Snow Tire Thoughts

[Bill Elliott]

When I bought my first quattro I was impressed that even the owner's
manual said something to the effect that snow tires weren't necessary.
So I faced my first snowfall with SP8000's. Now I am a pretty decent
driver in snow, having used MG's, Volvo's, and the like for my winter
drivers.. typically running all-seasons.

I felt I was damn lucky to get home in one piece with the 6" of fresh
snow and the SP8000's.. quattro or no quattro!  It was like driving on
racing slicks in the rain!  Can it be done? Absolutely... but not safely
IMHO.

My first quattro snow tire purchase was a used set of Goodyear Eagle
GW's. Wow! What a difference! I now had the same confidence to turn and
stop that I had to accelerate.

Next (on my wife's SAAB) was a set of Hakka NRW-H. Even better than the
GW's and EXCEPTIONAL on dry pavement... far better than the all-seasons
previously on the car.  We've used them year-round with minimal summer
wear.   A set of these goes on my UrQ this winter, though my dealer is
really pushing the NRQ's which he says are the best non-studded tire
Hakka makes. (Studs are not legal here in the snow belt.) He thinks
NRW's are not nearly aggressive enough in the snow.

I also have a 4kq that came with half worn all seasons. Uninspiring
handling but competent in all situations.  I bought a set of slightly
used Blizzacks and found out how bad handling could get. Horrible on dry
pavement, average in the snow, downright unsafe on wet pavement, but
pretty good on ice.  I'll sell these cheap (mounted on decent 5kT 4x108
rims) to anyone interested.

I also bought a set of Hakka 10 LT's for my Bronco.  Unstoppable in the
snow, okay on dry pavement, good on wet pavement, but very bad on ice. I
run these year-round as well.  The LT compound is reportedly a bit
harder than the standard 10's.

And finally, for my 86-yr-old father-in-law who actively (but slowly)
drives everywhere, I'm running a set of NordicFrosts year-round.
Absolutely exceptional in the snow (better than the NRW's, about equal
to the LT's), great on ice, real squishy on dry pavement and noisy at
speed, but they suit his driving style.

If you have to drive in the snow much at all and only want one set of
tires,  I think a high performance all season (SP5000 which I'm very
impressed with on a friend's GSR) would be fine as would a high
performance snow tire (HRW-H).. the latter being better in the snow, the
former better on dry pavement.

But a set of pure winter tires is not a major expense and it allows you
to run pure summer tires... you get the best out of your car in all
situations.

Just my $0.02

Bill Elliott
Lake Barrington, IL