snow tires spin on wet street, WTF?

Hi Guys and Gals,
Have an unusual problem. My wife drives a 1997 Corolla. It has President Panthera snow tires (I know, I've never heard of them before this either) that have been sitting in storage for 2 years, the tires are maybe 4-6 years old. If the car is at a stop facing uphill on wet pavement and you push on accelerator just a skunch (just a little bit) more than normal, the tires spin. The treads are in excellent condition. What has happened to cause this lack of traction? According to the mark on the tires, they are mounted on the correct side. Any answers would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Mark

 

They're likely just getting old and the rubber compound is hardening from non-use, though I will say 4-6 years isn't very old. What's the DOT#?

 

sell them and get new ones, or roast them and get new ones

 

Snow tires are not the best wet-weather tires. You might be experiencing that difference. The rubber is designed to penetrate ice and snow. Anyway...

Checked the inflation? Could be over pressure.

Did they get oil on them? (Did anyone Armor-All the tread?)

They might just need to be driven on dry pavement until warm. (That could be July in BC.) Rubber in general does develop a hard outer shell, over the years, while the rubber under it remains soft. Hard ≠ wet traction. Possible those tires are more than 6 years old?

If they remain too slippery, consider the advice of KenpachiZaraki and get different tires -- for the safety of the driver. (Do NOT burn tires.)

 

When he said "roast", I don't think me meant "set them on fire" like a marshmellow...

 

Mmmmmmm marshmallows.......




And correct. Like spin them until they catch fire

 

You're in a truck.....

Most all street type tires are going to spin on an uphill wet surface when you give it too much gas.

Even the stickiest of racing tires will spin on a flat surface when wet when you give it too much gas.

What air pressure are you running them at? Too much air pressure can enhance that .....

 

But we're talking about a FWD Corolla.

 

If they're studded, that's fairly normal since the metal studs don't grab the pavement as well. If they're just rubber snow tires and they're spinning easily on wet pavement, it's time for new tires.

 

Oops


Wait.... A corolla has enough power to spin the tires?

 

Haha, normally no, that just tells you how badly worn the tires are!

 

This whole post. Just, wow.