What is better, studded tires or spend the money on good winters?

Question

Have to replace the tires on my saturrn (front wheel drive) will be doing lots of highway miles. Live in a winter environment i.e lots of snowy, icy roads. Tryin to keep my budget under $500 Do I go with Blizzaks or just stud cheaper tires? Serious drivers, please...

Answer 1

It depends on how long you plan on keeping the tires on the car, and where you live.

If you're gonna keep the tires on the car year round, go for a good set of All-Season tires.

If this is a winter only set, definately go for the winter tires. Avoid the studded tires, as your traction will decrease as you increase your speed.

Also, check with your Secretary of State/Department of Motor Vehicles to see if snow chains are legal in your state, for emergencies or severe weather. But it could be like here in Michigan, where snow chains are illegal on the road surface.

Answer 2

A good set of winter tires.

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.

Answer 3

If I were buying new tires, I'd go for the Blizzaks...  They are almost as good as studs on ice and snow, and much better than studs on dry pavement.  Also, while you should replace them with regular all-season tires for summer driving, you're not required by law to removing them on or before some arbitrary date that the state makes up, as would be the case with studded tires.

Answer 4

The studded will give you poorer handling on the highway when the snow melts. Better in the long run to get good winters and if needed pick up a set of cable chains for emergencies.