Winter tires on an SUV

[Doctordestiny]

I'm likely going to buy an SUV (Toyota RAV4). On my cars I always install winter tires because all-seasons are crap in our weather. I think that all-seasons are unsafe. I have to push people out from in front of my office all the time in the winter because they can't get going in the snow with their all-seasons. I've test driven the SUV in snow and ice and it seems to handle well with all-season radials. To anyone who has owned an SUV (this would be my first), how do they handle on snow and ice with all-seasons? Before you answer, bear in mind that I won't keep all-seasons on a car, but would all-seasons be suitable on an SUV in our winters?

[SportsJunky]

If you don't like all seasons on a car you won't like them on a SUV. We put winter tires on our SUV and it makes a ton of difference.

[Wookie]

Nissan pathfinder on all seasons does fine for me. When conditions get bad I toss it into 4x4 and it's great.

Gotta remember, you've probably been driving front wheel drives with winter tires?
You'll be going to rear wheel drive with all seasons.
Style of the car (suv, sedan, sports car) won't make much of a difference. It's the ability to turn on 4x4 that suddenly changes with you being in a SUV.
And unless it's full time, I don't know many people who use their 4x4 all that often.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Winter tires are a big help at getting you to stop. Having 4WD or AWD doesn't do jack when it comes to stopping. I have AWD and snow tires on my SUV but I live in Ottawa where we get a heck of a lot more snow.

[BlackArcher101]

Like GreenTeaFrapp touched on...

There are always two sides to the equation. Being able to move from a stop will change quite drasticially from a car to a SUV, so with only that in mind, all seasons are fine. HOWEVER, you do still need to stop especially with the increased weight of an SUV. This means winter tires are still a neccesity in my opinion.

[Shazam]

BRAND NEW all-seasons can SOMETIMES be good for MAYBE ONE winter's worth of driving. It all depends on the brand.

[BlackArcher101]

True, but not if they are OEM. The ones you get when you buy a new vehicle are horrible compared to other aftermarket A/S's.

[stang]

Best tires we had on an SUV? Motomaster Roughrider M&S.... Cheap from Canadian Tire... we had them on our Trailblazer... and it was the most sure footed vehicle we owned. And it seemed like they never wore down... 2 years we had them for (wifes daily driver) and they had 70% left when we sold it.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

True, but not if they are OEM. The ones you get when you buy a new vehicle are horrible compared to other aftermarket A/S's.

Very true. I drive a Honda CRV. The vehicle is great, the tires that came with it are a piece of shat!!!