Snow tires.....

[Kneale Brownson]

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The trouble with using a tire year-around that isn't specifically designed
as an all-season tire is that the rubber compounding normally is too hard
to work well on frozen roads.  A couple winters ago, I delayed installing
the Hakka's on my 200q20v, and we had an unexpected cold snap with light
snow toward the end of October.  I spun out going around a street corner at
between 15 and 20 mph.  The high performance summer tires just plain had no
grip on the frozen pavement.   I'd previously used all-season tires (mostly
Cooper Cobra's) on my quattro-equipped cars, and never experienced the
difference in performance.  Of course, they don't give the grip on warm
pavement a summer performance tire gives either.

Anyway, I went home and exchanged tires and went right back to the same
intersection, where the winter tires worked as expected on the frosty
pavement.  If you're going to drive where it gets cold, you don't want a
Florida tire.  If you don't care about maximum grip, get an all-season model.

At 07:27 AM 09/15/2002 -0400, Roger M. Woodbury wrote:

>Here in Downeast Maine, I have never used winter tires of any sort on any of
>my Quattros.  I maintain my tires at not less than 1/2 tread depth, and they
>work just fine.
>
>Maine has a "24 hour clear road rule".  What that means is that within 24
>hours of a snow storm, all main roads are clear of snow.  It used to be a
>"bare road rule", but that has been relaxed a little, to just clear road.
>Normally a couple of days after a really big snowstorm, the road is back to
>bare tar surface.  Hence, I really have no idea what kind of tires I would
>use here, because heavy tread tires are going to be used on bare roads most
>of the time, as would be pure, "winter" tires.  Now, traditional "snow
>tires" are LOUD and handle pretty poorly on bare, dry roads.  The new
>"winter" tires, I gather from what I have read, have poor handling
>characteristics on dry or just wet roads, too.  So, I continue to use
>relatively new, high quality "all season" tires and have NEVER had the
>slightest bit of trouble.
>
>However, for someone who doesn't relish the thought of driving in bad
>weather to begin with, and perhaps, is much older to boot, the question is:
>"What KIND of winter tires?"
>
>When I was travelling all over this state in the insurance agency business,
>I had first BMW's then Mercedes diesels, which were, of course, both rear
>wheel drive cars.  I used Semperit snow tires that were studded on all four
>wheels.  Loud of course on the dry interstate, but sure footed, and they
>lasted three or four seasons, and a lot of miles.
>
>My advice is to buy regular, heavy treaded snow tires and have them
>studded.....those Kelly tires you mentioned will be fine.  And yes, get the
>snow tires their own wheels, too.
>
>Interesting side bar to this, is that I am going through the same kind of
>decision making process for my wife's 100CS Quattro Avant.  The tires are
>Continental something or others that were new to the car when I bought it a
>year ago.  Since buying the car, it has become the primary vehicle for us to
>use, as she is not comfortable in the V8, and the rest of the time, I need
>to be driving my truck.  Since picking up the 100CS in June of '01, it has
>made a trip from the dealer in Kansas City to Maine, and a trip to South
>Florida and back, plus all the other "around" driving that we normally do:
>about 17,000 miles this year.  Now, the tires are about a the "half way"
>point, and I am thinking of some sort of tire for the winter.  I have been
>shopping on Ebay for a set of wheels, and there aren't any right now, but
>often there are 'take offs' available for little money.
>
>At the same time that I am thinking of this, the truck (3/4 ton GMC 4X4)
>which is used to plow my properties, has tires that are around 20,000 miles
>old, too.  Those tires are Firestone Steeltex something or others, and seem
>to wear like iron.  Last winter, I felt that traction while plowing could be
>a bit better, but I don't have a huge amount to do....about a mile of
>roadway, all told.  But I have noticed on Ebay that it is possible to buy
>new GMC takeoff wheels and tires together, for what a set of new tires alone
>would cost, mounted and balanced.
>
>Roger
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