Driving in the snow -- stay with Grabbers, Michelin Defenders, snow tires?

[Ncasini]

I’m debating on buying snow tires (with new or used wheels) or just going with the Grabbers that it came with.
Any thoughts on this?
A friend suggested just buying new Michelin Defenders.
Western PA winters are a toss up anymore.

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[Athrun88]

I have personally run dedicated winter tires since I was 18 (36 now). Huge peace of mind factor when combined with good driving habits. All seasons/all weather are great, but they do give up performance when temps drop below 7C (44F) though I hear the newer all weather tires are better. Not just about snow and ice either, have to think about slush and rain too.

Your choice either way. I bet the new tires will be fine enough especially if your roads are dryer than what I get up north in Canada.

 

[Henry Ford]

Drive slow in snow and save your money.

 

[CD4TNF]

Earlier this year I drove through a snow storm. Fresh snow on the ground. Bunch of national weather reports of the dangers of driving through it. Stock tires handled fine. That is my only experience so far.

 

[queuewho]

Western PA winters are a toss up anymore.

Yeah, I was planning on winter tires my first year and got lazy and never bought. Been through two winters now and they have been minimal here as you know lately. I do go up Seven Springs pretty often though, haven't had an issue in the stock grabbers yet.

 

[Tony Burgh]

I run winter tires in Pittsburgh. I’ll be putting them on before the end of the month. The hills, curves and icy roads demand snows with soft rubber. They come off before Tax day.
This is the 8th, and last, year on my Dunlop WinterMaxx. Wheels and tires carried over from my 2015 Lariat. I’ve never been stranded with them but 8 years is pushing the recommended life of tires.

 

[Newton]

Of course no tire works well on ice, but my Defenders (and going a reasonable speed for conditions) took my old Mercedes R safely past an iced up corner that took out at least six other cars and very nearly a log truck. Unfortunately one of them took out the Mercedes, after I had pulled over to see if a car in the ditch needed help.

FWIW the tow truck driver said that pickups are the worst in the winter and it does seem like the pickup of the group of victims had the worst time. If I had been a jerk taking videos it would have been interesting to see the difference, the passenger cars swung from side to side before going over the guardrail, the pickup rolled immediately and came apart rather spectacularly.

Nobody was very seriously hurt which was fortunate because this was in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. Also fortunately a doctor was going the other way.

 

[Nikos]

I’m debating on buying snow tires (with new or used wheels) or just going with the Grabbers that it came with.
Any thoughts on this?
A friend suggested just buying new Michelin Defenders.
Western PA winters are a toss up anymore.

I installed the Michelin Defenders on mine back in August. I do like them. A lot better from the stock Generals.

 

[Calvin H-C]

All seasons/all weather are great, but they do give up performance when temps drop below 7C (44F) though I hear the newer all weather tires are better. Not just about snow and ice either, have to think about slush and rain too.

All season tires are made of rubber that gets hard below 7C. Hard similar to a hockey puck (though not quite as hard), and pucks are NOT designed to grip surfaces, but to slide easily.

In addition to the benefits on snow, ice, and slush, they grip cold dry pavement better and will reduce your stopping distance.

 

[thunderbayterry]

Of course no tire works well on ice, but my Defenders (and going a reasonable speed for conditions) took my old Mercedes R safely past an iced up corner that took out at least six other cars and very nearly a log truck. Unfortunately one of them took out the Mercedes, after I had pulled over to see if a car in the ditch needed help.

FWIW the tow truck driver said that pickups are the worst in the winter and it does seem like the pickup of the group of victims had the worst time. If I had been a jerk taking videos it would have been interesting to see the difference, the passenger cars swung from side to side before going over the guardrail, the pickup rolled immediately and came apart rather spectacularly.

Nobody was very seriously hurt which was fortunate because this was in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. Also fortunately a doctor was going the other way.

I think that the main reason "pickups are the worst in the winter" is the lack of weight in the back. THIS IS NOT THE CASE for a Lightning! The battery weight is spread across the length of the truck, so a LIGHTNING handles much better in the winter, and in snow. I've owned my 2023 Lariat ER through one winter, and I did a separate post about how a Lightning handles in the winter. Here is my text from that other post, just my own humble thoughts:


I bought my Lightning September 2023, so I'm just entering my SECOND winter. My Lightning is the best WINTER truck I've ever owned - and I havn't put Winter tires on it (yet, I may put Winters on this year, we'll see). I'm still driving on the factory tires that came with it.
* I find the increased weight gives the truck incredible traction in snow. Of course, the increased truck weight is a negative for braking (especially since I'm still driving on the factory rubber), I just drive intelligently.
* Remember how all your ICE pickup trucks have a sloppy rear-end in snow? Because there is no weight back there? NOT an issue in a Lightning because the battery weight is EVENLY distributed front to back! I feel people don't talk about this enough. An ICE pickup has terrible snow traction unless its in 4X4 to take advantage of engine weight or put extra weight in the back (which kills your fuel economy). Here in Thunder Bay a lot of people leave their snowmobiles in their truck box all winter just for this reason, I can't even IMAGINE how much they are paying for GAS!
* The full time All Wheel Drive is awesome in winter. I've used Off-Road mode (and locked the DIF) in snow over a foot deep and that worked really well too. (Again - I'm still on the factory rubber)
* Overnight, the fact that the truck is keeping the batteries warm anyhow, and heat rises, so the cab never freezes solid like my previous ICE trucks did (it gets -30C (-24 Fahrenheit) a few times a year here). PLUS, set a departure time in the morning, and my truck is warm and thawed AND the steering wheel is warm and its charged and ready to go! I find I don't have to scrape the ice off the windows NEARLY as much
* Remember there is no OIL to get all thick and sludgy in the cold!

There is the NEGATIVE of the decreased RANGE in winter. Do not underestimate the HIT you will take in really cold weather on battery range. Driving at Highway speeds when its really cold I see about a 30% DECREASE in range in real-world conditions. But as I said in a previous post, I don't "baby" this truck. I drive it hard and park it dirty! LOL! It really is a TOUGH little pickup truck!

Just my personal thoughts as a proud EV owner in the Great White North! LOL!

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

I’m debating on buying snow tires (with new or used wheels) or just going with the Grabbers that it came with.
Any thoughts on this?
A friend suggested just buying new Michelin Defenders.
Western PA winters are a toss up anymore.

We've been putting Bridgetone Blizzak's on our 150's for over 10 years. Love them.

 

[Adventureboy]

The Grabbers are poor on icy roads. I run dedicated winters and the difference is stark. If you are a daily driver and need to go rain, snow, ice or shine, I highly recommend dedicated winters.

 

[Firn]

If you can afford it dedicated winters are best. Not only do they handle snow, slop, and wet better, they also have better performance on dry clear roads. Simply speaking the rubber formulation stays plyable at colder temps.

However, with caution I think all seasons are fine. Summer only tires absolutely do harden and offer DRAMATICALLY reduced traction, not so with all seasons, they don't harden as much and just have less traction than a dedicated winter tire.

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