I think that this subject is becoming way over technical for the average Joe. Now you have to throw your 50% worn tires away. (thanks for the lead) It's all becoming a bit daft IMO. Maybe some actual data numbers would be nice to have instead of just words....marbling...longer distances to stop for winters in summer...bad handling in rain. It's all a bit too much.
Agreed. There is too much advertising hype and subjective variance. It is difficult to find provable facts.
Unfortunately the Tire Rack comparison of the LTX is against other all-seasons, and is not put into context of winter/all-weather tires.
That's exactly what worries me. Also, that tire has only 8.5/32 depth which is about 7 mm which looks to me like about time to trade them in. What's with that? I've never found a good explanation.
@ HeliDriver - Thanks for the link to STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WINTER TIRES IN SUMMER. That looks to be good info.
Written by people who use all seasons in winter.
Yes but that can be awfully tempting. While we get snow here in the Okanagan this is almost a desert. The snow that lands in my drive is light and fluffy like angel dust, not that mashed potatoes that comes down in wetter climates. Last winter I didn't drive more than a total of 10 hours on actual snow or ice. A set of winter tires is awfully expensive for ten hours.
My big problem is Coquihalla Pass combined with the Okanagan Connector or the alternate over Allison Pass. Those mountain passes are where we meet the snow and our grand children are on the other side. Consequently, I may be looking at a set of Nokian WRG3 SUV or equivalent.