Handling in winter without snow tires?

mygsds · Post by **mygsds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:08 am

Can anyone comment on how the Vibe handles in winter without snow tires? I live in Ontario Canada and winters can be varied - heavy snow, no snow, freezing rain etc. I have always used snow tires but have not been able to find any at a price I can afford right now for my 2009 Vibe. My old wheels won't fit I have the 2.4 engine with the 16" tires. If I don;t manage to get snows on this winter, how might I find the handling to be?Pat

bull77 · Post by **bull77** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:41 am

the stock rsa's suck in the snow - I wouldn't test your luck. have you tried looking for a set of used tires/rims?http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-car...61924

NibCrom · Post by **NibCrom** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:54 am

I have to agree. This is the worst car I've ever driven in snow with stock tires.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:59 am

the problem with the vibe in the snow, is the car is so light, the front end slides around. I had all seasons on 1 year and it was ok if everything was plowed, but i was also a student and rarely used my car. Once I had my job i had to drive like crazy so I HAD to have snow tires and the car drove much better. I would recommend trying craigs list for used ones like bull77 stated.

kunkstyle · Post by **kunkstyle** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:20 am

I drove one winter with the stock tires on and won't do it again. Maybe with a better all season if it was supposed to be a mild winter. The RSA's are just horrid in snow. If price is a concern, you should take a look at the Canadian Tire Nordic line.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:45 am

In Windsor or Niagra Falls you'd probably be OK but in TO I'd say get some snows. If you have RSA's may the force be with you and pray to Allah.

mygsds · Post by **mygsds** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:27 am

Thanks - looks like I will need to get some. I drive a lot in winter and can't risk it. I haven;t driven without snow tires in many years.Thanks for the link to the web site with the resales - I'm checking them out.I also looked at the Canadian Tire cheaper ones - there are still some available in my size so if I can get the rims cheaper that will help.Pat

NibCrom · Post by **NibCrom** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:07 am

You might have luck with some good all-season tires instead of the stock ones. But they obviously won't be as good in the snow as dedicated snow tires.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:35 am

I drove my 04 Vibe through its first winter in Ontario (Woodstock) on its stock tires. I didn't have any problems with them but I replaced them with winter slalam tires the second winter. I never had a problem with the car sliding around. The only issue (and winter tires didn't help) is that the Vibe is light on the front end. You could end up with some wheel spin trying to move from a light.

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:59 pm

Going to find out how good the new all season ones I put on last month will do this winter. Our Vibe had some pretty bald tires in Nov 06 when we bought it, ended up with some very bad tires for it, hopefully these will be better.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:10 pm

vibe is not good with the stocks. been driving on them for 2 1/2 years now, i'm surprised i haven't crashed in the snow or even heavy rain yet.i would love to get some new tires, but $$ is holding me back. for winter tires, do they help with ice? i live in an urban area that gets some snow, but not a whole lot. we can get upwards of a foot or two in a big storm, but most of the time we get 2-8 inches. the streets get plowed and salted, and then they get very icy. i don't have too much trouble with the snow but the ice causes me troubles. also, what should a person look for in a good winter tire? is there a certain treading size, style, shape? materials? i want to understand why it is a good tire, and not just go by recommendations (no offense to anyone here, i just prefer facts and science to an opinion.) unless they are a lot of the same recommendation, that shows a more physical proof that the product is quality. thanks

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:42 am

Quote, originally posted by tribalman Â»vibe is not good with the stocks. been driving on them for 2 1/2 years now, i'm surprised i haven't crashed in the snow or even heavy rain yet.i would love to get some new tires, but $$ is holding me back. for winter tires, do they help with ice? i live in an urban area that gets some snow, but not a whole lot. we can get upwards of a foot or two in a big storm, but most of the time we get 2-8 inches. the streets get plowed and salted, and then they get very icy. i don't have too much trouble with the snow but the ice causes me troubles. also, what should a person look for in a good winter tire? is there a certain treading size, style, shape? materials? i want to understand why it is a good tire, and not just go by recommendations (no offense to anyone here, i just prefer facts and science to an opinion.) unless they are a lot of the same recommendation, that shows a more physical proof that the product is quality. thanksCan you have studded snow tires there??? If not, Bridgestone Blizzaks... they are an absoultly amazing tire for everything, but they do great on ice... Understand, you cannot defy the lawys of physics... blizzaks will make you think you can though.... I remember when I first got a set of Blizzaks on my VW and I would take my friends out to show them how well they STOPPED.... It never ceased to amaze me or them...

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:28 am

Blizzaks are the best tires you can get for winter driving hands down. Having an AWD car would not hurt either.I went through one winter with the stock RS-A's on my XR AWD Matrix and they sucked. If I had not had the AWD my car would have been stuck in a lot of places. I switched over and had Kumho Ecsta ASX tires on there last winter. Better but still more of a summer all season tire.This year I am running General Altimax HPs. I know Sublime will not approve of using any all season tire in bad weather, but for me they work great so far. Gotta give them a good test when we get some snow finally. Last year the Kumho's got me through 7" of the white stuff to and from work and up and down hills safely.Again, having the AWD helps immensely and if I could make it through this crud with my stock RS-A's then these guys make it that much easier.Also no amount of tire can help you if you are not taking your time in bad weather.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:08 am

i know i've hear about the blizzacks before, i'll probably end up getting them. i don't think i can have studded tires. what makes the blizzacks good? the way they are made or the materials?

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:49 am

They are simply the benchmark for snow tires. Any tire that is a dedicated snow tire will be better than an All season that is a given. Kelly Snow tires are good too. But when you get into different types, the Blizzak offers the most for the money.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:02 am

Quote, originally posted by tribalman Â»i know i've hear about the blizzacks before, i'll probably end up getting them. i don't think i can have studded tires. what makes the blizzacks good? the way they are made or the materials?Multi cell tech.... or a super high density foam on the outter 3/32 of tread... as the tread wears, the "cells" open and offer millions of biting edges... After the "foam" wears away, they are STILL a decent snow tire...

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:03 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»This year I am running General Altimax HPs. I know Sublime will not approve of using any all season tire in bad weather, I know, you know, what I know, so you know what you are doing and I know that...

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:09 am

I'm also gonna say that without snows driving is going to suck. If you hit one bad icey day, and you don't have the snows on, you're going to wish you had them.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:21 pm

Quote, originally posted by Amtron Â»I'm also gonna say that without snows driving is going to suck. If you hit one bad icey day, and you don't have the snows on, you're going to wish you had them.ye yup. just did that. did a 340* onto the curb. as far as i can tell i didn't mess anything up this time. got reaaaaaallllll lucky. i was planning on getting the blizzak on friday, but i'm getting them now. btw, which blizzak would you recommend? The Blizzak DM-Z3, WS60, WS-50, Blizzak W965 and Blizzak MZ-03 contain Multicell compound, so they are the ones i wanna get.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:02 pm

Dang... your gonna get all of them...!!!! Send me a set that you aren't using... !!!

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:07 pm

Go for the WS-50/60, whatever is cheapest on you... Even a Blizzak isn't going to let you defy the laws of ICE physics... it may help though... I've never once spun out on black ice... knock on wood... I have drifted and slid on it, don't get me wrong..... as long as you can recognize the danger ahead of time and you are smooth with the inputs of the car, you shouldn't have a problem... I do know things can come up that can't be controlled, so, understand I'm not saying anything about your driving..

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:10 am

Nothing is more fun than AWD donuts in the snow

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:15 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Nothing is more fun than AWD donuts in the snowMmmmmmmmmm....AWD Donuts = Good times!

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:31 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Nothing is more fun than AWD donuts in the snowFWD donuts in reverse are pretty sick too!

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:34 am

Quote, originally posted by Amtron Â»FWD donuts in reverse are pretty sick too!FWD donuts w/E-brake = Gheyness Wannabe.....lol.....j/k...hahahaha....Vibe AWD w/blizzaks rule in Winter!!!

Wolfman213 · Post by **Wolfman213** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:48 am

FWD donuts in reverse are fun to a limit, but I prefer to ebrake and kick the rear and drive sideways!!!

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:53 am

Haha yeah that's probably more fun

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:29 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Nothing is more fun than AWD donuts in the snowDRIFT-nutz..... 1000' diameter driftnutz..... lambsbread...

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:24 am

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind Â»I do know things can come up that can't be controlled, so, understand I'm not saying anything about your driving.. yeah, i was being dumb. normally i'll just do a little controlled slide by popping the e-brake in a straight section of road, this time i tried it in a turn. not doing that ever again.

Amtron · Post by **Amtron** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:26 am

Quote, originally posted by tribalman Â»yeah, i was being dumb. normally i'll just do a little controlled slide by popping the e-brake in a straight section of road, this time i tried it in a turn. not doing that ever again.that's the most fun though if you do it right!

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:22 pm

Quote, originally posted by tribalman Â»yeah, i was being dumb. normally i'll just do a little controlled slide by popping the e-brake in a straight section of road, this time i tried it in a turn. not doing that ever again.Bah, go find an empty parking lot and practice, it's benificial to know what the car will do, in a controled manner..

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:34 am

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind Â»Bah, go find an empty parking lot and practice, it's benificial to know what the car will do, in a controled manner.. i'm used to the way it normally handles, that was an special case. got the winters and i'm also driving far more conservatively.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:36 am

Quote, originally posted by tribalman Â»i'm used to the way it normally handles, that was an special case. got the winters and i'm also driving far more conservatively. Cool, but it is STILL good to know what would happen in "extenuating" circumstances..

shemp · Post by **shemp** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:39 am

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind Â»good to know what would happen in "extenuating" circumstances..

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:00 pm

Quote, originally posted by shemp Â» Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind Â» looks like you want me to treat my car as a rally car! xD i would totally be up for it, but i can't afford to wreck the car. loving the tires, sure they slip a bit still, but they catch again real quick.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:24 pm

Nope, not even...all i'm saying is take it to a parking lot and slide it around a little... (I don't even treat my car like a rally car, anymore it's a garage queen now, the old Subie, that was WAY different.. )Again, knowing what the car can/would do in an unexpected situation is as valuable as the snow tires, if not more so, cause then you have SOME preperation, in that case... It really goes a long way in inproving your driving confidence. Sure, you won't treat your car like that hardly ever, but, what would happen if you, say, went into the median on the highway, like someone pushed you off the road, or you got into some slush and it pulled you off??? If you have an idea of what's going to happen, you are better prepaired in the event that something DOES happen.. That is all..

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:54 pm

I would buy snow tires and steelies for your car. We recently bought a 2005 vibe with stock RS-As on it, and it's a nightmare on ice and in a few inches of snow. We'll be driving the Grand Prix until I can find some snow tires for it.

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:56 am

Sadly, I would rate our 03 Vibe with new A/S tires as worse than our 95 Neon for snow handling.Even my wife got in to move the cars for the plow guy today and commented that it sucked.Not enough weight over the front I think--plus bigger tires than the 14 or 15s on the Neon.

DarkSpork · Post by **DarkSpork** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:26 am

Quote, originally posted by psiu Â»Sadly, I would rate our 03 Vibe with new A/S tires as worse than our 95 Neon for snow handling.Even my wife got in to move the cars for the plow guy today and commented that it sucked.Not enough weight over the front I think--plus bigger tires than the 14 or 15s on the Neon.Compared to other front wheel drive cars its not bad. I test drove a focus and I think the Vibe is better, however I also test drove a Rabbit and the Rabbit was far superior on snow and ice. That being said I bought the Vibe in February with bald all season tires and didn't really have much trouble with it. I have new all seasons now and the tires will spin a little on an incline that is covered with ice (from a stop) but nothing too bad. The only time I ever almost got it stuck was when I hit the brakes to avoid taking my bumper off in a deep rut (looked to be 4-6 inches deep) and I land up not being able to move forward in the rut, backed up a little then pulled right out. For other platforms it far exceeds the capabilities of my friend's RWD Volvo on snow and ice. The only AWD vehicles I have driven is a Humvee and they are quite stable on just about any surface (possibly due to the fact they weigh about 6 tons).

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:02 pm

Well I can for sure say my General Altimax HPs are FAR superior to the Kumho's I was wearing previously. These things do not like to slip or give up any grip. The hills it conquered were insane and I loved it. It's fun going up a hill in L or 2 while passing the guy in his Civic spinning tires like crazy trying to crawl. Nothing can be said against AWD's ability to get you going and up those inclines. But taking your time in the snow pays off.Oh and I pulled some wicked AWD donuts in the Friday's parking lot before going in for dinner with my buddy. When we got out of the car he said "I think your my new hero." LOL. Not to mention the 8 people staring out the window and when I walked in this one kid was like "dude, that was awesome." LOL it never ceases to be fun.So after dinner I turned a few more and then we spent the night killing bottles of root beer vodka and playing halo.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:56 pm

Rootbeer Vodka... Tell me more... lol..

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:26 pm

Only the most delicious thing ever! I mix it with Soda (i.e. soda water). My buddy does it with Gingerale. It's dangerous cause you can drink it all night and not think twice. I also indulge in Three Olives Grape.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:21 am

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Only the most delicious thing ever! I mix it with Soda (i.e. soda water). My buddy does it with Gingerale. It's dangerous cause you can drink it all night and not think twice. I also indulge in Three Olives Grape. I'll have to check that out... my guess is it's in the gray Goose territory, in terms of price though... I'm a Smirinoff guy myself... The White Grape is to die for... White grape and 7up... hard to beat..

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:23 pm

Ugh, that sounds a little too sweet for my taste. Scotch, neat, if you please.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:13 am

Quote, originally posted by Lysander Â»Ugh, that sounds a little too sweet for my taste. Scotch, neat, if you please. (removed), derailed topic much? (removed).so to bring it back, a good tip is not to drink tasty drinks then do drive your car. yup, that's a very good idea. xDmygsds, how did the trip go? safely i hope.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 4:17 am

re-derailment Small bottle runs around $20 or so.

tribalman · Post by **tribalman** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:29 pm

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»re-derailment . haha. well re-underailment, for the past few tuesdays we've been getting snow. right now it's very slushy and i think the tires have worn in a bit, they are working amazingly!

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:43 pm

Well, I think our Vibe sucks in the snow with some new low-end all season tires.The Neon is better, except for the "catch-on-fire-and-explode-or-have-parts-fall-off-randomly" possibilities. More weight over front wheels and smaller (thinner) tires to cut through better.Our old Corsica was pretty good too. Now I'm definitely thinking of getting some steelies and snow tires, though that would have to wait until next winter.

Sublimewind · Post by **Sublimewind** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:28 pm

Quote, originally posted by psiu Â»Well, I think our Vibe sucks in the snow with some new low-end all season tires.I'll tell ya, my Vibe sucks in the snow WITH snow tires... so don't feel bad.... Oh how I long to have a beater Subaru again... I was a fool for selling mine... We just got dumped on again, as you know, (we're both in MI) on Friday... I borrowed my moms Forester that IS on snow tires... UNSTOPPABLE... It was so nice going wherever I wanted... so, I went snowboarding..

oriden · Post by **oriden** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:41 pm

my all season tires are the hankook milage plus. i bought my vibe in october so this is the first winter the change from the truck was massive, the all seasons were like retards on skates. put on a set of michlien X-Ice2 tires DEFNITLY WORTH IT! i payed a lot for them but it was all worth it, they have saved my but a few times already.if the money is the problem not only looking at a cheaper tire such as the canadain tire lines which are still very execlent tires you could also go down a size from 16" to 15" to save you a few bucks

Handling in winter without snow tires?

Handling in winter without snow tires?

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