No. I've basically only been to Waterford Hills and Gingerman with this vehicle.

 

Glad you decided on winter tires. It helps to think of them as 'winter' tires, not the archaic 'snow tires' nomenclature that too many keep using.

It seems in this thread the pro all season camp is thinking mostly in terms of getting stuck in snow. Unable to make it up a hill, spinning tires helplessly, etc. They are correct that all seasons won't leave you in that situation unless its a real blizzard and veey deep, unplowed snow.

So from the getting stuck angle, no, you don't need winter tires in Detroit to avoid that.

But the winter tires camp seems to be thinking well beyond just getting stuck. The overall winter driving experience will be much more pleasant, and safer, with winter tires.

I think we're all saying mostly the same thing. Do you 'need' summer tires in your FRS? Nope, but you sure will enjoy driving it more in warm weather with them. And you'll be safer to boot. Same with winter tires in colder weather...

 

Care to pick this apart point by point?

In reality there are three (3) major types of tires. Summer, All Season, and Winter/Snow tires. Summer tires are inappropriate due to tread compounds for winter in this region. Snow tires are unnecessary as snow is rarely deep enough long enough and they don't help at all on ice. All season tires are more than adequate, and that's what are on most cars on the road. Ya need more than that consider AWD.

-- Chuck

 

Not sure where the idea came from that winters do not help on ice. Probably one of their best improvements over no seasons. I would be more willing to trust my all seasons in snow (where tread can help grab in the snow) vs ice, where tread compound is all that matters at all. Winters will KILL all seasons on ice.

And plenty have tested this. Half the stopping distance on ice for winters vs all seasons.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=116

Winters compound is made such that they remain tacky and grippy in low temps when all seasons harden some and summers turn useless all around.

And keep in mind, you have no idea when there will be ice when you live in real winter states. When it is super cold, black ice (aka from moisture in car exhausts flash freezing) forms without warning, especially in intersections and on traffic packed roads. Even at higher temps (20's) it is surprising when you run into ice buildup on days when there is no snow.

 

It's not just the surface type. Temperature dictates the compound. The rubber on summer tires were not designed to be operational when it's 40 and below. I don't care if the surface is velcro.

 

Please stop calling them snow tires. They are winter tires. They work better in cold weather than all seasons. Plus they are better in snow and ice.

If it were just about getting stuck out on the road or not, then yes, all seasons will do it for all but the worst of conditions.

But its not just about not getting stuck. Its about all around performance, braking distances, etc.

Winter tires out perform all seasons in all winter conditions...

 

V12's are summer tires.

So...they won't work in the snow.

Best bet is to buy winter tires on cheapo wheels. You just missed a bunch of tire sales...but I'm sure they'll run more near Christmas time.

No point in buying all seasons. You have 3 season tires now. You just need something for winter. So buy something advantageous.

The only snow tires I'd regard as complete shit were Falken Espia's.

Anything else will be fine. General Altimax, Hankook iPike and Conti Winter Si are my fav cheap snow tires.

 

Well...I mean...all seasons work better or as well as winter tires in everything except snow.

Snow and ice is where winter tires shine. Plus, I put mine on right before it snows. So I say snow tires.

 

All weather tires are also an option and work well in the snow, the last set I had were driven for about 75000Kms and still had around 6/32" left with year round mileage. Options are available.

 

Some tires work better on ice than others, you would have to go through a mass of reviews to find out which work best, Tirerack likely has some good tests. Snow won't bite you much in winter, ice sure can.

OP take these tips and remember them if you can:

In your rwd car if you hit a patch of ice push the clutch in asap or pull it out of gear if you react quick enough, that might be just enough to save you. Keeping power to the rear wheels can result in the rear end swinging around the front end, modern traction control isn't always enough to save you. I was able to save the rear end a couple times by doing that, nothing beats experience though.

Don't run cruise control on the highway unless it is in dry road conditions.

Ice tends to form and is most problematic near bridges (reduced latent ground heat) , ice also tends to form near 4-way stops and intersections. You can find yourself sliding through an intersection unexpectedly when ice is hidden under light snow, that still happens to me each season unfortunately, and it can catch you off guard. I've been lucky to always avoid hitting anything when that happens (knock wood). It just feels like the vehicle will never stop, hard to describe unless you've experienced it, and it is much different than sliding in the rain.

ABS works really well in rain conditions to slow you down and allow you to steer. When you hit pure ice you can feel totally helpless, ABS won't save you as much as you would like, and you can't really steer out of a slide with the wheels turned and ABS engaged like you can in the rain. You will just plow in the direction of momentum. Sometimes just letting off the brake and trying to steer to safety is better than standing on the brake and waiting for ABS to save you, I'm not talking about pumping the brakes just releasing them so the tires can get traction and give you the option of steering over stopping. Last year I was approaching an intersection as I sped home for a family emergency, there was a sheet of ice under some fluffy snow. There was no way I was going to stop in time. It was evident that with my foot buried into the brake and ABS working that I would need a football field to come to a stop. That was going to take me well past the intersection that was full of opposing traffic. I decided to let off the brake and I took a 90 degree turn instead and managed to hit a curb to stop my momentum, as crazy as it was it was better than plowing into a handful of moving vehicles. That saved my ass, it put some small chips on the driver side rims, but well worth it. I have 35 years of experience driving in ice and snow conditions, and you still find yourself in these "learning" situations, learn how to react when you make a driving mistake.

Turning off traction control quickly in some situations can help. I've pulled onto a road or into an intersection and hit deep snow, the traction control kills the throttle and you are left like a sitting duck with potential on-coming traffic and no momentum to move, hitting the traction control button quickly to reinstate throttle can sometimes help to keep you moving. Spinning wheels and moving is better than sitting like a duck. Having a traction control button near the dash really helps. On my Ford explorer I had to go through an electronic menu to shut off traction control, so it couldn't be done quickly on the fly, which is much worse than having a button near the dash.