Better traction on snow/ice?

Question

Tell me if I'm crazy, but I swear that I've heard that it's better for your tires to be just a little under-inflated in the winter, because it provides more traction on ice and snow. Is this true?

Answer 1

keep them at the proper pressure , use real winter tires and if you want the best traction - buy studded winter tires .

Answer 2

Yes, as a general rule. I air down to 8psi in my slicks for drag racing and when rock crawling we usually drop to 3-5 psi.  These are extremes of course but if you stay above 30 psi or so you should be safe.  but under inflation causes excess heat and heat will destroy a tire.

Answer 3

yeah it is a lil true but only if you have enuf tire wall [side of tire] deflating it will just flaten out the tred and put more of it on the road but i wouldn't do it only becase you can breake the seal of you trie and then your screwed

Answer 4

No, no, no!  That is bad for the tires, they will overheat.  You never drive on underinflated tires!  You can release some pressure to get a little more traction when you are stuck in snow, but you absolutely have to pump them back up again to the recommended pressure.  Low pressure does you absolutely no good on ice because the tires flex too much!  If you want more traction, get winter tires, they have special compounds to increase traction on ice, and treads to grip and release snow.

Take it from me, 42 years of driving experience in winter country, I know from experience.

Let me tell you why it is important to keep the proper inflation at all temperatures, and why it is so damnably stupid to deflate tires for winter driving.  5% of the weight of your car is supported by the tires.  Think about it, just 5%.  The other 95% of the weight of you car is supported by the air pressure.  Deflating the tires puts more pressure on the tire than it was designed to hold.

Answer 5

No. Under inflation on radial tires is never good. It causes the tires to roll the sidewalls over and really hurts the handling. Keep the tires properly inflated and drive as though you had an egg between your foot and the gas pedal and brake pedal and didn't want to crack it. In other words, accelerate slowly, allow your self more following room and easy on the brakes.

Answer 6

once the snow falls i deflate my tires by 5 psi

have done it for 25 years

just enough to ensure that the whole tread is getting bite

i should mention that i have always owned 4wd trucks and i also throw 200lbs in the bed

and as far as the ice goes..studded tires or chains....ice is ice  and the extra area touching it is of no help..if you know its icy  stay home until the roads are treated...and if you must drive use extreme caution

Answer 7

No............................

Winter Tires are designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions.

Many people think that all-season tires can deliver this same performance, but this is not true.

The superior traction that winter tires deliver, as much as a 25 to 50 percent increase over all-season tires, can very well be the margin you need to stop in time or turn to avoid trouble but under inflated tires will not improve your traction.