AKsilvereagle
North Pole, Alaska
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Joined: 04/17/2010
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During the winter for my passenger cars, I only run snow tires (the ones with HORIZONTAL tread) which roosters the snow off the surfaces - that's what you want....could care less if they are studded or not, studded tires are a non factor in my opinion on any road surface.
For my 2wd truck I been running the soft compound Goodyear G131 series since 2000 (now G931 series) which is a honeycomb shape tread design and they are SIPED (similar to a knobby type on a motorcycle tire for dirt terrain)....The G series Goodyear light and heavy truck tire are unisteel (4 steel belts with one steel belt sidewall) which makes it a very strong tire as the sidewall on these puppies are hard as a rock !
These tires do ok on icy and hardpack surfaces too at least giving you some form of traction because of the soft rubber compound, but you better not keep them on your vehicle during the spring or summer months as you would wear down the tread a lot faster on warm or hot paved surfaces, which is why I also purchased extra rims and had the new tires mounted only once, and just immediately swap the (all seasonal labeled) which are really hard compounded rubber and worse the colder they are with a crappy tread small vertical groove design you cannot even sipe.... They also have their own rims and go right back on the truck during the spring and summer....sure beats taking all these tires to a tire shop and have them mount and dismounted every 6 months or so while you wait or drop them off so I eliminated that process, plus those new set of rims I purchased had paid for themselves more times over versus all the potential tire mounting charges.
11 years I been using the winter G133 Goodyear tires which have over 42,000 miles of use with plenty of tread left on them, the siping process of the tread will taper the side of the knobbies outward which releases snow and water off the tire much faster while keeping the tread a little cooler with increased airflow, an advantage to making the tire tread last even longer.
My camper rig has the Goodyear G171 series (now G971 series) which are a different tread design (middle part of tread is vertical grooved while the outer two thirds part of the tread is horizontal grooved which the entire tread is capable of being siped (which mine are also siped), they are a little more harder compound that is designed for use year round, which I would call it a true all season tire as they do great in the rain and suitable enough in the snow...have over 21,000 miles of use since 2003 when new and never changed these tires out.
Most of the so called 'all season tires' for passenger 'P' cars in my opinion are a joke, hard compounded rubber at that and majority of the tread design is vertical configured anyway which are only good for summer season....I always look for a softer type compound of rubber with a good horizontal tread design in the mix to run year round, as this one BF Goodrich tire qualified in that criteria and has done well year round for me so far.
I sure miss those old Atlas Sno-Tire they had in the market that Chevron or Standard Stations sold in the past, that was the most impressive winter tire I ever owned for a passenger car, all horizontal tread design which felt like driving on pavement during snowy days most of the time in my Mark IV Lincoln.
1970 Ford F250 2WD Sport Custom (Owned April 1996)
390 V8 (17K Rebuilt Mi) C6 Trans (201K Original Mi)
2000 Fleetwood Angler 8ft Cabover
Air Lift 1000(Front)
Air Lift Loadlifter 5000(rear)
Hellwig Front and Rear Sway Bars
Goodyear G171 LT Series(siped)
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Jarlaxle
New England
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Joined: 11/18/2006
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Actually, you WANT the tread to pack up in snow. Dedicated winter tires are DESIGNED to do so.
John and Elizabeth (Liz), with 3 nutty cats
My beloved St. Bernard, Marm, lost him 1/2/12
Current rig:
1992 International Genesis school bus conversion
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Hammerhead
Moon Base 5
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Joined: 05/02/2002
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Here in Oregon, I have Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor tires. They have the mountain & Snowflake symbol so I meet the traction tire requirement for 4x4s in the mountain passes and they don't wear out too fast in the summer.
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Supreme Oppressor
Grande Prairie, Alberta
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Joined: 01/25/2010
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I would like to try Green Diamond tires but there are no Canadian dealers 
2006 F350 6.0 diesel cc lb srw
2004 Jayco Jayflight 30.5BHS
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Jarlaxle
New England
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Joined: 11/18/2006
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Treadwright's Kedge Grip is the same thing. They ship to Canada.
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Supreme Oppressor
Grande Prairie, Alberta
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Joined: 01/25/2010
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Looks interesting but Treadwright retreads are in truck sizes only. I want some for my car.
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ExRocketScientist
Laurel, MD
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Joined: 11/11/2010
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naturist wrote:I will make no claims of knowing about things in Canada, I'm just an Ohio boy living in Virginia. But I know that both the tires and the driver are hugely important in the equation, with especially good examples of one being quite capable of masking bad examples of the other.
The first winter after we moved from Ohio to Virginia, the first snow storm of the winter, about 6 inches, I had occasion to drive into town from our home in the countryside. I was driving a BMW sedan on All Season radials, and followed a guy driving a Jeep Wrangler on those big honkin' faux tractor tires you see the off-roaders wearing. He had the tires and the vehicle, but was more or less clueless about driving in the snow. And even in 4 wheel drive, he was using the entire highway, all 2-1/2 lanes of it, barely missing the ditch on several occasions. I, who had grown up driving in northern Ohio snow (I know, I know, nothing like Canada, but closer than Virginia!) had no trouble keeping it in my lane. At the same time, I would have loved to have had his rig!
So maybe younger Canadian drivers have lost the knack, or maybe y'all are getting some especially worthless All Season tires these days, but I'd like to encourage you to teach 'em right and to demand appropriate (and high quality) tires. I understand why folks might not want to have to buy a second set of wheels and tires. But please do what you must to get around safely.
Worked with a guy from Ohio. There was a big snowstorm coming up and the subject came up at work about getting in. They all knew I would be in (4 wheel drive, chains, etc.). Then they asked about the guy from Ohio. Before he could say anything I replied . . . "are you kidding . . . he has front wheel drive, traction control, and is from Ohio where they know how to drive in snow. That combination is better than four wheel drive. As long as the snow is not up on his bumper he will be here". He just smiled and didn't say anything. He and I were one of the few people there the next day.
ERS
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ExRocketScientist
Laurel, MD
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Joined: 11/11/2010
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Ultralife wrote:Tires do not make the driver. A bad driver on good tires should not drive.
That applies to all weather and road conditions.
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RayJayco
Tampa
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Joined: 08/26/2009
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This may help...
http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125¤tpage=168
What's the difference in snow traction between an M+S (Mud and Snow) branded tire, an all-season tire and a purpose-built winter/snow tire? While many drivers probably aren't absolutely sure, it can be the difference between getting to work, getting home or getting stuck.
The original definition of M+S tires is based on the geometry of the tread design. The M+S designation was first used to differentiate the knobby, bias ply tires intended for use on muddy and/or snow-covered roads from the straight rib tires used on early cars or trucks. Tires with tread designs that meet the definition may be branded with the letters "M" and "S" in several different ways (e.g., M&S, M+S, M/S, MS, etc.) at the discretion of the tire manufacturer.
When early radial ply tires were also found to deliver more snow traction than the straight rib, bias ply tires, the tire companies introduced all-season tires. Supported by advertising, all-season tires have presented an unspoken promise that they, throughout their life, can provide traction for all seasons...through spring's rain, summer's heat, fall's cooling and winter's snow. While this combined offering has made all-season tires popular, many drivers have learned that a geometric definition doesn't guarantee winter snow and ice traction.
In 1999, The U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. The new standard helps ensure that drivers can easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction.
A mountain/snowflake symbol branded on the tire's sidewall identifies tires that met the required performance in snow testing. The mountain/snowflake symbol is expected to be fully implemented on new tires by now, however there still may be a few winter/snow tires in the marketplace that meet the requirements but were produced in molds manufactured before the symbol was developed.
NOTE: A Highway Safety Code regulation passed September 17, 2008 for Quebec, Canada, stipulates that:
"Between 15 December to 15 March, the owner of a taxi or passenger vehicle registered in Quebec may not put the vehicle into operation unless it is equipped with tires specifically designed for winter driving, in compliance with the standards prescribed by government regulation. The prohibition also applies to any person renting out passenger vehicles not equipped with that type of tires."
While dedicated winter/snow tires bearing the mountain/snowflake symbol are available in sizes for most passenger cars and minivans, the wide range of sizes and load ranges for tires used on crossover vehicles, sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and full size vans encouraged Quebec to temporarily expand its definition of acceptable tires to implement this law.
Alternate tires not bearing the mountain/snowflake symbol which have one or more of the following terms branded in their tire name or tire size are temporarily acceptable: Alaska, Arctic, A/T or AT Blizzard, Ice, LT, Nordic, Snow (but not mud and snow), Stud, Ultratraction or Winter.
While the inclusion of LT in this list means that any LT-metric, Flotation LT or LT-numeric sized tire is acceptable, drivers facing challenging winter driving will be best served by selecting dedicated winter/snow tires, followed by On-/Off-Road All-Terrain or Commercial Traction tires.
Starting December 15, 2014, the Highway Safety Code regulation specifies only tires bearing the mountain/snowflake symbol will be considered acceptable winter/snow tires in Quebec.
This list of temporarily acceptable tires only applies to drivers in Quebec.
Inquiring minds want to know...
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naturist
Lynchburg, VA
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Joined: 04/24/2008
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ExRocketScientist wrote:
Before he could say anything I replied . . . "are you kidding . . . he has front wheel drive, traction control, and is from Ohio where they know how to drive in snow. That combination is better than four wheel drive. As long as the snow is not up on his bumper he will be here".
Aw, you got close: it woulda required snow up to his door handles to stop him.
OK, I'm just kidding.
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