Winter Driving Problems/Tire issue?

[jkvtin]

My daughter has a 2014 Fusion Hybrid SE. Overall has been great but she moved from TN to PA and the car did really really lousy in the snow/ice conditions. After doing some reading I think the culprit is the original tires (Goodyear Eagle LS2 235/45R18). Seems like it is a good low end road tire but winter driving performance seems generally rated poorly. I thought maybe it my be in part to a weight-balance thing due to hybrid, but maybe as simple as crappy winter tires. Any thoughts? Any advice for the appropriate tire for winter? We all have add Subarus prior so winter has been less of an issue. Thanks

[hytibill]

I have a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium in NYC with the stock 18" wheels. God, the Goodyear LS-2 are HORRIBLE in the winter. I could not drive reliably in over an inch of snow. I ordered 16" wheels with Michelin Ice Xi3. Hopefully, they'll fit!

[hermans]

When I had my FFH I bought a set of rims and outfitted them with Firestorm Blizzaks. They are now used on the MKZh and I bought a new Escape with 4WD.

[Cobra348]

My daughter has a 2014 Fusion Hybrid SE. Overall has been great but she moved from TN to PA and the car did really really lousy in the snow/ice conditions. After doing some reading I think the culprit is the original tires (Goodyear Eagle LS2 235/45R18). Seems like it is a good low end road tire but winter driving performance seems generally rated poorly. I thought maybe it my be in part to a weight-balance thing due to hybrid, but maybe as simple as crappy winter tires. Any thoughts? Any advice for the appropriate tire for winter? We all have add Subarus prior so winter has been less of an issue. Thanks

I have never used factory tread in snow/ice conditions - ever. Typically they are rated best for dry/wet conditions. Like others have mentioned I have winter tread on a separate set of rims and simply swap them out as needed. Typically my winter set is the factory rims with winter tread on them and non-winter is rims from TireRack and the factory tread.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Cobra348

[CCalvinN]

I've never used winter tires until I had my 2012 Focus. The regular tires in those were completely useless in snow/ice/slush. Putting winter tires on it made the drive acceptable. I got my FFH in February of this year and while there wasn't a large amount of snowfall it did come down and I was able to drive through it just fine. Currently I have no plans to put winter tires on the car. We'll see though with a full cold season.

[Cobra348]

I've never used winter tires until I had my 2012 Focus. The regular tires in those were completely useless in snow/ice/slush. Putting winter tires on it made the drive acceptable. I got my FFH in February of this year and while there wasn't a large amount of snowfall it did come down and I was able to drive through it just fine. Currently I have no plans to put winter tires on the car. We'll see though with a full cold season.

All my Fiestas (including the current one) came with Kumho Solus 15" tread. Those were not good at all in even an inch of snow. But they make great non-winter tread!

 

This will be my first winter in the FFH and am hoping the HVB location will aid in getting out of the driveway when it hasn't been cleared yet. I rent and the landlord sometimes has a tough time getting the parking and drive cleared out ... it's about 80-90 feet to the road and downhill for the last 15 feet or so.

[FernMTL]

Here, we have to run winter tires from dec.15 to march 15 since 7-8 years. I use to ride all season year long before that law and, trust me, I wolud never go back to that.

 

Winter tires are needed in regions that gets cold and snow. A no brainer for your own security!

 

I love the Toyo Observer, the Bridgestone Blizzak are good too.

Edited September 10, 2015 by FernMTL

[machoman1337]

When I lived in Ontario I switched to winter tires from all-season tires between November and April. I then switched back to all-seasons so I could preserve the winter tires for another use (they don't hold up well in hot weather).

 

Speaking from experience, all-season tires are useless on snow and ice, particularly in east-side conditions. Even if you have an AWD car, you cannot compensate for the lack of grip. You'll really notice the difference when braking at a red light - having proper tires cuts the braking distance by more than half.

 

In snowy conditions, a Corolla outfitted with four actual winter tires will fare better than a large SUV with all-season tires.

 

I don't know what brands of tires are better than others, but I know that if the tire is labeled as a winter tire, you should use it over ANY brand of all-season tire if you live in an area with regular snow/ice.

 

Good on Quebec for making winter tires mandatory during specific months - statistics show accidents went down by 15% after the law was implemented. Ontario is also on the right track, mandating that insurers give a 15% discount for use of winter tires.

Edited September 13, 2015 by machoman1337