There's a very vocal snow tires crew here that will make you feel guilty if you don't get snows...like your dangerous to other drivers on the road. Fact: you're probably not unless you suck at driving. Fact: snows + AWD is bar none best. There's no question there.
Agreed. No question that snow tires are best if given the option. That said, depending on where you are and how much snow you have to deal with every year, if it's not much, you'd be fine saving some cash and just using all seasons, as long as you drive smart.
My opinion: if you can afford it, do it. You'll have 2 sets of tires that will last a long time. You'll have the best traction all year round.
If you can't, don't.
QFT.
I've been driving in Cleveland winters for let's just say a long time. 4 of those winters I had snows. Let's just say 4 out of 25. I've never had a snow related incident. Im a smart driver. But, when my wife drives my car and has my little boy with her, and it's bad out...(and today...I can afford it easily)...I want her in the best possible situation she can be in. And that's snows with AWD.
Yep, well said. Here in Denver, ugly snowstorms are really a rarity and any time it does snow it melts fast. For every snowstorm, the roads are totally clear and fine by the next day or 2 and then its weeks before the next one. I mean we get snowstorms, but lately our winters have been pretty mild (it's a winter wasteland here, totally awful, nobody move here
), so really I have not seen the value of buying snow tires. They'd be good for a day, and then just wearing out on the road with not snow on it for several weeks before the next. Especially useless when I just stay home when it snows for the most part.
I had one trip, a year ago where I really would have liked having snow tires (Denver to San Francisco in January) but not having extra spending cash for tires, and not starting new job for a couple of more weeks couldn't get snow tires. And yes, this trip was necessary. In the end just drove smart and didn't do anything stupid or try to do more than I knew I was capable of, took it slow when I needed to, and made the trip and back just fine through 3 nasty snow storms in Utah, California, and Wyoming.
To summarize, if you can afford it, get the snow tires and have the peace of mind. If not, then don't sweat it, just don't drive like a jackass who thinks they are invincible.