[lill2012]

I normally wouldn't have driven this today, but my truck was in use so I figured I would take it slow. Apparently not slow enough. I was on the shoulder making a right hand turn into my stop. Well that never happened. I slid straight into the curb on the far corner of the entrance. Of course it was slightly downhill so I had a chance to get some speed. I spun out and smashed the curb so hard i thought the airbags were going to go off. I think it's fair to say it's going to be out of commission for a while. At least I wasn't hurt and I get to rack up some miles on someone else's car. I'm now in a Kia Rio. It only has 100 miles on it but its pretty awful. Wish me luck and if you live in the NY/NJ area, get yourself a nice set of snow tires.

 

[Cesso]

Damn! Sorry to see this mate. I hope the damage isn't too extensive, I had a similar wreck in my MR2 and luckily a new tie rod and control arm fixed it right up. Those summer tires are definitely no good in the winter, they are sketchy when the road surface is cold and slick.

 

[eRic]

uh... are those the OEM tires?

 

[BlackBird]

Ouch, sucks to hear that. Glad you're okay. This is why you don't go out on summer tires in this kind of weather.

 

[lill2012]

my tpms sensors came in yesterday and the wheels were sent out this morning to be mounted

 

[BlackBird]

That's pretty rough. I hope your car doesn't take as long to fix as mine did (2 months to source a front right strut).

 

[ZREXER]

The timing of your posting is a little scary as I am picking up my FIST today and our roads in northern Alberta look the same or worse than your pictures. I had not planned on winter tires as I will be driving the FIST approximately 3 miles from the dealership to my garage where it will sit until spring. It is mostly residential roads, so I will put on the 4 way flashers and drive like a little old lady! I know summer tires and snow/ice is like walking on ball bearings on a tile floor...

 

[KKaWing]

Why not grab some of those slip on (plastic?) tire chains? Not sure if they fit though.

 

[timboslice]

The timing of your posting is a little scary as I am picking up my FIST today and our roads in northern Alberta look the same or worse than your pictures. I had not planned on winter tires as I will be driving the FIST approximately 3 miles from the dealership to my garage where it will sit until spring. It is mostly residential roads, so I will put on the 4 way flashers and drive like a little old lady! I know summer tires and snow/ice is like walking on ball bearings on a tile floor...

Maybe consider getting it towed via flatbed to your house :biglaugh:? No, seriously. The OEM potenzas are dangerous at any temp below 5 C. My office is actually about 3 miles from home and I commuted on summer tires during a weird November snow storm... it was terrifying.

The ST supplement states:

The original equipment tires on your ST vehicle are designed for maximum performance in dry and wet summer conditions. They are not designed for
winter use on ice or snow and cannot be used with snow chains. Ford does not recommend using the original equipment tires when temperatures drop to
approximately 40°F (5°C) or below (depending on tire wear and environmental conditions) or in snow and ice conditions. You must use winter or all-season tires if you will be operating your vehicle in these conditions

 

[Ca5p3r]

you would think that Ford would have an option for all-seasons...

 

[KKaWing]

They do, when I sped out the order form, there was an option for all seasons. Supposedly it's Michelin as3's.

 

[Ca5p3r]

well. My dealership didn't know that and I couldn't find anything on Ford's site when I bought mine. Sad.

 

[ryst]

I bought my FiST last january, and I drove it home on the OEM tires, and someone had to help me push my car into my garage, because i couldn't get enough traction to get into the garage. Flat ground, 1 inch of snow. I drove it home from the dealer in 40 degree weather, and I noticed traction issues.

the OEM tires are NOT SAFE IN THE SNOW. They are fairly unsafe between 30-45 degrees, and they are straight up dangerous in anything below 30 degrees even with dry pavement.

 

[BlackBird]

The day I switched tires, it was about 19 degrees out. I didn't really have any trouble driving, but if the roads had been damp, it'd be ice-skates. Get good winter tires and stay safe.

 

[ZREXER]

I bought my FiST last january, and I drove it home on the OEM tires, and someone had to help me push my car into my garage, because i couldn't get enough traction to get into the garage. Flat ground, 1 inch of snow. I drove it home from the dealer in 40 degree weather, and I noticed traction issues.

the OEM tires are NOT SAFE IN THE SNOW. They are fairly unsafe between 30-45 degrees, and they are straight up dangerous in anything below 30 degrees even with dry pavement.

I had posted yesterday that I was picking up my FIST in northern Alberta. To be honest, my 3 mile commute to my garage at home from the dealer was no issue at all. Kept the rev's low and just nursed it along. It was -18 C and we had had some freezing rain the day before on top of hard pack snow. So I was a little nervous, but really had no issues. Tires actually hooked up better than I was expecting. Now that it is safely tucked in the garage, it will not move until the snow is gone. I am not going to push my luck on the summers.
I have lived in the snow belt my whole life, so the reality is that I drive on crappy roads 6 months a year, so you get a really good feel and a light touch when driving on bad roads (except if you have a 4 X4 truck, these idiots are most of who I see in the ditch upside down). On my company vehicle, 2013 Jetta TDI, have Nokian Hakkapelitta's on it and even on glare ice it is reasonably hooked up.

 

[Ca5p3r]

Nokian Hakkapelitta.... say that 5 times fast...

 

[Firesail]

Nokian Hakkapelitta.... say that 5 times fast...

Yea, but they are really great snow tires! Worth every penny.

 

[KKaWing]

Mhmmm Nokians... too bad one chain has an exclusive where I am... Gislavid is my choice. Volvo's designated winter tire brand can't be that wrong

 

[RodMoe]

Love me some hakk R2's mmmm slush eating beasts . Best snow tire I have used to date from generals to blizzaks

 

[ZREXER]

Yea, but they are really great snow tires! Worth every penny.

Having lived in the snow belt my whole life I have had a lot of different winter tires in 39 years of driving. The Nokian Hakkapelitta's are head and shoulders better than any winter tire I have ever had, Simply no comparison. A passenger in my Jetta asked recently if I had all wheel drive as he could not believe how quickly I was getting away from stop lights on shiny glare ice. I think the translation of the Finnish word "Hakkapelitta' is something like "sticks like glue" or something along those lines!