I know this was discussed on DCSki last season, but I can not remember the outcome.
I am considering getting two snowtires and mount them on the front wheels of my Tarus front wheel drive wagon equipped with traction control.
Will this improve traction on fresh snow and packed snow?
Would it be better to put snow tires on all four wheels? What problems might I encounter with snow tires only on the front? I travel frequently to WV ski areas, Canaan and Snowshoe, and obviously, if I am lucky, encounter snow covered curvy roads.
Jimmy, I vaguely remember you weighing in on this.
I would like to get the tires soon, so DCSkiers, please hit me with good advice.
Thank you,
Think SNOW!
The Colonel

Put them on all 4. The problem with just 2 is that when you try to stop it can cause your rear end to slide out. --Tim

Like the other guy said....front tires will grab hold during your stopping, the rear end will just slide on around..great for Dukes of Hazard, not so great for being in control. As your back end slides around, it causes your front tires to lose their bite and break loose as well, resulting in a spin.

I just searched Telemarktips.com to find the recomendations from those guys, can't seem to find it. I do recall though that The Tire Rack was highly recommened as an on line retailer that delivers product to your door. Places such as Costco charges less than 10 bucks a tire to mount. The savings of buying on line, then getting them mounted was substantial financially, but expensive time wise.

Personally, I'm considering buying snow tires on the rim so i just have to swap out wheels every season. Little more expensive but I hate working on cars.

Steve

Morning Colonel, Swimmer and Timmer are right definitly do all four. You might want to check out how the traction control works. If it is the braking type, i think your owners manual will recommend you turn it off on snow covered roads. PM me if you're interested i've got a set (4) of 215-60-16 snows, two seasons old from my Taurus wagon, got a new car and they won't fit.

ps. having them mounted on an extra set of wheels as swimmer suggested would be a bonus, you could change them yourself if you gotta chase a storm and will save you money in the long run.

As I recall Hakka's were the way to go too. I just had some BF Goodrich Traction T/A put on a month ago. They are not snowtires but have good gnarly tread so I expect them to perform well this winter. I also bought chains.

I've used Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50's on my Honda Accord for many years and love them. They are super on snow and especially ice but wear VERY fast. I have them on separate rims and put them on around January and take them off April. Driving Alexandria to WV/PA resorts (usually once a week), they will last about 2 years.

Some of the BIG BOX stores don't carry snows because they are too expensive--much more money than standard all-weather tires--and people do not want to pay the high premium for them. However, they are worth their weight in gold if you do a lot of driving above 3,000 feet in WV. I put four of them on my car last year and noticed a significant difference--no spinouts except in Europe when I drove a rental car, and ended up getting into a snow related accident in Slovakia during one of the few times I was not using chains. It was a hastle but the credit card ultimately covered the damages.

Forgot to mention: 4 tires is the way to go.