Snow Tires or Studded Tires?

Question

I just moved to Central Oregon and the snow and ice will be thick until March. What is better for traction and overall saftey in thick snow and ice...snow tires or studded tires? Should I also carry along chains even if I have snow/studded tires? And yes, Oregon allows studded tires from now until spring.

Answer 1

Studded snow tires are great if used properly. If you are in a place where you are not on snow and ice very much, the studs will wear out fast and start flying out of the tires. Also, if you are using studded tires, sometimes on panic stops you may skid more, because you are basically riding on steel. And if you do decide to use studded tires, don't get over-confident. They are only good on light snow and ice conditions. Yes, carry chains with you, and learn how to put them on.

Answer 2

depends on the car and tire size. Studs are not available for HP cars like Audi's (low profile).

Studs are best always buy 4

Bridgestone Blizzaks are the best non-studded and they size for the LP tires on HP cars. Again Buy 4

regular cars can use less expensive tires, My Neon I just got 4 Cooper whatevers for snows.

Chains are practically mandatory there or they won't let you on the highway. Get a cable set and keep in the trunk.

ASE Cert Auto Tech, Ice-Race Champion in the Black Hills

Answer 3

Winter tires are not like All-Season tires. Winter tires have special rubber compounds designed to improve traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions, not just ice and snow.

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.