View Full Version : Winter tires and road trips


khtm
01-21-2005, 05:53 PM
(disclaimer: sorry Admins, I know this should go in Wheels, Tires, ... I just wanted a quick answer because I'm leaving tomorrow morning)

Is there any danger in going on, say a 6 hour (each way) drive with winter tires? I don't imagine they'll be much or any snow on the highway. Like, is it recommended to not exceed 100 MPH or something? Also, how bad do you think the wear on the tires will be, and is it worse the faster you drive?

One last question: what would the recommended tire pressure be?

Shamblerock
01-21-2005, 06:48 PM
In my opinion:\
- The faster you go the more you wear them out especially if they are high performance. But if they are not and are regular type snow tires, they will probably not wear out so fast

- The max limit of your speed on the snow tires is dicted by the speed rating of the tire. ie. H=130mph, S..., t......., V........ Z..... Go to The Tire Rack for a full explanation
- Tire pressure is again dictated by the the tires by their markings. The lower the pressure, the better snow traction, worse cornering, the greater wear rate because of the greater contact with the road. The higher pressure, the less wear, the better handling , the less snow traction and the higher risk of popping the tire. I personallty keep them at 32-34.

Hope this helps.

rx8cited
01-21-2005, 07:29 PM
......One last question: what would the recommended tire pressure be?

36 PSI cold for snow tires . It's in the RX-8 owner's manual (stated as 4.3 PSI over pressure on door sticker) and seperately confirmed with the Tire Rack.

Have a safe trip.

rotten42
01-21-2005, 08:08 PM
It depends on what brand and style of winter tire you have...... example - your typical Bridgestone Blizzacks may wear quickly but if you have LM-22's, they are designed to be used on clear roads in the winter and at higher speeds.



Look here yto see if they talk about your brand and model of tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/types/snows.jsp

khtm
01-21-2005, 09:49 PM
thanks for your responses

I have Toyo Garit HT 215-55-17s

from this site: http://www.1010tires.com/tire.asp?tirebrand=Toyo&tiremodel=Garit+HT I found some info about the tires

I also found that the H means they're rated for 130 MPH...nice!

So...I think I'll be ok for speed and wear and tear :)

Ike
01-25-2005, 04:36 PM
(disclaimer: sorry Admins, I know this should go in Wheels, Tires, ... I just wanted a quick answer because I'm leaving tomorrow morning)

Is there any danger in going on, say a 6 hour (each way) drive with winter tires? I don't imagine they'll be much or any snow on the highway. Like, is it recommended to not exceed 100 MPH or something? Also, how bad do you think the wear on the tires will be, and is it worse the faster you drive?

One last question: what would the recommended tire pressure be?

Snow tires can wear out fairly fast when driven when there is no snow (some more than others), especially in warmer weather since they tend to be a softer rubber. But a 600 mile trip they should be fine, and I'd say it's suggested you don't exceed 100mph regardless of what your snow tires are rated at :p In addition to breaking laws and risking a nasty ticket, dedicated snow tires in general aren't going to be as stable as a good performance or all season tire and they will wear faster at higher speeds.