FocusCanada Forums

i donno man...thats what i thought last winter...and the whole winter i couldn't drive pass 40km/h on regular roads down here,....the car would just sliiiiiiiide........so that was kinda scary and annoying.... highway was fine
never hit anything...but it just wasn't safe for sure

$350 for the whole set, i think not bad

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 10:01 PM Wrote:Not just to harp on Nic, but do you people not know how to drive?
There is no need for winter tires in our climate.  A good all season, yes.
Winter tires?  Cmon.  I drove a 1990 Thunderbird SC with no weight in the back end of a rear wheel drive car and a terrible all season tire Goodyear Gatorbacks and managed to never get stuck.  Or in a accident.
I can't believe that many of you actually believe you need winter tires on a FWD car for the amount of snow you have to drive thru on a paved road.
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I can't speak for everyone, but personally I put snows on for 3 reasons:

1) I usually work steady nights, and normally (or historically) work 4-early and 4-over opportunities, which mean I often drive to work and drive home before the plows are out. And keeping in mind that one Saturday pays for a set of snows that last 4 years, it's a cheap investment.

2) My 2 oldest kids live in Emsdale (Burk's Falls), if I have to pick them up or drop them off, I can't let a snow storm deny me visiting my kids.

3) You don't want to pit your rims from the salt, so you put steelies on in the winter. If you were getting a second set of tires, why get all seasons when you can snows for usually cheaper?

NikiterZTS,Feb 7 2007, 10:07 PM Wrote:i donno man...thats what i thought last winter...and the whole winter i couldn't drive pass 40km/h on regular roads down here,....the car would just sliiiiiiiide........so that was kinda scary and annoying.... highway was fine
never hit anything...but it just wasn't safe for sure

$350 for the whole set, i think not bad
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What tires were you driving on? A good set of all seasons would probably have solved your issue.
And 1 set of tires is always cheaper than 2.

And Sparky, why are you worried about pitting on the stock rims. They are stock rims. It won't affect the resale value.

they were those crappy Michellines Hydroage or w/e it was...

the set i was talkin about included 4 stock 16" rims and winter tires themselves (they were slightly used)

definately run 4 tires.....makes such a difference

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 10:14 PM Wrote:And Sparky, why are you worried about pitting on the stock rims.  They are stock rims.  It won't affect the resale value.
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I'm not concerned with resale value, if I was I wouldn't have bought a Focus. ;)

You wash and wax your truck. It doesn't have a custom paint job. It's not much different than any other of the 150,000 blue F-150s Ford makes every year. But of course, that's not why you do it, it has to do with keeping your belongings in decent shape for as long as you can. Because you paid for it. Just like you paid for the rims that came with it. No?

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 11:01 PM Wrote:There is no need for winter tires in our climate.  [right][snapback]226170[/snapback][/right]

FYI: Worse advice ever. :lol:

If you like ending up backwards after heavy braking then stick with 2 winters on the front.

Winter tires will aid you in traction on your front wheels to get going in slippery conditions. It will also help you in braking, but if your rear tires don't have the same grip as the front you are upseting the balance of the car. During braking, your weight shifts to the front which already lessens the grip in the rear. By having lower grip summer tires on the rear the tendency to swap ends has dramaticaly increased.

One of the big advantages to winter tires is simply temperature. A winter tire has much more tolerence to cold and hot. An all-season tire may lose its elasticity at say -10C, but a good winter tire may be good for -30C. This gives you more benefits when its a damn cold day outside. Here in southern New Brunswick, it has only been warmer than -15 2 days in the last 2 weeks.

OAC_Sparky,Feb 7 2007, 10:13 PM Wrote:2) My 2 oldest kids live in Emsdale (Burk's Falls), if I have to pick them up or drop them off, I can't let a snow storm deny me visiting my kids.

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I know what your talking about. My parents live in Kearney and they have a ton of snow now. At Christmas there was only about 4" but now its a different story. I was up there with my stock BFG's before I replaced them and I couldn't get anywhere. Most of the roads in that area are usually covered with ice and now that I have 4 snows on its like driving with my Fuzion ZRi's on a hot summer day.

4 is the only way to go.

I'm not sure where the P6s are getting such a bad rap from, aside from one member's known dealings with them.

I've been running them all winter and even though we've had half the snow this year that we normally get (or less), they've been more than acceptable at any point in time.

In any case, if you're stuck on snows... get 4. Always match your tires and tread compounds. As others have mentioned, one pair will give out before the other pair will in terms of traction... and that could be deadly.

Flofocus,Feb 7 2007, 10:53 PM Wrote:

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 11:01 PM Wrote:There is no need for winter tires in our climate.  [right][snapback]226170[/snapback][/right]

FYI: Worse advice ever. :lol:
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Seems like I am losing the argument anyway.

No one seems to understand that in the GTA, I really don't think they are necessary.

But if it makes you feel safe, then buy 4 and be happy. :D

meford4u,Feb 8 2007, 09:00 AM Wrote:

Flofocus,Feb 7 2007, 10:53 PM Wrote:

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 11:01 PM Wrote:There is no need for winter tires in our climate.  [right][snapback]226170[/snapback][/right]

FYI: Worse advice ever. :lol:
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Seems like I am losing the argument anyway.

No one seems to understand that in the GTA, I really don't think they are necessary.

But if it makes you feel safe, then buy 4 and be happy. :D
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You need them so you have the best chance of avoiding the morons who've never seen snow before and apparently can't handle a half-inch of slush. :rolleyes:

4. I've got Michelin X-ice.

meford4u,Feb 8 2007, 10:00 AM Wrote:

Flofocus,Feb 7 2007, 10:53 PM Wrote:

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 11:01 PM Wrote:There is no need for winter tires in our climate.  [right][snapback]226170[/snapback][/right]

FYI: Worse advice ever. :lol:
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Seems like I am losing the argument anyway.

No one seems to understand that in the GTA, I really don't think they are necessary.

But if it makes you feel safe, then buy 4 and be happy. :D
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I agree with Meford Totally on the Topic about not needing Snow tires in the GTA, if you get because you drive outside of it a lot then go for it but in the GTA it's a waste of money. Brampton is where I lived and I can tell you that with-in 2 hours of a snow fall all the salters are out in full force and the roads are 95% wet only durring and after a snow fall, unless it's a real dumping.

After moving to Kitchener and seeing how f***ing lazy the plow drivers & salters are here, you might need winter tires for this area, but I will say I'm doing fine on my all seasons that will need replacing in the spring.

Hi,

First to the guy with the truck and the T-bird...the reason you can get away with all seasons on your vehicles are because they weigh a lot. This helps in traction. In comparison a focus is quite light and therefore slides around much much more. Therefore, on a focus winter tires are a must. Yes 4 are better, but two is better than none. And yes, put them on the rear.

I now live in Winnipeg and would not drive here in the winter without them on. I moved here from Fredericton, and again although we did not get alot of snow, you never knew when you would get it, and as a shift worker who needed to get to work on time and in one piece, I was very happy to have them.

I also spent November/December 06 in the Barrie/GTA/Hamilton area. Drove through the area every weekend...was glad I had the snows on, on more than one occassion.

Finally, as a member of the Canadian Law Enforcement community..Please, don't be stupid, you live in Canada..we get some pretty harsh winter driving conditions no matter where you live so PUT SNOW TIRES ON YOUR VEHICLES!!!!!!!!!

Thanks...ok back to your regularly scheduled programing...LoL

Blackheart4355,Feb 11 2007, 12:31 AM Wrote:Hi,

First to the guy with the truck and the T-bird...the reason you can get away with all seasons on your vehicles are because they weigh a lot.  This helps in traction.  In comparison a focus is quite light and therefore slides around much much more.  Therefore, on a focus winter tires are a must.  Yes 4 are better, but two is better than none.  And yes, put them on the rear. 

I now live in Winnipeg and would not drive here in the winter without them on.  I moved here from Fredericton, and again although we did not get alot of snow, you never knew when you would get it, and as a shift worker who needed to get to work on time and in one piece, I was very happy to have them.

I also spent November/December 06 in the Barrie/GTA/Hamilton area.  Drove through the area every weekend...was glad I had the snows on, on more than one occassion.

Finally, as a member of the Canadian Law Enforcement community..Please, don't be stupid, you live in Canada..we get some pretty harsh winter driving conditions no matter where you live so PUT SNOW TIRES ON YOUR VEHICLES!!!!!!!!!

Thanks...ok back to your regularly scheduled programing...LoL
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Welcome copper...........
But just remember two things about my t-bird and my truck. Granted they are heavier. But the ratio of the weight in the back end of my truck compared to the front end is significantly disproportioned. There is very little weight in the rear of a truck, and when comparing that to the FWD of the Focus, the weight under the wheels of the Focus at the front is much heavier.
So you go buy your winter tires in Winterpeg. I would suggest it. But for those of use in the Toronto area, it isn't necessary. Even the local police force doesn't put snow tires on their cruisers and that says alot. We just don't get the snow.

meford4u,Feb 7 2007, 11:01 PM Wrote:

NikiterZTS,Feb 7 2007, 08:57 PM Wrote:does it actually f*** up the tranny that way? or people don't use it as much cuz its gas consumming?
but ur prob fish tail alot eh
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Not just to harp on Nic, but do you people not know how to drive?
There is no need for winter tires in our climate. A good all season, yes.
Winter tires? Cmon. I drove a 1990 Thunderbird SC with no weight in the back end of a rear wheel drive car and a terrible all season tire Goodyear Gatorbacks and managed to never get stuck. Or in a accident.
I can't believe that many of you actually believe you need winter tires on a FWD car for the amount of snow you have to drive thru on a paved road.
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I agree with you Meford.

Winter tires are scam in our climate. A GOOD all season is all you need in these here parts.

s***, Bryan and I drove back from Bunny's last New years eve in some pretty nasty stuff on hwy 6 (Not the most friendly highway) and we did just fine on my all seasons.

Winter tires will definitely make a difference. In Toronto, it means people feel safer driving like idiots in the snow...

But honestly, we've had 2 snow falls this year? And both times, it was pretty white knuckle in the stang with stock all-seasons, but completely doable if you don't mind everyone passing you.

The rest of the time, it's been dry pavement.

I don't think I ever owned snow tires, even living up in Thunder Bay... and the roads were always snow covered. But there's a big difference between sanded, hard pack snow and the slush you get here.

In reality, the greatest added benefit is in the fresh, and slippery snow... the rest of the time, winter tires may be a little superfluous.

If you can get 'em, get all 4 and know you're running the best possible scenario in the winter.

If you don't, adjust for the weather and you'll be fine.

darkpuppet,Feb 12 2007, 09:33 AM Wrote:I don't think I ever owned snow tires, even living up in Thunder Bay... and the roads were always snow covered.  But there's a big difference between sanded, hard pack snow and the slush you get here.
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It's the same in North Bay for residential ares and other tertiary roads - hard-packed, clean and level. It melts down in a few days, anyways and the intersections are always sanded.

Driving responsibly for the conditons you're facing always trumps the rubber on your car... unless it's a Diablo in a foot of snow. :P