I grew up in the north (Ohio) and had been rather ignorant of the merits of a good snow tire. In fact, I've never puchased a set. Personally, I believe that you drive based on the conditions. I've driven through blizzards, snow storms, freezing rain, etc. and never had a problem. In fact, a couple of years back while driving from Texas to Ohio, the route was hit with a large dose of freezing rain and snow which made driving conditions very, very poor. I was on my summer tires and made the 22 hour trip home safely while others (SUVs included) were spun out in the median and other undersiable places. I'm not trying to tell anyone not to buy a good winter tire if you live in an area where it can be of some benifit but at the same time, the use of good judgement in adverse driving conditions is also required.
Airknight - sounds like I left Buffalo just in time last week. It may not have been cold but those winds were howling. I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the big snow event.
