ThatsMyDawg Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Hello all, me and my 2011 TC XLT are new members here, so hello! I have always had an SUV for winter as my regular car sits all winter until spring returns. This winter I will drive the TC as I no longer have my SUV. When would be the best time to put on winter tires? Although the TC is only front wheel drive I will be fine with winter tires on this season. I wont be going to work with 10+ inches of snow anyway, but I will still be out and about with a few inches on the ground. Not sure if putting winter tires on too soon is a bad thing, or not. For those of you with dedicated winter tires (not all season) when do you put them on? Know any brands, or models that work better on the TC than others?? Thanks in advance.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Our deadline is Dec 1 so either that or whenever it starts snowing. Sometimes October. Last year and now this one have been exceptionally warm but next week it will be snow. I have swapped to winter tires on two of my cars, TC and another still to go. The 1st gen Connect is very capable in snow even with FWD. It's perfectly balanced and has high ground clearance. All well known brand name tires are good enough for your needs. The differences manifest in extreme winter conditions that Maryland does not experience, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatsMyDawg Posted November 9, 2023 Author Share Posted November 9, 2023 17 hours ago, mrtn said: Thanks for the info and reply. Hmmmmmm, snow next week? Where in the heck are you? It is going to be 76 here in Maryland today and although cooler next week we are a long ways from any snow. Interesting comment about the TC in snow with all seasons. I would prefer not to buy winter tires, but I assumed the TC would not be great in the snow with all seasons. You now have me thinking if I can make it this winter without buying winter tires. My all seasons are in great shape, so, it would be nice if I didn't have to spend money on winter tires. Lastly, you mentioned putting on winter tires at first snow? Kinda last minute to do it that way. I assume you do that in your garage? I would worry about the shops, etc. being busy and not having a free schedule to squeeze me in to put on the winter tires and then I would be stuck. 17 hours ago, mrtn said: Our deadline is Dec 1 so either that or whenever it starts snowing. Sometimes October. Last year and now this one have been exceptionally warm but next week it will be snow. I have swapped to winter tires on two of my cars, TC and another still to go. The 1st gen Connect is very capable in snow even with FWD. It's perfectly balanced and has high ground clearance. All well known brand name tires are good enough for your needs. The differences manifest in extreme winter conditions that Maryland does not experience, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 55 minutes ago, ThatsMyDawg said: Hmmmmmm, snow next week? Where in the heck are you? It is going to be 76 here in Maryland today and although cooler next week we are a long ways from any snow. Interesting comment about the TC in snow with all seasons. I would prefer not to buy winter tires, but I assumed the TC would not be great in the snow with all seasons. You now have me thinking if I can make it this winter without buying winter tires. My all seasons are in great shape, so, it would be nice if I didn't have to spend money on winter tires. Lastly, you mentioned putting on winter tires at first snow? Kinda last minute to do it that way. I assume you do that in your garage? I would worry about the shops, etc. being busy and not having a free schedule to squeeze me in to put on the winter tires and then I would be stuck. I'm in Estonia (Northern Europe). The first snow was 3 weeks ago but as usual, it's just slush and it melts in a day or two. The permanent snow with accompanying freezing average temps comes in the second or third wave. I usually ignore the first one as I have All Seasons (Michelin CrossClimate+) and these are fine for it. I have all winter tires on doubled wheels so I'm not dependent on service shops, I can swap them in an hour in my garage if I care to clean it up or on my drive if the weather permits or in the warehouse at work. I have just compared our climate and it looks like we are just a few degrees apart. Obviously the winter arrives much earlier up North but as I live on the coast the sea keeps the temperatures milder until it freezes shut from January to February. Then we have a few weeks of -15..-30°C (5..-22°F). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatsMyDawg Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 23 hours ago, mrtn said: Oh ok. My state (Maryland) is in the USA. I am glad we don't see snow at this time of year. I like snow, but sorta like I like a weird acting distant cousin. lol. Good info on how you handle winter driving and the tires swaps. Eventually I will get a spare set of wheels/winter tires for winter use, but for now I am just focusing on maintenance updates and some minor cosmetic updates.Gonna see how these all seasons do this (my first winter) with the TC. No matter what vehicle I drive I always, always, always have to update all the light bulbs to LED. I am so use to having the white UFO lights inside, as well as the snappy instant on bulbs all around outside that It is always the first thing I do when I get another vehicle. I swapped out all the inside and outside bulbs to LED over the last week and although a small change I love the look at night. Next spring I will replace the headlights as my old TC has dull/hazy headlights now. Not worth doing now, but will take care of next year since they work fine, just look terrible. Take care.. 23 hours ago, mrtn said: I'm in Estonia (Northern Europe). The first snow was 3 weeks ago but as usual, it's just slush and it melts in a day or two. The permanent snow with accompanying freezing average temps comes in the second or third wave. I usually ignore the first one as I have All Seasons (Michelin CrossClimate+) and these are fine for it. I have all winter tires on doubled wheels so I'm not dependent on service shops, I can swap them in an hour in my garage if I care to clean it up or on my drive if the weather permits or in the warehouse at work. I have just compared our climate and it looks like we are just a few degrees apart. Obviously the winter arrives much earlier up North but as I live on the coast the sea keeps the temperatures milder until it freezes shut from January to February. Then we have a few weeks of -15..-30°C (5..-22°F). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted November 11, 2023 Share Posted November 11, 2023 Plenty of time in Maryland some time in Mid December would be good unless you have a trip to the Mtns. planed for a holiday or skiing! Here in Northern New England some time around Thanksgiving is the norm. The mud and snow and cold are similar to Estonia, but we can't get the cool headlights here! mrtn and ThatsMyDawg 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatsMyDawg Posted November 11, 2023 Author Share Posted November 11, 2023 8 hours ago, G B L said: Plenty of time in Maryland some time in Mid December would be good unless you have a trip to the Mtns. planed for a holiday or skiing! Here in Northern New England some time around Thanksgiving is the norm. The mud and snow and cold are similar to Estonia, but we can't get the cool headlights here! Nope no mountain trips, not my thing. This will strictly be a money making/not wanting to take my daily driver out in bad weather vehicle. I am inclined to feel the same as you about the timeline on the winter. Can't wait to post updates this winter about my driving experiences in the TC. I hope I have good things to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatsMyDawg Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 (edited) Hello all, I wanted to give an update on my first winter with the TC. We (Maryland) has had two snow storms thus far this winter. One about 3 to 4" and one about 1 to 2" in the span of 5 days. I understand fully that those numbers are not blizzards, but they are what they are. There are tons on slushy driveways here that I still see everyday. The amount of people that wont shovel the sidewalk, or driveway is amazing, but thats for another topic. I have to say that I am very impressed with how the TC did and continues to do in the snow and ice. I actively drove all day during both storms and the TC did great. Slush, snow and ice did not cause any issues and I felt steady and sure on the streets and highways. (I'm still shocked about it to be honest.) I still am buying snow tires as soon as I can, because I want every advantage during the winter I can get since I do not have AWD, or 4WD in the TC. I would already have bought them, but I have been doing some repairs on the TC that were on the front burner and more important. So you guys were correct. The TC does well in the snow. Thanks! One last thing, since the TC is FWD and the rears don't do anything, do I have to put snow tires on all four tires, or do I only buy them for the front tires? Thanks again... Edited January 27 by ThatsMyDawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Always four identical ones. The car will be completely unpredictable with different traction font/rear. Even the stability control would not have any idea what to do. Also illegal over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatsMyDawg Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 On 1/22/2024 at 11:33 AM, mrtn said: Do you mean unpredictable because they are snow tires? I ask because plenty of times I have had and seen different tires in the front vs the back. It is common here. The rule is that both front, or both backs have to be the same. You cant have one thing of the left front and something different on the right front. If both are the same then there is no issue. I planned to buy 4 anyway FYI, but because of funds I was gonna deal with two for a while before I could get the other two. Thanks for the reply... On 1/22/2024 at 11:33 AM, mrtn said: Always four identical ones. The car will be completely unpredictable with different traction font/rear. Even the stability control would not have any idea what to do. Also illegal over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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