Comparing AWD / RWD and All Season / Winter Tires
11-09-2011, 10:43 AM
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2018 E300 4MATIC Sedan
Comparing AWD / RWD and All Season / Winter Tires
With winter approaching up here in the Windy City, I found this article extremely informative :
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...price-traction
Comparing MB E320 and Audi A6 AWD and RWD with All Season and Winter Tires
Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.
( just for you Sportstick )
Discuss...
Nick
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...price-traction
Comparing MB E320 and Audi A6 AWD and RWD with All Season and Winter Tires
Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.
( just for you Sportstick )
Discuss...
Nick
11-09-2011, 01:27 PM
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C300 Sport 6MT
Whole-heartedly agree with using dedicated winter/snow tires.
I get grief for having a dedicated set of wheels and tires out here in the Northwest, but the small investment is spread over multiple years because of the very low usage. In return, I have zero issues getting around when it snows on the street and get to fly by everyone else going up the mountain (skiing) who had to pull over to chain up because the winter tires I have are stamped with the "snowflake on mountain" symbol.
If I lived in Chicago, Boston, etc. I'd definitely do the winter switch over. There are so many hybrid winter tires available now that dry performance isn't horrible compared to years past. Of course, I'd have to spend more $$ to get "nice" winter wheels vs the black steelies I've always purchased to date...
I get grief for having a dedicated set of wheels and tires out here in the Northwest, but the small investment is spread over multiple years because of the very low usage. In return, I have zero issues getting around when it snows on the street and get to fly by everyone else going up the mountain (skiing) who had to pull over to chain up because the winter tires I have are stamped with the "snowflake on mountain" symbol.
If I lived in Chicago, Boston, etc. I'd definitely do the winter switch over. There are so many hybrid winter tires available now that dry performance isn't horrible compared to years past. Of course, I'd have to spend more $$ to get "nice" winter wheels vs the black steelies I've always purchased to date...
11-09-2011, 01:43 PM
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2004 Volvo XC70; 2012 GLK 350 4matic
Did anyone check the date of that article? Do you suppose anything has changed in the decade+ since it was published?
Wayne
Still driving the car I bought when the tire article was new.
Wayne
Still driving the car I bought when the tire article was new.
11-09-2011, 02:15 PM
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Snow is pretty much the same, winter tire technology has improved significantly, and some all-seasons, such as Continental DWS, have improved, but they still describe themselves as for light snow. But, given the amount of research and development in the winter tire arena, and the advent of ESP which rear wheel drive cars benefit from in low mu acceleration, the performance gap now is at least as wide, if not wider, in favor of winter tires.
