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Official Winter Tires Thread: Please post any winter questions here!

74K views 202 replies 82 participants last post by  Mazdamike0831 
#1 · (Edited)
So, first off let's learn or relearn the facts about winter tires.

How do winter tires work?

Here are a few pictures to illustrate the mechanics involved in winter traction.

If you look closely at a road surface you can tell that it is really not that smooth as represented by the model in this picture:



With the high grip rubber compound used in your summer performance tires the contact area conforms to the irregular surface of the road:



That amount of contact can generate a tremendous amount of traction in the summer time but what if the road in snow covered?

That brings us to the question, what makes a tire a good winter tire? The answer is a three part puzzle and without all three parts traction will be compromised.

Let's look at the first part of the puzzle; tread design.

This picture shows a winter tire tread design which, as you can clearly see, utilizes a large number of sipes:



When the road gets snow covered the tire is no longer able to conform to the surface.



The siping allows the tread elements to flex under stress create aggressive "biting edges" when braking, cornering or accelerating.



Part two of our three piece traction puzzle is tread depth.

While deep snow and ice-covered roads are two of the most challenging conditions North American drivers will face, tire developments during the last decade have noticeably advanced wintertime mobility. The technological revolution of dedicated winter tires for drivers in the snowbelt, and the continuing evolution of all-season tires for drivers living on its periphery characteristically offer more grip in snow and on ice than ever before.

However the basics of delivering traction and handling in snow and on ice remain unchanged. Tires must combine three fundamental features to deliver good wintertime performance, including an appropriate tread design, pliable tread compound and sufficient tread depth. If any one of these fundamental features is absent then the other two, regardless of their ability, cannot deliver the desired results. Since engineers can develop cutting-edge tread designs and chemists can develop advanced rubber compounds, it is often the remaining tread depth that is the variable in determining wintertime performance.

In most parts of the world, tires are considered to be legally worn out when they reach "2/32" (approximately 1.6mm) of remaining tread depth. U.S. law requires tires to have easy-to-see Tread Wear Indicator bars running from one side of their tread design to the other when the tire's tread has worn down to the minimum legal limit of 2/32 inch.

However in spite of the legal minimums, Tire Rack recommends that drivers expecting to experience wet conditions consider replacing their tires when they reach 4/32" of remaining tread depth. Tire Rack's tests have shown how shallow treads reduce wet braking traction and increase stopping distances. (See this video).

Tire Rack also recommends that drivers expecting to encounter snow-covered roads consider replacing their tires when they reach approximately 6/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. Tires need more tread depth in wintry conditions to compress snow in their grooves and release it as they roll. If there isn't sufficient tread depth, the "bites" of snow that can be processed on each tire revolution will be reduced to "nibbles," and the vehicle's traction and mobility in snow will be reduced.



The third and final part of the puzzle is the rubber compound used. Rubber compounds vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer but, the task is the same so, you will see similarities between the products. They all typically use compounds which utilize materials designed to remain flexible at cold temps in addition to traction enhancements from silica and other materials which add more bite on ice.

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Now, for the next step ... types of winter tires

There are basically three different types of winter tires

#1.) Performance Winter

You want enhanced dry road handling from your winter tires and are willing to trade some snow and ice traction to get it.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "Snowflake-on-the-Mountain" symbol, these are higher speed rated tires that are designed to suit winter driving on European highways. They are available in many of the low profile sizes used as Original Equipment on sporty imported and domestic cars. Due to their unique designs these tires must be installed in sets of four.

#2.) Studless Ice and Snow

You want to maximize snow and ice traction from your winter tires without the inconvenience of using winter tire studs.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "Snowflake-on-the-Mountain" symbol, these tires feature the latest in tread compound technology to provide winter traction without the inconvenience of tire studs. They trade a little handling for excellent ice and snow traction. Due to their unique tread compounds these tires must be installed in sets of four.

#3.) Studdable Winter

You want the traditional security of studded winter tires for enhanced traction on ice.

Meeting severe snow service requirements and branded with the "Snowflake-on-the-Mountain" symbol, these tires feature traditional snow tire tread compounds and studdable tread designs for good snow and ice traction. Due to their unique designs these tires must be used in sets of four. Use of studded tires is often prohibited or restricted. Check with local authorities to confirm legality. Keep in mind that these can be used without studs if desired.

But Do I Really Need Winter Tires?

The primary concern that our customers express is that they don't want to get "stuck" in the snow (or in the ditch) during the winter.

While in cities like Atlantic City, Memphis and Seattle located at the edge of the snow belt, relatively new All-Season tires will probably work just fine. But the odds change as you move further into the snow belt or the All-Season tires have a few years of wear on them. And who wants to gamble...especially when their collision deductible and future insurance premiums are on the table.

We all know that tires are a compromise. One tire can't be the fastest on the track, most controllable in the snow, and longest wearing. The Ultra High Performance tire that grips the track with tread temperatures of 200° is incompetent as its tread compound becomes like "hard plastic" at below 32°. Today's 80,000-mile tires require tread designs and compounds that maximize long, even wear... not winter traction. And while many of today's all-season tires (Original Equipment, touring and performance) address some of these issues, they still emphasize longer wear, a quieter ride or greater performance...not winter traction.

Only winter tires are designed to excel in the colder temperatures, slush, snow and ice that many parts of the country experience for three or more months a year.

It's also important to note that the recent advancements in electronic driver aids, such as ABS and traction control don't provide more traction. They only help prevent drivers from over braking or overpowering the available traction of their tires. The only thing the driver can do to increase traction...to actually get more grip and control... is install better tires.

As in the past, there are 'general use' recommended packages for each model car to be found at our Winter category but, if you would like to discuss other options for your specific need please don't hesitate to give me a call at 800-428-8355 ext. 788 or drop me an e-mail.

You can also post in this thread but please supply the following information ....

Year:
Make:
Model:
Location:
Tires only or winter package:

and I will respond directly to your post.

I will also be adding to this thread periodically so check back often.

Links to use to get the forum credit for your order:
- Tires
- Wheels
- Winter
- Brakes
- Suspension
 
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6
#2 ·
I just wanted to post to say the tires make a huge difference. I bought a winter tire/rim package through the Tire Rack and it cost about $600 shipped. Well worth it. I bought the winter set shortly after I bought the car so I can't honestly say how many accidents it's helped me avoid, but just about any car is safer with winter tires than without it if you live in a wintry climate. All tires have their limitations, regardless of conditions, but stopping, steering, and starting is better with the right tires.

Best part, after a winter of usage the tread still looks almost new. Plus, my all seasons don't show much wear.

Year: 2006
Make: Ford
Model: Focus SES
Location: North Dakota, USA
Tires only or winter package: Package (15" steel rims with 195/60-15 Continental ExtremeWinterContact tires)
 
#3 ·
Year: 2011
Make: Ford
Model: Focus
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Tires only

I purchased my car late last year (end of November), and made it through the winter just fine with the stock 15" wheels (all season tires), ABS, traction control, and my manual transmission. Over the summer I bought some 17" OEM wheels, and plan on making the stock 15" wheels my "winter" set once the tread on those all season tires wears down a bit more. I drive approximately 30,000 miles a year, and my commute is about 50 miles round trip, five days a week. I have multiple questions.

-Knowing that longevity is important to me (I don't want to buy a new set of winter tires every other year), are there any brands/styles you can recommend?
-Will highway driving on salty roads greatly diminish the life of my winter tires?
-When would you recommend switching into and out of my winter set of tires each year, and why?
-Should winter tires only be used below a certain outdoor temperature or speed in order to prevent premature wear?


Thanks in advance!
 
#7 ·
-Knowing that longevity is important to me (I don't want to buy a new set of winter tires every other year), are there any brands/styles you can recommend?
-Will highway driving on salty roads greatly diminish the life of my winter tires?
-When would you recommend switching into and out of my winter set of tires each year, and why?
-Should winter tires only be used below a certain outdoor temperature or speed in order to prevent premature wear?
Excellent questions that I'm glad you brought up although my answers will sound similar to DarkSpork (<- thanks for chiming in!).

All of these questions are related as the timing and conditions you run your tires in will effect wear. I've found that the Michelin Xi2 will offer the best tread life and the newest Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 boasts the same.

I have not heard anything or seen any evidence to indicates that salt will cause additional wear.

It is best to run dedicated winter tires in temperatures below 45 degrees to prevent excessive wear. A lot of people call and ask if they can be used year round and the answer is yes BUT you might only get a year out of them which just isn't worth it. So if you decide to make the leap to winter tires then try to only have them on when the temperature is consistently less than 45 degrees. This obviously varies based on the area. The rule of thumb here in northern Indiana is Thanksgiving to Tax Day.

The why is because the winter tire rubber compound is softer than an all season compound. In warmer weather you can literally see it pealing off.
 
#4 ·
I'm not a professional but I did a lot of research before buying the winter tires I have (I put the same ones on my wife's car)

-Knowing that longevity is important to me (I don't want to buy a new set of winter tires every other year), are there any brands/styles you can recommend?
The Continental ExtremeWinterContact tires I bought seemed to do better than other snow tires in terms of longevity from reading reviews. The Tire Rack has a tool that will show you what winter tires fit and many users submit reviews detailing tread life, performance, comfort, etc.
-Will highway driving on salty roads greatly diminish the life of my winter tires?
Not sure, I've only driven in the snow in the Midwest.
-When would you recommend switching into and out of my winter set of tires each year, and why?
It depends on your preference. I remember reading somewhere "when the average temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm putting mine on in about a month since we get snow before Halloween. I took them off mid April and we got hit with an ice storm a few weeks later. I'll probably put them on mid Oct and take them off mid April this year too.
-Should winter tires only be used below a certain outdoor temperature or speed in order to prevent premature wear?
The tread compound on winter tires is much softer than all season tires, cold makes it less soft. If you leave them on well into the spring expect premature wear (as my friend who left them on through June found out, bald blizzaks after 6 months).

That being said, I put the winter tires on my wife's Accord early Oct while there were still some warm day and took them off mid April. They show little wear. On my Focus I put them on in January (bought the car in Dec) and took them off mid April and they show no wear.

I hope this helps some, the Tire Rack sales rep can probably help more. Remember your ABS doesn't help you stop, it just helps you maintain control while trying to stop. The traction control doesn't give you extra traction, it just prevents you from sending too much torque to the drive wheels (which may sometimes be any at all).
 
#5 ·
I hope this helps some, the Tire Rack sales rep can probably help more. Remember your ABS doesn't help you stop, it just helps you maintain control while trying to stop. The traction control doesn't give you extra traction, it just prevents you from sending too much torque to the drive wheels (which may sometimes be any at all).
Thanks for the response! I'd definitely be interested to read what the rep says. As for ABS and all that jazz, I actually don't depend on them at all, as I've never had them in the past. In fact traction control is just a bother to me. If I start to slip on a start, I'll just shift into 2nd to get moving. But I'm a firm believer that going slower and leaving a larger following distance will avoid 90% of common winter driving ailments. And if your car can't handle the weather conditions (and you can always tell when it can't), then don't drive! My life and my car's condition are far more important than getting anywhere during a bad storm!
 
#9 ·
I can ship directly to you in Ontario! When we do so we are required to collect the taxes, duties, brokerage...etc. E-mail me the specific products you're interested in as well as your postal code and I'll get the total for you.
 
#12 ·
Miles,

Thanks for the offer to spec and quote.

Year: 2012
Make: Ford
Model: Focus Titanium
Location: Toronto, Canada
Tires only or winter package: Winter pack.
Never a problem. For your vehicle I would recommend the 195/65R15 Blizzak WS70 ($91) and either a steel wheel ($50) or an inexpensive aluminum alloy like the Sport Edition A7 ($85). Personally I like the look of the A7 but there are a few options that are of similar quality and price.
 
#13 ·
Some very good info in this test for any one considering using two winter tires vs. a set of four. I like that this was done on a FWD sedan so Focus owners can get a good taste of what this would be like. Check it out:

Four of a Kind Versus Two Pair
 
#18 ·
If you're getting black steelies, nobody will notice since both the tire and wheel are black and the overall height is pretty much the same as the 17" since you're increasing the sidewall height and decreasing the rim diameter.

One other point, getting the winters on their own dedicated wheels makes them easier/cheaper to have changed over in the Fall/Spring over the long-haul.
 
#23 ·
If I do the:

195/65R15 Blizzak WS70 ($91) and steel wheel ($50)

for my 2012 SE Sport. Are there options for TPMS sensors? I'd like to not have to stare at a pressure icon for 5 months. If there are, wondering on the price and differences. Thanks!
 
#24 ·
Definitely! The sensors are $42 a piece currently and I would strongly recommend also purchasing the Ford Trigger tool so that you can register the sensors to the Focus yourself instead of having to take it to a dealership whenever you change the wheels.
 
#31 ·
To solve this, use the lowest level Focus(S), as the vehicle that you are buying wheels & tires for.

Being that you can't buy a Titanium from Ford with 15" wheels, it won't show them as suitable wheels.

I'm ready to buy as well, & it worked fine for me(I also have a Titanium)

Hope that helps...
 
#32 ·
Thanks. I know. My point is that the customer shouldn't have to figure this out. The vendor is sloppy and needs to be called on this. There are many easier ways to spend my money. I don't need vendors who aren't making sure that they are error free. Don't solicit business online without checking your links.
 
#33 ·
Everything is fixed so it should come up now. I apologize for the error and really do appreciate you bringing this to my attention. As you can imagine there are so many vehicles that require specific fitments that occasionally one gets missed. Thanks for your patience while this was corrected.
 
#36 ·
Hi,

today I was surprised when I found this forum. I search for tire size informations and winter tires options, and I have found some very useful informations here.

I have summer tires, as manufacturer specifications recommendation: 205/60/R16, and here where I live, is really hard to find winter tires with that dimensions, so I must use an alternative. There are two options:

1. To buy 195/55/R16 tires, or
2. To buy new rims with R15, and mount on it tires 195/60/R15

The price is similar in both cases, but in 2. I would get additional R15 rims.

(R16 tires price ~ R15 tires + rims price)
 
#37 ·
If you have the option of getting a 15'' package for the same cost I would jump at it. It's generally better for winter use and could save you money in the long run to avoid doing a mount and balance as you switch your tires every season.
 
#40 ·
I think you should have enough room for chains. There is a little bit of play in the wheel well even with the OE 18'' option so you should be able to do it. May not be easy to get on and off though.
 
#41 ·
thanks! lastly, do you think the summer tires will be fine for that little of cold weather use (often day trips, sometimes 2 - 3 days, only a handful of times when there's actually snow on the ground)? stupid me didn't realize they were summer tires when i got the car.
 
#44 ·
Can you do it? Yes.

Would I ever recommend it? Definitely not. Of course your car is not going to spontaneously explode if you don't get winter tires but those summers have no feature that's suited for winter use. No siping or grooves to get through snow, the rubber compound becomes hard like a plastic...it's just not a great idea. At the very least throw an all season on there.

I'm reviewing your post dated 09-22-2011 reponse to danc8. I have a similar vehicle with the sport suspension package. Should I also be using the 195/65R15 Blizzak WS70 with Sport Edition A7. What about the sensors.
What's up Sheldon! As you're going through the order process there will be an option to add the TPMS sensors to the order. If you choose to do so, we will mount them on the wheels before shipping everything to you. This sensor needs to be synced to your vehicle once you receive it so you'll need to take it to Ford to do that or purchase the Triggering tool we sell.
 
#45 ·
Hey sorry if this is a dumb question but I just don't know.

I've come across some extremely cheap Blizzak Tires that have great tread life on them. However, the tire size is 225 60R16 I am unsure if they will fit my 2004 SVT Focus. Currently I have coil-overs so raising the car a little bit is a possibility but I don't know if that would help fitment. Would these tires fit?
 
#46 ·
The trouble with most coilovers is that while they do a good job of lowering a car they can't raise them very well. Very few can even get a car back to stock ride height let alone higher than stock (especially those that rely on spring compression for adjustment).

Those tires will be about 26.6 inches in diameter compared to 24.2 inches (or so) for a stock diameter tire. That's a significant difference and can easily cause rubbing issues especially if you're lower than stock or even at stock ride height.
 
#48 ·
Most the tire manufacturers recommend a 6-8 inch rim width for that size tire. Seven inche rim width would probably be ideal and six a little on the pinched side....but would be acceptable.

Another consideration, your speedomenter will also be off by 10%. When it shows 60mph you'll actually be going 66mph. The bigger diameter will also affect final gearing and result in slower acceleration and will add a lot of rotating mass (further affecting acceleration as well as braking).

My personel opinion is that they're too big. For a fairly light car like the Focus a narrower snow tire is better. For 15" wheels 195/60-15 is a good snow tire size size. For 16" 205/55-16 works well.
 
#49 ·
I have an 03 zx3 and will be buying rims and tires dedicated for winter here in WI, and have heard that 14" x5.5" steel rims have been used, will they fit for sure? I heard that people were getting packages for $400 on tirerack but I can only seem to find 15" steelies and with tires would be a bit more expensive. I am on a budget so the cheaper the better, I just want something to keep me from sliding off the road.
 
#50 ·
fockus, I'm sorry but we don't have any more of the 14'' steel wheels. I think the ones were had were 14x5.5'' though but making sure the body of the wheel does not taper in too much for caliper clearance will be the main fitment concern. Other then that the 15'' is the best cost option we've got right now.
 
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