Winter tires worth it?
 

So we just got our first snow storm here in the tri-state and we got at least a foot in my area. After the plowing i attempted to go to the store and it was a complete challenge. My question is should i spend the money on winter tires or just get a cheap winter beater? will winter tires and say some weight in the trunk help that much? any info greatly appreciated


jreis4206@hotmail.com

2 words......

HELL YES! Once you drive on winter tires, you will never go back. Even my wife now demands winter tires (after driving my old car with them). Not an issue where I live now, but if we move back to the snow belt, every car will have dedicated winter tires. And spend the extra to get a good set---a name you know. Dunlop, bridgestone, Pirelli, hakkapeletta (or whatever)

Winter tires are good for about 3 seasons. Once they are near half tread, they should be replaced. The sharp edges on the treads provide the traction, they eventually round off.

Search is your friend

If you can afford a beater, get it!!
If not, get some winter tires.... It'll help

Just remember these caveats:

1) A beater with old, non-winter tires is a death trap.
2) A Z with winter tires is a very capable and safe winter car.
3) A Z with winter tires will perform better than a beater with non-winter tires

The beater option keeps your Z off the winter streets but you're only safer if you still put appropriate tires on it.

Completely and totally :iagree:

I humble myself in a '96 Camry or a '97 Expedition. Builds character. :tup:

Very well said. I second this.:tup:

YESS! i live in Richmond va and it snowed a foot and a half here my car will not go any where, winter tires would probably be a great investment

As someone who spent my first 19 years living in SW Michigan, I disagree.

Beater is the way to go. Z is not something anyone should drive in winter. You need clear streets to drive the Z due to the low ground clearance, and as someone from chicago should know, most streets aren't cleared by plow trucks, especially if you live in the suburbs. You don't need the streets clear to drive a beater (or at least ones that are better winter vehicles...such as 90's blazers, etc)

My Civic will do better than my Z in winter. My truck will do as well as the Civic (with around 400lbs of sand in the back to even out the weight distribution)...neither of those have winter tires on them...but they have all season tires. Z has summer tires...

It's like someone driving a vette in winter. I don't understand it. Nice car, but not something to drive in winter. Performance + ice and snow = death trap.

There's also the added cost of paying for insurance on another car. Not to mention having to deal with where to park it, for those who don't have garages.

But, if you have the money and space to get another beater, it is the better choice IMO.

Insurance on a beater car is cheap when you just get liability insurance.

My truck costs me something like $55/6 months. Trivial...a drop in the bucket. Take it off the policy the 8-9 months you don't need it if it's that expensive....

As for storage, if you're cutting it close enough that you can't afford $200-$400/yr to keep your car safe...well...then you may want to pack away whatever your insurance deductible is.

Places near me, you have to pay over $120 per month for a spot in a parking lot, let alone storage. Space is limited, meaning costs skyrocket. So, to pay for two spots, or a spot and storage where I live is certainly not "trivial" money.

My $0.02:

Yes, winter tires are worth it. I spent around $1300 for a set of 18" winter wheels and Blizzaks from Tire Rack (I opted out of spending the $360 for TPMS).

With the Summer tires:
I slid once and scared myself pretty good on a rainy night, it was probably around 50 deg F outside and I took a sweeping curve at a little more than normal speed.
I also got stuck in the mud (I helped a friend who works at a brewery at an outdoor festival on a rainy day and they made me park in the grass). Now I know that I will never do that again, I had to have three friends help push to get me out.

Needless to say, I was a little skeptical about how the winter tires would perform on a +300 HP RWD sports car. We had our first big snow the weekend before Christmas. I didn't leave my house until the streets were somewhat plowed (down to hardpacked snow and ice in my neighborhood) on Monday morning. The Z has performed flawlessly with the Blizzaks and traction control on. Mind you, I am not driving like Mario Andretti on snow packed roads, but it is nice to know that the car is manageable/drivable when there is a good amount of snow on the road.

I also looked at getting a winter beater, but I could not find one for around $1300 (equivalent winter wheel cost) that I would feel safe driving around in and that would be reliable enough to get me where I am going. I used to have an '86 Toyota Camry back when I was a poor college student, and that thing was the worst car I ever owned on snow, it would get stuck if there was less than 1/8" of snow on the ground.