Wheels & Tires

[Johnapool]

Really, people, just get an old 4WD to use in bad weather, if you live where that is the winter norm. The peace of mind that you won't have to chain up to cross a mountain pass or even to get out of your driveway makes it worth having one. There are lots of good, old, all-wheel drive rigs really getting affordable now that aren't gas hogs. One thing that is a fact- drivers with 4WD can be tempted to drive less cautiously, as a result, do get in trouble. Don't be one of those drivers and someone with front-wheel drive won't be pulling you out of the ditch!

Now that I live in southern Missouri our 4WD pickup has been put in 4WD very few times, last winter for a week. It's mostly a woods buggy these days.

I realize that everyone is not like some others of us who like having a car or two, a van, a pickup, a motorboat, (motorcycles and snowmobiles until recently), a canoe, a couple of kayaks, etc., and the idea of having a winter car doesn't come as easy....

 

[outsydthebox]

Went to their site, $399.99 USD per set (two wheels)!

https://www.mitasnowchains.com/product.aspx?ProductId=4&title=Anti-Skid Device 1 Set

That does seem like a lot of money! On the other hand, I've seen the damage done by "regular" chains that came loose. If I lived in an area that gets a lot of snow, at (estimated) $500 for a set of snow tires and rims, I might considered these instead of snow tires.

 

[Smitty901]

In Wisconsin we get a fair amount of snow. No one uses snow tires on front wheel drive cars any more. Modern day radials are all you need on front wheel drive.

 

[JEBar]

In Wisconsin we get a fair amount of snow. No one uses snow tires on front wheel drive cars any more. Modern day radials are all you need on front wheel drive.

much depends on the type of snow the area gets .... down south our snow is heavy and wet, its one step separated from ice ... it makes great snowballs and snowmen .... in my wife's home of South Dakota the snow is usually a dry, power consistency .... it doesn't lend itself to making snowballs or snowmen .... on dry snow, most any tire will do .... in wet snow special tires or tires with chains are more appropriate

Jim

 

[NSTG8R]

That does seem like a lot of money! On the other hand, I've seen the damage done by "regular" chains that came loose. If I lived in an area that gets a lot of snow, at (estimated) $500 for a set of snow tires and rims, I might considered these instead of snow tires.

We get a fair amount of snow out here, or at least did last winter, and I've got all-season tires on my Subaru, no problems at all. That said, I do like the design of MITA snow chains. Might actually work with the wheel fairings in place, and my Subaru SVX would be a snowbeast with a couple sets of these. I've got a year to think about it...definitely on the "list". Thanks for the video link!

 

[wheaters]

Here in UK we don't often see snow tires for sale. After years of struggling on all season tires, I'm a total convert to winter ones. These aren't the same as purpose made snow tires, like I think some have referred to, but they have a softer compound that stays flexible and grippy at temperatures below plus 7 centigrade and more grooves and sipes. You can leave them on in warmer weather, but they wear quickly.

 

[ElioDigger]

here ya go http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...rformance=ALL&width=145/&ratio=65&diameter=15

 

[AriLea]

Hmmm, on the issue of FWD vs snow.
I had a 1970 Ford Fiesta with FWD, in Washington state, and we rarely needed anything to get us up for skiing. We didn't even use studded tires. But the other cars in our family, big problems. We'd pass right by all the other people having to put on chains. We only put them on when the State Police required it to pass their check points. Of course if the snow was over 10 inches on the roadway we were in trouble.

The thing is, the primary issue between different cars ability is mostly about weight distribution and what wheels are powered. The Elio has 65% of the tires powered, this should out perform most other cars for power traction in the snow, even my old Fiesta. The only thing being better is all-wheel-drive.

Now for steering this all gets a bit dicey about what loading works (the PPSI). But generally speaking a narrow and tall tire is better than a wide and short tire.
Width maters when you have snow to crush, tall makes more tire in contact with the road/ice. So a wider tire will help on ice for more surface but hurt on snow for having to crush a wider trough. Your experience may vary. Find out what your tire patch area loading is first, then we can argue about the rest.

I'd say an Elio with studded tires is going to show very well against a 4wheel car with 2 wheel power and chains.

Now about weight, frankly in most conditions extra weight in relation to the tire patch area is trouble. In snow you expend more energy crushing snow, on ice there is a higher risk of, what would you call it? Micro-Melt, under pressure a small amount of the ice actually melts at the pressure points, just like it does for ice skates.

I really think if you put on studded tires on an Elio, you'll laugh at everyone else putting on chains as you drive on by.

 

[Johnapool]

Hmmm, on the issue of FWD vs snow.
I had a 1970 Ford Fiesta with FWD, in Washington state, and we rarely needed anything to get us up for skiing. We didn't even use studded tires. But the other cars in our family, big problems. We'd pass right by all the other people having to put on chains. We only put them on when the State Police required it to pass their check points. Of course if the snow was over 10 inches on the roadway we were in trouble.

The thing is, the primary issue between different cars ability is mostly about weight distribution and what wheels are powered. The Elio has 65% of the tires powered, this should out perform most other cars for power traction in the snow, even my old Fiesta. The only thing being better is all-wheel-drive.

Now for steering this all gets a bit dicey about what loading works (the PPSI). But generally speaking a narrow and tall tire is better than a wide and short tire.
Width maters when you have snow to crush, tall makes more tire in contact with the road/ice. So a wider tire will help on ice for more surface but hurt on snow for having to crush a wider trough. Your experience may vary. Find out what your tire patch area loading is first, then we can argue about the rest.

I'd say an Elio with studded tires is going to show very well against a 4wheel car with 2 wheel power and chains.

Now about weight, frankly in most conditions extra weight in relation to the tire patch area is trouble. In snow you expend more energy crushing snow, on ice there is a higher risk of, what would you call it? Micro-Melt, under pressure a small amount of the ice actually melts at the pressure points, just like it does for ice skates.

I really think if you put on studded tires on an Elio, you'll laugh at everyone else putting on chains as you drive on by.

I am not so sure that a wider tire on ice will help- I think it will slide more easily, BUT I totally agree with your last sentence- studded tires make the most sense for winter conditions if you must drive your Elio in snow and ice. Out West in snow country, Les Scwabb tire centers are swamped in early winter putting studded tires on cars for folks. They actually have special plastic bags for you to store your wheels and tires in between seasons.
So you can just get a spare set of front wheels mounted up with studs and keep 'em for every winter. No fender clearance problems, and most states that have snow allow them for the winter.
That still won't meet requirements for crossing mountain passes during heavy snowfall. They'll still require four-wheel drive or chains then.

Whatever folks work out for the weather where they live, the Elio will still be a fun car to experiment with. We'll all have the answers to many of these questions as soon as we can get our grubby little hands on the real thing. Avanti! (Forward! in Italian, not the car!)

 

[JEBar]

Whatever folks work out for the weather where they live, the Elio will still be a fun car to experiment with. We'll all have the answers to many of these questions as soon as we can get our grubby little hands on the real thing. Avanti! (Forward! in Italian, not the car!)

agree .... when it comes to new machinery, educated guessing based on past experience is pretty good .... modern computer simulations can be even better .... that said, there is no substitute for operating the machinery in the real world over time

Jim