Test of Winter tyres compared to AWD

I didn't realise winter tyres were so good in slippery conditions The snow wasn't deep, though. But as he said, AWD better up the hills, winter tyres better when you have to come down.
The TEST

I agree- winter tires FTW but where I live and just getting out of my driveway when merely covered its AWD (with defeatable traction control) or nothing. I find I can get by with very good (M+S) all seasons +AWD but right now wife and I are rolling AWDs and winter tires. We can blast right up and creep right down and we're safer than 99% of cars on the road when the going gets slick. I ran FWD with winters but couldn't use my garage because I couldn't get out and covered roads on fairly hilly terrian in my area were dicey. Generally people would be better served by changing tires vs being lazy and just buying an AWD, using more gas, and still thinking "this car is great in the snow" when they're riding on crappy all season tires with 2/32 of tread. I see it all the time.

AWD on winter tires!!

Monterra said:

Generally people would be better served by changing tires vs being lazy and just buying an AWD, using more gas, and still thinking "this car is great in the snow" when they're riding on crappy all season tires with 2/32 of tread. I see it all the time.

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They are really "no season" tires. They are not optimized for any particular season or road condition. Instead they compromise on everything. And it is easy to tell the difference. They do not corner or handle dry or wet pavement as well as a summer tire, and they usually fall well short on snow & ice traction as compared to a winter tire.

Fwd and all seasons have worked fine for me in this car and many others in northern illinois winters. Maybe if u live in the mountains or dont know how to drive then winters or awd is needed...but for everyone else i think they unnecessary.

nizzy1115 said:

Fwd and all seasons have worked fine for me in this car and many others in northern illinois winters. Maybe if u live in the mountains or dont know how to drive then winters or awd is needed...but for everyone else i think they unnecessary.

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You are not the only one who has driven cars without awd and without winter tires. We pretty much all have. I had for 15 years. Awd with winter tires or fwd with winter tires is significantly better. There is no comparison, especially with both. Saying that people who use winter tires and or awd dont know how to drive is pretty ignorant. Who is safer, a good driver on winter tires and awd or a good driver on all seasons and front wheel drive? Safety features are better no matter the skill level of driver. Its laughable that you think you are so good a driver that safety is irrelevant to you. For that matter, who needs abs and air bags if you're a good driver? And i live in canada, id bet a million dollars i can drive any car in snow better than you can. ;p

Not to mention, what if some idiot cuts you off or pulls out in front of you in winter? Id rather have winter tires and awd to combat other bad drivers.

@Nizzy:
Everyone else who can't stop on a hill because they know they cant start? Everyone else who has to go max 15mph in order to maintain some control or everyone else who ends up in the weeds and closes a lane or two during rush hour when the cops have to come with tow mater to pull them out? Winter driving would be so much better if ppl that can't stay home on snow days would spend a few extra bucks to keep them and others much safer it would prevent so many accidents winter tires should be mandatory in locations where snow and ice are not unusual.

I think it all depends on one's environment, driving ability and comfort level. For the past 6 years I've managed to navigate the winter weather conditions with RWD, all-seasons & 6MT. Granted, I have the ability to not put myself on the roads in the thick of a blizzard but managed to safely get to my destination during snowy conditions.

As mentioned by Nodnerb, if you have to get out in the worst conditions, by far the safest combo is AWD & dedicated winter tires. But then again, it's best not to venture out in conditions like this: (I love this video)

Come on over with a FWD CX-5 with (even brand new) stock tires during the next snow- you MIGHT make it to my house and down my driveway without the need for bodywork but you won't make it out without chains (or a shovel)- and I'm talking 2-3" here- nuisance type stuff. An AWD CX might make it out if you know what you're doing and tires are fairly new. Ability only gets you so far without an adequate set up is the point I'm trying to make and obviously environment and ability not to have to go out in the worst of it are huge. I have challenging terrain and no ability to avoid the worst of it unless I stay close to work in a hotel which I don't like doing for a number of reasons. Another point is whether they need to be out or not without fail I see many ppl out in pretty bad conditions that have basically no chance to get to point B and a very good chance to injure themselves and/or others which is reckless driving IMO. This also goes for AWDs with A/Ss and 1/4 or less tread left thinking they'll just milk them one more season- they'll probably make it to point B but its still really dangerous in the wrong conditions.

I have a 1997 Toyota Corolla, which I purchased new in 1997. I keep it around now as a winter vehicle. It was okay in snow with all-seasons, but I had several dicey moments in it on a couple of hills near my house. I even tried some Michelins which had good reviews about having decent snow traction. About 4 years ago I put good snow tires on it. Wow! What a difference that made. Much better snow traction. Just two days ago we got 6" of snow, cars were going into ditches and mediums everywhere. Including SUVs. I ran some errands and had no problems at all. Snow tires are wonderful things.

nizzy1115 said:

Fwd and all seasons have worked fine for me in this car and many others in northern illinois winters. Maybe if u live in the mountains or dont know how to drive then winters or awd is needed...but for everyone else i think they unnecessary.

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Wow seriously ? time you get out of your little universe you got for youself there. I must be the most stupid and incompetent driver in the world since I have winter tires with studs and AWD.....WOW...Darwin award for me on that one.

In Certain provinces in Canada, It is MANDITORY to have winter tires in good condition past November till the Spring. The police can actally fine you a ticket if you are running a tire that has anything but "Winter In Mind"

Also, (further) if you are involved in an accident and you don't have winter tires, you are at fault even if the other person hit you. The idea is that you may have been able to react or avoid if you had the correct traction.

Basically, what we are saying here is...


Get Winter Tires you Lazy Boob. For everyone's safety, I feel that driving on M+S in the winter is just as ignorant as Drunk Driving.

I would think AWD and Winter tires would be best if living in an area that sees a lot of snow. You might get away with less, but personally I would want the full protection of AWD and Winter tires.

The thing with winter tires is that the compound is optimized for traction for a colder environment. They grip much better even on dry pavement when it is below 45 degrees compared to all seasons, which the compound hardens up to a point where you lose a lot of traction and control. If you live in an area where the temperature consistently stays below 45 degrees for the winter season, you will be much safer with a winter tire even if you hardly get any snow.

I have run snows tires on each of my cars since I started driving. I will NEVER drive in the snow without them. If it makes me stop five feet sooner, it prevents me from being five feet into the car in front of me.

I have put snows on FWD, AWD, and RWD. Makes such a huge traction advantage no matter the drivetrain. Made my wife a believer last year when she watched the cars in front of her, and behind her all slide off the road and hit the curb while she drove on with no issue.

Many good points made here and just because you had a mild winter with very little snow last year its no excuse not to be prepared if you normally get a few feet or more per year.

I had dedicated winter tires on my Mazda 3. Had them for as long as I kept the car. When I traded it in for the cx5 in July, my original plan was to get thru the first winter without dedicated winter tires and rims. I mean the tires are new, how bad could they be. In Ontario, winter started off mild, cool. Then I went on a business trip to Montreal, Quebec. (Winter tires are provincial law in Quebec). When I past the boarder I drove into a snowy ice storm. My confidence in the car quickly diminished. I found myself and the car working way too hard to keep it in line (clickity click click click). Cars passing me like I am standing still. Luckily it was after midnight Sunday, so other was not too many yahoos out. They ended up with 2 feet of snow that trip. That's a lot of snow for two days. Think it broke a record. Needless to say, I researched and bought some dedicated rims and tires for my car. After I did that, it never snowed for weeks in Toronto area. At first thought I figured I got ripped off my mother nature. Then it snowed like a banshee with freezing rain and lots of snow. Took my car out to boot around and it was night and day difference. No more clickity click and the car takes off fine. Because I carry a 1000 dollar deductable on my insurance, I figured it was a good bet to spend that on the tires and rims which should be good for the next 4 to 5 years. I should add that my garage has an upper loft where I can put my tires (both cars) away. Out of sight, out of mind. (Envy of the street). I can switch out the tires anytime I want. No appointment necessary. Lol. I've never required all wheel drive. I don't find myself in situations where I needed it. One more thing I would like to add. I believe Quebec has the right idea about the law of snow tires. It would save on time. Less accidents for sure. Just yesterday we had a big storm in between Toronto and London. There was a 50 car and truck pile up on our major highway. Cars in ditches. Semis into cars. Closed down the highway for most of the afternoon. Imagine the money and time. Winter tire law and caution may have prevented that. And think of the deductibles everyone is going to pay now, regardless. Just my two cents people. I hope I was able to offer, at least, another point of view.

Here is a look at the accident if u are interested.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/pileup-ontarios-highway-401-involves-50-cars-174054188.html

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/geek...locks-toronto-area-highway-401-152059882.html

Decent snow storm today, many roads were closed due to cars not being able to make it up the inclines. My fwd cx5 did just fine. In fact during my 2 hour commute fighting traffic home, i was at a red light that just turned green behind a newer subaru forester (awd obviously) and he was sliding to the right trying to get traction not able to move forward. I casually went around him.

My point is these stock all seasons are pretty decent in the snow. Awd and snow tires are nice but definitely not a necessity on this car. My previous mazda 3 even with some of the best rated all seasons was worlds worse than this cx5 and its all seasons.

nizzy1115 said:

My point is these stock all seasons are pretty decent in the snow. Awd and snow tires are nice but definitely not a necessity.

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If you have the Yokohama Geolanders, the stock 17" all-season, those have very mediocre ratings as snow tires.