Snow Tires again

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

Yup, I do drive in snow,.... really drive. Forget high performance in deep 
snow. Survival is the name of the game. All the traction you can get out of 
a snow tire in deep snow is just great grip on snow, get the idea? A truly 
great snow tire is one that keeps you going at a reasonable but very sane 
clip in deep, soft snow and also handles as closely to a dry road tire on 
dry road. That's what makes all season tires so disappointing, they are 
crappy all of the time.

Michelin Pilot Alpin and Michelin Alpin are both full snow rated tires, not 
all season. The Pilot is the high performance version which will give away 
some snow grip to preserve good dry road handling. Pirelli makes a 
brilliant snow tire in the 210P (now superceded by the 210A which I hope is 
as good or better, the $$$get laid down tomorrow for a set for the 164).

If you want to drive fast in winter remember, you can't really drive fast 
on the snow it just feels fast, especially when you try to brake or corner, 
and you need snow tires that really handle on bare road to be truly happy. 
That's why I get H rated performance winters, it's worth giving up the 
super sticky Q rated snow traction for better dry road handling. After all, 
we use snow plows here too, deep snow lasts maybe a day or two, then you're 
on a combination of treacherous ice and bare road.


Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
91 Alfa 164L, White, original owner

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