Performance Snow Tires - Has anyone tried them?

[Cheesehead]

I got my SHO last March and saw a little snow with the all seasons I have. Not the worst, but I have always been a snow tire advocate as they definitely work so I want to get some for this ride.

My first thought was to get some 18" cop rims and go with some Blizzaks which I have had good luck with. We do get a lot of snow in Wisconsin, but to be honest 90% of the time the roads are perfectly fine and clear so snow tires aren't really needed at all....until it dumps.

With my Crown Vic there was no need for handling or high speeds, but with the SHO? I would hate to give that up for 6 months of the year. Any experience with these tires?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=181

 

[yaycandy]

Studded and go all out Group B rally style.

 

[krewat]

I went the 18" wheel route, with the cop-car Goodyear winter tires. Eagle Ultra Grip GW-3

I put them on my 2016 when I had it, for a winter, and even drove it up until June on Long Island with them on. Had some rough weather that year. Still have them, just haven't needed them, so to speak.

My impression was:
Ice: No problem. So much siping on the tread, I never failed to get traction on ice. Yeah, you can't go 60 on residential streets on ice, but ... yeah.
Snow: It would slip a bit, and then dig itself down to where it could get traction, and just go. The tread wouldn't load up, as long as the pressure wasn't too high, and it would just shovel through it.
Rain: Standing water in the road? Flying through 2 inches of water doing 60 mph, they never left the pavement. This, coming from a guy who tested a set of Goodyear Aquatreds on his '96 t-bird at 120MPH in a downpour with an inch or two of water on the highway.
Handling: Of course they aren't my Goodyear F1's, but I never felt unsafe on dry pavement. I could get into a hard turn at high speeds, and feel absolutely safe at how they handled it. I was quite impressed.

This is not necessarily a recommendation to go with the Goodyears. Just that in general, a well designed "snow" tire can be an awesome thing on these cars.

Remember that in terms of getting traction, the more sidewall flex, the more of a contact patch you have with the surface of what you're driving on. Don't go all 22" on us

 

[yaycandy]

Our tires are pretty wide. I was always told "wide tires push snow" and to get thin tires and rims for winter. Beats me, i don't drive it in the snow. I wonder what snow tires @SM105K uses lol

 

[Zpak]

I wonder what snow tires @SM105K uses lol

Conti DryWetSnow

 

[Cheesehead]

You know I never thought the ride quality on any of my cars with snow tires was terrible, and have driven to Montana and back a few times with snows on and it was fine going 80 on clear roads. Probably safer to have the best snow tire I can get than some fancy model that excels at nothing. Was actually going to garage the SHO over the winters but I can see this thing not only being super safe, but being able to handle pretty much anything. The only time I got stuck in my 2000 Grand Marquis living in Montana was trying to bust through a snowplow drift to get out on the road. Should have went faster! So this car should be a beast.

 

[Zpak]

You know I never thought the ride quality on any of my cars with snow tires was terrible, and have driven to Montana and back a few times with snows on and it was fine going 80 on clear roads. Probably safer to have the best snow tire I can get than some fancy model that excels at nothing. Was actually going to garage the SHO over the winters but I can see this thing not only being super safe, but being able to handle pretty much anything. The only time I got stuck in my 2000 Grand Marquis living in Montana was trying to bust through a snowplow drift to get out on the road. Should have went faster! So this car should be a beast.

Yeah with good tires they are pretty good in the snow.

 

[yaycandy]

Conti DryWetSnow

I was just picking on him for living in the Phoenix area

 

[4sfed]

Depending on how much snow you're talking about, I've had excellent luck with konig tire chains (used to be thule).

If you have the 20" wheels, these are what I would get.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUV0G90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dcFnFbJ0WYPX9

BTW...these cars a BLAST in the snow!!!!!

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Zpak]

I was just picking on him for living in the Phoenix area

Me too

 

[luigisho]

I was just picking on him for living in the Phoenix area

Driving in Phoenix snow

 

[Frank W.]

I do the 18” steel wheels on my 2014 SHO with BLIZZAK DM-V2’s here in Massachusetts? They are great, especially with potholes. Our road are crap so I wanted the protection of the higher sidewalls. Definitely didn’t want to ruin the 20’s.

 

[SpeedHapyOutlaw]

My first thought was to get some 18" cop rims and go with some Blizzaks which I have had good luck with. We do get a lot of snow in Wisconsin, but to be honest 90% of the time the roads are perfectly fine and clear so snow tires aren't really needed at all....until it dumps.

18" Police Interceptor wheels with blizzaks. I went with the 18's for the $ break on the tires & it's fun to screw with people who think it's a detective car (Badge deletes also help!). Plus if I were to accidentally "curb check" one of the steelies I won't feel bad.

Performance wise I'm able to get out on the road before the plows with 6-8" of snow on ground & drive like ken block on the way to work (Empty roads @ 5 a.m.!). The only hiccup was the stability control limiting my fun. That has been rectified however.

SHO = Snow Handling Option

 

[RonPorter]

Remember that winter tires aren't necessarily for snow. They provide better overall performance whenever the temps are below freezing, really below 40F.

I've had Hankook Icebears, Blizzaks, Conti SIs, and now Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3s. All have worked great, as did a few sets of the only true a/s tire on the market, the Nokian WR. Ran/run those year round on my wife's previous/current cars. Plus on the Grand Marquis I used for work for 3 winters, in the wilds of PA.

Around SE MI, slush and ice are bigger issues than deep snow. Once I tried winter tires on my AWD Legacy GT 15 years ago, I've always had a set for my vehicles.

 

[Johnbigdog]

Being from Northern MN originally, I bought my first set of snow tires when I bought my p.p. Sho because I didn't want to give up dedicated summer tires. This is one reason I bought the p.p. never had snow tires before. Really wish I jumped on board sooner.

I went with the 18 in police steel wheels. I decided on 255/55/18 blizzaks. This was after using a tire size calculator to keep the tire diameter the same as the O.E.M. tire but also compare price/availability. I want to try Nokian next. I was surprised by the performance of the tire. Much smother ride (more side wall) but also a little lesser. After the 3rd season the performance of the tires felt reduced.

BUT (and a big one because I'm fat) I did make it through a snow storm this winter when there was a no travel advisory. If I had all seasons I think I would have been struggling or been stuck somewhere between Duluth and st. Ignace.

About the tire width stuffs. Think of a snowshoe. It spreads out the weight over a wider area and will allow you to float/ walk over the snow. It won't punch down to the road with the weight of the car. If you have a thinner tire, it acts like a pizza cutter. It custs through the snow and contacts the road. Snow unless packed down is slick so getting down to the road surface or hard pack is what you want.

 

[Oh8SnakeDriver]

I have an 2011 PP SHO, picked it up in Nov. 2010. After driving it in our 1st snowfall on the stock tires, I immediately ordered some Firestone Blizzak tires and had them mounted on the stock rims. Ordered up some after market rims and had the original tires mounted on them. Every fall I swap out the PP tires for the Blizzaks, then each spring I swap them back.

 

[RonPorter]

I have an 2011 PP SHO, picked it up in Nov. 2010. After driving it in our 1st snowfall on the stock tires, I immediately ordered some Firestone Blizzak tires and had them mounted on the stock rims. Ordered up some after market rims and had the original tires mounted on them. Every fall I swap out the PP tires for the Blizzaks, then each spring I swap them back.

Yep. IMO, dedicated summer and winter tires are the only way to go.

 

[Peetah75]

This will be my first winter in my SHO, so been considering options. Doesn't changing from 20' to 18' mess up the speedo?

 

[scrantch]

Our tires are pretty wide. I was always told "wide tires push snow" and to get thin tires and rims for winter. Beats me, i don't drive it in the snow. I wonder what snow tires @SM105K uses lol

I was told that too but still went with 255 55 18 Nokian Haakapeliitta 9s with a full compliment of studs. They were perfect. In fact, I am still using them on my awd charger

 

[yaycandy]

I was told that too but still went with 255 55 18 Nokian Haakapeliitta 9s with a full compliment of studs. They were perfect. In fact, I am still using them on my awd charger

Yea those weird Swedish Nerandertha Eskimo brand tires in areas that snow is just grass actually make the best studded snow tires. You do a quick search for sho studded now tires on Google and one of those weird brands comes up with high reviews and expensive.