Are the stock tires safe for winter (snow) uses?
 

Anybody living in area that snows during the winter?
How good are the stock tires handle during snowy days?
Should I invest on snow tires?

I had good luck with the stock tires the first year. You may get a little more snow in Toronto than we do here in Detroit, but I thought they were OK. This year they are fairly worn so I'll be getting some winter tires.

so under regular conditions, it's okay? I can even drive when it's actually snowing (not heavy, of course)?

That's great news, I don't quite have extra $$ to spend anymore... :(

btw, do you actually live on this messageboard? How come it seems you're always here to answer newbie's questions? :cool:

You're pretty cool :rolleyes:

Re: Are the stock tires safe for winter (snow) uses?
 

I live in hamilton, I used the stockers last year with no problems, even in deep snow. As long as you are staying in the city. Don't worry about it. But keep in mind the salt will kill your alloys.
Stocker

Agreed!
 

I have never driven in the winter with an FF car before, and maybe it is just me. But the stock tires really seem to suck!!! On even light snow handling goes way down. I find that sometimes i completely lose traction to the front tires, which slip sometimes when I'm turning. They don't really seem to have traction for winter acceleration either. The wheels tend to slip a lot. I just got the car less than 4 months ago, so the tires are new. But then again, it is all up to the driver. If you are skillful at winter driving, and have good control over how your car acts in the winter, you shouldn't have anything to complain about with the tires.

The tires that come with the protege sedans are ok for bare dry roads. They are completely inadequate for even wet roads, if you drive enthusiastically.

Do yourself and everyone else on the road a favour and invest in a good set of snow tires for the winter.

All-season tires are a poor compromise at best and are dangerous at worst because they make you believe that you have good traction when you don't. Like all compromises an all season tire is not the best at anything; dry, cold, wet, snow or ice.

Up here in the Great White North I would not dream of driving past the 1st of November without my snow tires on. If it were legal in my province I would be driving with studs in my tires, but Big Brother up here won't let us.

There are lots of great winter tires out there, go out and get a good set of tires. You will be able to drive when, where and how you want. You can use a set of winter tires for 3-4 years so they aren't that expensive if you break the cost down.

Enjoy drivng in all the seasons.

I'm sure you guys have heard the old racer's adage... "good rain tires only make you crash faster..."

All season tires = No season tires


They are okay in summer, but are bad in winter.....

If they are new (alot of thread left) then you'll be fine as long as you take precaution when driving, but if you have the money, invest in good snow tires

:)

They are fine on any dry roads (warm or cold). But very slippy on wet (rain or slush). As long as you remember that you have reduced grip in the wet and take it easy, then you should be fine. Just be aware that the tires might not be there for you when you need them most :o

No, I don't live here, I just happen to be in a business that lulls down in the Autumn so I find myself with time to kill. It gives a great opportunity to surf the Protege boards. I usually drop in Sat and Sun mornings too, while I'm checking e-mail. I really don't post as much as some do. If I see a thread that interests me I'll read it and add something if I think it helps.

I have noticed many people from north of both of us really hated the tires in Winter. Perhaps more folks up there put Winter tires on their cars than do around here. I think since most people in my area stay on their all-seasons year round, speeds really go down in inclimate Winter weather. We usually only end up with 10-12 really bad driving days/nights and speeds are so slow that it's not hard to stay ahead of yourself and in control. I'm sure that once I drive in some good snow or slush with dedicated snow tires I'll probably be wow'ed and never look back. My advice, wait for the first snow and see how you fare. You can always opt for them if you don't think the originals are adequate. Packages with steel rims can be had for really good prices.

yeah, I've decided to wait and see how things go
just be extremely careful on snowing days
and if it's bad, I'll just stick inside my home...

If there is any significant amount of snow, the stock tires are lethal in the winter. Even if you find that you can easily get on your way with the stockers, they are especially scary if you have to suddenly stop if there is snow on the ground. Save your alloys and stock tires for warm, dry weather and get winter tires and steel wheels.