In countries where winter tyres are comon, tyre shops that offer tyre changes also offer storage for your unused tyres for something like 30 Euro (for all 4) per season. Or 50 Euro and they'll even wash your tyres for you.
Yeah of course this doesn't exist in the US, but if they made winter tyres mandatory surely someone will start this business.
Definitely depends on the specifics of the individual policy, many policies (that I've had) don't list winter tires as a requirement for wintertime, but sometimes you can get a discount on your premium for having winter tires if you live in a snowy area, which then would have a tire requirement in the policy.
Still a ton cheaper for those people than having their cars rust out on them, which is a larger lump sum even if it's a comparable cost over time (which it's likely not).
Dude, seriously? It's part of the cost of owning a car, cars are really expensive to own and maintain - that's life.
Winter tires are worth it if it snows regularly where you live, you'll probably save money in the long run by not crashing and your insurance might even give you a discount for putting winter tires on.
I don't put on winter tires nowadays because it only snows 0-2 times a year here so I simply don't drive in the snow instead. When I lived in a very snowy area I got winter tires put on every winter.
This likely doesn't apply to a lot of people here, but I have several friends for whom a new set of tires is a substantial portion of the value of your vehicle. When you're driving a $2,000 car, buying $600 worth of tires probably doesn't make a lot of sense.
Of course, you could buy used, but I would wager most of the things that make winter tires good in the winter tend to wear out by the time they make it to a used tire shop.
> Of course, you could buy used, but I would wager most of the things that make winter tires good in the winter tend to wear out by the time they make it to a used tire shop.
probably not. the main thing that makes a winter tire good in the winter is the rubber compound. as long as the tire has enough tread and is less than about six years old, it will outperform all-seasons in cold weather. every rubber compound has a temperature window where it performs optimally. too cold and the tire is like a rock; it doesn't grip well even on dry pavement. too warm, and the tire is too supple and will wear out much faster. if you expect to do a lot of driving in ambient temperatures much below 40F, you need winter tires. you might get away with all-seasons for a long time, but you probably don't realize how close you are to the tire's limits.
Look, when I was a poor college student my car was worth less than $2k, I still put winter tires on. Safety is a top priority and I'd absolutely needed to get to class in the snow.
buy another set of wheels. swap the entire set twice a year. usually the shop will charge you less to swap a whole wheel than to swap the tires themselves (less labor). if you have a small apartment, the unused set can make nice stools for guests. if that aesthetic isn't for you, there are things called "storage units" that you can rent to store things you don't want to keep in your apartment.
nah but if I were, I suspect the excessive amount of computers, ethernet cables, and guitars would be a bigger issue than the "stools" ;)
but seriously, there is an observation to be made here about social norms around vehicle safety. all-season tires are not safe for winter use in large swathes of north america. why do we scoff at people who prepare appropriately?
the jab is in good fun. i've had some very...patient partners, lets say.
most people i know who drive in the northeast don't have any qualms with having a 2nd wheelset and storing it.
i think there's a rather NA quirk to GP's comment -- they live in a small urban apartment, with no storage space available, but still have to own a car.
