Cars?

[Syonyk]

Looks like getting tires might be fun in that its closeout season on them already and there's only 2 in my car's size at the obvious vendor. I guess that's enough for the drive wheels, but... maybe this is a next year thing.

Don't buy them now.  You take a year of age if they sit all summer, and nobody will want year old tires next winter.

Get them at the start of the winter.  TireRack has been good for me, and can ship them with wheels, so you can just install them yourself.

[AccidentialMustache]

Is it age or miles that wears out the studless winter tires?

[Syonyk]

Both.

They're basically a layer of "magic rubber sponge" on top of a traditional tire material.  That rubber loses the flexibility and plasticity that makes it magic over a few years, and is also easy to wear down in warm weather.

A few thousand miles of warm weather driving will pretty much trash the magic layer, and a few years of time does the same.

They're great, while they work, but just assume a fairly short service life on them.  They're still far better than all seasons once worn down, but they don't grip nearly as well as when new.

The studded kind are just hard rubber, open tread patterns, and studs, so they last based on miles driven.

[MilesTeg]

Both.

They're basically a layer of "magic rubber sponge" on top of a traditional tire material.  That rubber loses the flexibility and plasticity that makes it magic over a few years, and is also easy to wear down in warm weather.

A few thousand miles of warm weather driving will pretty much trash the magic layer, and a few years of time does the same.

They're great, while they work, but just assume a fairly short service life on them.  They're still far better than all seasons once worn down, but they don't grip nearly as well as when new.

The studded kind are just hard rubber, open tread patterns, and studs, so they last based on miles driven.

Yep, tire rubber degrades within 6-7 years even if you don't drive on them. Winter compounds are even more susceptible. But, also one of the biggest benefits of a winter tire is the tread is designed to collect and hold on to snow, because the coefficient of friction with snow on snow is higher than the coefficient of friction of rubber on snow (for non physics people: snow sticks to snow better than rubber). This requires deep treads so if you are driving on snow your tire life is pretty limited.

Make sure when you do buy winter tires, you check the manufacture date (printed on the tire itself). Some of your less reputable tire shops will sell you last years stock "as new". Don't be afraid to reject a tire not produced in the last 6 months.

Another bullshit tactic I see around my parts is to advertise great deals on winter tires and related service in September, which is a really bad time to put on winter tires in my parts because even in late September average daily highs are in the 70s and 80s and driving a winter tire in that kind of heat will destroy it really quickly.

[ApacheStache]

Here's a timely Youtube video comparing an AWD vehicle with All Season tires against an AWD vehicle with dedicated winter tires in real world winter driving situations. It's not an apples to apples comparison because the vehicles, tire sizes and wheels are different but anyone looking to get the gist of the difference between these setups might get something out of the this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KmxHfYHXsA

[dignam]

I will agree that snow tires has a much greater impact vs 2wd/4wd.

I had a 2wd 4 cyl sedan with snow tires that was fantastic in the snow.  My current sedan has AWD and 6 cyl turbo, but low profile tires and is the worst car I've ever driven in the snow.  However, in warm weather it would beat the pants off of any car I've owned and is just a solidly built, super fun car.  And it can get mid 30s MPG highway which isn't bad for a 350 hp car.  Also bought a 10 year old small SUV for the nasty Wisconsin winters/hauling the dog around. 

I'm definitely a fan of buying two older vehicles especially for upper Midwest.  The extra cost is minimal, assuming you aren't paying for more parking year-round.

[Car Jack]

Oh and snow tires are a non-starter here b/c of the wild temp changes. Might get snow a few times per winter but we also get some 60F days too which I read is hard on snow tires. One winter strategy doesn't work coast to coast. Most of us are probably using the right strategy for our piece of the map.

I would have to disagree.  I've run several cars over the years on snow tires year round.  One of them was a CPO Subaru Outback that needed tires right from the start, so as part of the deal, I had the dealer put on some Dunlop Graspic snow tires.  70,000 miles later, we traded the car in with those same tires.  The thing that people don't grasp is that snow tires start out with a LOT more tread depth.  So if they wear twice as fast, they end up with the same number of miles on them when they're down to 2/32" and on the wear bars.

Our 13 Crosstrek currently has only snow tires on it.  General Arctic Altimax.  The rest of the cars have snows for the winter and other tires.  You don't even want to get into the wheel/tire sets I have for my Jeep (more than 3 full sets).

[dignam]

Oh and snow tires are a non-starter here b/c of the wild temp changes. Might get snow a few times per winter but we also get some 60F days too which I read is hard on snow tires. One winter strategy doesn't work coast to coast. Most of us are probably using the right strategy for our piece of the map.

I would have to disagree.  I've run several cars over the years on snow tires year round.  One of them was a CPO Subaru Outback that needed tires right from the start, so as part of the deal, I had the dealer put on some Dunlop Graspic snow tires.  70,000 miles later, we traded the car in with those same tires.  The thing that people don't grasp is that snow tires start out with a LOT more tread depth.  So if they wear twice as fast, they end up with the same number of miles on them when they're down to 2/32" and on the wear bars.

Our 13 Crosstrek currently has only snow tires on it.  General Arctic Altimax.  The rest of the cars have snows for the winter and other tires.  You don't even want to get into the wheel/tire sets I have for my Jeep (more than 3 full sets).

The thing with snow tires though is you DO NOT want to wear them down to 2/32.  They need all that extra tread depth and soft rubber to be effective.  Anything below 5/32 for soft winter tires is approaching dangerous.

[Lady SA]

we have a Hyundai Ioniq and trade out all-weather and winter tires when the weather turns. Never have a problem getting around in our snowy state.

The Hyundai is a relatively new model, but we are a single car family and this car works for all of our needs, all year round. Its a hatchback with plenty of room, excellent gas milage (We have the hybrid version and consistently get 54+ mpg in the summer and 42+ in the winter, the plug in hybrid version would be even better but it wasn't available at the time we got ours sadly), and isn't super expensive. We have car racks and use it to carry kayaks, bikes, and we also have a car-top box that we sometimes use for longer trips. We have zero complaints about this car, I freaking love it and highly recommend it.

[FLAFI]

We have a 2016 Prius that has been flawless. It rides well on the highway or in town. We consistently get 57 to 60 mpg in suburban Florida driving.  We're fairly large people and have no problem fitting in the car. The cargo is volume is also good. Low maintenance, reliable and efficient = the perfect Mustanian car. Here is a good article reflecting on a Prius after ten years of ownership: https://www.frugalfringe.com/case-studies/10-reasons-we-keep-loving-our-10-year-old-prius/