I am looking at tires to buy for my 39 Studebaker. Tire rack has some killer prices on Michelin snows. I am tempted to buy them even though I will hoefully never drive the studie in the snow.

Is anybody running snows year round? I assume they would suffer from cornering power because of the extra cuts in the tread pattern but are there other weaknesses I am not aware of?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

They are noisy and they burn more fuel.

Why get snows if you don't ever expect to drive it in the snow...........just the price?

If price is the problem, check out the Yokohamas. Quite a bit less than the Michelin and a decent tire. I've got a set on the BMW and am quite pleased with them.

Price. 120 or so marked down to 74.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'll second the Yokohamas. I have had several sets on some BMW's and my wife's Lexus. All season S drive are the latest ones I have. Nothing but great news from me on these tires.

Have a look at the milage rating. Some snow tires are far more aggressive than others. Also use various tread compounds that impact wear yet this should be be rated on the sidewall I suspect. I would not run a claimed sticky model of snow tire as I believe they have soft rubber and will lose material very fast on pavement.

Try Tirecrawler.com
I got a better price than Tirerack on some Michelins I bought there last year.

Thanks guys! This is some excellent food for thought.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

For as few miles are you are likely to put on the '39, I wouldn't worry about the fuel economy or the tread life, I would buy the set that looked best on the vehicle....

I'd even spend a little extra to get what I liked, because you'll probably be seeing this set of tires on it for a long time.

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

Looks like the warranty for the snows is bout 40K, for M & S it is 60K.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Good point!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

They are not the least expensive but the Nokian WR tires are fabulous tires for year round use. My ML got about 80K miles out of the last set.

If you drove those snows on a hot summer day, you would not like the results.

I keep thinking I'm going to trade in my Mazda, so I've kept my 4 snows on for the past 2 years to save wear and tear on the summer tires. Two trips south, Delray Beach FL and Hilton Head SC with no problems. Just jack up the air pressure to keep them from overheating.

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OLD & RETIRED
_.... Don't mess with old farts - - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bulls**t and brilliance only come with age and experience!____________
'96 E320
'79 450 SEL
'78 300 CD

I just used tirecrawler.com, and I work at a sears auto center as a service writer. The prices listed are OK, but once you add in shipping, and carry in tire mount fees, they're more expensive then tires that we have in stock. I'm quoting a set for my Escape, your results may vary.

The way the Michelins snows have their siping cut (called "3D sipes) AKA sqiggly cuts verses straight cuts, it helps keep the tread together during cornering.

How aggressively will you be cornering in the '39?

Truthfully, winter tires ride squishy. All brands. Michelins are especially soft. Softer tires, more importantly, are more sensitive to the elements. They weather check quicker, because they are softer. I have a set of 4 year old firestone winterforce tires on one of my neons, and they are starting to dryrot already.


Why not just put something cheap but decent on it, and be done with it? I understand a soft snow tire, especially on clearance, is quite a deal. Consider that the tires it came with were bias ply, and rode like crap. Even when new... Anything's an improvement. Try something like a cooper response touring tire, they're USA made (85%), offer entry level pricing, have all season tread, and last a long time.

What size are you running on it in p-metric?
~Nate

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95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

I'd be tempted to try some of the Coker offerings, terrible performance and price but not always that bad. And look nice!

Thanks for "tirecrawler" link. I have been looking for tyres for my CLK and finally can see some good proper tire brands, like Champiro. The price on the Indonesian Champiro is good ($285) but really, $115 shipping to USA? Discount Tire has free shipping, so maybe I will take Japanese Sumitomo or Falken at "$375" or similar. Pfennig saved is pfennig earned I dunno about Michelin, French tyre, look at their president, yech. Better Champiro, look at president of Indonesia. Sure a jerk also, but at least he has good taste to wear a fez!