Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotus7
The OP asked for "opinions" and you're entitled to your opinion, but, in reality, it's not ONLY a matter of personal opinion. There are provable performance differences. I've driven our Subaru Legacy GT and our old A4 Quattro in snow with both all-seasons and with real snow tires and FOR ME the difference is dramatic and well worth the cost and nuisance of having to change wheels twice each year. Also, although the winter tires don't QUITE pay for themselves by reducing wear on your all-seasons or summer tires and extending their life, they more than pay for themselves through the increased safety they provide.
There have been plenty of independent tests published on-line, in car magazines and by manufacturers that prove conclusively that current winter/snow tires can make a big difference, especially in braking. The latest test done by Tire Rack resulted in stopping distances from only 12 mph on snow of 35 feet for new winter/snow tires and 53 feet for new all-seasons. At higher speeds the differences will be much greater.
For you, a difference of 64% shorter stopping distance might be a "small increase", for me it might be the difference between a safe stop and a collision.
There are plenty of drivers who successfully drive with all-seasons all year long in snow-belt areas, but I'd wager that more of them have collisions and get stuck in drifts than drivers with proper winter tires.
Over the life of a new car, the cost of winter/snow tires is trivial when you factor in the increased life of your "other" tires*, but hey, there are people driving around in snow in 20 year old rear wheel drive cars with bald summer tires who believe that "it's not worth getting the small increase in benefit" to get new ones.
Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but in some situations personal opinion does not match the reality of a situation. 
Disclaimer: I get free air (to inflate my snow tires) from my Tire Rack friends in South Bend, IN for every set of snow tires I help sell.
* Be kind to your all-season tires. They really like the 5 month vacation. If you can, take then to Florida for a month or so while they're resting in January. |
AGREED winters all the way, much better in temps below 7 deg Celsius.