And your tires.Ajax wrote:That depends on the condition of the slide
PapaSmurf2k3 wrote: so run the skinniest tire recommended for your wheels.
Also remember that eventually most cities will plow the roads (IDK about Canada). Skinnier tires can certainly be advantageous in the snow, but keep it reasonable since most of the winter will still be driven on not-so-snowy roads.FlatBlackIan wrote:This is a double edged sword.PapaSmurf2k3 wrote: so run the skinniest tire recommended for your wheels.
"Skinny" won't necessarily mean "stretched" unless you get really ridiculous... people need to keep in mind that as they go narrower, they need to increase the aspect ratio in order to maintain the same (or larger) overall diameter... pretty much the opposite of what we all do on our cars for looks and performance.FlatBlackIan wrote:PapaSmurf2k3 wrote: so run the skinniest tire recommended for your wheels.
This is a double edged sword.
Yes, skinny tires are more effective, look at WRC racing snow tires, but another very important factor is pliability. By stretching a skinny tire onto a wide wheel, you effectively stiffen the side wall of the tire. Snow tires have a soft side wall for a reason. The softness allows the tire to move around on the wheel, thereby maintaining traction when small changes in wheel speed or direction threaten to cause a loss of it.
Great for drifting, not for snow driving.
PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:Pretty much why I said "recommended'. Obviously stretching your tires isn't recommended by any tire professional, at any tire shop. I'm talking like the difference between a 205 and a 195 here...
True story.AZhitman wrote:
"Skinny" won't necessarily mean "stretched" unless you get really ridiculous... people need to keep in mind that as they go narrower, they need to increase the aspect ratio in order to maintain the same (or larger) overall diameter... pretty much the opposite of what we all do on our cars for looks and performance.
Getting up into a 75 or 80-series tire isn't unrealistic, and retains sidewall height (and therefore, flexibility).
Another benefit to taller sidewall is greater tread depth. Generally modern low-pro tires have pretty limited tread depth compared to ~65-ratio tires of old. Part of what makes a snow tire superior for snow driving is its ability to evacuate snow from tread gaps--same goes for mud tires. The deeper a tire's tread, the better its ability to evacuate debris will be and, by extension, the better the traction will be.AZhitman wrote:"Skinny" won't necessarily mean "stretched" unless you get really ridiculous... people need to keep in mind that as they go narrower, they need to increase the aspect ratio in order to maintain the same (or larger) overall diameter... pretty much the opposite of what we all do on our cars for looks and performance.
Funny, I was talking to Holli the other night and we agreed how screwing around in empty parking lots after fresh snowfall when we were kids was training for adulthood. I'd actually be interested to know the correlation between experience gained "back then" and how the experience and skills translated to accident free driving in inclement conditions as adults.nissangirl74 wrote: Getting out there and trying to with no guidance, well, that's a horrible idea.