no snow in kc yet. *knocks on wood*. it's been a little too warm for my taste. but we did have one delightfully cold/rainy day that brought my spirits up.
Since we're talking about AWD/4WD... how much better is it than FWD in the snow or slippery conditions, really? Is it worth the typical ~$2K premium if you live in an area that gets snow in the winter? (I imagine it is but I'm curious what you guys think about it).
Yes, AWD is better than FWD in the snow or in slippery conditions. On sheer ice it doesn't matter what you have because no traction means you're going to slip and slide regardless of how many wheels are driving the vehicle.
The biggest problem with snow tires is having to store them in the summer, then bring them and your car to a shop to swap your tires for the winter and store your "regular" tires for the winter. Unless of course you spend another grand or so on wheels for the snow tires, then you can change them in your driveway, but you still have the storage issue.
My Pick and Pull junk yard will sell a set of snow tires that have been removed from an incoming junked car for about $200. That's 4 tires on wheels that were most likely balanced before the car crashed. A new Bridgestone tire at Costco costs about $60 x 4 = $240 plus another $50 or so to mount them and balance them on your wheels. That's like $330 with tax and disposal of the old tires. If you want to keep the Summer tires, it pays to get another set of wheels. This is all for small cars like Corollas or Golfs. I'm sure big truck-size tires could be double these costs.
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The biggest problem with snow tires is having to store them in the summer, then bring them and your car to a shop to swap your tires for the winter and store your "regular" tires for the winter. Unless of course you spend another grand or so on wheels for the snow tires, then you can change them in your driveway, but you still have the storage issue.