|
Hello tire thread. I’ve just bought a Kia EV9. It’s an AWD, all electric SUV. I live in the Bay Area of California and I love to ski, so I drive from the Bay to Tahoe multiple times each winter. This involves driving over snowy mountain passes. I want to make informed, safe, and economical decisions with respect to what tires to put on this thing during ski season. I am also aware that my new vehicle is heavy, over 5,000lbs, so I need to equip it in a way in which it will stop in snow in as short a distance as is reasonably possible. What makes this tricky is the fact that in the Bay Area, where I spend the vast majority of my time, we have a Mediterranean climate. It never snows and the temperature is usually between about 45f and 70f during the winter. A proper snow tire is completely wasted here. Yet Tahoe can have heavy winter conditions (steep roads, heavy snow, ice). Obviously, swapping snow tires on and off every single time I go skiing (~10 times per winter) is silly and expensive so how do I balance driving at both ends of the spectrum? (Other than avoiding the roads altogether when it's properly awful out there, which I will do.) I think I have the following options: Buy dedicated snow tires + wheels and have them mounted and removed at the beginning and end of each ski season - Should I get “M+S” tires or “three peak snowflake” tires? - Given that nearly all my driving is in a Mediterranean climate, will I ruin these tires by having them on all winter and mostly driving them on dry pavement in 45-70 degree weather? - Will these tires have poor or unsafe handling on dry, warm pavement? - Will they be loud on dry, warm pavement? Buy “M+S” or "three peak snowflake" tires which are also appropriate for year round use and always use them - Does such a thing even exist? - - I think the Michelin Cross Climate 2 may qualify? It's apparently an all season tire with the "three peak snowflake" designation? Or am I misreading it? - Do these perform well in snow when compared to a dedicated winter tire? I’m sure they’re not as good as dedicated winter only tires, but how much of a difference is there? Don’t buy winter tires - Instead always apply chains when chain controls are active - This is a last resort, I am upgrading from a FWD vehicle and specifically chose AWD to avoid having to always use chains For context, California says any "M+S" tire qualifies when it comes to not having to put on chains. So I want to use at least M+S tires, but are these good enough in conditions beyond light snow? I know little about tires and am not a car person, so would appreciate greatly if you can spell out acronyms or whatever. Chimp_On_Stilts fucked around with this message at 09:47 on Jan 1, 2024 |
#
¿
Jan 1, 2024 09:28
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 12, 2024 01:35 |
|
|
Thanks for the recommendations, I think I'll get the Cross Climate 2s.SlowBloke posted:Crossclimates are also going to melt quicker if loaded with a heavy electric suv, check the threads often. Are there any studies on how much quicker they'll wear? Even a guesstimate? Are we talkin' 5% faster or 50% faster?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2024 21:57
|
|
|
Infinotize posted:The CA reg is dumb, M+S are not necessarily any good in snow. But the 3 peak mountain snowflake indicates a decent winter/snow tire. I verified the stock tires on the EV9 are 285/45R21 Hankook Ion EVO AS. It turns out these do have the M+S designation. Your comment makes me concerned that these might not be very good in Tahoe snows, however. Hankook's webpage for these tires says the following: quote:...performs equally well in dry, wet and mild winter driving conditions. quote:This helps to provide outstanding grip performance on dry, wet roads and light snow. So Hankook themselves are saying these aren't meant for driving in heavy winter conditions which do happen in Tahoe, though it sounds like they'll be fine if the road has been plowed but there's still some snow. If I was driving and the California department of transportation had initiated chain controls (mandatory use of chains), they would let me continue driving without chains in R1 and R2 conditions because these tires have the M+S designation and this vehicle is AWD. Is that reasonable / safe? I do not want to be some jackass who is overconfident and ends up in a wreck because I thought I was properly equipped when I was not. (See the caltrans webpage on chain controls here.) Separately, I've been calling around town to try to source some Cross Climate 2 tires. Turns out they're not made in the exact size of this vehicle's stock tires (28545R21), but they are made in 275/40R21. A local tire shop has told me that these tires will fit my existing wheels and that it is safe to do so, though it might result in worse fuel economy. Is it ok to use tires of not exactly the stock size, or is this person just trying to make a sale? They also quoted me $2,302 out the door. I see I can order the tires myself online for about $410 each, which means after parts they're asking roughly $650 for labor, tax, and everything else. Is this a reasonable price to have old tires removed and new tires mounted? Given the expense, and the fact that the Cross Climate 2s aren't available in my vehicle's exact size, I am starting to think I'll use the stock M+S tires and apply chains if conditions are nasty. Thanks for all the help folks. I'm out of my depth here, your input is really valuable. Chimp_On_Stilts fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Jan 2, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2024 20:48
|
|
|
SlowBloke posted:Hankook ion icept, that's the winter equivalent to your current tire. Also ion evo and ion evo AS are two entirely different tires, so watch out if you are making fact sheet comparisons. Nice catch, it is in fact the Ion EVO AS. I'll edit my post above to reflect that.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2024 21:16
|
|
|
Steve French posted:Whether you'll be fine in terms of being safe/not getting stuck depends somewhat on your own experience driving in snow, and how much driving off the freeway you are doing up here. I've been making these regular trips to Tahoe for a decade now, in a FWD vehicle without M+S or 3 peak snowflake tires (chains only). I feel confident because I know I will drive cautiously and slowly, and avoid driving if the roads are a horror show, as I always have done. So I'm thinking the M+S tires may be fine. And as someone visiting to ski, I am mostly driving on well trafficked and well plowed roads. I do appreciate how good the Tahoe area is about keeping the roads clear -- makes sense, gotta make sure the computer nerds from the Bay can get to the lake and spend some money. I'm just trying to be responsible up front since this new vehicle is heavy (over 5,000 lbs) and I drat sure don't want to bring harm to myself, my family, or anyone else. Better too cautious than not enough. I'll probably take it to Tahoe a couple times on the M+S tires and get a feel for how they're performing while driving extra defensively, then make a decision whether it's worth spending a bunch more money on new tires. Chimp_On_Stilts fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Jan 2, 2024 |
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2024 21:55
|
|