it's hot: let's talk about winter tires

[Garandman]

Yeah, I was refering to an outer winter compound that wears into an AS compound over time. Is it pretty much a given that a winter tire is shot after about 55% tread is gone? Are there awesome winter tires that go all the way to the wear bars?

I'm new to the whole AWD end of things. My Jeep runs 33" Goodyear MTR's, so I just drop those puppies down to 10psi and go wherever I want in the snow:)

 

In Austria, Norway and presumably other European countries, even a studless "snow tire" is no longer considered a snow tire when the tread depth is less than 3mm - roughly 4/32nd's. They don't function properly.

 

The wear bars are 2/32nds. Most tires also hydroplane much earlier when the tread depth is less than 6/32nd. Personally, I replace tires with less than 5/32nd unless it's July or August when we get less rain.

 

The studless snows rely on their soft, sticky compounds and multi-directional siping to gain braking and cornering traction. Deeply lugged truck tires have good snow traction but do not generate the kind of cornering or braking power on ice that studless snows do. Studded snows are much better than either.