When To Switch To Snow Tires
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Chicago, IL
When To Switch To Snow Tires Got a set of General Altimax Arctic's on a set of T/A wheels I'm gonna run for winter. I've got BFG SuperSport A/S's on now. I was planning to switch over a week before Christmas but there's 6" of snow forecast for Saturday here in Chicago! When do those of you who switch over to snow tires usually make the change?
Also, before the inevitable comment...yes, I know I'm ruining it driving it in the salt & I should get a beater for winter but I'm moving next year far away from snow & I'm not gonna get another car just for one winter.
Also, before the inevitable comment...yes, I know I'm ruining it driving it in the salt & I should get a beater for winter but I'm moving next year far away from snow & I'm not gonna get another car just for one winter.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
What they're forecasting doesn't make sense; I don't see how 6" is going to stick when the ground isn't even close to frozen yet, and the air temp is only forecast to briefly drop to 29-31° at the coldest and 34-37° during most of the storm, according to most sources. Seems like more of a creative "fearcast" to me, they always like to sensationalize the first snow of the season. Either their temp forecast is wrong, or the snow totals are way off....but both can't be right.
Having said that, when I used to daily drive an '02 Z28 I would put the snow tires on right around Thanksgiving and just leave them on until mid-late March.
Having said that, when I used to daily drive an '02 Z28 I would put the snow tires on right around Thanksgiving and just leave them on until mid-late March.
12 Second Club
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
I used to have various winter tires on the factory snowflakes, but I gave up on them.
I now have the same tires you do on the 'flakes, almost new, and these are what I use for the winter now (even though it is my only car as well, I do not HAVE TO drive it in deep snow/ice/slush).
I plan on putting them on the first week of December, to keep the summer Comp 2s from freezing solid.
IF I lived where you do, I would have my winters already on the car, especially if I had pure summer tires as my only other set.
Your Super Sport all seasons will be alright though in the cold as long as it's dry out, as we know just how useless they are in anything more than an 1/8" of the white stuff.
I now have the same tires you do on the 'flakes, almost new, and these are what I use for the winter now (even though it is my only car as well, I do not HAVE TO drive it in deep snow/ice/slush).
I plan on putting them on the first week of December, to keep the summer Comp 2s from freezing solid.
IF I lived where you do, I would have my winters already on the car, especially if I had pure summer tires as my only other set.
Your Super Sport all seasons will be alright though in the cold as long as it's dry out, as we know just how useless they are in anything more than an 1/8" of the white stuff.
Douchebag On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,268
Likes: 4
From: Indianapolis, IN
Winter tires aren't just about driving in snow and ice. Regular tires get hard when the temperature approaches 40. Winter tires stay soft to much colder temps. It's been a mild fall so far, but now that it's below 40 and probably won't get too much above, I'd switch them out.
We got 8" of snow here in Schaumburg. Boy was it heavy! Thank heavens for my snow blower.
My SS is in winter hibernation. For snow tires, I would say closer to mid December as this was an unusually heavy snow this early. It will be mid 50's next week.
My SS is in winter hibernation. For snow tires, I would say closer to mid December as this was an unusually heavy snow this early. It will be mid 50's next week.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
In my location, closer to the lake, only about ~2" stuck to the pavement. It didn't drop below freezing here until about 1-1:30pm, and then only snowed for another two hours. They kept reporting all that heavy snow to the west and northwest, but here it was just a slushy rain/snow mix for almost the entire event.
12 Second Club
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
But, I actually contacted Michelin/BFG tech and directly asked them IF the g Force Super Sport all seasons, new Comp 2 all seasons, and the Pilot Sport all seasons were compounded to NOT turn into blocks of ice in DRY temps down to 10*F to 0* F, and they said yes (unless they were lying to me??).
Of course these are NOWHERE NEAR pure winter tire compounding (which is good for WAY BELOW 0*F), and not even in the same universe as winters on; ice/slush/snow, but are not dangerously worse than them in the cold, dry ambients.
Trending Topics
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 587
Likes: 12
From: Connecticut SE shore
In Connecticut, I've never used snow tires. My dad always did up to the 1970's, then I think even he went to all seasons. You just drive for the conditions you're given because most of the drivers out there will probably also be on A/S tires.
My 99 SS has BFG Comp2 summer tires on it and it gets driven several times in Dec-March when the roads are dry and clear, usually after a hard rain. They certainly aren't blocks of ice at 25-30 deg F. An A/S tire would only be that much better. I never see any issue with the A/S Michelins on my daily driver down to 0-10 deg F. I commuted in those to work 50 miles one way in all driving conditions over 20 years. Front wheel drive is a big plus. Never lost traction on a dry road at any temperature.
If I had snow tires I'd not be in a rush to put them on. There have been years that we've gotten no appreciable snow until mid-January or even early February. Last year was like that. No snow in December and January and then hammered to death in February and March. El Nino is going to change some things around this year for many people.
My 99 SS has BFG Comp2 summer tires on it and it gets driven several times in Dec-March when the roads are dry and clear, usually after a hard rain. They certainly aren't blocks of ice at 25-30 deg F. An A/S tire would only be that much better. I never see any issue with the A/S Michelins on my daily driver down to 0-10 deg F. I commuted in those to work 50 miles one way in all driving conditions over 20 years. Front wheel drive is a big plus. Never lost traction on a dry road at any temperature.
If I had snow tires I'd not be in a rush to put them on. There have been years that we've gotten no appreciable snow until mid-January or even early February. Last year was like that. No snow in December and January and then hammered to death in February and March. El Nino is going to change some things around this year for many people.
Last edited by Firebrian; Nov 22, 2015 at 05:59 PM.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
