Winter Tires - Worth the Investment

[Cypress]

I live in Massachusetts and routinely negotiate hills to get anywhere. My 2006 Toyota Corolla is doing well and just over 100K miles now. I intend to keep it going as it's paid for, maintenance is normal and lifespan is known to be long.

I priced out winter tires for the first time at my garage. The best is $118 includes installation. So that's $472 before tax. I said let's get a middle of the road tire pricing the job at $422 before tax. Tax rate is 6.25%

We had a snow storm yesterday. When it was over, I drove out in the afternoon on a personal errand. The car did fine. Not a slip or slide. But, there wasn't a substantial hill or any other traffic on the snowy road. It was plowed okay but had plenty of snow on the road.

Do I really need these tires? I think I do, I think I don't. I just did a December budget plan and have the cash to pay for this without dipping into back up funds. I'll be low funds at the end of the month but all expenses projected can be paid.

There's also an installation fee twice a year of $120. I guess I could do it myself but I haven't changed a tire in many years. Am I strong enough to jack up a car and swap them out? I have some doubts there. If they aren't balanced properly, that's a worse thing. They have to come off by April and cannot be put on until November. They are traditional snow tires and not all weather. Is it a best buy?

[Tybee]

Yes, well worth the investment. I routinely change mine out from my regular to my snow tires. I bought the snow tires last year at Sam's Club and I saved about 200 dollars doing so. I changed them over a few weeks ago and since I bought them there, they were 38 to change--I did not buy winter rims but if you are going to do it yourself, then buy the rims.

I have a small fwd car and I got a special at Sam's with buy 3 get one free--they are really good tires. I think I paid 285 or something, but it's a little car.

Another great thing to do is hang out on the Tire Rack website. I have bought many snow tires from them over the years and had them shipped to my local mechanic to put them on. I even bought my son tires this way and they delivered them to his mechanic in Portland. Very cool present!

http://www.tirerack.com/content/tire...161218154646:s

I can go on for days about snow tires-- hopefully Steve from Mn will weigh in on this one because he is really knowledgeable and helped me make a decision on my car and my husband's awd Yukon, which sports Blizzaks and is the absolute bomb. My little car actually goes in the shed for winter and hibernates, and I still put the tires on, just in case I have to drive it somewhere out of town.

Before deciding what you want to do, go to this interesting thread on another forum, where they are talking about snow tires in some depth:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/maine...ll-season.html

One accident and your deductible is going to be more than you pay for these tires. Not to mention the secure feeling knowing you have done your best to prevent an accident by getting the proper tires for your climate.

I really do have a snow tire soapbox, sorry!

[razz]

Yes! i bought the rims for them when I bought my car and the garage changes them seasonally (for a modest fee) and stores them year-round. I will do without some things but not snow tires for my safety and protecting others as well. We get a rate discount from insurance companies for installed snow tires. Not sure how universal that is though.

[sweetana3]

Tire Rack is great. We get all our tires from them.

We did without snow tires until I did a 180 on a busy street and scared me big time. We get just enough ice/snow in Indiana to make it handy. Husband does not need them. He learned to drive in upstate NY, land of the 8 feet+ of snow and then drove for years in Alaska where there is ice on the roads from Sept. thru April. But he just said he likes the snow tires we had put on a couple of weeks ago.

[ctg492]

Getting our first set put on in the morning. This car we got in October for hubby's commute to the north country weekly is not a good handler in the snow. Really expensive, gasping expensive, but I hope they are worth it like everyone says.

[CathyA]

My old Honda Odyssey got less gas mileage with a tire with a deeper tread, but it was pretty good on slick roads. After 15 years, I got a new one last year and the mileage is lots better..........but it's not nearly as good on snow and ice. that made me think they probably put more summer-type tires on new cars....for the less expensiveness, plus it gets better gas mileage. We'll see how it goes this winter, and I might consider a more winter tire. But dang.....the expense of 2 sets of tires and the cost of taking off and putting on with each would be pretty high. But there's nothing like reliable traction, especially if you're in an area of severe winters and do a lot of driving.

[Cypress]

The tires the garage guy recommends are Nokia. I don't know about the price including rims. He said the cost per tire includes everything, he mentioned several things but I cannot remember what all it included. He's been taking care of this car for seven years already. I've gotten along so far without too much drama and a lot of snowy commutes. I just think it's not safe now. Why I didn't before I don't know. I am not sure what the forecast is for this winter either. It's already been cold and snowy in mid December.

I appreciate the replies. I have a long term plan to retire somewhere and ditch the car. Some town or small city where I can get around on my own two feet or has a decent public transportation system without needing an expensive machine to maintain.