Winter Tires

Not all true. Some now made have softer compound but the lower thread is a harder compound and they will last but won't be as good in the snow. I just bought Nokians for the wifes car, mounted and studded them myself. I had bought a set for the Escape and I love them, often you can find them on ebay for a good discount when they are discontinued.

Studded snows on my Jetta. All seasons on the rear. As long as I keep the front half of the car pointed where I want the rest follows just fine. It goes just about anywhere.

I drive a small foreign car a long way to work through multiple different winter weather zones in the Fingerlakes/Central NY state area. I love the Nokian Hakk....... They are awesome snow tires. Plus I learned to slow down. Roads have been crappy this week. I like winter but..... the driving gets old after a while.

Dirty Steve wrote:I drive a small foreign car a long way to work through multiple different winter weather zones in the Fingerlakes/Central NY state area. I love the Nokian Hakk....... They are awesome snow tires. Plus I learned to slow down. Roads have been crappy this week. I like winter but..... the driving gets old after a while.

I agree I am 70 miles each way. Its not usually the drive that gets me it the mentality of some of the other drivers. Lately I feel like any vehicle I am in is invisible.

I drove to and from Pittsburgh this week in all the freezing slop. Over the Allegheny mountains we had freezing rain and the temp was was 23. Car was coated with ice. Much of the traffic was passing the salt trucks. I was doing 45 MPH or so behind the truck. Some of the traffic passing me was doing at least 65. I was worried about skidding at 45. I was more worried about the other crazies sliding into me at 65. Most people just don't know a tenth of an inch of ice can ruin their day,....and mine

Over the years I have seen a steady decline in the ability of people to drive cars. Even basic rules of the road are being ignored, or worse yet, maybe unlearned. The incredible lack of basic skills, such as using turn signals, headlights on when dusk or during rain etc. The list is almost endless, making me avoid driving whenever possible.

I suggested to my local congress lady to recommend giving all licensed drivers a drivers test every ten years. Each test would get progressively more difficult, and failing would result in restricted driving privileges. And "privilege" is the key word here. People have forgotten that, they think is it their "right" to drive by either birth or constitutional amendment.

I bought my wife a Toyota Land Cruiser, not because I love spending a small fortune on gas or maintenance, but because it's one of the top ten safest vehicles one could drive.

Flyer5 wrote:Its not usually the drive that gets me it the mentality of some of the other drivers. Lately I feel like any vehicle I am in is invisible.

i used to commute about 60 miles to work and had about a one year stretch that I got rear ended about 5-6 times. I can't remember the exact number it happened so often. I thought I had a target on my back. two were pretty serious and were related to icy roads and the people behind me not allowing enough room to stop. the others weren't so bad for me since they were low speed red light right turns & I was in the pickup and the bumper height was to my advantage. I slowly approach the red light and actually stop looking for oncoming traffic before making my right turn while those people behind me thought it should be treated as a merge on a highway.

scariest experience I had was driving on the southbound side of a 4 lane highway separated from the northbound lanes by a wide grass median. I was going south in the left hand lane coming home on a swing shift so it was about midnight and very little traffic on that section of road. I was way more concerned with deer than cars so I always ran in the left lane so I had more time if they came from the side of the road. I noticed car lights coming toward me from a distance and real quick I realized he was in the left lane of the southbound side heading north! I was able to swing to the right lane before we crashed happily losing that game of chicken. i'll never forget it was a cream colored wood paneled station wagon.

EarthWindandFire wrote:... lack of basic skills, such as using turn signals ...

A lady from New York explained that to me. She said there are so many aggressive drivers, if you signal your intention, it just gives them more opportunity to cut you off.

For a number of years I've been faithfully moving my front tires to the rear and putting two new tires on the front of my front wheel drive car every November. As I was sitting in the waiting room of the tire center I was staring on the wall at a posted strong safety warning dissertation (by Bridgestone as I recall) telling everyone that regardless of front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, or all wheel drive, the new tires must always go on the rear of the vehicle if only two new tires are being purchased. Their point was that the rear will break loose and come around on you in a slippery turn or under braking if the best tires are not placed on the back end. They considered the consequences of this to be worse than having the front break loose.

lsayre wrote:the new tires must always go on the rear of the vehicle if only two new tires are being purchased. Their point was that the rear will break loose and come around on you in a slippery turn or under braking if the best tires are not placed on the back end. They considered the consequences of this to be worse than having the front break loose.

They are right. You will not notice it as easily with a car that has ABS.

Rob R. wrote:

lsayre wrote:the new tires must always go on the rear of the vehicle if only two new tires are being purchased. Their point was that the rear will break loose and come around on you in a slippery turn or under braking if the best tires are not placed on the back end. They considered the consequences of this to be worse than having the front break loose.

They are right. You will not notice it as easily with a car that has ABS.

They are right, in theory at least. But I still put the best ones on the front, to try and get all four to wear out about the same time.
I had a Subaru wagon that felt twitchy in the rear, as if the rear tires wanted to break loose. I think it is called over-steer. I found that adding just one pound of extra pressure in the rear tires fixed the handling problem.

Ahh yesss ... the Haaakkkkennnneahahaakakammmmamammemumm .. AHEM! ...tires................ I think ... Changed a set of those once. Never heard of them before that or since until this post. Name was so strange I took a pic!

I love these Nokian tires so far. Made in Russia (if that means anything) and they are extra load rated so your car now rides like a truck. Weight rating Escape 104T summer tires ,106T Nokians. Focus 88H summer tires, 92T Nokians. Set on the Escape measures 11.5/ 32nds after 1 winter (maybe 5k miles). This set on the Focus have no wheel weights at all (65-70mph is all I drive with snows).

lsayre wrote:For a number of years I've been faithfully moving my front tires to the rear and putting two new tires on the front of my front wheel drive car every November. As I was sitting in the waiting room of the tire center I was staring on the wall at a posted strong safety warning dissertation (by Bridgestone as I recall) telling everyone that regardless of front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, or all wheel drive, the new tires must always go on the rear of the vehicle if only two new tires are being purchased. Their point was that the rear will break loose and come around on you in a slippery turn or under braking if the best tires are not placed on the back end. They considered the consequences of this to be worse than having the front break loose.

I never worry about the back end with front wheel drive. As long as the front points where I need to go the rest is behind me. Just have to know how to use the go pedal when necessary instead of the brakes.

Flyer5 wrote:. Just have to know how to use the go pedal when necessary instead of the brakes.

Exactly which is why my good tires are on the front since I have front wheel drive. Most people reactions are to hit the brake when they start sliding sideways, mine is to work the gas whether it's letting it off fully or punching it.