Firestone Winterforce snow tires
#1
Firestone Winterforce snow tires
I just ordered a set of Firestone Winterforce snow tires for my '06. I drive a lot in New England back roads, so I'm going to have them studded. Any of you with recommendations for or against studding? It's legal here in Massachusetts between November 1 and April 15.
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#3
I think I'm going with Winterforces as well, but probably not studs. Studs are for ice, and that's about it. They have a negative effect on bare / wet traction, and with the compounds they build snow tires out of these days, a negligible effect in snow.
I live in the lake-effect belt of central NY...there aren't too many places in the Northeast that get as much snow as we do. Not too many people use studs. Everyone swears by their Blizzaks though.
So it's Winterforces in 245/75 R16 for me...or if they are in stock, Sears has Blizzaks for $90 in that size!
I live in the lake-effect belt of central NY...there aren't too many places in the Northeast that get as much snow as we do. Not too many people use studs. Everyone swears by their Blizzaks though.
So it's Winterforces in 245/75 R16 for me...or if they are in stock, Sears has Blizzaks for $90 in that size!
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I remember seeing that, haven't seen much about the Winterforces but the Blizzaks did better than the studded tires. They also don't have the traction penalty you get when you're not on ice with studs.
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#8
I would say never drive snow tires in the dry...EVER. The tires will heat-cycle out and leave you with none of the benefits the next season. They are meant to be run exclusively below about 10 degrees centigrade and only occasionally above that. Consistent dry-weather driving will destroy the tires regardless of tread life.
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Dry and warm are two different things, at least in winters around here. Often, the colder it is, the dryer the roads are. Dry is OK as long as you don't rip corners and hammer on the gas and brake. It will scrub away the soft tread more quickly. And I agree that once the temps hit 50 F you should have them off anyway.
It's common here to have to drive to work, or school, or to the store in 10+ inches of fresh snow while the plows try to catch up. It just snows too fast. Two days later, after the roads are clear, the salt has melted everything and the precipitation has stopped, the roads are white with salt and bone dry. Then it snows again. So you have to run snowtires all winter, and deal with the fact that you will be driving on clean roads fairly often. Still, most people keep decent snowtires around for 2 or 3 seasons.
It's common here to have to drive to work, or school, or to the store in 10+ inches of fresh snow while the plows try to catch up. It just snows too fast. Two days later, after the roads are clear, the salt has melted everything and the precipitation has stopped, the roads are white with salt and bone dry. Then it snows again. So you have to run snowtires all winter, and deal with the fact that you will be driving on clean roads fairly often. Still, most people keep decent snowtires around for 2 or 3 seasons.
Last edited by cramerica; 11-03-2009 at 04:24 PM.
#10
Dry and warm are two different things, at least in winters around here. Often, the colder it is, the dryer the roads are. Dry is OK as long as you don't rip corners and hammer on the gas and brake. It will scrub away the soft tread more quickly. And I agree that once the temps hit 50 F you should have them off anyway.