Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
I think people have to realize and understand that there exists a quality difference between all tires, theres really good all-seasons and winters and really crappy all-seasons and winters.
The devil lies in the details.
I have all-seasons for my Jeep. They suck something hard, crusty and fierce in the winter. They're great for two thirds of whatever you'll come across, but for that last third they're worse than useless, they're actually detrimental. And thats on a 4x4.
With my winters on I just drive normally and pretty much dont worry about much. Its night and day between the two sets.
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eg.
Good:
BFG A/T's - they have the same "M+S" (mud and snow) rating that the best winter tires have. They've got lots of siping and have incredible traction on snow. For those driving 4x4's, or better yet AWD's, these tires should be more than sufficient for your winter driving needs.
Bad:
Goodyears GS/A's - Unfortunately these are the OE spec on most Jeep TJ's, Dodge Dakotas and a lot of other domestic light trucks so they're everywhere! These tires are terrible in all conditions! They have tighter treads on the shoulders to "reduce road noise" but in practice they ensure the tire has ZERO traction in all but dry conditions.
While we're comparing common misconceptions perhaps the discussion of 4x4 vs. AWD should be brought up. The truck guys aren't going to like this but on snowy roads an AWD vehicle is a much better choice than a 4x4. 4x4's are great at accelerating in straight lines because the center differential is locked so the front and rear wheels get the same amount of traction. However, when turning the rear wheels and the front wheels end up traveling through different paths and this locked center differential becomes a problem. When you're locked in the summer in 4x4 you feel your wheels hop or your steering wheel jump. When you're locked in the winter the wheels simply break loose to account for this. If you're in 4x4 at highway speeds and the roads are icy the locked center differential can actually be the cause of lost traction.
So to those that don't know, and own 4x4's, you should be cruising in 2 wheel drive at highway speeds regardless of conditions!
