Hiwatt wrote:I used to have a few different three and five series BMWs (all RWD, of course). With a good set of snow tires, they were better than fine in the snow. Snow tires are a lot cheaper than going and getting a new(er) car just because winter is a hassle, which it is. But it'll be March soon, and it won't matter as much. Also, have you ever replaced the tires on the Fit? Most FWD cars, with decent tire tread are ok in the snow.Yes. This is very sensible, and exactly the kind of thing I need to hear.The thing is, I sometimes need a car for working situations, which involve hauling a bunch of gear. Which is to say, there's not a way this can be done by means of public transportation.But snow tires are what I'm going to attempt this week, if I can find a local dealer that's ready to do this thing.Meanwhile - holy shit, am I sick of my car being stuck in parking spots. I know it's been a bad winter, but this is #3.My next car will be AWD, whenever that happens.Thanks!

tmidgett wrote:That said--snow tires should help a lot. You ever been to Ashland Tire? I really like those guys.Good luck.TimThanks for the recommendation - never been there. I'm going to talk to them tomorrow morning to see if they can take care of it this week.

Mr King!My next car will be AWD, whenever that happens.I like cars, and many of the exciting things about cars are absent from our 2002 Forester.But every time I pull over a foot-high berm of snow and ice and into our driveway, I realize I'll never be able to get rid of it. Unless we get another car quite like it or move to another climate.That said--snow tires should help a lot. You ever been to Ashland Tire? I really like those guys.Good luck.Tim

36 years of living here and I honestly don't know squat about snow tires:1) Is there any use to simply put them on the front/rear tires only, or do you need all four?2) How different are they in non-snow weather? Meaning if your replacement time was just before winter anyway, could you get them and use all year round? I second Tire Rack, that's where I always get my tires.

Superking wrote:Speedie wrote:Mr King, Are you factoring registration and insurance on a V8 vs 4 Cyl, or is this not a concern in the US.Also, bear in mind that the CRV will have a 5 year unlimited mile warranty.No, I haven't factored that in at all.Hey! I'm just playing around with the numbers, because I had a sudden urge to buy a Bronco!Put it this way: Snow tires will be far cheaper than an old Bronco or a new CRV. Don't waste money on either of those vehicles. This winter has been a bit worse than most, but it'll be over soon. Drive the Fit until you can't drive it any longer. Then think about another mode of transport. Isn't the Fit paid for, or nearly paid for? That's gotta be a bonus if so.

I finally broke down and put snows on my car this winter. So glad. I can now travel in snow. I got a set of blizzaks mounted on black steel rims. The wheels were like $58 each. Tires were much more. Got em from tire rack.com. Winter tires make a huge difference in snow. My previous car was a RWD BMW 3 series. It was horrible in the snow until I put blizzaks on, then it was like a snowmobile. Huge difference.

you should replace all 4 tires, not just two. the rubber in the tires is engineered to be pliable at low temps, so they are happy whenever it is below 50 F. Above that, they are kind of soft and squishy and they tend to wear more quickly. So I usually put them on in November or December, then pull them off in March or April, whenever the snow seems gone for good. If it were'nt for my snow tires, I would not have been able to get out of my driveway today (3 inches of snow and accumulating quickly) As it is I get to be here at work! Yay!.

motorbike guy wrote:If it were'nt for my snow tires, I would not have been able to get out of my driveway today...We had about 5 inches here in Queens. I have a driveway that's on a pretty severe incline ramping down to the garage at the rear of my basement. I have recent all-weather tires on my van with plenty of good tread on them. Leaving this AM was no issue but returning this afternoon was a bit slippy. I gently backed my van into it's spot and as I readied myself to begin shoveling a yellow cab who parks up the alley bounded down after me and promptly got stuck as he attempted to turn at the base. He began mashing the accelerator with the front wheels still turned left in a Jeremy Clarkson-esque attempt to free himself. I knocked on his window and told him to relax as I was grabbing a shovel. I began to remove the (very damp and heavy) snow from around his tires on his FWD Ford hybrid and glanced at the tread as he again began wildly over accelerating. There was ZERO tread on them. Wire visible. I called him out of the car. You aren't getting anywhere and if you do you should get your ass to a tire shop, pronto. Oh, he said. I didn't know about that. How he was driving around all day on those tires is beyond me. It's a cab. He is a cab driver. It's the only tool in his box. He uses that fucking car to make a living. A living that requires you to invite strangers into your car for a ride under the impression that it's a safe choice being operated by a professional and has been vetted to be on the road. I was involved with his car for 10 seconds and pointed out the very glaring, very obvious issue. Fuck me. I would have taken a pic but just think slicks. No tread at all.

Btw maybe we'll get lucky and this year won't be a fluke, maybe this will end up being like the late 70's where we had snow like this every winter. Btw, the 4runner, you could even go with something like this:http://bit.ly/1ekcxaZBut getting one that's like 6 years old is probably a better way to go, I dunno. They're great is all

Better in deep snow than probably any vehicle anyone here is talking about or driving around, my '79 bronco cost me $3k and I immediately put on a brand new set of A/T tires to the tune of like $800-900. So for under $4k I got the most awesome most fun to drive truck I could ever hope for. My point is that you can get into super fun (and effective) cars without making $250k a year which is a crazy amount of money to make. For a fraction of what you would pay for a new car, you can get an awesome fun old truck. And then put the other $10k-30k you save toward gas. I took my truck out last night to go get a shepherd's pie and watch the hawks game at a local bar. Heading down the unplowed alley after pulling out of the garage, there was a car coming the other way that apparently had no intention to back up so I could get past him. Looking at my surroundings, I saw that I could pull over onto the apron of a neighbor's garage, which would require driving over a mound of snow that he had made when shoveling a clear path out of his garage. It was probably a good 2' tall. Enough that a car would never make it. With the truck, it was effortless and more importantly, fun. The guy who sold me that truck didn't really want to sell it after having rebuilt and hopped up the engine, but since we had almost no good winters recently (good meaning one like this one, lotsa snow) his wife had talked him into selling it since it wasn't seeing any action. I can't help but think that this winter he's got a little seller's remorse going on. For me, I'm just loving it, though honestly I wish we would get a little more snow all at once. Roads with over 1' of snow on them, that's what I really wish we had. $4k all-in, with brand new huge expensive all-terrain tires.