Snow tires.....

[Larry C Leung]

As a side note, tire rubber has a point, called the glassing temp, at
which the rubber
tends to act more like, well, glass. For some summer tires, it's as high
as 40-45
degrees F, from the wet performance of my Kumho 712s in those temps
(otherwise
GREAT rain tires) I'd say that they glass then. I think my BFG R1s had an
even higher
glassing temp, at a 50 degree autocross in the past, I went into a
downhill offcamber
right hander on a go-cart course I was quite familiar with I went into it
at my normal
speed of about 40 MPH in my GTi and for the first time (remember cold
tires, especially
at the rear of a FWD car) I simply snap spun the car. Car was skitish
most of the afternoon
until the temps warmed, where upon I actually still won my class in the
last run.

LL - NY


On Sun, 15 Sep 2002 08:26:03 -0400 Kneale Brownson
<knotnook at traverse.com> writes:
> 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
>