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- 2014 & 2019 CX-5 Touring(s)
Tires - A study of what pressure for driving on snow
- Thread starter RedBaron
- Start date
MrViking
2022 CX5 Premium
Interesting, but who in their right mind is going to adjust the pressure in their tires when it snows and then adjust it again when the road is clear? It might be helpful if you're stuck, but you'll need to adjust as soon as you're on pavement again. Riding on tires that are 10 or more lbs. low can damage them.
Awhile back I read that what makes tires grip in the snow is the ability of the tire to "grab" snow and hold it in the tread. Snow grips snow as anyone knows who has ever played in it. So it's the snow on snow that gives the grip and the bigger cleats in snow tire treads grab and hold more snow.
As far as why tires suddenly grip worse at 10 psi may again have do to with the contact patch. As you ride lower and lower you may start to pick up too much smooth sidewall losing grip or is it possible that the center of the tread loses contact with the road surface? Just musing here.
Awhile back I read that what makes tires grip in the snow is the ability of the tire to "grab" snow and hold it in the tread. Snow grips snow as anyone knows who has ever played in it. So it's the snow on snow that gives the grip and the bigger cleats in snow tire treads grab and hold more snow.
As far as why tires suddenly grip worse at 10 psi may again have do to with the contact patch. As you ride lower and lower you may start to pick up too much smooth sidewall losing grip or is it possible that the center of the tread loses contact with the road surface? Just musing here.
Yeah, I, and others on this forum, could show a few articles testing to the contrary or backing it up, so who would be correct? At this point it's just conjecture IMO. Do whatever you think works for you. I always roll my eyes at the "let's solve this once and for all' statement, for anything. I have friends that swear by the reduced-pressure-for-snow bit that say it works for them. Never made sense to me except driving on the beach where you have no black top or hard surface underneath. It could actually ruin a tire on the inside. I can't see the sense in buying a tire for over $150 designed for ice and snow traction and then possibly ruining it by deliberately under inflating it.
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- 2014 & 2019 CX-5 Touring(s)
Go right ahead!
That's been my experience, over decades of winter driving in snow, sleet/slushy conditions.
Biggest grip aspect, from what I've experienced: tire compound, sufficiently accommodating of very low temps; then, siping and tread blocks, to capture sufficient snow/ice that it's got something for the next bit of snow/ice to grab onto. Next-to-last on the list is AWD. I'm all for AWD. It can help, but it can't outrun poor compound selection. Last on the list would be tire pressure. If we're speaking of "snowshoe" amounts of snow, that's one thing; very possible pressures could exert a stronger influence in that. But in most conditions it's smaller amounts of surface crud where the tires' pressures are the least of my concern.
As for what "experts" and write-ups suggest as preferable, I couldn't say. I've seen all sorts of viewpoints. But I'm dead set on choosing a tire that's got it to go, when nasty conditions prevail. Been off the road once, in black ice and light snow conditions driving a Subaru 4WD riding on excellent ice+snow tires. Never again ... if I can help it. For years, I would play with the pressures, as that's about all one can do (aside from driving technique and speeds) to potentially alter the amount of resulting grip a given car+tires has. Hasn't seemed to make much difference, certainly nothing like correct tire compound, sipes/tread for the conditions, and AWD.
Who knows. Perhaps my "problem" has been the four states and type of snow/crud I've driven in, since the early 1980s. Perhaps I've just been lucky. But, somehow I doubt it. Exceptional tires. AWD. Driving at speeds suitable to the conditions. That's about 98%, from what I've seen.
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- W WA
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- 2024 CX-5 Premium
I just spent a couple of weeks in Montana with CX5 and a set of Michelin X-Ice snow tires. This is the 5th season with these tires so they are far from new. Conditions were mostly packed powder, sometimes over black ice and I had no problems. Only once, in very wet slush, at 50mph did I feel any loss of control. I will replace these tires after this season I think.
Unplowed, unpaved road.
Unplowed, unpaved road.
