Should I put my winter tires on?

Was gonna go tonight and have my winter tires put on. Today's high is supposed to be 38. however, the next 7 days after today the temp is supposed to be 50 to 57. lows in the 30's.
I thought I had read that you should put them on when the high temp is 45 or below.

What do you guys think?

 

Don't be "that guy" that pulls into the tire shop the morning of the first snow storm.

 

Your call. Are they studded or just snow tires? My girlfriend has a set of studded tires and we'll wait until the snow starts flying before we throw them on. If you've got good tires on now, there's no need to rush, if you're running a street tire then it might not be a bad idea to swap before the snow is here.

 

I don't have snows. did get more aggressive AT tires in standard width (in LT load c) LT245/75/16; thought being skinny is good in snow.

My wife is heading in today to get her snows on her VW.

 

Same here, an aggressive A/T, some weight in the bed and you're good to go. I went with vanity though and am running the wider 265/70R17. Tall and skinny is a better choice for snow.

 

They are snows, no studs. Studs aren't allowed here. They are continental extreme winter contacts. Ever since I had my wrx and put snow tires on it, I have been a firm believer of having a seperate set of tires for winter. They are designed for exactly those conditions, so I get them for every car. Gonna put some weight in the back at some point too, but will probably wait to do that until we do get snow.

 

If they're not studded, I say throw them on (at least that'd be my advice in New England, hell we're supposed to get snow tonight). If you typically don't see any snow til X-mas where you live, then I'd hold off a bit but still no harm in planning ahead.

The reason you're supposed to wait until it's cold is dedicated snow tires have a softer compound and can wear out quickly on hot pavement.

 

I use to wait but my snows were mounted on rims so the swap over was done at my friend's garage. If you must get them mounted & balanced then here in VT its a long wait at the shops. They put out signs saying full for today.
On the tundra I am running a snowflake rated AT but with all the winter towing am saving for a set of dedicated rims/tires. The snow machine season doesn't start for another 6 weeks so hopefully will have together by that time.
I voted put them on.

 

in IL as well. i'm waiting until we get snow in teh forecast before swapping

 

don't do it....

i'm still running my normal tires....no need for snow tires when it's 40+ every day...although it is too cool off later this week...no snow in the forecast beyond a few flurries...at least not at this point

 

I know alot of people say tall and skinny is better for snow, but how come you see those arctic trucks with what looks like the biggest and widest tire they can get on those trucks. Sorry for a . Always just wondered that.

I.E.: http://youtu.be/-xJWBzSNdOo

 

i think those arctic trucks drive in snow that is really deep. i would think for those conditions, you would want a tire like a sand tire, that can "float" on top and not sink down deep by spreading the load over the widest area possible. i think that is the same theory behind track vehicles and why they work so well in snow.

 

Thanks. Thats what I was thinking too. But couldn't the same apply in snow anywhere? Just kind of float ontop of it? Or would anything smaller then those tires not float and not work?

 

in theory sure. but, if you think about a two ton vehicle sitting on the contact patch of 4 tires, then in a couple inches of snow, all that weight concentrated on those 4 relatively small contact patches, you are going to sink right down and squash that snow, and not float. i'm sure there is some kind of formula related to surface area, mass, and snow density or whatever to be able to figure out when it would float and when it would not.

the best traction then becomes the snow that sticks in the voids of the tire sticking to the snow on the ground. snow to snow contact is actually great grip. i'm not an expert in this area, but i've read numerous technical articles on the subject that all say the same thing.

 

Thanks. I always just wondered. I guess when there is nothing under the snow, the only traction to get is snow, then those tires work best.

 

Well in my world, you're 2 months late LOL. But yeah don't be the guy who rolls into the tire shop the day of the 1st storm.

 

no snow in the forecast, no snow tires on the truck.

 

had a small snow last night....i wait.....

 

why do we have to ask other people to put your snows on?i mean,come on.do you ask to take a shit as well........you do it when you need to do it.

 

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