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Winter Driving

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Old 11-05-2002, 01:52 PM
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Default Winter Driving

Hey Guys(and gals if applicable),

I just moved here a month ago and was wondering what was you guys do for the winter. Does it snow enough in the Ogden/Hill/Layton area enough for snow tires? Or does everyone have the "Beater" for winter driving? Just curious.

Thanks for your help!
Old 11-05-2002, 03:39 PM
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It snow enough to warrent snow tires. I think most of us have a winter car, but I know MattH25 drives his S in the winter. He has some Blizzaks and says the car is fine in the snow.
Old 11-05-2002, 04:42 PM
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Definately get snow tires. I couldn't even make it out of my driveway on the S0'2's. I use Bridgestone Blizzak LM22's. I make it around pretty darn good and that's without any added weight in the back. If there is any more than an inch on the road though just plan on leaving the S2k at home. If you can afford a beater though that would also be a good choice.

The Blizzaks are awesome in the snow but don't plan on keeping them anymore than a winter or two as they wear out extremely fast. I've alos heard extremely good things about Nokian tires but haven't had a chance to test them out yet.
Old 11-09-2002, 03:01 PM
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1993 Jeep Wrangler....."Electra" doesn't do the cold.

Utah
Old 11-10-2002, 02:02 PM
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I just bought a Jaguar X-Type for my winter driving experience, but I've heard good things about the Michelin Pilot Alpin snow tires. Definately put snow tires on for winter though, or you'll regret it. I drove my S once in the winter and I couldn't keep control of the car(very scary)!
Old 11-11-2002, 08:34 PM
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Welcome to Utah!

After your first winter here, the license plate slogan 'Greatest Snow On Earth' will have significantly more meaning to you! We moved here after 12 yrs in CA and the sheer volumne of snow during winter was an eye opener.

CIAO will not be doing the cold either and is covered under a blankie inside of the garage already although we might venture out for a bit tomorrow.

Vicky
Old 11-12-2002, 08:25 PM
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It is not to say that the S2000 is bad in snow because other S2000 owners drive year round What keeps my S2000 in the garage is all the salt that is applied to the roads during inclined weather conditions! I came to a conclusion with using a mathematical equation that it's cheaper to have a winter driver than washing the salt off my S2000 everyday. If I can help you finding a clean VW to drive in the winter let me know and welcome to UTAH
Old 11-13-2002, 06:49 AM
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Thanks for all the info!! I'm sensing that we'll see more snow in the coming months. I don't really want another car, but I'm not looking forward to spending $500 on snow tires either. I guess I'm just surprised because after living in Germany with a lowered civic that had rims and sport tires I never had a problem in the snow. Are the roads not that well plowed? I guess time will tell. Thanks for the help.
Old 11-14-2002, 05:22 PM
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Many people will state that you have a big advantage driving a front wheel drive over a rear wheel drive vehicle during inclined weather conditions but they are wrong. The biggest factor of driving in a true four season climate is the tire! I found this excellent tire article on http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/faqs.html#doneed and will give anybody new prospective on what a tire can do.

Enjoy

But Do I Really Need Winter Tires?

While in cities like Atlantic City, Memphis and Seattle located at the extreme edges of the snow belt, relatively new All-Season tires will probably work just fine. But the odds change as you move further into the snow belt or the All-Season tires have a few years of wear on them. And who wants to gamble...especially when their collision deductible and future insurance premiums are on the table.
We all know that tires are a compromise. One tire can't be the fastest on the track, most controllable in the snow, and longest wearing. The Ultra High Performance tire that grips the track with tread temperatures of 200
Old 11-14-2002, 05:56 PM
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Excellent article. All-season tires are a compromise and a very poor compromise at that. They offer little traction and tire capacity compared to a dedicated performance tire and offer very poor snow and ice grip compared to a dedicated winter tire.

Just an example; with my winter tires I can accelerate faster from a dead stop in an inch of snow than almost 99% of the 4WD SUV's out there on all-season tires.


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