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Snow Tires?

7K views 43 replies 21 participants last post by  nikolap1 
#1 ·
I just experienced my first snows driving in my saab....i was very unimpressed with the tires on it...which are the OEM Continental ContiPros (with a little more than half tread)

i've been driving an audi for the past 5+ years so had no problems with simply all season tires with the AWD system.

do most of you guys have winter tires to run or go for a better all season variety?

will winter tires make a significant difference in handling?
after barely being able to make it up small inclines in snow covered roads I am tempted to look into an AWD car again :(
i have read about Saabs being a snow worthy FWD car, but this one is currently not a contender.

sorry if this has been covered. i searched in various posts but they just cover what brands to purchase, not about the increase in driveability.
 
#2 ·
I can give you first hand experience, because I have driven on both in the last three days. My wife's car was bought last April had a brand new set of cheap snow tires. Like $80 a piece cheap for 235/45/17 (Mastercraft Glacier Grip II). We pulled those off and put the all season continental dws which did "okay" in the snow. Far from great, but manageable in about 4" we got by the afternoon. I had a cheap set of all seasons on my car, and they are terrible. 2" of snow made the car almost useless in snow (2010 aero). We had the snow tires laying around so I got them mounted today. Took it out for a spin in 7" of snow tonight and holy cow. What an amazing difference. When I forced the car to slide it was predictable. I was passing 4x4 vehicles. A 4x4 can get out of the hole a little faster, but winter tires give you better control. Especially in turns.

BUY WINTER TIRES. I've owned several different kinds. My favorite being blizzak, but any cheap snow tire will do much better than the best all season on snow covered roads. I would rather have a fwd car with snow tires, than an awd car with the best all seasons. You can get about 3 seasons from a set of snow tires before they need to be replaced, so it's money well spent.
 
#5 ·
bill thanks for the real world info. thats what i was expecting but not sure if it made THAT much of a difference.

I live in southern Alberta (currently -30C and covered in snow), my 9-3s were fantastic in the snow. There's no mystery that winter tires are far superior to all seasons, it's really no contest. I was in a $8,000 accident in my old Aero that would never have happened had I had my winters on (first snow of the year, didn't get the chance to throw the winters on). Take a look at this video, Tire Rack Tire Test - All-Season vs. Winter Tires - YouTube. I had to look up weather in West Virginia to get a good idea of what you're experiencing and can safely say that a decent set of winter tires will do the trick for you. Hell, if they work for us Canadians, they'll work for you.
You bring up a good point :lol:

Thanks for the input guys!!! Looks like I'll be in the market for some winter tires this week
 
#3 · (Edited)
I run Hankook Ipikes in the winter time and they are amazing! They are designed to be studded also if that is something you need (I live in Denver, not much need for studs here, maybe if I lived in a small mountain town or something)

So yes, a good set of winter tires will make a world of difference with the handling in the snow. While I still cant outpace my old Jeep Wrangler in 4 wheel drive, I do feel safe in my winter tires in the snow.

A fun fact. The town of Vail Colorado used Saabs as their police cars until the early 2000's. If you are not familiar with Vail, it is a mountain town in Colorado that averages over 300 inches of snowfall a year...so they must be pretty good in the snow ;-)
 
#6 · (Edited)
A fun fact. The town of Vail Colorado used Saabs as their police cars until the early 2000's. If you are not familiar with Vail, it is a mountain town in Colorado that averages over 300 inches of snowfall a year...so they must be pretty good in the snow ;-)
Fun fact indeed. I was there last month and couldn't help but notice an abundance of older Saab 900s that people around the mountains drove. Vail is now sponsored by Volvo and has XC90 police cars with rather large brushguards. I'll admit they were quite intimidating.

As for snow tires vs all seasons, it doesn't snow around here a lot, but when it does snow tires make the biggest difference in stopping. My Audi is my inclement weather car and even with awd, snow tires would make it so much better if I could justify the cost for how little it snows. It has no problem going or playing in snow, but it needs more room to stop than my friend's Subaru with studded snow tires.
 
#4 ·
I just experienced my first snows driving in my saab....i was very unimpressed with the tires on it...which are the OEM Continental ContiPros (with a little more than half tread)

i've been driving an audi for the past 5+ years so had no problems with simply all season tires with the AWD system.

do most of you guys have winter tires to run or go for a better all season variety?

will winter tires make a significant difference in handling?
after barely being able to make it up small inclines in snow covered roads I am tempted to look into an AWD car again :(
i have read about Saabs being a snow worthy FWD car, but this one is currently not a contender.

sorry if this has been covered. i searched in various posts but they just cover what brands to purchase, not about the increase in driveability.
I live in southern Alberta (currently -30C and covered in snow), my 9-3s were fantastic in the snow. There's no mystery that winter tires are far superior to all seasons, it's really no contest. I was in a $8,000 accident in my old Aero that would never have happened had I had my winters on (first snow of the year, didn't get the chance to throw the winters on). Take a look at this video, . I had to look up weather in West Virginia to get a good idea of what you're experiencing and can safely say that a decent set of winter tires will do the trick for you. Hell, if they work for us Canadians, they'll work for you.
 
#9 ·
I live in southern Alberta (currently -30C and covered in snow), my 9-3s were fantastic in the snow. There's no mystery that winter tires are far superior to all seasons, it's really no contest. I was in a $8,000 accident in my old Aero that would never have happened had I had my winters on (first snow of the year, didn't get the chance to throw the winters on). Take a look at this video, Tire Rack Tire Test - All-Season vs. Winter Tires - YouTube. I had to look up weather in West Virginia to get a good idea of what you're experiencing and can safely say that a decent set of winter tires will do the trick for you. Hell, if they work for us Canadians, they'll work for you.
This video of the 2010 winter storm in Seattle shows how the west coast's wetter climate is a killer for icy roads even with little snow on the ground. I love how the red 9-3SS (4:33 mark) just scoots by so non-nonchalantly :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&feature=iv&src_vid=-XLtYHqon1w&v=rhZCyQ3emQg
 
#7 ·
IMHO, from my experience with snow tires. Had my first set of Gislaved Nordics ( I think that's the model as far as I remember) on my Sonett in 1978

Snow tires have a different rubber compound that stays more "supple" in cold temps and often are hydrophilic. I believe it's from silicon being added

Many snows with special compound rubber lose that layer when about half the tread is gone

Obviously the tread pattern expells snow more readily (some would say the tread grips better, think it is more like it doesn't allow snow to build up)

Get a minus one, or even -2, size on smaller diameter wheels. Concentrates the weight of the car in smaller patch and there is less width of surface that helps prevent plowing (where snow builds up in front of tire from pushing the snow, especially in turning). Also somewhat reduces cost.

Buy a separate set of cheap alloys. Over a few years it is cheaper than mounting and balancing tires twice a year and I think better for the tires also than many mounts and dismounts.
 
#10 ·
Buy another set or wheels. I paid $106 at Discount tire to dismount and then mount the new tires. I will have to pay that again in a month or so when I move. I'm going to buy a set so put on when I come home to visit for Christmas.
 
#11 ·
Yeah had I put my winter tires/wheels on like I was supposed Dec 1st, I wouldn't be ordering a new lower control arm and looking for a replacment ALU59 right now.

It had been so warm here 45 - 55 with rain, then it turned cold yesterday and snowed 1" early this AM; just enough to turn the roads into sheet ice after a few cars pack it down.
 
#12 ·
I find the 9-3 outstanding int he snow/cold but our very light and otherwise twitchy Hyundai Accent ****s allover it because the Accent has winter tyres. The Saab has Conti DWS too, about as good an all season as there is for winter weather bar the Nokians and still, there's just no comparison.

HOWEVER, running a second set of rubber is very expensive to say the least and I firmly believe that most people drive to the grip limit anyway. If one lives in a city/suburban environment the traffic is so achingly slow with anything resembling snow that all season should be able to handle it.
 
#13 ·
Couldn't disagree more, and the people I saw stuck on side streets would also agree with me. I drove dws and my cheap snow tires in 7-8" of snow last night and there was no comparison. The snow tires outperformed in every single aspect by a mile.

I dont think they are very expensive by any means. $700-$800 total if you buy used wheels, and they should last 3 years minimum. That's about $250 a year and you can just replace the tires after for a lot less money.
 
#15 ·
I am with Alfisti on this one, for sure.
I had to decide on tires in August and chose DWS. Along with my other (Z1 and Z2) tire purchases for my other car, no way I could spring for a summer performance tire in August, and a full snow tire set three months later. I also have two sets of wheels; I chose Conti DWS.

The DWS are surprisingly good in snow, and lane changing in deep snow provided some level of skill is available, is ok. For braking I find DWS very good, and also for starting traction ( fine with a gentle foot). The Saab 9-5 wagon inherently hates to turn into corners, and the DWS are not a big help, so slowing down well ahead of time works.

Given better timing, I would go with Nokian every time, and maybe next year that will happen. But with the usual caveats, DWS are a decent compromise.

PS. This "drive to grip" is a good point. Especially with younger folk, I beleive there is a tendency to beleive that summer tires are for summer, and snow tires are for winter, and they expect "summer grip" as they have "winter tires"
Aint so.
As a rule of thumb from my years of ice racing, I always figured on slowing down way more than I needed for corners. Turns out, oftentimes more than I needed was barely enough....
 
#18 ·
I live in Calgary, same city in Canada as Saabhutter who posted earlier, and i saw first hand how big a difference they make. My brother and I both drive 2.0t's and last winter I put my very cheap snow tires on before he did (he was still using his all seasons which were one of the best on the market at the time) and we drove eachothers cars to test it out..it was a night/day difference. Even a set of cheap snow tires are waay better than the best all seasons due to the softer rubber compound.

Also AWD with all seasons may accelerate you faster/up hills, but have fun hitting the guy in front of you when you cant stop in time :cheesy: thats why SUV's are statistically the cars that get in the most accidents in the snow- the drivers think they can do anything cause they can accelerate fast but they dont realize they cant stop nearly as quick.
 
#19 ·
SUV's have a disproportionately high crash rate in all conditions because they are the preferred transport of scared white women who have no ****ing clue what they are doing behind the wheel. They would have the skill set if they tried but they are more worried about taking that phone call or if Holt Renfrew is open past 7pm. Just pressing the big "S" button on the dash would solve a lot of problems as it shortens the gearing but nope, not interested in learning.
 
#24 ·
@Izeburg I was lucky enough to have bought a Saab that came with 15x6.5 wheels stock, as soon as I bought my 18x7's I knew I wanted my 15's to become winters. The way I see it is if you live in an area were winter weather is an issue and you have extra money get yourself a second set of wheels that you can call winter beaters or if you already have winter wheels look at a set you would like to run in the summer. I dont know what size rims you have for your car but when it comes to winters the smaller the better. If you could fit 15's or 16's that would be best. I run 205/60/15, and am very happy with them, if you were to run 16's I would go with a 205/55/16. The best of luck to you! -Silver
 
#28 ·
I live in South Dakota and we will have 4" (10cm) of snow by tomorrow morning. That and it's windy here so the roads pile up with snowdrifts. I had a good talk with a Saab dealer mechanic and he felt that the only way to get the best out of this car is to have a set of winter and set of summer tires. And he was right! While everyone is sliding around (and with all season tires I too would be sliding around) I have no problems and am in control. If I didn't have to drive around the "slow" cars with all-season tires I might make it to work on time.

I use Continental ContiProContacts as my "3-season" tires. I bought a set of Firestone Winterforce for the winter. These things look gnarly! They maybe are not as refined as a lot of the other stuff that people put on Saabs (ie. Blizzaks, X-Ice, etc.) but they are heavy duty and cut through the snow which is what they are supposed to do. Not that I would do this but they even have holes for studs. Last winter I got to try them in snow about one time, it didn't snow here at all, I had to go to northern Minnesota to even see snow! But this winter I'm getting to use them as intended. Firestone Winterforces cost me about $450 installed. My tire dealer will swap them for about $50. If you live in a snowy climate you will benefit tremendously by installing snow tires. If it were up to me I would require cars in this part of the country to have snow tires during the winter months.
 
#30 ·
SUV's with AWD or 4WD are great in very deep snow but in most snowy or icy conditions it is about the tires, not 4 wheels being driven.

When I lived in Chicagoland with my FWD SAABs with snow tires I would laugh as I handled the conditions while the pickup trucks and big SUVs with tons of ground clearance but useless tires wound up spinning off the pavement.
 
#32 ·
I went with made in America, Mastercraft (General Tire) Glacier Grip II's on my leftover, ten spoke 9-5 Aero rims...they're fine in the post 13" snow we just had...and inexpensive, too. Now that the dealer is gone I swap them myself (they had a storage and swap deal for $80 a year that was nice while it lasted).
 
#33 ·
you all have convinced me. hopefully buying a spare set of rims with winter tires ASAP (unfortunately we are supposed to get another 4 inches of snow tonight! :x)
luckily someone is selling just what i need in the classifieds...i love this site ;ol;


thanks again everyone!!
 
#34 ·
I put a set of Hankook Winter iCept Evos on after having great luck with iPikes on my 9000. I wanted something a bit less extreme and a bit more sporty... and these tires deliver is spades.

While overall snow/slush grip compared to the iPikes (and the Hakkapeliitas that were on before them) is slightly lower, they handle more like a performance tire in non-snowy conditions (and are much quieter than the somewhat-worn Conti all-seasons that came with the car).

They got their first real test on Wednesday when we got a few inches of snow in a few hour span... right as I was driving from my mom's place straight to work. The roads were bad, but the SAABs preternatural ESP system and these tires are a match made in heaven- I felt confident that I could drive at reasonable speeds without issue. There were numerous cars off of the road, many that were sliding all over the place... and me? Nothing. Maybe the ever-so-slightest tug when transitioning from the clear right lane to the left lane to pass slower (unconfident) drivers.

I can't imagine how capable a 9-3x or XWD would be with these tires.
 
#35 ·
IZEBERG...don't sell your car!!! hahahah
I might be a little late on the reply but....We bought both our saabs a few months ago and this is our first winter with them. First off, in Quebec, it is now law that you have snow tires in winter time. I've always had 2 sets of tires (summer/winter) and seeing as we get Tonne's of snow this week (about 45cm of it) i wouldn't live without winter tires on the car.
I was lucky that my nokian hakka studs that were on the volvo fit my car and we got new michelin xice3 for my wifes SS. So far they both handle well. The car is so sure-footed and plows right through. I have to say her tires seem to handle a bit better but i'm now on my 3rd winter with these tires...so...
the studs do help a bit on ice, but if you do mostly highway, they recommend to get studdless tires.
but do get winter tires..rule number one, and don't skimp out on them either.
fabs
 
#37 ·
another really good snow/ice winter tire is General Altimax. They work really well and tend to be quite a bit less than other brands.

yeah...All seasons mean, sun, rain, wind, and slush. They are really a 3 season tire for any upper latitude and/or elevation areas. I'm so pissed I didn't put my winter tires on before it was too late!
 
#42 ·
AWD helps in cornering while in motion too, and some systems are better than others, IF they dynamically adjust torque output between the front and rear axle or between the right and left wheels of one or both axles.
 
#43 ·
Put on your brakes...

And FWD, AWD 4WD, RWD are all pretty much the same. All other things being equal, it's all about the tires.

I had a '99 2.0T A4 Avant with S4 17" rims. Once I was caught in an early snow before I had a chance to put my 16" snows on. It was terrible in the snow without them.

Same happened to me in my'07 GTI. No snows- crap. With snows, I could get up the steep hill that we live on the top of.

I always swap out to snows here in New England. Steel or cheapie rims in a smaller size. I also keep them on until early spring well past any snow threats to give them a chance to fix the potholes...
 
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