Cyfing Tires for winter

Buy the correct tires. Don't alter them. Tire shops make more money from this process.

Discount tire is now set to get $1,000+ from me every two years for a new set of winter tires. $50 per tire to sipe. Just want to hear other experiences. The guy who told me about it doesn’t have to worry about the bill.

How long have you had these winter tires? This seems odd, I've had mine for almost 4 seasons now and they still look almost brand new. Typically winter tires can last a very long time because they are operating on snow and ice where they are not getting worn down by asphalt and cement surfaces.

We are not getting shit for snow this year and it’s 60 degrees in Jan & Feb! (Tahoe) I know the highway driving eats up the soft rubber. Looking for options. Can’t switch back until April or I will pay for it. 7/32 of tread left on season 2. Studless Continental Viking Contact 19” - MYP

You would miss out on the major advantages of true snow tires, softer rubber compounds for grip in cold temps, winter specific tread patterns, greater tread depth, and the squared off edge of the tread that helps so much in steering in the snow. If you swap tires twice a year you should close to double the life of your all seasons so the money should balance out more or less.

I wish it worked like that. They were awesome during season 1 and not so much in season 2. Dealing with variable temps could be 15 degrees overnight and 55 during the day. Track mode is awesome. Have you driven on siped tires?

I have not, I haven’t even heard it recommend by anybody in our area. Winter tire advice is funny as people have such differing experiences, and it can be hard to figure out which view best matches what’s good for you.

That’s what brought me here. Some engineering nerd recommended it in my area and haven’t read about it once in two years since owning one. Love it that everyone says it wrong - that’s the default answer on Reddit most days

Sipe!

Ok maybe that’s the problem - should I start over? Ha That’s all you got?

That’s why you’re burning through them so fast. That temp is way too high for winters. What are your tires in the other season? You might consider an all weather tire for year round like the Crossclimate 2/3. These are different than all season tires because they’re about 80 percent (by my guesstimate) as good as true winters and are great year round. They last a long time too. Only drawback is range. It’s hard to get a true answer as to how much hit. I’ve heard 5-10% over oem tires. Edit: another option after reading how erratic your season are, could be to seasonally swap between all-weathers and summer tires. Just leave in the Crossclimate all winter and then swap to summers when snow risk is gone. I bet the range in the all weather is still better than the average winter.

Thanks I am not worried about range as much as traction control on snow days. Hankook ION EV AS which all the Bay Area tesla drivers have and they all crash and get stuck on I-80 during the winter the making the rest of us look like fools on CHP Truckee instagram! Driving to Reno on a warm day in Jan & Feb burn them. I do have a ‘82 F150 with snow/mud tires that I use more when it’s really bad. To drive through chain control you technically need the 3 snowflake tires although these tourists just don’t care.

All weathers have the 3 peak rating.

May try Michelin Cross Climate2 for next winter - only $290 each!

No perfect answer - consider: They’ll get less effective over the years as the compound loses softeners to VOC off gassing. Those date codes are there for a reason. Also I’m no expert but in my experience swapping off and on eventually beats up the beads and probably the rims. In my case this results in a lot of trips to the air pumps during the season. Maybe my mechanic is just trash. After four or five swap years I have left the winter tires on for the summer prior to replacing them. You might have more money for tires but if that’s the case then maybe buy rims and store them in the off season in a dark cool area in bags and maybe they’ll last longer (i’ve not done it but I’m considering). Again, just my experience - I’d like to hear from a pro.

Its not just about the sipes, its about the compound. All season tires turn to hockey pucks in freezing temps so any sipes are pretty useless. Actual snow tires are a softer compond and don't become hard like all season tires. As a mechanic I feel modifying your tires is a really bad idea and your just going to set yourself up for getting into an accident. Look into All Weather tires if you want something you can run year round that is also decent in the snow. Nokian WRG5 or Michelin Cross Climate 2 are popular in my area but most tire manufacturers make similar tires.

Discount Tire has been great and so is my local mobile tire guy, but they cost me time & money. I will check out getting the new all weather cross climates mounted on new rims, grow a pair and learn how to change them myself and do it whenever I want! My neighbor has a garage and all the equipment. Thank you