Beware using Michelin Energy Saver tires in the snow!

I didn't say that I was pushing `12" of snow - it was more like 7".

 

Gotta say snow is a VERY infrequent event for us, the last few winters. Putting on the snows here (any kind) is starting to feel like cargo cult.

 

Maybe you should thank Al Gore for that, I guess all of your snow has migrated to our locale.

JeffD

 

Leaving out detail invites enthusiastic posting. Of course, sometimes being vague is helpful. It does stir dialog, when something with lots of info would have simply ended.

I, myself, do get a bit miffed when real-world data is dismissed in favor of generic lab testing. Too many aspects of comparison get forgotten and overlooked with brief assessments. The long-term owner experiences are what counts.

 

...I see what F8L is talking about, on TireRack.com the EnergySaver A/S gets yellow ratings on the snow/ice category which is good but not excellent. I don't think those yellow winter survey ratings were there last time I looked, maybe they were added later. Makes me think about going again with the GY Assurance ComforTreds which sacrifice a few MPG but no compromises on handling and noise.

 

I been using theses tires this year on my niro and they work perfectly in minus 40c and I live in Alberta where we can wake up to three feet of snow and call it nothing and they work fine actually better then my 2014 rondo winter tires

 

I put undersized studded tires on my Insight and it ripped right along on ice

 

I take those ratings with a grain of (road?) salt. Also, since I swap to snow tires every winter, can't get worked up about snow traction, though traction in the rain does concern me. Still, I get the sense there's a bit of a "band wagon" effect, with TireRack ratings? Not sure.

I like to read through the reviews, pretty much all of them, to get a real sense of how a particular tire has fared. Particularly longer mileage reviews, and/or repeat purchase reviews.

 

You'd be surprised at the advances they've made with studless snow/ice tires.

The results are nothing short of amazing.

 

Especially take it with grain of salt, now since that post is 4 years old!

 

A huge difference is on hills. If you live in a cold, snowy, FLAT place, you can "get by" a lot easier. But when you are going up and down real hills over and over the extra traction makes a big difference.

The other factor is the COLD TEMPS. I found my OEM Prius tires turned hard as rocks when the temps dipped below about 40 degrees F. Real snow tires stay much more pliable (and therefor grippier) in sub-freezing temps.

I've been through 8 Vermont winters in my Prius and I preach snow tires, snow tires, snow tires. Sure you can "make due" sometimes but why would you risk that? Snow tires make a massive difference on these cars with it's annoyingly invasive traction control. Snow tires make a big different with turning and stopping as well as accelerating from a stop.

I only proselytize about 2 things, snow tires, and the ukulele.

 

Yeah, there's a few members here who poopoo the "need" for snow tires, say they've had "no problems". But you're just sticking your head in the sand: the snow tire's softer rubber compound and aggressive tread/siping WILL give you a significant edge, stop you sooner, make it up more hills, prevent more spin-outs. @tvpierce 's video posted up the page sums it up.

I don't think I've ever heard you go on about ukes though...

 

When I bought my 2009 Gen II (used, back in Jan 2014) (…is there an echo in here?) it was shod with Michelin Energy Savers All Seasons, about 50% worn, according to the service records, the car's second set of tyres (I bought it with 83,000 miles on odometer).

By the time winter rolled around, the tyres were ~60% worn, and that winter (2014/15 - yes that winter!) we had record snowfall here in New England, and the Michelins, in the snow, were, to quote my brother-in-law Tom, "about as useful as a one-legged-man at an arse-kicking contest!", so I vowed the next year I'd invest in a set of steelies, shod with Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80s, which is what I did, and they are currently on the car, for their third season. The Blizzaks are brilliant in the snow, and superb in the rain. For driving on ice, nothing beats chains or studs, if you're totally deaf, and don't mind dealing with the shrapnel when they break or get flung off! Also, many states only allow studs or chains at certain times of the year.

IMNSHO "All Season" is just a compromise, i.e. Jack-of-all-trades, Master-of-none!

I have the OEM 16" rims shod with reasonable summer tyres for use in the warm seasons. I find having separate summer/winter shoes gives me a far better choice, and is less damaging to the sealing beads of the tyres (they only get fitted once when new, rather than at the beginning and end of each season)

 

Back when I was still using "All Season" tires for winter, I consistently had to banish them to 3-season use before they were 50% worn.

Same here. Plus, if I need to swap them on very brief notice for an impending late autumn storm, I can do it at quickly home withoug having to wait in very long lines with the mad rush of other drivers at the tire shop.

 

That's because they are "All Season" tires. I use "All Weather" tires (Nokian WRg3, now they sell WRg4) that are almost as good as the best winter tires on snow/ice.

JeffD

 

I liken it to this... I can get by just fine wearing sneakers all winter, but I'll slip around a lot more and potentially fall on my butt so I wear extra grippy boots instead. It's the right tool for the job.

I run "all seasons" as my 3 season tire. I just ran Michelin Defenders for 3 years, and am getting my snows replaced with new Bridgestone Ecopia EP422's tomorrow.

As for Uke's, everyone should have one.

Video

Video

 

Nokians have a great reputation, in fact a friend was selling a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta (studded), used but only slightly worn, which were the right size for my OEM alloy 16" rims, but I'd already ordered the 15" steelies, and got a "Buy 3 tyres, get 4th for $1" deal from the local dealer, and so went with the Blizzak WS80s (this was two winters ago) and I've never looked back! (…but as they always say YMMV!)

 

Nokian is one of the few tire makers with a REAL "all season" option, particularly if you live in an area that doesn't get a ton of snow, but stays cold and slushy all winter. If I was running a taller crossover or something with AWD I'd be tempted to run one of their "All Weater" WRG3 tires year round.