Role Of Car's Weight VS Choice of Tires on Snow Performance

__________________________ Well, I ended up going with one of three tires Town Fair recommended: Yokohama Avid TRZ, Toyo, or Mastercraft Avenger LSR. I chose the Mastercraft LSR T-rated, a tire I had on my late Ford Contour and worked well in all four seasons.

I found nothing good - or bad - written about the LSRs. In fact, nobody has written anything at all online about Mastercraft tires except the Cooper homepage! But the tread pattern is the most straightforward of that on any of the three tires TFT recommended, and I can really feel the difference between these and the Kumhos they replaced. WIDE lateral evacuation channels on the shoulders, yet no appreciable increase in road-hum from these tires. My wife was about to swear off driving my car at ALL - not just in snow - if I didn't do something soon about them.

Thanks guys,

-CC

__________________________ Well, I ended up going with one of three tires Town Fair recommended: Yokohama Avid TRZ, Toyo Versado, or Mastercraft Avenger LSR. I chose the Mastercraft LSR T-rated, a tire I had on my late Ford Contour and worked well in all four seasons.

I found nothing good - or bad - written about the LSRs. In fact, nobody has written anything at all online about Mastercraft tires except the Cooper homepage! But the tread pattern is the most straightforward of that on any of the three tires TFT recommended, and I can really feel the difference between these and the Kumhos they replaced. WIDE lateral evacuation channels on the shoulders, yet no appreciable increase in road-hum from these tires. My wife was about to swear off driving my car at ALL - not just in snow - if I didn't do something soon about them.

Thanks guys,

-CC

There's probably a connection there. Less lateral grooves = less noise. There's a reason that many old bias ply tires, and current heavy truck tires, have a "rib" type tread.

nate

___________________________ Actually, here's the Kumho I just got off the KIA:

mpare1=yes&place=9

And the Mastercraft Avengers I just put on 'er:

(clicking on enlarge links to the wrong tire - note the number of circumferential channels in the enlargement. My LSRs have 3, not 4.) One big difference: The Kumho's shoulder evacuation channels narrow as you follow them inward from the shoulder of the tire. This puts more of the tire's surface in contact with the ground, probably resulting in the quietness I described. The MC's equivalent channels not only remain the same width across, but are wider - period.

My wife drove the KIA through actual snow today - the white stuff in an unplowed parking lot - about 1-2" - IN DRIVE, and felt completely in control.

-CC