wpmarky Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi all, I'm a first time subie owner, so I haven't had any experience with driving in snow yet. After reading all the tire threads, I'm under the impression that one of the things that helps snow tires plow through fluff are the deep grooves I just picked up a set of rota's & kumho esca ASX's w/ approx. 50% tread left. Does this mean a snow tire @ 50% tread wear mean it won't grip in the snow/ice? At what point do you guys replace your winter tires? I was hoping that these tires would last me at least until the end of this season, maybe 1 or 2 more runs up to where the snow is, so that I can hold off on buying dedicated winter tires for next winter. But I also don't want to risk wiping out in a new car just to save $500. FYI, the winters here are pretty timid compared to the east coast (used to live in NY for 4 years). I guess I'd compare it to a random november snow flurry that doesn't stick for long, with maybe a little bit of ice. http://www.bodymatrixpt.com/wheels/wheels6.jpg http://www.bodymatrixpt.com/wheels/wheels3.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackhore Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 They will be progressively less effective as the tread wears away, but should be good as long as your're above the wear bars. How long they'll last, depends on mileage and the temperature in which they're driven. They're engineered to stay more pliable in the colder temps, but as such, will wear quickly when the temps get above 40* or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rice_rocket Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 The ASX is an all-season tire, NOT a winter tire. That being said I'd measure the tread depth.. still less effective the lower it gets. That being said I have driven 30K miles with my evo with those tires and still does not give me trouble in Boston winter. It's more the way you drive than the type of tire. Anything less than 5 or 6/32's on the tread depth would start to worry me. As trackhore said.. the rubber is still stickier in cold temps, so it'll help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__raj Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Below or at 5/32" most all-seasons really fall on their face. My RE960's are done for winter conditions at 5/32". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackhore Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 The ASX is an all-season tire, NOT a winter tire. Ah, didn't even read what tire he had, just saw the title said snow tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I have 2 sets of these, in 17" and 18" and in different tread depths. All I can tell you is that they are better in snow than the stock RE92s and are fairly grippy in the dry. No slipping issues in the rain too. So, they should be fine at 50%. They probably have another 15K km's in them before they are toast in any conditions- snow would be the first thing that they'll suck in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpmarky Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 thanks for the tips all, i'll try to measure them tomorrow. Not planning on flying down the passing lane through a blizzard, I just wasn't sure if these were too worn to try during some light snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 They will be infinitely better in light snow than your Spec B tires. So if you are buying some 18" tires for some San Jose winters, they should last you the life of your Spec B! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 FYI, the winters here are pretty timid compared to the east coast (used to live in NY for 4 years). I guess I'd compare it to a random november snow flurry that doesn't stick for long, with maybe a little bit of ice. I call B.S. If you're heading up to the mountains, a Sierra winter is WAY worse than most of the country can dish up when it comes to snowfall. Tahoe averages 250 inches of snow a year. Kirkwood 450 inches, Sierra at Tahoe 480 inches, Sugar Bowl, 500 inches. I've seen weekend 9 foot snowfall figures. You get the picture. You won't find comparable snowfall figures on the east coast, but it will definitely get much colder out there. BTW, as mentioned earlier, ASX are all-season, not snow tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I have driven the worst of Canadian winter roads on RE92s. And recently, ASX Kumhos. You dudes just need better practice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpmarky Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 I call B.S. If you're heading up to the mountains, a Sierra winter is WAY worse than most of the country can dish up when it comes to snowfall. Tahoe averages 250 inches of snow a year. Kirkwood 450 inches, Sierra at Tahoe 480 inches, Sugar Bowl, 500 inches. I've seen weekend 9 foot snowfall figures. You get the picture. You won't find comparable snowfall figures on the east coast, but it will definitely get much colder out there. BTW, as mentioned earlier, ASX are all-season, not snow tires. The snow this past 3-4 years has been sad, almost every time I drove up there's no snow on the side of the highway until you're through the front gates of the resort, sometimes not even til you get to the first lift. This year has been better if you go after a storm, but sadly overall it's still a record low year for snowpack for us. Yes sorry I said snow tires instead of A/S, but either way I was curious at what point to people hold off on driving on their M+S or A/S tires. The 5/32 tips were helpful, thanks. I'm gonna stay away from highways 88/89/50, and probably go somewhere off of highway 80 which is usually more salted anyways and not as icy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 The snow this past 3-4 years has been sad, almost every time I drove up there's no snow on the side of the highway until you're through the front gates of the resort, sometimes not even til you get to the first lift. This year has been better if you go after a storm, but sadly overall it's still a record low year for snowpack for us. Agreed. Sierra snowfall has sucked for quite a few years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I call B.S. If you're heading up to the mountains, a Sierra winter is WAY worse than most of the country can dish up when it comes to snowfall. Tahoe averages 250 inches of snow a year. Kirkwood 450 inches, Sierra at Tahoe 480 inches, Sugar Bowl, 500 inches. I've seen weekend 9 foot snowfall figures. You get the picture. You won't find comparable snowfall figures on the east coast, but it will definitely get much colder out there. BTW, as mentioned earlier, ASX are all-season, not snow tires. According to NOAA these 5 cities actually have the highest avg annual snowfall in the country: Valdez, AK - 327.2 inches Mt. Washington, NH - 259 inches Blue Canyon, CA - 240.3 inches Yakutat, AK - 192.6 inches Marquette, MI - 143.3 inches Amazingly western NY isn't in the top 5. The lake effect snow they receive is unreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS5689 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 The ASX is an all-season tire, NOT a winter tire. That being said I'd measure the tread depth.. still less effective the lower it gets. That being said I have driven 30K miles with my evo with those tires and still does not give me trouble in Boston winter. It's more the way you drive than the type of tire. Anything less than 5 or 6/32's on the tread depth would start to worry me. As trackhore said.. the rubber is still stickier in cold temps, so it'll help you out. Only once it gets real low. It is fair to say that a tire will actually handle better once it's been worn in a bit. The tread blocks get lower, thus they become less squishy and can provide you with crisper handling. Of course once you wear them too low you start to lose traction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 ^ Exactly - most tires will have a "sweet spot," once they wear out of the mold-release, and wear-in to their actual compound. However, the opposite side of this equation also exists - The more aggressive winter "studless ice-and snow" tires by Bridgestone, for example, such as the WS60, offer a proprietary compound over the first 60% of their tread which is optimized for winter traction, but the underlying layer is decidedly less-capable (and is also the reason why, for example, their competitor, Michelin, in marketing the new-for-this-past-season Xi2, showcased their tires' capabilities by testing *shaved* tires, claiming it to be more "real world" than a full tread depth comparo). With winter tires, more tread depth typically does mean better traction - at least on wintry precip. TireRack recommends replacement of winter tires not when they reach not their primary wear bars, but instead, when they've reached their "winter wear indicators/snow platforms" - at 6/32nd. It's at this depth that they (TireRack and other tire-retailers) say that winter traction is notably diminished, as compared to full-depth, and where, they'll advise, that if you're really serious about getting going and staying going (and stopping) in the wintry stuff, that you replace your winter set. Optimally, then, "half worn" is where you'd call it quits, on winter tires, if your concern is with wintry travel conditions - snow, slush, ice, etc. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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