I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla and I was shocked at how useless the tires are
in snow or rain. They are Goodyear Integrity. We had two major snowfalls
here (B.C.) and they performed as if they had no treads. I realized then
that snow tires are required. We are lulled into thinking "all weather" or
"all season" means they are fine in summer and winter no matter what the
road is like. It's absolutely not true. On the news they showed cars
slipping, sliding, skidding, rolling backwards down hills, overturned in
ditches, stuck in a small amount of snow.
These were every kind of car and truck and SUV.

It was the tires! Our snow season is short lived here on the west coast so
most people don't bother. I never did with my Hyundai Pony for 18 years and
I was only stuck in the snow ONCE in that long period of time (when there
was a foot of fresh snow) and never had skidding, sliding, or gripping
problems and I assume it is because it was a rear wheel drive car and
despite the mythology, it was better in the snow. I remember teaching my
children to drive on packed snow and ice. I had Michelin all season tires
on that car and they were fine, so I thought snow tires were unnecessary all
that time.......until now that I have this fabulous car and I might as well
have a beater with bald tires. I don't know why major cars come with crappy
tires now. The Pony came with Michelins.

It's not the Elantra! It's the tires. I did some snow tire research on line
and it's easy to find reviews and ratings of the different brands but
probably any real snow tire will make a huge difference and give you
security and a good grip.

I believe when we buy new cars they should come with the appropriate tire
(summer or winter) and we should at that time buy a set for the other
season, but my salesman did not even mention it and at the time, in summer,
I was not thinking ahead to the winter. I've since educated myself thanks to
the internet and the library. In normal maintenance they should swap the
tires when the season is about to end. But this is not a perfect world and
basically my Toyota dealer does not care about anything except taking the
money the day I bought the car.

My Hyundai dealer in contrast took very good care of my car for all those
years and I am probably going to trade my Toyota in very soon for an honest
car from an honest dealer.....which is pretty impossible to find..... still
doing the research.


"Christopher Bell" <cabell@nospam.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns947E8E033879Ccabellnospamhotmailc@129.250. 170.84...
> Well, you're just the person I want to ask my question to. I live in
> Maryland, and consider my 2000 Elantra to be the WORST car ever when it
> comes to snow. What's your secret in a snowy climate?? What tires should
> I be using??
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Schaaper_Rob@asdk12.org (Rob) wrote in news:a248ac05.0310311713.47702843
> @posting.google.com:
>
> > So what do you guys advice me to keep my A/C in good condition. Hey,
> > we're talking about Anchorage, Alaska here; it's around 32F (0c) every
> > single day, so my compressor will not be engaged(?), because of the
> > low temperature (there's nothing to cool, it's already cool). How to
> > keep my A/C in good shape?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Rob
>

 

On 28 Jan 2004 18:55:14 GMT, Christopher Bell
<cabell@nospam.hotmail.com> wrote:

>Well, you're just the person I want to ask my question to. I live in
>Maryland, and consider my 2000 Elantra to be the WORST car ever when it
>comes to snow. What's your secret in a snowy climate?? What tires should
>I be using??
>
>Thanks.

Try Bridgestone Blizzaks.. We have them (4) for our Tiburon and they
are phenomenal..Have a look at epinions.com for them and also search
on google for them...GREAT tires!
Chris



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