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16 Posts
Seems the common theme is 'narrow is always better' for snow driving.
I disagree.
First, ignore the NorCal tag over there, I grew up in Maine and have some small experience w/ snow.
The concept of going w/ a narrow tire is that it will cut through the snow and ride on the ground below it, much like going mudding. This works well as long as A> the snow isn't that deep and B> the road under the snow is safe to drive on.
We often have layers of ice on our roads in Maine under the snow, as well as dirt and salt layed for traction. In these conditions a wider tire is better.
The wider tires will offer a higher level of floatation, meaning the weight of the car is distributed over a wider contact area. When running on snow over ice this will actually help to keep your tread off the lower layers of ice by not having the tire push through to the ground. If you are running on roads w/ gravel or salt then wider will offer more contact w/ the provided traction.
Of course, factors like tread depth and design, experience, air pressure, etc. will factor in more then the half inch/inch difference we're talking here.
Narrow is better, imo, is a common myth for tires like 'new should go in the front.'
I disagree.
First, ignore the NorCal tag over there, I grew up in Maine and have some small experience w/ snow.
The concept of going w/ a narrow tire is that it will cut through the snow and ride on the ground below it, much like going mudding. This works well as long as A> the snow isn't that deep and B> the road under the snow is safe to drive on.
We often have layers of ice on our roads in Maine under the snow, as well as dirt and salt layed for traction. In these conditions a wider tire is better.
The wider tires will offer a higher level of floatation, meaning the weight of the car is distributed over a wider contact area. When running on snow over ice this will actually help to keep your tread off the lower layers of ice by not having the tire push through to the ground. If you are running on roads w/ gravel or salt then wider will offer more contact w/ the provided traction.
Of course, factors like tread depth and design, experience, air pressure, etc. will factor in more then the half inch/inch difference we're talking here.
Narrow is better, imo, is a common myth for tires like 'new should go in the front.'