Quote:
Originally Posted by Figjam74
I used to take risks. I also used to have Ford Ranger 3 years ago with some good all-season tires on it. It never got stuck in the snow either, then on March 17th, the last snow of the year hit just before I started home on my daily commute. The near-zero(Celsius) temperatures and strong wind polished the road. I was about 2 km's from the city limits when the truck caught a gust of wind which pushed it sideways on the highway. We (me and the guy I carpool with) hit the ditch between the divided highway at about a 45 degree angle. The tires dug into the built up snow, causing us to roll sideways once, landing back on our wheels, while we carried on across the oncoming lanes of traffic finally stopping in the opposing ditch.
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Anyway, that's my PSA. I run studded winter tires now whenever snow or ice is a concern, and I recommend that anyone who has to deal with snow at least semi-regularly have a set because the risk simply is not worth the couple hundred dollars worth of savings.
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Well said!
My friend was just procrastinating on getting winter tires, ended up causing a five car pileup. I'm not sure if he would have avoided it if he'd had winter tires, but I bet he would have. If he just had a little more grip I'm thinking he would have not spun out and lost all control. He certainly would not have hit them with as much speed. He was pulling around a bend at about 35 with some snow (limit 65), usually it's totally clear there, but just then two cars had rammed each other a few hundred feet up and there was a backup. If he'd been there five minutes earlier or later he would have been fine. Of if he'd been going 20. That ended up costing him about $10,000.
If you're willing to drive 10MPH slower the whole winter, then by all means skip getting winter tires. Otherwise not having winter tires in Minnesota is just irresponsible and on average will NOT save you money. IF you don't get winter tires, at least invest in some chains so you don't get stuck in a stupid parking lot somewhere and look like an idiot (which you would be). I once watched my neighbor (she thinks she doesn't need winter tires) sitting in her driveway for about 30 minutes trying to get her car out after some snow, probably used at least $20 worth of gas and wear and tear on the tranny.
Even cheap snow tires are better than good all season tires in the snow.