GT + All Season Tires + Snow?

[Stinger Girl]

Hello everyone! Thanks for having me!

A little history. I'm a recovering Mustang junkie.....I've had many flavors and never owned any other kind of car until 2012. My last one was was a 2008 Bullitt, which I loved dearly, but when 2012 rolled around and the value swung back up to what I paid for it, rational took over emotional and I sold it :/ I have been driving a 2012 V6 Fusion since.

I need a new car and I went to Kia looking for a Cadenza and was left feeling meh. Out of the corner of my eye I see a Stinger and ask what's THAT? I drove a GT and that was it - the feeling was back!! So I will be purchasing a AWD GT or more likely an AWD GT1 in the next few days.

But my concern is winter (in Cincinnati OH). Has anyone driven an AWD GT with 19" (not 18") all season tires in moderate snow? The one thing I don't miss is changing to snow tires every year and it was still like driving a hockey puck on ice :/ But I don't know how to gauge how the AWD would change that and also an automatic transmission?

Thanks!

 

[MerlintheMad]

Hi. There is this thread currently going: 'Summer' or 'all-season' tire recommendations?

Here are a bunch more: Search Results for Query: winter tires | Kia Stinger Forum

Your winters can't be worse than Utah winters. And I have driven on A/S my whole driving "career". It wasn't until this car that "summer tires" even entered into my brain, necessitating a change for winter coming.

The automatic is of course a manual when you choose it to be. Just start off in 2nd gear (as per the manual and common sense). AWD was one of my non negotiables. I'm looking forward to trying it out. I've never had an AWD or even a 4x4, just front or RWD on A/S tires.

 

[Stinger Girl]

Thanks for the links!

I wasn't aware there was a manual over ride. That makes a big difference. My Fusion has it but I've used it maybe twice.

I'm sure there are a lot of things I'm not aware of yet with this car and will learn when I finally have it. Especially electronics - I've never had a car with even navigation. Big test for my old brain

 

[MerlintheMad]

Thanks for the links!

I wasn't aware there was a manual over ride. That makes a big difference. My Fusion has it but I've used it maybe twice.

I'm sure there are a lot of things I'm not aware of yet with this car and will learn when I finally have it. Especially electronics - I've never had a car with even navigation. Big test for my old brain

Heh! "Old Brain" indeed. I've got ten years on you. And ditto that: my Stinger upgraded me from a '94 Voyager!

If you get a GT1 you will have a "manual gate", which allows you to keep the transmission exactly where you want it for as long as you want it; either bump the shifter to go into the next higher gear; or pull back on it to go to the next lower gear; or, just use the paddle shifters. I really like the paddle shifters: another totally new thing for me. 99% of the Stinger is new things to me!

 

[Kazz]

Nothing - and I do mean nothing - will perform better in the snow and temps below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, than dedicated winter/snow tires. I recommend getting a set on wheels so you can do the swap yourself (if you're so inclined and able). All-season tires are a compromise. Use dedicated high performance summer when temps are over 40 and dedicated winter/snow tires when under 40. I'm in about your latitude in Illinois, I think. My dates for change over are November 12th and April 15th. Why those dates? Personal experience has me remembering those dates very well. LOL

Just my $.02 - enjoy your Stinger!!

 

[Stinger Girl]

Nothing - and I do mean nothing - will perform better in the snow and temps below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, than dedicated winter/snow tires. I recommend getting a set on wheels so you can do the swap yourself (if you're so inclined and able). All-season tires are a compromise. Use dedicated high performance summer when temps are over 40 and dedicated winter/snow tires when under 40. I'm in about your latitude in Illinois, I think. My dates for change over are November 12th and April 15th. Why those dates? Personal experience has me remembering those dates very well. LOL

Just my $.02 - enjoy your Stinger!!

I hear you and I did the change out for years with my Mustangs. But I live in a condo and that meant lugging tires/wheels inside and down to my basement twice a year and they are HEAVY. The last couple years I just started leaving them in my living room, which was crazy (but entertaining). I seriously don't think I could do it at all now (age). I might just have to get a winter beater....

 

[Kazz]

No garage at the condo? I understand the hardship!

 

[Brian B]

Well I been in this winter dilemma before having an apartment on the 3rd floor in Denver during the 2016-2017 winter season. I had a set of dedicated blizzak WS80's on my 2015 mustang but Lugging the wheels down 3 flights and then up those stairs late fall and again in spring was .... not fun. Now i Have a town home with a small storage unit in the carport which houses the winter tires.(No more tires in the living room).

If I had to do it all over again maybe consider the AWD Stinger with the 18" wheels vs the 19" wheels 19 tires are $$$ like you wouldn't believe over 18" tires. ( I autocross and Drag race with the all seasons here in Colorado, they aren't as gripy as the summer tires but they hold there own quite well. If your not into track days or going canyon carving during the weekend who cares ?

There are great options for ultra high preformace all season tires like Continental Extreme Contact DSW 06 tires that have surprising levels of snow grip that you can put on a AWD Stinger to avoid the hassle of swapping out a winter set of you don't have the space or want to deal with the hassle but maintain safe-levels of usable traction in winter road conditions.

 

[Waynerm002]

You would be surprised what a lot of non-car folks run. With the AWD and some UHP AS tires you will be fine. If you plan on driving hard in the winter, then performance snows are your best bet. I ran those on my Audi, Subaru, VW and BMWs. Had Nokian Hakkas on the Touareg and that thing was a beast in the winter! I drove that thing all over the place without a care. My favorite AS tires for winter was the Pirelli P7 AS+ but those were GT tires, which were comfortable riding, quiet and gripped well in the winter for an AS tire, they would be on on the Stinger (in 18" size, 19s don't fit) if you planned to not push it too hard and drove more for comfort than sport.

I'm researching tires for the coming winter and am thinking of looking at Nokian as they now are marketing some All Season and All Weather tires. Would love to know if anyone on this forum has tried those yet.

 

[Ucinn]

Sweet, another Cincinnati stinger, maybe I'll see you around. I'm up north around the fairfield/West Chester area.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Tires are way more important that drivetrain configuration. AWD is nice, but is mostly overrated. It really only helps you gain traction when you need to accelerate. The biggest risk in winter is a problem with stopping and AWD does nothing for that and in fact probably makes it worse with all of the extra weight. Get winter tires if you drive in winter conditions.

 

[Grayt 8]

Tires are way more important that drivetrain configuration. AWD is nice, but is mostly overrated. It really only helps you gain traction when you need to accelerate. The biggest risk in winter is a problem with stopping and AWD does nothing for that and in fact probably makes it worse with all of the extra weight. Get winter tires if you drive in winter conditions.

I'll agree with tires being more important than drive configuration, but AWD is very important for pulling out of certain intersections on bad roads. AWD with snow tires is awesome!

 

[threeunderpar]

It's all about how many times a year on average you will actually face unplowed snowy conditions. I never had an issue with a rwd BMW with good all seasons on it in bad or mild winters so I'm not worried about my rwd Stinger with the same type of tires.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

I'll agree with tires being more important than drive configuration, but AWD is very important for pulling out of certain intersections on bad roads. AWD with snow tires is awesome!

Yep definitely best setup. I just don't like it when drivers assume they don't need winters because they have AWD.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Yep definitely best setup. I just don't like it when drivers assume they don't need winters because they have AWD.

I don't need winters because I am used to driving on A/S my whole driving "career". Where I live the road maintenance is first class and our winters are not that hard. Sometimes, especially in recent years, heavy snow in the valleys is not that often. If the A/S work out noise-wise, I will just leave them on year-round. The A/S I get will be "Y" rated so that I won't lose any upper end performance.

I don't expect to drive anything like as "spirited" in the winter as I do other seasons; well, except when we have an "Indian summer" weather spell, which around here can bring on weeks of above freezing temperatures and nice dried out roads; then the temptation to indulge will no doubt be too great to say no.

 

[Waynerm002]

Not saying AWD is better than having winter tires. I know full well the benefits of having winter tires as I have used them over the years. The tires, in my mind, are the most important part of the vehicle equation as it is the only things that touches the road. No matter how good your brakes or AWD system, if you don’t have the grip/traction the tires provide, they are worthless. However, not many people can afford to do a winter set or have a place to store them. We see many people each year in AWD vehicles doing things because they think they can, due to the AWD system without having proper tires and getting into trouble. I used to be the one always ready to go in the bad weather as I had the right tires. As I get older, if it snows and my AS can’t get me out, I stay home like others, I’ll take that snow day.

The fact is most people are not educated on winter tires and have been doing fine with AS, while I would love to be going fast with my performance winters, i’ll Take it slow with the others or again, take that snow days. So i’ll add, winters are your best bet but depending on where you are and the amount of snow you might see, a good set of AS might serve just fine.

 

[eflyguy]

To the OP, this:

Tires are way more important that drivetrain configuration. AWD is nice, but is mostly overrated. It really only helps you gain traction when you need to accelerate. The biggest risk in winter is a problem with stopping and AWD does nothing for that and in fact probably makes it worse with all of the extra weight. Get winter tires if you drive in winter conditions.

My daughter has moderately aggressive A/S tires on her (RWD) Challenger and has no issues year-round, and we do get some snow and ice here now and then. They were OEM, and we're on our third set now, I think, both she (and I) are more than happy with the handling and performance despite being A/S. I took a friend up to the Dragon in it last week and we had an absolute blast, tires held up great, and were then absolutely safe at highway speeds in torrential rain on the way home. They are Bridgestone G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S 245/45R20, btw.

I will argue that AWD can be very handy in slipper conditions allowing you to get that extra bit of traction that would otherwise lead you stranded, and it does add more stability overall, but it's not going to transform your Stinger into a snow-and-ice monster in slippery conditions.

 

[MisterMac]

My RWD Charger, RWD Challenger, and my RWD SRT 392 Charger roared through the snow (in Kansas and Michigan) on A/S Nitto Motivo tires. These tires also excelled on the HOT summer roads of Phoenix. My advice, if you don't want to mess around with two sets of tires, go with the Nitro Motivo's. I have them on my GT2 AWD in the 19's and I run them hard here in El Paso with no slip in sun or rain. It doesn't snow here often, but I know from past experience, they won't disappoint me.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Fair points. Keep in mind I am speaking from a Canadian perspective. Its like Planet Hoth for 6 months of the year up here. If I lived in Georgia theres no chance id bother with winter tires.