Question for you guys generally when do you throw on the winter tires. I just purchased new winter tires for the first time and now I do not know when would be the best time for the install should i wait as long as possible b4 installation. I do live in Canada, or should I install sooner then later?

What do you guys do?

Well since you live in canada go ahead and put them on. Its suppose to snow soon. Its better now because its getting soo cold you don't want to mess with putting the wheels on in 10 degree weather. I myself will slap on some winter tires soon too. I just gotta do what Valeo is doing and spray the bottom of my car with that asphalt gunk stuff.

Install them now. I drive my car against my will in the winter, and also spreaded most of the parts under teh car with rust check.

Winter tires have more traction even on dry pavement when its cold, its not only about snow!

I have all seasons. But I don't have rims yet either. I'm poor.... :-(

I'm rockin the steelies like its nobody's business.

i live in south texas.... where 40 degree's is cold
warmish weather all year ftw

In Oregon we have a law about when you can have winter tires on (studded tires, that is), so maybe it depends on your specific locale and its laws. Studded tires damage the roads more quickly, so here, we are permitted to have them on from November 1st until I think it's May 1st.

I'd contact the DMV or its equivalent for your area and find out what the laws permit.

Dana, if i were you, with the weather we r suppost to be gettin this week/next, i would slap em on late in the week, probably thursday. Im throwing my winters on on the weekend, i would put em on now, but they are at my parents house. Im puttin Sarahs on probably tomorrow. My roomate is even thinkin of driving back to Chatham tomorrow after hes done class to put his on. it was like 4 out down here today, and my roomate spun his BMW out going around a corner on his summers, and thats just on cold pavement and a tiny bit of rain.

winter tires are generally softer than summer tires and therefore offer better cold weather traction as stated, but also wear faster, studded tires wear alot quicker yet, "all season" tires are ok in snow and wintery conditions, but specific winter tires are alot better. i threw on the steelies and hubcaps this past weekend and think my car looks sooooooo stupid, winter tires are gonan get mounted over this weekend. i just drive alot slower and less like an idiot kid when i have them on.

also, wide tires suck in the snow, so if you have the whole 7.5 or 8inch wide wheels that have "all season" or summer wet/dry tires on you will have horrible performace in the snow and the tread design lacks a bit on icy areas. i believe i have 190 tires on now which suck on dry roads compared to my summer set, but in the snow they perform a hundred times better =)

thats my input, but like said previously id put them on while its warm out yet, then re-tourqe the lugs after a week or so once they settle in, especially if you are changing wheels and not just mounting new tires

general rule of thumb is t put them on when there is one week where everyday the weather is 5degrees celcius or lower. it is too early to put them on now. weather is gonna go up again by nxt week... usually i don't end up putting mine on until late nov/early dec bcuz weather is so messed up these past few yrs

I have an extra set of wheels with winter tires and swapping them same weekend when clock changing (Daylight Saving Time).

I have an extra set of 15" steel wheels wheels with 195/60/15 winter tires also...and they find their way to the sar as soon as the termometer hits 7 degrees Celsius for the first time, since my performance tires aren´t any good below that temperature.

i have one pair of tires,my celi goes literally from 105 to 21 degrees without prob,thats cali for u..

The winter's in The Netherlands are very mild, at least here at the coast it is. Only a few day's (maybe 2 weeks) that it really freezes and maybe 5 days of snow. There's no point in getting winter tyre's for me.

>

that's sad

It’s quite something starting the car at -20 celcius (-4 F), and the engine cranks like it has molasse as oil.
Then when it’s time to go, you feel like the shifter doesn't want to move, but that’s after you press and release the clutch and it feels like a giant marshmallow under your foot,
then you almost hit curbs getting out of the driveway because the power steering fluid is like maple sirup and the steering doesn't really feel like returning to its center position.

oh yea, its quite the experience


Oh yea, and then after 15 minutes, the heater starts blowing warm air! Just when you pull over at your job's parking lot!



This post has been edited by Rayme: Nov 7, 2007 - 9:38 AM

haha @^ very tru. I guess ill probably put on my winters this weekend. I got snow last night. I just dont want to ware those damn things out on dry pavement. Good luck to everyone else with thiers as well hopefully no crashes this winter.

Thanks for the replies guys

I don't ever have to worry about "winterizing" my car a whole lot. It rarely stays cold enough and rarely snows for it to matter. I have to worry more about sleet and ice, but no snow.....God, I wish we had snow

doing hand brakes is alot of fun too

i run summer performance tires year round.
but wouldn't suggest it for the average driver.

i hate winter!
people turn into retards when there is snow on the road.
personally i just use whatever tires are already on the car LOL
once i get new rims though i will throw some winter tires on the stock wheels

betcha never had a frozen shifter before.. it usually happens in -40 degree weather or colder.. not so cool..

>
Yeah! Handbrake dancing simply rules!

One day (winter) last year I drove my girlfriend home, and it was snowing heavily...so by the time I got to her house and kissed godnight (needless to say it took a while), the snow was about 2 inches high on the roads everywhere...
Went to a bus depot near by, which has a pretty large parking (covered in snow, and literally untouched at the time) and started dancing around (with "The Blue Danube" waltz going on in the CD player).

Magnificent stuff!
Really!



But it couldn´t be done with summer time tires...too slippery and totally out of control.

It was cold enough a couple years back that even my sub in my trunk wouldn't move.

I'm probably putting my winter tires on my car this weekend. We get lots of black ice in my area, I don't know what it's like in Ontario. I don't know when you are allowed to put them on but I know here in BC you are supposed to have studded tires off your car before April 1st.

I had an accident driving in all seasons and I won't take that chance again. I was doing about 30 km/h and completely lost traction, on a hill, and broadsided a trunk. Good thing because it was down a drop off into someones yard if he wasn't there to stop me.