We've all heard the question.

About 6 weeks ago when it was still frigid we had the chance to have several Maseratis here for testing, including the Turismo S. While they were here we decided to have some fun in the snow on our test track. One we kept on the stock Pirelli P-Zero performance summer tires, the other we equipped with Pirelli 240 Sotozero winter tires. Take a look at the acceleration and braking differences. On this car and its F430 drive train the difference in performance and control is staggering. There should be no doubt after watching this that snow tires help in the winter.

http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=31

 

nice video


are there still people in the civilized world that don`t know about the importance of snow tires yet?
LOL...omg...that`d be crazy

 

For someone like me in SoCal this type of thing isn't regularly experienced so a video like this is really cool. I just assumed they were marginally better than summer tires (which I knew were really bad in snow) but there is no comparison. It is truly amazing to see how well a winter tire actually performs.

 

oh,ok that makes sense...
you don`t get to see snow too often in SoCal,do you?
Aaaah...how great that`d be...no snow year round..

 

Since I ride my motorcycle back and forth to work every day it would be especially tough for me. I wonder how my tires would do in the snow...

 

That's a great video - really illustrates the differences!

 

Seems like a waste of time to test winter tires against summer tires. What is more interesting to me is how the winters do against all seasons. I put Toyo Proxes 4's on my Quattroporte and they do just fine in the winter and give me 90% of the performance of summer tires without the hassle and expense of changing wheels twice a year. I do wonder about how much better winters would be.

 

It has been said many times before, but bears repeating......you cannot use summer tires in the cold (regardless of whether or not there is snow and ice present).Of course, there are few things I enjoy more than watching people struggle in the snow with their "all weather cars" and the wrong tires while I cruise on by in my car that "you don't drive that in the winter, do you?"

 

Good snows would still be quite differnt against the Proxes 4. Even our best performance all season tire here cannot hold a candle to the ice traction of a snow tire's compound.

 

I switch to Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 for my wife's car during winter months, and it makes a huge difference. If you choose a winter tire that is more performance oriented but sacrifices some snow capabilities, you can still enjoy a spirited drive on the back roads without the squishy feel of full snow tires.

Driving with these tires on light to moderate snow is amazing. The traction is so good that it makes you think the pavement is not slippery. It is deceptive to the point of becoming risky as you push for more speed in the snow when you shouldn't. For years I drove with all-season tires during winter weather, but now that I know what performance snow tires can do I will never go back to anything else during cold months.

 

Nice video, me likes!

 

Yah, but it only snows a couple times a year here. Grab a utility knife and sipe up some all-seasons for winter time fun.

 

Ummm, yeaahhhh. Good luck with that.

 

All season tires are next to worthless in real snow.........my bother lives in Aspen. Snow tires are worthless here in Miami for traction or performance driving. All season tires are lame in either situation.
Always use the right tool for the job.

 

Time to resurrect the thread for this year's buying season. If you have not seen the video yet - TAKE A LOOK!

Then call me.