WINTER DRIVING

[RanCheeto]

We picked up a set of Bronco Sport rims and dedicated snow tires for our hybrid last winter. First heavy snow we tried driving like idiots. The Maverick hooked up and drove like a champ! It was really hard to make it slide.

PS... Always four snow tires for FWD or AWD. Learned from experience. We had a Subaru and I was cheap and poor at the time. Only put two snow tires on the front. As soon as I hit the brakes on ice, the front end bit in and the back end swung around like a whip, dragging the front tires as we went backwards. Pretty scary at 50 mph on the highway!

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[Glen Baker LLC]

We picked up a set of Bronco Sport rims and dedicated snow tires for our hybrid last winter. First heavy snow we tried driving like idiots. The Maverick hooked up and drove like a champ! It was really hard to make it slide.

PS... Always four snow tires for FWD or AWD. Learned from experience. We had a Subaru and I was cheap and poor at the time. Only put two snow tires on the front. As soon as I hit the brakes on ice, the front end bit in and the back end swung around like a whip, dragging the front tires as we went backwards. Pretty scary at 50 mph on the highway!

Best explanation / example
of why you put best tires on the back of a front-wheel drive vehicle.
Cue the drones. It won't take long.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

My 2023 Lariat hybrid came with Michelins. Got through last winter in NE Iowa just fine. But then, I'm old enough that I don't drive like it's the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Where's the fun in that???

 

[SLINGSHOT]

Where's the fun in that???

Hammer down. Drive it like you stole it.

 

[Master Blaster]

Best explanation / example
of why you put best tires on the back of a front-wheel drive vehicle.
Cue the drones.

You won't have a best pair of tires if you rotate the tires as specified in the manual. In any event it is far safer to put the "best" tires on the front, allowing you to steer into the skid. You can always just let off on the braking to fix the rear problem. Try driving in winter with a bald set of summer tires on the front only and you'll instantly understand.

 

[Camdak]

Best explanation / example
of why you put best tires on the back of a front-wheel drive vehicle.
Cue the drones.

Hence why I say put a little weight over the rear axle on FWD, AWD and 4WD. It does help. (For you non believers, give it a shot, you’ll be surprised.)

 

[Camdak]

You won't have a best pair of tires if you rotate the tires as specified in the manual. In any event it is far safer to put the "best" tires on the front, allowing you to steer into the skid. You can always just let off on the braking to fix the rear problem. Try driving in winter with a bald set of summer tires on the front only and you'll instantly understand.

Exactly! Driven in snow here in Canada for 40+ years and above is so true.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Interesting idea of best/snow tires front vs. rear. On rear-wheel drive vehicles, back in the day, the snow tires went on the back because without them, you wouldn't get anywhere. Or at least it would be more difficult.

The understeer/oversteer aspect is interesting. Logically, good tires on the drive wheels mean you will be more likely to move at all, but less traction in the rear does lend itself to oversteering (fishtailing) as opposed to understeer (plowing straight ahead despite the wheels turned). Personally, I prefer oversteering in most cases, though at higher speeds, maybe not. It's more fun and you can easily countersteer to correct, whereas it's no fun turning the wheel and then continuing to go straight off the road into a ditch or pole.

As noted in an earlier post, it's a harrowing experience going 50 mph and having the back end of the car pass the front and take the lead.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

All that said, I'll be heading up to Ohio in January for a week of fun in the snow. Hopefully. I grew up with that weather, and I really hope I didn't forget how to drive in it.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

You won't have a best pair of tires if you rotate the tires as specified in the manual. In any event it is far safer to put the "best" tires on the front, allowing you to steer into the skid. You can always just let off on the braking to fix the rear problem. Try driving in winter with a bald set of summer tires on the front only and you'll instantly understand.

Who said anything about bald summer Tires?
Will bald winter snow tires change anything ?
I try to use a little common sense and don't drive on bald tires to begin with.

I'll stick with the experts on this versus anecdotal stories.
Yes, I use to mount the snow tires on the front of my Ford Taurus's except the SHO it never saw snow. I now know better. Having spent the better part of my adult life in Door County Wisconsin or Bessemer in the UP of Michigan w/163" snow.
I think that qualifies as enough snow driving experience.
More than I ever wanted.

 

[AlpineKid74]

I don't have mine yet so don't yet know what the original tire look like tread wise. One thing I am going to do as soon as or maybe even before they wear out is replace them with LT type tires instead of P type tires. LT has more tread depth for one thing.

The LT type tires have a stiffer sidewall, right? That would make for a stiffer ride and feel the road more.

What tires are you looking at getting, curious.

 

[AlpineKid74]

Who said anything about bald summer Tires?
Will bald winter snow tires change anything ?
I try to use a little common sense and don't drive on bald tires to begin with.

I'll stick with the experts on this versus anecdotal stories.
Yes, I use to mount the snow tires on the front of my Ford Taurus's except the SHO it never saw snow. I now know better. Having spent the better part of my adult life in Door County Wisconsin or Bessemer in the UP of Michigan. I think that qualifies as enough snow driving experience.
More than I ever wanted.

I have been running snows on the front, only, of the van a number of years w/o any trouble. It is all in how a person drives I guess.

 

[dochawk]

As soon as I hit the brakes on ice, the front end bit in and the back end swung around like a whip, dragging the front tires as we went backwards. Pretty scary at 50 mph on the highway!

Definitely. Been there, done that.

I was at 70, on dry pavement, bright cloud-free day. Even a rather new paving on the freeway. Driving straight.

And all of a sudden my back end cut loose and passed me!

I did 720 before it straightened, going forward at a reduced speed. Until regaining control, I was rapidly approaching the concrete side barrier.

The only explanation we've ever come up with is that while dry, it was the day after the first rain in months, which may have released oil from the pavement.

 

[HeyBales]

I have been running snows on the front, only, of the van a number of years w/o any trouble. It is all in how a person drives I guess.

And how the ABS reacts to that driving method.
I'm sure a lot of reported experience is prior to ABS, or 4 wheel ABS.

Slow snow braking as many have been commenting on really doesn't throw the weight onto the front tires like it would when dry.

And in snow if the rear starts to slide the ABS should stop the braking there - really just throwing more requirement to the front, which at that point may start to slide too - so the stopping distance just increased with ABS kicking in.
But if the front is gripping due to better tires, better hope in a straight line or that rear is coming around with ABS probably not even allowing the brakes to engage back there, or so little it doesn't matter.

Slow winter stopping where the rear could actually help more, does benefit from good grip.
And the lack of grip on the front (if only snow tires on the back) might prevent getting into trouble due to lack of traction for getting up to high speed too fast.

There was a video I saw many years ago where they tested all of this in the snow with AWD and FWD and where the snow tires went, and what kind of driving helped and hurt in each case.
I'll have to try to find it.
Because the driving style sure did make a difference.
I recall sedans though, so van with high center of gravity could likely be different.

And non-snow driving with non-snow tires wasn't the focus of video.

 

[Camdak]

Definitely. Been there, done that.

I was at 70, on dry pavement, bright cloud-free day. Even a rather new paving on the freeway. Driving straight.

And all of a sudden my back end cut loose and passed me!

I did 720 before it straightened, going forward at a reduced speed. Until regaining control, I was rapidly approaching the concrete side barrier.

The only explanation we've ever come up with is that while dry, it was the day after the first rain in months, which may have released oil from the pavement.

Yes, surprising how that will do it, also happened to me.

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