a better place. To the credit of the CVSE guys, they were enforcing chains at the bottom much more this past winter.

[Ken7]

Nokian tires are the way to go. As far as I understand the "all weather" Nokian WRGs are not all-seasons, but they are not exactly winter tires either. They are legal in the winter, however. While I would ideally run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires in the winter, I cannot justify the cost of running 4 sets of tires (two different vehicles).

There are some very real disadvantages to winter tires besides price:

1) Winter tires don't come with a 100,000 km guarantee. 2) It is true that for the 4.51 days a year that we get snow winter tyres work better, but maybe people should drive a little slower on those few days, and thus make up for the advantage of winter tyres.
3) If you want to drive 100 km/h in the snow, hey, you only live once, so why not live on the edge a little and have some fun? Nothing keeps you more alert than doing 4-wheel slides around corners. Sure, they can be fun with winter tyres, but it's even more fun with all-seasons.
4) If the temperature is 30 degrees in April (as it can be sometimes) you are breaking the law using all-seasons (unless you are carrying chains). 30 degree weather chews through winter tyres like nothing, and breaking the law isn't good either.

I used to run all seasons while driving back and forth over the Coq. all winter long without a problem, but since I don't own chains, don't want to break the law, and don't like throwing money down the toilet, I go with the Nokian WRG all weather tyres now. It's the best bang for you buck (IMO).

I must ask, have you ever taken a tire company to task on a milage gaurantee?? How did you make out and how did they work it?? Also what brand of tire if you did so...

Thanks!

[WhatThe]

I'm really somewhat amused, yes all seasons will do, but winter tires do indeed perform better. Now yes, driving behaviour is most important ie speed for conditions, but why anyone would argue that only a fool would want better safety and performance out of their vehicle is, well, honestly an idiot.
Drum brakes work but disc are superior, locking brakes works but anti lock are superior, lap belts work but shoulder/lap are superior... Get the idea?

But no, they should not be mandatory but definitely encouraged.

[Glacier]

I must ask, have you ever taken a tire company to task on a milage gaurantee?? How did you make out and how did they work it?? Also what brand of tire if you did so...

Thanks!

By the time my tires reach their end life I have either forgotten about guarantee or long since lost the receipt, but if they can't even tell me how far winter tires are supposed to last or even give a ball park figure, I'm not very interested in buying them.

I suspect that the 100,000 km applies to non-aggressive highway driving. My one vehicle had the same tires on for 7 years. Mind you, I was down to the belts (my bad). Typically they don't last that long, but I would guess that they do last at least 80% of rated. My other vehicle did have a tire issue when the plastic/rubber railway crossing in Vernon was all broken up. The plastic tore a hole in my sidewall, but I didn't even bother asking about getting a new tire on this once since the tread was good and it wasn't the tire's fault.