dont mean to hijack the thread but what does FTW mean i see it all over here

 

FTW=For the win

 

After the disaster last season with all the slipping and sliding in Ohio snow with my X on stock tires, and a 30 foot stop earlier this snow season that had my car finally come to rest in the middle of an intersection (luckily no one around), I decided that snow tires were the only way to go. Agreed, Blizzaks ftw.

 

To the OP, it's gotta be the tires. I helped a guy in an A4 quattro who was stuck pulling into an alley a couple of weeks ago. It looked like he had summer tires on that thing. AWD with the wrong tires = garbage in the snow.

 

heyyy, everyone had the same answer...

 

Answer:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....us+KH16#Survey

 

I've had our 03 Sedan (Non AWD) just over fours years and this winter is the first with dedicated snow tires. All I can say is WoW!!! I went with the Blizzaks and it is like I'm driving a different car. IMO, it handles much better than most AWD cars equipped with all season tires. I am still angry at myself for not spending the money 4yrs ago for a set. If you're in a location that consistantly gets snow, you will have no regrets.

 

I respectfully disagree. For 10 years, i've driven nothing but RWD + snow tires in the winter.

This year i have AWD with all-seasons and I'm MUCH more confident in the snow with it. There is only so far RWD can take you even with snow tires. Back up on an incline or try to push through a wet slushy snow bank and you wish you had the front wheels to help assist. It's just simple physics when a car has more weight on it's nose and its rear wheels are pushing that there are a few situations where it's not ideal.

Not disputing that RWD + snow tires isn't great in the snow at all. I've done it and it's plenty capable. Just having driven both setups, i'll take AWD + all seasons over RWD + anything in the snow anyday.

I was actually going to buy snow tires this season for my X, but after a few storms, i've come to the realization I don't need them. Next winter, after i get a set of summer wheels, i'll buy the snows because, lets face facts, snow tires DO make a huge difference.

 

I agree with Mustang 5L5.

The frictional differences between good M+S rated all seasons and dedicated winters is not so significant. Good M+S A/S are quite usable in snowy conditions unlike dedicated summer tires.

Car and Driver using Caddy CTSs at Goodyear's Winter Proving Grounds discovered barely a 9% braking improvement with winters over A/S tires.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ons_tech_stuff

Last night I was driving on arterial roads in northwest suburban Chicago most of which were covered by at least two inches of the squishy salted stuff. It's the kind of snow left after much plowing and salting as the calcium chloride salt mixture is less effective below 10 degrees. And it's the hardest to get traction in because, by it's nature, it doesn't pack firm onto the roadbed.

My G35 coupe shod with M+S A/S Goodyear Eagle ResponsEdges had no difficulty keeping up with most other traffic. ASR/ VDC almost never comes on.

The advantage of AWD is the ability to transfer torque, in milliseconds, to the wheels with the most traction and retard torque to wheels with lesser traction based on inertia and slippage. Winter tires cannot reduce the control inertia (load transfer) in this way.

I've found that in the poorest traction situation, say taking a turn on that slushy partly melted snow, it is best to manually upshift to 3rd gear to reduce torque to the rear wheels and maintain traction.

For that reason BMW used to refer to third gear start-up as "winter driving mode" in it's auto transmission equipped RWD cars.

 

Okay, maybe I was being a little extreme... However, there's no arguing when it comes to braking...my brother has an 05 sedan "X" with oem tires and I thought his did much worse in the hardpack snow overall. There is no comparison when it came to braking...mine would stop on a dime and his behaved the same way mine did prior to the Blizzaks..slide..slide...slide.

 

I believe the braking varies by car... My G was probably the worse car when it came to braking on snow/ice I'd ever driven prior to getting the blizzaks. Regardless of the C&D report the G35 braking is day and night with dedicated snow tires compared to A/S tires. However, this is comparing the blizzaks to the stock Bridgestone A/S tires, Kumho A/s, and a set of Avon Tech A/S.

BTW, most studies I've found state a 30%-50% mprovement in braking with dedicated snow tires.


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Our 08 X is terrible in the snow. You give it the gas and it barelly moves. Turn VDC off and it starts to drive sideways down the road.

It is absolutly TERRIBLE.

 

Braking is purely the tires though. It doesn't really matter what drive system you have in a braking situation.

It also varies based on the ABS system the car has as well. They aren't all the same

 

You know what I'm gonna say. SNOW TIRES. Talk your Pop into them, and that thing will be a snow-eating monster.

 

Working on getting some for my 17s now. He wont buy them directly for that car. He complains that its a lease so there is no point.

But if we get snows for my 17s, im mounting them to the 08 lol