Who uses snow tires, are they worth it, and is there quality difference? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 08-06-2001, 01:12 AM

I am considering buying some snow tires for the winter. I am curious as to whether they are worth it or not? Also, since I drive slow throughout all winter and do not drive aggressively until after the snow melts, could I save a buck and go w/ cheaper brands or is there a difference between the way the cheapees perform compared to the more expensive ones? Thank you.

Michael · #2 08-06-2001, 12:23 PM

There is a VAST difference in how a snow tire behaves in the snow vs. the best all-season tires in the white stuff. Because they're optimized for snow & ice, they deal with it quite commendably and drastically better than all-season rubber.

I run snows on all 3 of my cars, primarily because I value the ability to come to a stop! Snows work so much better that I'll never go without them again.

I've only purchased higher-end snow tires, and therefore can only vouch for their abilities (Toyo Observe, Dunlop Graspic & Michelin Arctic Alpins)

MBenzNL · #3 08-06-2001, 06:17 PM

snow...18" rims...snowtires...

If you really have snow during wintertime, you don't want to enjoy the winter drives with wide 18" rims/tires. Wintertires is the way to go and the difference in the snow is HUGE.

Mount some OEM steel wheels with snowtires and try to get the car to look like you really benefit the winter tires...

I know that there is NO snow on the picture, but we DO have some occasionally

.

greetingz,

#4 08-08-2001, 07:38 PM

Snow tires do make a big difference. Driving a E55 I had to go down form 18" to 17" which altogether cost me 3200$.
I wouldn't go for cheap tires.
Holger

#5 08-08-2001, 09:24 PM

We get a good amount of snow and alot of harmful road chemicals (sand & salt) here in PA. It's definitely worth the $ to invest in a set of steel rims and decent snows (I use the Blizzaks). + Your expen$ive rims are protected from the road chemicals. I spent about $700 for 16" steel rims & snows from the tirerack. The performance in the winter weather compared to the Dunlop SP2000's I normally run is night & day. Don't get me wrong, the first winter here I tried it without. And with only a dusting, I could hardly keep the car on the road on my 6 mile drive home from work. Hope this helps - good luck!

#6 08-09-2001, 12:36 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I don't think my 8" wide aftermarkets OZ wheels will be practical for snow so I have decided that the snow tires are worth it after reading all your posts.

1991 560 SEC · #7 09-08-2001, 01:03 PM

I use Yokohama Guardex, on my wifes 1999 C280.They work great. I had blizzacks on a previous car and these are much better. Plus the special rubber goes all the way through the tread.
Always use four not two !
John

Chiragp · #8 09-09-2001, 12:38 AM

Lets say after a few magazine testings, its been realized that even an MB with no ASR or ESP with snow tires would probably do better then an Audi Quattro with All-season tires. No if the Audi had traction control it would probably b equal (i.e ESP).

And also, wide rubber deffinitely hurts in winter snow.

All and all, a nice performance snow tire is the best thing for winter. I had 195/60/15 with Michelin Pilot Alpin H-rated and loved them compared to the older Blizzaks, and great performance quotient for winter tires.

need2speed · #9 09-09-2001, 01:10 AM

Hmmm, snow tires...oh yeh, I'd almost forgotten that in a couple of months we'll be knee deep in that fluffywhite stuff north of the 49th.

Up here every high school kid knows the value of snow tires. With a dry (low humidity) climate, we go for deep tread and grip, like my Michelin Pilot Alpin's one size narrower than stock.

If you experience higher humidity in your area, the "ice radials" are the way to go, still one size down. A front wheel drive car can operate quite nicely with snow tires only on the front but a rear wheel drive auto needs them on all four corners for sure.

All-season tires may be OK for areas with occasional snow that melts away quickly (like Vancouver) but I wouldn't risk my ride (or hide) on them.

Jingle bells, jingle bells....

Michael · #10 09-09-2001, 08:24 AM

Dean,

I respectfully disagree about the front-driver with snows only on the front-I advised a buddy with a brand-new Acura Legend coupe against this, my arguement being that with superior traction at the front, the rears will not be able to keep up.

Well, be bought 2 snows and put them on the front. Within a week he spun the car an totaled it-the rear came out on him and he couldn't recover

need2speed · #11 09-09-2001, 12:53 PM

Michael:

You certainly would be right if your friend drove mostly on roads with ice or light snow cover. In a previous life I had a very hot little Honda Civic hatchback for which I only used Pirelli winter radials on the front. With all of the power and more than 80% of the braking occuring through the front wheels, I could out-accelerate and out-brake anything else on the road in our heavy snowfall conditions.

The driving technique changes a bit from summer. I have to do all of the braking BEFORE turning into a corner and don't gas it until AFTER the apex. Its like a boat on water - make course corrections gradually and stay aware of where your momentum is taking you. Great fun!

bobbyv · #12 09-09-2001, 03:05 PM

with all the media hype on the benefits of all-wheel-drive, drivers of 4wd vehicles rightly expect better traction in the winter, when accelerating and cornering.

but they forget that they do not have an advantage when braking. All cars have brakes on all wheels. And the use of winter tires is the only way to improve braking traction in the winter.

i rarely see any SUV with snow tires in the winter. They have the same wide all-season tires they use in the summer. And the drivers drive with the same attitude of invincibility ...

jsmith · #13 09-10-2001, 11:00 AM

my brother had a 400e which one time my sister-in-law parked in a department store lot. snow fell while she was inside and when she came out she couldn't drive out of the parking space and had to get a flat bed trailer to take the car home.

on a rear driver you have to have snows, unless you live in florida, california and areas with similar warmer climes. heck, i put them on fwd's since there are some challenging hills around where i live and i've had the experience of slowly sliding backwards on an uphill slope on my michelin all seasons in a camry i once owned...

400E · #14 09-15-2001, 04:42 PM

Speaking of 400E's, I tried to get by the first winter (or two) with all-season Nitto H-rated tires, and for the MOST part got around OK. A couple times got stuck when had to stop for a light on a slippery hill, heading uphill, and couldn't get started again without backing down the hill (hard to do in traffic) despite having ASR. Finally broke down and got 4 MB-knockoff wheels and 4 Michelin Arctic Alpins from TireRack and would NOT want to be without them! Makes a BIG difference! Last winter was a really bad one for us in the Midwest (and I'm sure elsewhere) and I never missed a day of work (dangnab it!) or, more importantly, got stranded at work . . .