contourfreak22
CEG'er
has anyone let some air out of their tires to get traction on the snow and ice? if so what should i knock the air pressure down too?
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snow traction
- Thread starter contourfreak22
- Start date
never heard of that ... either keep the pressure in spec and don't drive like an idiot or get snow tires and don't drive like an idiot and you will be fine ...
RespectTheContour
Hard-core CEG'er
i would think you would want more pressure...the narrower the tire the better it will do in the snow, if you deflate it, its gonna put a wider track onto the roads surface, IMO, i run blizzaks and they are awesome in the snow
my98SVTturbo
Hard-core CEG'er
never deflate or over inflate your tires over or under what the manufacure says.in doing so could cause in acedent and a vehicle malfunction. Just get some Bridgestone Blizacks and youll have no problem getting through the snow!
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.i would think you would want more pressure...the narrower the tire the better it will do in the snow, if you deflate it, its gonna put a wider track onto the roads surface, IMO, i run blizzaks and they are awesome in the snow
You want to carve through the snow, not plow it.
contourfreak22
CEG'er
i drive 25 in the mountains. so thats not bad.never heard of that ... either keep the pressure in spec and don't drive like an idiot or get snow tires and don't drive like an idiot and you will be fine ...
SVTGT350
CEG'er
Lets say the tire in question is a 225 width, no matter how much you fill it it isn't going to narrow out, so actually you would be better off leaving it at a normal inflation.
The theory in dropping the pressure is the tire will float on top of the snow with a lower pressure because the center of the tire will cave inward trapping the snow underneath it.
This theory has been tried and tested both in the snow and the sand, and it works. Just come on out to Pismo Dunes on any given weekend and you will see everything from Ford Mustangs to F350s rollin on 12 psi or less and you will notice they aren't sinking in the sand like the people who don't follow suit.
When I lived in the Sierras I ran my performance tires with no problems in the snow by using the Spike Spiders stud system. Never got stuck never had an accident.
Oh yeah one more thing where contourfreak22 lives, if he were to go by Blizzacks they would wear out before he would hit enough snow to really need them. Nevermind that just noticed Granite Falls in the Sig not Prunedale like in his location.
The theory in dropping the pressure is the tire will float on top of the snow with a lower pressure because the center of the tire will cave inward trapping the snow underneath it.
This theory has been tried and tested both in the snow and the sand, and it works. Just come on out to Pismo Dunes on any given weekend and you will see everything from Ford Mustangs to F350s rollin on 12 psi or less and you will notice they aren't sinking in the sand like the people who don't follow suit.
When I lived in the Sierras I ran my performance tires with no problems in the snow by using the Spike Spiders stud system. Never got stuck never had an accident.
Oh yeah one more thing where contourfreak22 lives, if he were to go by Blizzacks they would wear out before he would hit enough snow to really need them. Nevermind that just noticed Granite Falls in the Sig not Prunedale like in his location.
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todras
Pretty fly for a white guy *cowbell*
The theory in dropping the pressure is the tire will float on top of the snow with a lower pressure because the center of the tire will cave inward trapping the snow underneath it.
LMGDAO! Float?! What planet is that on? No car is floating on snow. On sand in the dunes yes. That has to be the most hilarious thing I have ever read on here. As others have stated you want skinnies. You for sure don't want a ski!!!! Keep stock pressure and don't drive like an idiot. My Nokians performed excellently today in the snow and slop. Worth every penny. Leaps and bounds over all seasons.
todras
Pretty fly for a white guy *cowbell*
LMAO! Sounds like a good idea. You want to "float" over the snow with your 3000 lb car.
SVTGT350
CEG'er
Thats gonna depend on how much snow you are driving on, if its only 3 inches of snow yeah skinnies will work great, but if its more than say 6 or 8 inches all you are gonna do is get stuck with you skinnies spinning because the bottom of your car is sitting on the snow.
loggerbomb
Hard-core CEG'er
Thats gonna depend on how much snow you are driving on, if its only 3 inches of snow yeah skinnies will work great, but if its more than say 6 or 8 inches all you are gonna do is get stuck with you skinnies spinning because the bottom of your car is sitting on the snow.
Thats a lie. Ive gone through more than 6-8 inches before. You can get through about a foot of unpacked snow with a little momentum (with snow tires). Though if theres that much snow on the ground I wouldnt suggest going anywhere cause there would only be that much snow on the ground at a single time if it were a freakin blizzard.
Auto-X Fil
CEG'er
Thats gonna depend on how much snow you are driving on, if its only 3 inches of snow yeah skinnies will work great, but if its more than say 6 or 8 inches all you are gonna do is get stuck with you skinnies spinning because the bottom of your car is sitting on the snow.
Not true at all. It's nothing like mud, where that holds true. You will push snow out of the way pretty easily, and no matter what you're going to be packing snow down until it's nearly ice - you won't change that with different tires. You CAN almost double the pressure on the snow by running skinny, tall tires at higher pressures, and that will let the sipes work.
PurpleMystique
Hard-core CEG'er
I was watching something about off roaders in iceland with the guy from Top Gear (Clarkson I think). All the off road people let most of the pressure out of their tires to get through the snow and ice.
link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7321318726886306534
link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7321318726886306534
mjwood0
CEG'er
That's not very smart if you ask me.
Traction has to do with surface area touching the ground. When going over very uneven terrain (off roading), letting the air out of the tires allows them to mold to the contours of the rocks and stuff.
Since snow compresses, you really want the smallest amount of surface area possible to force snow into the sipes of the tires, allowing them to grip. Increasing surface area makes for less overall pressure at any given point of contact and with ice / snow, this is bad.
Living in the Upper Peninsula of MI for a few years, the only way to go are 4 snow tires. The narrower (within reason), the better.
Traction has to do with surface area touching the ground. When going over very uneven terrain (off roading), letting the air out of the tires allows them to mold to the contours of the rocks and stuff.
Since snow compresses, you really want the smallest amount of surface area possible to force snow into the sipes of the tires, allowing them to grip. Increasing surface area makes for less overall pressure at any given point of contact and with ice / snow, this is bad.
Living in the Upper Peninsula of MI for a few years, the only way to go are 4 snow tires. The narrower (within reason), the better.