I put my winter tires on about a week ago. My wife drives the HCH II mostly to work (short trips in hilly terrain). I was getting bummed out as the FE was dropping into the 30's . Last winter my worst tank was 40.0 MPH. I had put on Glacier Grip II's with studs just on the fronts. This morning I checked the tire pressure. The snows were down in the low 30's psi, and the back ones had dropped to the low 40's psi. I inflated all to around 51 psi. I went about 10 miles on the expressway after the car was warmed up (bare roads). I set the cruise at 50 MPH. After the 10 miles I got 66 MPG. The next 9 miles was back roads and in town. I ended up with 19 miles and 64.4 MPG. The outside temp was around 36 degrees. The tire pressure is very important. The studs do add some noise, but they work well on snow and ice.

 

Ahhh, the perenial FE issue: Tire pressure.

And as you accurately describe, improperly inflated winter tires can have a very nasty impact not just on handling and safety but also on fuel economy. Also to note is that most winter tires have a much higher maximum pressure than All Season tires do - especially the LRR Dunlops we all have.

So, we have to distinguish between the two sets of tires. As you mentioned, 51 psi is a good value for most winter tires.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Congrats on gettting the FE back up.

I think having studs just on the front tires can be a safety issue. Similar to having different brands of tires front and back. It changes the handling characteristics of your car.

Imagine taking a long sweeping turn at 55mph. You hit some ice. As your rear tires have less traction your end could slide out -- oversteer.

I'd go no studs all around personally.

 

Studless snows have come a long way. Studs are only needed in a location that often gets glare ice as opposed to deep snow or slush. And even then a good snow tire like the Blizzak or X-Ice will do pretty darned well unless we're talking wet glare ice, in which case it would be best to stay home. I agree that having them on only the front is asking for trouble but can't decide if it will oversteer or understeer? My guess would be that it changes depending on road conditions, which could make emergency or even aggressive routine handling pretty scary.

Not to harp on it but this is relevant to your safety.

 

Most definately oversteer.

 

I really do appreciate all the cautions on mixing the studded snows on front with regular tires on rear. I do have some limited experience with this. A Subaru Loyale Wagon about 15 yrs. ago. I just used the FWD not the 4WD and had the studded snows on the front. If I am on ice I will probably go no faster than 40 MPH and on curves even slower. I believe that driving style during varying conditions will even out the less than perfect tire traction. I will post here if I see any problems with the handling on snow or ice. I also feel that the tire dealers and auto dealers "oversell" the need for 4 snow tires. Most of it is in how carefully you drive. The first day I drove a 4WD Subaru back in 1976 - I saw a Ford Bronco 4WD on a flatbed with the top crushed in. I have lost control in 4WD - it's very possible and can be worst than just FWD. Soo... it'll be my little experiment and I'll let you all know.
Regards,

 

AWD or 4WD will help you get going and handle better in snow, but they won't help you stop any quicker.

And as far as "Over selling"; when you've got 4 snow tires on you're not wearing any of the tread on your other set. You won't be buying tires more often. You've just got two sets to wear out instead of one.

Obviously a careful driving style will help -- good luck.