I'm moving to Helena, Montana and need answers regarding snow tires.?

Bobby w

first of all chains are a no-no, unless extreme conditions and your not driving far or at speeds no greater than 5 to 10 mph. a studed tire is a tires with metal spikes that are designed to grip the road, but can be dangerous as well and used in extreme conditions also, but speeds can be a bit faster. a really good snow tire would be prefect for a saturn fwd, you wont be driving fast anyway. visit your local tire dealer and im sure they can take care of all your questions and needs. but if you use chains, remember they can puncture the tire and damage the wheel.

Aerostar

Chains are cheaper and more effective (in my opinion) but you may have to remove and reinstall them a number of times over the winter.
If you get studs, get studded snow tires. Studding your highway tires will only make a difference on ice, they won't help much on snow. The good thing is, you leave studded snow tires on all winter.....its ok to run them on dry road occasionally. Regretfully, I don't have dollar values for you for the Helena area.

monte

Studs stay in the tire permanently, chains you put on and take off. You also can't travel very fast with chains on, or they will fly off and make a mess out of your fenders. This site will explain. http://www.galttech.com/research/cars/best-snow-tire-chains.php

Michael M

I think you can make it with your transmission. I would just test out a few storms before I made any invenstments in chains and things.

camaro lover

I think it is illegal to put chains or studs on tires for road use, but regular snow tires should be good for a FWD car.

Haley D

First, you have to find out if chains or studs are legal on public streets...chains fit round the outside of your tire and you only use them when there's snow or ice on the road. Studs are built into the tire on both outer edges. Studs are like small nails that stick out about 1/16 in past the rubber and are supposed to wear down about the same as the tire does. They are installed after the tire is made by the tide dealer and also the tire has to accept studs. You can not put them on regular street tires,

Loui1

For the Montana climate you need to look at a full set of STUDLESS winter tires such as the Blizzak WS-60. There's been plenty of studies done showing that studless is the way to go if you're expecting snow or frigid cold the majority of your time on the road. The metal studs dont gain you anything against studless winter tires, nor are they legal in all states. Chains are worse...they risk tire damage and you cant drive normal speeds.....with a Saturn Vue, chains should only be used in emergency situations.

For what it's worth, look at www.tirerack.com to get a general idea of what a studless winter tire is and how it will benefit you.

UCANTCME

Winter tires have special rubber compounds designed to improve traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions, not just ice and snow.

Winter Tires are designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions. The superior traction that winter tires delivers can be as much as a 25 to 50 percent increase.

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