Dave-S Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 In the south where I live we rarely get snow so this is not too big of an issue for me. Just the same I occasionally have to drive to Ohio in the winter or into the mountains. I certainly can't justify winter tires for my car but these newer all season tires are not like the ones they used to have just a few short years ago when they were plenty good for winter driving. On my last car, I had Optima tires and they were terrible in the snow. My Fusion has Michelin tires and I am wondering how they are in the snow. Anyone have personal experiences with winter driving on stock tires they care to share? Also do you find it necessary to turn off your traction control in the snow to get the car moving from a stop? I had to do that with my last car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 (edited) I had my 2012 for two weeks when I had to commute to the New York Metropolitan area when an early Nor-Easter hit the region....the roads were closed and many were stranded, but the car performed admirably and I got through while many with AWD were not as lucky..... Edited October 10, 2014 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjh Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 The ContiProContacts were god awful this past winter, got stuck multiple times. Looking for new all seasons before the snow starts falling again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 (edited) All-season tires are a gimmick ! In 2013-2014. Metro Detroit had the most snowfall EVER !! I have Michelin non-snow/non-winter tires and had no problem. I also have years of experience driving on snow and ice and I have the option of not driving when the conditions are at their worst. If you "must" drive through snow, spend the money on winter tires. NOT SNOW TIRES !!! A FWD car with good winter tires will perform better than an AWD car with normal/all-season. Edited October 10, 2014 by theoldwizard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmadole Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 The Goodyear 18" that came on my Fusion Hybrid sucked in the Northern Michigan Winter, but Northern Michigan Winters are pretty terrible..... I made it through two winters so far with the stock tires... After getting stuck numerous times last winter I paid $1200.00 for snow tires this year ... I pretty much had traction control turned off for the entire winter last year ... traction control on = not going anywhere If you are driving on flat plowed road you should be fine ... last year I got stuck twice going up steep plowed hills .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JScullin Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Whatever came with the glossy black 18's is terrible. I don't think I opted to drive it much if there was snow on the ground so I was thankful the bus stop was in front of my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjh Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Glad I'm not the only one who opted for public transit when conditions were terrible. Not worth the risk (not that the bus is immune, but it does much better in the snow than a car). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinx8402 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Yeah, the Goodyear eagle 2 on the 18" rims are not good in snow. I opted to go with dedicated tires/rims for winter driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Anyone contemplating buying winter tires and rims that has the 18" rime (SEL), should down size to the 17" rims (SE). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) Anyone contemplating buying winter tires and rims that has the 18" rime (SEL), should down size to the 17" rims (SE). I did just that Wiz.....my MKX has the "optional" 20" Pirellis that are so-so in the wintery mix. Stock size for my 2011 MKX is the 18"....for this winter, I was able to score some 17" aluminums from a 2005 Ford Five Hundred for $50 per....I "test fitted" them to ensure they would fit and clear both front and back, they fit and cleared just fine. I ordered up some TPMS sensors from eBay and ended up pulling the trigger on a set of Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT's.....size 245/65-17....same diameter as the 245/50-20 Pirelli's and also the same diameter as the standard size 245/60-18's.....(17" was the "standard" size on 2011 Edge SE) The entire deal cost just over $800 for the set.....best part is Goodyear also had a $60 rebate that doubled to $120 when you used a Goodyear credit card. For $60 more on the rebate, I opted for the card and will pay it off at the end of the month.... As for the the 2013 and beyond Fusion....Ford changed the bolt pattern from 5X114.3 to 5X108...But for those looking for winter rims at a salvage yard, the 2007 and earlier Ford Taurus (aka, previous generation) has the same bolt pattern and offset so the ability to find inexpensive rims for winter use is still there. Edited October 13, 2014 by twintornados Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MountainLion Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 We got an extraordinary amount of snow here in VA this past winter. My one lane gravel mountain road is plowed by contract workers. My Fusion handled it very well - but I didn't leave if the tractor man hadn't pushed it down to snowpack. I have the small 17" SE wheels. Now that I don't have the stay at home option anymore I'm looking into a cheap 4x4 to get out when it gets deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcats98 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 The ContiProContacts were god awful this past winter, got stuck multiple times. Looking for new all seasons before the snow starts falling again. This. I didn't get stuck but the Sonata with DWS performed leaps and bounds better; so I took that on bad snow days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Anyone contemplating buying winter tires and rims that has the 18" rime (SEL), should down size to the 17" rims (SE). Updating for ya...here is a picture with the 20" Pirellis; Here is the "winter setup"...yes, I used a heat gun to remove the Ford Oval decal and put a red reflective oval in its place... Side by side of the Pirelli and the Goodyear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JScullin Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 New Fusions also share the same bolt pattern as the Focus. So there's the ST guys who quickly unload the OEM wheels if you want an aggressive looking option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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