Necessary to put on Snow Tires on GLS?
 

In Canada, snow tires seem to be a must. Especially you'll get a discount on car insurance with them installed.
But some guy told me that GLS is heavy therefore snow tires are not really necessary?

Any inputs folks?
thanks

I have never heard of being entitled to discounts for having winter tires on. Your insurance premium is usually reflected by your driving record, not by the tires you put on, especially winter tires that are only good for a few months of the year. Perhaps, it is something that certain insurance companies are doing to gain more customers. Anyhow, we probably get the most amounts of snow here in Alberta. This can make us, Albertans, experts when it comes to winter driving. I would personally say you do not need winter tires for vehicles that are as heavy as the GLS. Plus, it is all wheel drive.

In Ontario, you can get 5-8% discount on your insurance premium if you put on snow tires this years. This is applicable to most insurance companies.

I was born in Mississauga and raised in Oakville but I had never known or heard of that. I would say that is pretty cool. Have you looked into a winter tire package from your dealer? For my wife's BMW 5 series, it was like $4500 for a winter tire package from the dealer. I am not sure how much Benz charges. If I get to save 5% on a $1000/year insurance premium, I am saving $50/year. I am not sure if that is beneficial enough to purchase a package for $4000 plus, besides getting a better grip of course.

As far as I know, since 2015, maybe even earlier, if you call your insurance company that you will get snow tires, you'll get this discount when renewing your insurance policy.

This might not be applicable in the past. But this is well known now in Ontario.

I heard the same, as well as in Quebec. I would get snows, I have never driven any of the GL product without a designated winter tire. There is a very noticeable difference in driving without snows in the snow, ice and cold. I would never jepordize my family's safety for a few thousand dollars in tires, relative to the cost of this vehicle. The weight of a vehicle has no bearing on its performance in the snow, in fact all of our company trucks have winters , and let me tell you again, the difference in driving performance is massive.

+1. vehicle is unstoppable in snow with dedicated tires.

something i noticed: all the vehicles i've seen on display at auto shows appear to have p-zeros fit on the 21" rim option for the 350 and also the standard rim on the 550 (also a 21").

at the press outing in december when the vehicles were being put through the paces in snowy terrain i'm sure the vehicles had winter tires on them, but interesting, nonetheless, that the cars on display that i have seen have had p-zeros and not some other semi all season tire.

Any recommended rims for the snows?

You are 100% right. Vehicles behave significantly better with snows on. There is no and's or but's about it. However, the weight of the vehicle has a lot to do with how much grip you get on snow or in any climate condition for that matter. I think it is common sense to think so. I own 5 4X4 company trucks and non of them are on snows because the weight of the tools, loads, and truck itself creates enough traction for them to operate very safely in any weather condition the mother nature decides to throw at them. GLS being one of the heaviest SUV's is very safe on snow with its OEM tires.

Winter tires are an absolute must...I run Nokian Hakkapeliitta SUV8 studded (4 corners) on my 2 girls/wife and my (total 4) vehicles and just threw away a two year old set (4) of Pirelli Snow and Ice after replacing with these Nokians on my ML..garbage and what a difference..after 2 close calls not being able to stop with the Pirellis it was time to get a better winter tire...I purchased the wheels from MB and although the complete package (came with the Pirelli at the time) was not cheap if they save an accident that's good enough for me..


The old Pirelli..not great

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It's not a matter of weight:smash:,using winter tires is a must in order to avoid accidents: traction is important but is even more important to be able to stop the vehicle while driving on muddy/snowy/rainy roads.
I can't imagine driving in winter without dedicated tires:)

I appreciate everyone's opinion in this matter. I still think it is outrageous to say that weight of the vehicle is not associated with how much traction you get. The truth of the matter is that it does not matter how much you spend on snow tires, they will still have hard time stopping on ice unless they are studded. Snow tires give you more traction, not stopping power. I still do not think snow tires are a must "in order to avoid accidents" because drivers without snow tires still manage to avoid accidents every winter.

Nice ride!!:bow:
If I had an AMG, I would definitely consider winters.

Thanks..IMO studded winters an absolute must in Alberta ..and only the best for Frank :)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...b46d57a1d8.jpg

Ice and snow are two different things: driving on ice requires studded tires,I agree with you but on snowy roads a set of winter tires change everything: more traction and safety,it's a matter of fact and not only my personal opinion.


Probably canadians drivers are more capable:D but saying that winter tires give no stopping power is false,search on google why:y

Totally agree with you, it's absurd to say that winter tires don't improve stopping in the snow. This is one the major contribution of a dedicated snow tire, traction in acceleration and in stopping are dramatically increased, and the weight of a vehicle in the snow WITHOUT snow tires becomes outright dangerous and uncontrollable. I can't understand how anyone who lives in these type of climates can justify an all season tire with a vehicle this big:crazy:

It has been very interesting to get your inputs on this topic. There is no doubt that winter tires improve accelerating and stopping in snow.
We, Albertans, are better skilled drivers in long winter months which is why I personally think it is not necessary to get winter tires to answer OP's question.

Albertans better skilled drivers? Where do you get these statistics? Along with the other self made statistic of winter tires don't help stopping power? For someone who was born and raised in Ontario , how does the transplanted Albertan become better skilled driver than the rest of us? With all due respect, better drivers are trained and have years of driving experience on closed circuits, such as race courses , and driving at the maximum allowable limits that vehicle can. Only, hours upon hours of these types of conditions will groom you to be better than most of us.

You know what Andrew? I hope I'll never be in front of your car during winter time:rolf:
Let's be serious: I was joking when I said that canadians drivers are better than others,it doesn't matter how much skilled you are if you don't have proper tires under your car; especially during an emergency stop, for example.
When it comes to safety,I don't want to be misuderstood:zoom:

I offer my apologies if my statement has upset you. Statistically speaking, winter months in Alberta are 2-3 months longer on average than anywhere else in Canada. We get snow in May and June believe it or not. Hence, drivers in Alberta are more likely to spend more hours on winter roads than anybody else in Canada. I am not saying that Ottawa or Quebec doesn't get snow. Don't you think that helps drivers in Alberta know one or two more things about winter driving? One does not have to be a professional racer to drive safely on public roads.
Let's all be mature and put this dispute aside now and stay on track with the topic of the thread. I still do not think winters are necessary for GLS from my own personal experience.

The all season Pirelli Scorpions that came with the 2015 GL450 20" wheel package are borderline useless in the snow. If the new model you are considering has the same tires, you will absolutely need a different set of tires for Candian winters.

I quit,it's obvious you ain't open up your mind. ;)
Ciao

Ps: be careful with your summer tires.

I have to agree, these tires are by far the best we have EVER put on any of our vehicles. I run the same tires on our GL-350 and my GLE here in Montana.

Where do you guys buy your wheels for snow tire?

weight of the car does little to help.. heavier does NOT mean better traction.. in snow and ice-- the heavier the more dangerous
dedicated winters are hands down superior to any driving skills..
we get plenty snow where we are and I personally dont have any issues with all seasons.. noone is a perfect driver.. we all need to be careful.. some more than others.. I'm a car guy and so maybe my skills may be different but noone is superior..
with family and kids in a car- i agree- spend the extra and get a good set of tires..
as for packages-- a winter package with any brand is gonna be pricy.
its way cheaper to do it on your own..
and about the insurance-- man thats awesome! wish we had that in the US..