[Dave in Pa]

So today less than 1 inch and 23 degrees and I think the Lattitudes are not so good. Experimented on untraveled back roads and although everything is spinning they don't seem to bite at all?! I had MS2's on my Trailblazer and it was great! Tried sand and snow mode but not really any better. Instead of spending a grand on Michelin LTX MS'2s I thought of just getting dedicated Firestone Snow tires for the winter for probably less than $600 and just taking them of in the spring? The Lattitudes have been great on dry & wet and even pulling my boat. (18 inch wheels) What do the experts think? Dave

 

[Winecity]

Get Snow tires. Blizzak DM-V1

 

[SLLJG]

Nokian tires are worth looking into.

 

[Setoutguy]

First 1-2" of snow is the toughest to drive in. Gentle on the loud pedal and let the AWD and electronic nannies do the driving. I rarely if ever drive in the snow or ice with heavy boots on. I take my boots off and drive with my Sperry's or NBs on. Its tough with the fly by wire loud pedal to find the sweet spots but they are there.

 

[Dave in Pa]

Well thanks everyone; I will wait for another "event" and see how that goes but maybe I will have to get Blizzaks or a snow type tire in the not to distant future. I will keep watching the posts & threads here! Dave

 

[Tarponbeach]

I was actually pretty pleased at how well the Lattitudes performed in the snow today. I was not expecting much, but they did very well, with no spinning or sliding. As stated, the fly by wire is tough to master, but there do seem to be sweet spots for days like today.

 

[SLLJG]

That's good news. Of course, all-season tires are designed for two inches of snow or so. Beyond that depth, snow tires are called for.

 

[Tarponbeach]

That's good news. Of course, all-season tires are designed for two inches of snow or so. Beyond that depth, snow tires are called for.

I agree, but the problem for me, is that we rarely get enough snow to warrant buying dedicated snow tires. I had a set of Blizzaks on my old X5, which lasted only 1 season, due to temps mostly over 45 degrees.

 

[DirtyDuc83]

I agree, but the problem for me, is that we rarely get enough snow to warrant buying dedicated snow tires. I had a set of Blizzaks on my old X5, which lasted only 1 season, due to temps mostly over 45 degrees.

Try Pirelli ice & snows or blizzak LM25s. Ive run both, the LM25s on a 2002 M3 and the Pirelli's are on my Jeep. They are both considered to be high performance winter tires that don't wear as quickly as others. I drove on the blizzaks for 4 winters and sold them with about 70% tread left.

We don't have much snow around here but they are fantastic in cold, wet conditions. Far better than all seasons. I also took both tires through the mountain passes and they have performed flawlessly. I got a bit more adventurous with the Jeep and drove up some pretty steep snow covered forest service roads.

Better to have and not need than need and not have.

 

[SLLJG]

Re: Snow! Not so good...

An alternative to a winter-only tire is an all-season tire that is certified as a snow tire. Look for the snowflake-mountain symbol on the sidewall. Goodyear and Nokian, and likely others, make such a tire.

 

[ekbGC2013]

I live in Philly/NJ and here is what I did:

Bought 4 18x8 rims off a 11-13 Durango on ebay for 85 each incl. shipping (great deal but came with some road rash but since winter wheels I will feel less mad if I scratch them)

Bought 4 Nokian Hakkapelitta R2 SUV 265/60 R18 tires from STS for $239 each

Bought 4 TPMS sensors off ebay for $50 incl. delivery (sync'd with the jeep just fine after drivng at highway speeds for 10+ mins)

Drove 30 miles tonight on PA turnpike and some main/side roads and the Jeep handled perfectly. Better than stock....

 

[Setoutguy]

That's good news. Of course, all-season tires are designed for two inches of snow or so. Beyond that depth, snow tires are called for.

Not really. All season or no seasons dont have the tread compounds and tread design to handle that first two inches of snow.

I am on my second season on the Blizzaks and still have plenty of tread left. We will see how much tread is left in March. I only run my winter tires for approx 90 days.

The X5 maybe tougher on tires.

Tarpon Beach if you decide to get winter tires my tire guy in Silver Spring MD has beat Discount and Tire Rack prices for the last 25 years.

 

[Aiyer]

3rd winter on Blizzaks on wife's Cayenne S and it still looks new. Outstanding handling on snow and ice. We drove our Cayenne on a frozen lake back in January and there is a huge difference between all-seasons and dedicated winter tires. Our Porsche dealer organized the event and it was super fun "drifting" an suv on ice. We got to drive other cars as well (audis and porsches).

If you are going to be driving in cold temperatures, get snow tires for traction and piece of mind. All seasons are a compromise I think but may work ok. I drive very defensively on snowy conditions and hence I did not get snow tires for my Jeep. Wife, on the other hand, shuttles the kid to daycare and goes to work. So, I prefer that she not worry about traction in her car (hence snow tires for her car).

For the Jeep, I got a set of JKU wheels/tires with Bridgestone Dueler ATs ($500 for 5). They have been great on snow and off-road. The OEM wheels and tires (Michelin Latitudes) are used in summer till first snow or so. I quickly found out that the OEM tires were kind of not so great in snow.

Cheers,
-A

 

[f1anatic]

have you tried the obvious - lowering the tire pressures as to increase the footprint and the "bite" ?

on my Subaru, which lacks electronic nannies, lowering pressures is a time-tested rule. I go from 43 psi front and 40 psi rear to 40 psi front and 35-36 rear. Big difference even on exemplary tires like Continental Extreme Contact DWS with 12,000 smiles...over as many miles.

 

[bill_de]

Did standard radials become less effective in snow over the years? And, does M+S no longer stand for mud and snow?

The reason I'm curious is that I am old enough to remember when radials started to show up as original equipment on cars. One of the benefits was supposed to be no more need for snow tires. I lived in NY at the time and, not knowing any better, routinely drove my Impala, Monte Carlo, and Caprice in snow up to 10" deep.

Today it seems that even with 4wd or AWD many people find they need special tires for winter. I can understand it in high snow areas, but not everywhere. Unless, today's radials aren't what they used to be.

I haven't purchased tires in over 20 years so haven't kept up.


---

 

[Setoutguy]

Did standard radials become less effective in snow over the years? And, does M+S no longer stand for mud and snow?

The reason I'm curious is that I am old enough to remember when radials started to show up as original equipment on cars. One of the benefits was supposed to be no more need for snow tires. I lived in NY at the time and, not knowing any better, routinely drove my Impala, Monte Carlo, and Caprice in snow up to 10" deep.

Today it seems that even with 4wd or AWD many people find they need special tires for winter. I can understand it in high snow areas, but not everywhere. Unless, today's radials aren't what they used to be.

I haven't purchased tires in over 20 years so haven't kept up.


---

How can you not have purchased tires in over 20 years?

Today's all seasons are really no seasons. Can you get home in snow on no seasons yeah maybe but winter tires give you abetter chance especially with some of the knuckleheads out of the roads today texting and driving on snow and ice. AWd and 4wd dont help you turn or stop. The electronic nannies on today's vehicles are only so good they arent perfect.

Heck I used to have summer tires, track tires, and winter tires in my garage when I had a BMW.

 

[Tarponbeach]

Not really. All season or no seasons dont have the tread compounds and tread design to handle that first two inches of snow.

I am on my second season on the Blizzaks and still have plenty of tread left. We will see how much tread is left in March. I only run my winter tires for approx 90 days.

The X5 maybe tougher on tires.

Tarpon Beach if you decide to get winter tires my tire guy in Silver Spring MD has beat Discount and Tire Rack prices for the last 25 years.

Thanks, If we keep getting snow, I will take you up on that. The X5 was tough on tires, although the following line in BMW instruction manuals echoes what you
said: "ESP and ABS still cannot defy the laws of physics."

 

[bill_de]

How can you not have purchased tires in over 20 years?

Today's all seasons are really no seasons.

To avoid buying tires, I just buy new cars. I do get pretty good mileage out of tires, even oem.


So have they downgraded all seasons over the years, or changed compounds to get more miles, but getting poorer results in snow?

 

[Jim_in_PA]

...or changed compounds to get more miles, but getting poorer results in snow?

Herein lies the rub...although not "universal", the quest for longer life and better fuel economy from tires may very well have a major effect on traction in messy weather as the tire material may be "harder" and less "sticky". And tread designs can have a major impact, too...what provides less rolling resistance for longer life and better fuel economy doesn't necessarily translate into great traction in snow, no matter that a tire might be considered "all weather".

The advice about not running them quite as firm inflation wise is good, too...I run at 38-39 psi in the warm months, but let them float down (due to cold air) at this time of year to something less than that. Mine are currently about 34-35, give or take.

 

[Dave in Pa]

I am certainly getting lots of ideas from everyone and thanks! Looks like tomorrow is going to be the "second test" for the Lattitudes here in Southeast Pa. I hope I am wrong but after having 4x4 trucks and SUV's with all types of tires, the last two sets being Mich.Ms/2's I gotta say these Lattitudes were not good on Saturday. At a dead stop on a hill, then accelerating like I had an egg under the gas pedal did not get it, then anything else I tried, even Sand Mode, made little difference. I thing the tread design although great on wet and dry surfaces just isn't gonna cut it in any type of snow. Try again tomorrow! Dave