[V8] Winter Tire Question

[Ed Kellock]

Hi Brad,

What snow tires have you used in the past?  What size?  What wheels
are they mounted on?

I ask because I have always found either no difference or the opposite
of your experience.  I wonder if your swap to snows is accompanied by
the onset of cooler weather.  Do you start you car and let it idle to
warm up in the morning?

Snow tires in/of themselves are no different than any other tires in
terms of fuel economy necessarily.   Rolling resistance and weight can
affect fuel economy but also size and the effect it has on gear ratio
and then weight of the wheels they are mounted on.

With the cooler weather my car seems to get better fuel economy
because of the denser air, etc.  I am usually switching from +1 or
more tires/wheels though, so that may account for my experience being
different than your's.

As a result of having a bit of a tire/wheel fetish and swapping them
out several times a year on the V8's and the 91 Avant, I have
developed a pretty good sense of the differences between the weights
and sizes of different wheels/tires.  I pay a lot of attention to
weight now as a result and see some winter tires that run lighter than
summer or all-season tires and some that are heavier.

For point A to point B driving around town with a 3.6 V8 automatic, if
you have heavy wheels/tires, you have to spin that weight (think of a
gyroscope) every time you accelerate.  Couple that with short trips
during which the engine doesn't warm sufficiently and you are using
more gas.

Where does your temp gauge typically read during the winter?  Another
thought is the temp sensor that drives the ECU... if it is not optimal
it might be causing the car to run a bit too rich in the winter.  How
recently has it been changed (rear of passenger side head), if ever?

And finally, what tire pressure do you run?  Do you check them often?

Ed

On 10/10/07, Brad Hartman <info at speakoutpro.com> wrote:
> Time to buy snow tires.
>
> Now with the price of gas being what it is, the reduced gas mileage due to
> snow tires becomes a key factor in what kind of tires I buy.  Historically,
> when I switch from my summer road tires to winter snows, I see an INSTANT
> drop in gas mileage of at least ten percent -- maybe more.  If I can improve
> my gas mileage, even with using more expensive tires, I can save money over
> time.
>
> Does anyone have an M/S tire they'd recommend that does not send my gas
> mileage to the toilet?  I don't use studded tires.
>
> I am not looking for a high-performancee tire.  My V8 is just a set of
> wheels to get me from Point A to Point B.  Any recommendations of BTDT would
> be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Brad Hartman
> Colorado
> 1990 V8
>
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