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How many people reduce tire pressure to get more traction in winter driving?



When in doubt if you are using a product correctly, ask yourself "do I know more about ___ than the engineers who designed it?"

Your tires weren't designed to be used at 15 psi - so it is probably a bad idea to use them that way. Would you inflate your tires to 60 psi to increase mpgs? If you want more grip, buy a tire designed for your use.
 
Just to jump on the bandwagon...

I get snow tires.

I also get them skinnier - 215/65/16.

And I inflate them 2-4 PSI over recommendation. You want a smaller contact patch on snowy roads, not bigger.
 
NotEnoughGPs said:
With so many different experiences that people have with winter driving, there may not be any "right" advice.
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This is the correct answer. Carry a tool-bag of knowledge on what you can possibly do, and do what you think might work for you in a specific case.

Remember, the OP said that some of his tires were bald all-season tires; airing down will help in this case. Adjusting by 1-2 psi can be the difference maker.

Also, airing down to get out of trouble is fine. But you need to re-inflate shortly there after.
 
If you have decent tread on all seasons, you should be ok in most winter situations. Replace tires as recommended by the manufacturer and follow the tire pressure recommendations.
 


I have had all seasons the entire time I've owned my gp, never once got stuck in up to a foot of snow(with ruts) I have been in like 8 inches untouched and had no issues as well. My first all seasons were bald Michelin symmetry's and still no issues lol
 
But how many times have you slid to a stop? :th_winking:

I used to run snow tires in the front and all seasons in the rear of my Si........ oh to be young and stupid again. LOL
 
I have snow tires right now and wish I had just spent the money on new all seasons. For me, snow tires just make me drive more aggressively when it snows.
 
Never slid or anything. I mean, I know how to dive in the winter but, still it did just fine. Never had an issue, and we had plenty of snow to test it. This year was the most we ever had at once though, last year was the most we ever had over the entire winter since like the 70's. I had my bald all seasons during the winter of 12-13 which wasn't super snowy but there were days with a good 6 inches on the ground on our residential streets. I was doing a ton better than a neighbors focus with brand new all seasons lol. To see them getting stuck in 4 inches, getting out and pushing, and I just go right by with 0 issues was pretty cool lol. Don't think my wheels ever even slipped going by them.
 


Truly there is a wide variety of experiences concerning this. I have to agree with most of it. Thanks everyone for writing.
It is true that in past winters, the winter tires I was using had significantly more tread, so I did not feel that I needed to reduce the psi as I could tell the car was handling and stopping and accelerating just fine. One exception was when there was an ice storm back a few years ago, and all the roads were coated with ice. I was about 40 miles from home. I stopped at a Sheetz store and started to reduce the pressure down to about 20 lbs in each tire just to be sure that I would be able to drive without issues. The roads were a mess, there were even 4x4's and SUV's sliding all over, and on some hills, vehicles were spinning out and stopping. I climbed each hill with no problem.
As the ice melted and the road were just wet the following day, I increased the pressure up to around 30 lbs. So, I am not saying that I drive 3 or 4 months with low psi. And the few occasions when I reduced pressure below 20 lbs, I don't think I traveled over 25mph. With speed that low, there was little chance of heat buildup which would ruin the tires. Those same tires are the ones I am running now.
With the tread depth at 6-7 32nds of an inch on the older winter tires, I am not worried about long term driving with low psi and having a chance of damaging the tires, as they are going to be replaced in 1 or 2 more winter seasons.
I have given this advice to others about lowering tire pressure, and they claim that it has helped them get though the winter with no driving incidents.
Clearly, the best advice yet is to equip the car with brand new winter tires with a full eleven 32nds tread, but no one is going to buy 4 new winter tires at the start of each winter season. As tread wears down on winter tires over the course of years, IMO, it can help to reduce the psi in each tire, as I have been doing this for more than 20 years.
Now, I am getting busy and removing the Blizzak winter tires and installing the all-season radials, as the roads around Pittsburgh are clear of snow and ice.
And now, a new problem! How to avoid the potholes?
I mean there are some craters out there. And they very hard to see at night. I am going to aim the headlights down a little bit in order to see the potholes better.
 
You're comment about driving around 4X4's isn't that big of a deal. Just because someone has a 4WD doesn't mean they know how to drive.

I had a Mustang one winter. I put weight in the back and winter tires on. I NEVER got stuck. I lived on top of a hill that claimed many cars to the ditches. I was driving on a snow covered highway and watched several 4WD's spin out while I kept going without even a slip.
 
stocker said:
When in doubt if you are using a product correctly, ask yourself "do I know more about ___ than the engineers who designed it?"

Your tires weren't designed to be used at 15 psi - so it is probably a bad idea to use them that way. Would you inflate your tires to 60 psi to increase mpgs? If you want more grip, buy a tire designed for your use.
Click to expand...

So tell me about the aftermarket trans cooler you have installed, and why on earth would you flip your dog bone bushings!? You think you know more than the GM engineers that designed the 4T65E and what temperature they think it should be operating at? Back to stock with you! All the parts!
 
I love how people say "no issues" as if the traction were as good as snow tires.

You DID have issues. Your braking in an emergency would have been longer, and your chances of spinning out on a corner were higher. You had to accelerate more slowly too, and chances are pretty good that you stayed home sometimes when winter tires would have allowed you to go out.
 


99GT2dr said:
So tell me about the aftermarket trans cooler you have installed, and why on earth would you flip your dog bone bushings!? You think you know more than the GM engineers that designed the 4T65E and what temperature they think it should be operating at? Back to stock with you! All the parts!
Click to expand...

Hah! Good point :th_laugh-lol2:
 
I rallycross in the snow on a frozen lake every year and tire pressure plays a huge role in determining lap times... i run 35 to 39 psi to get the best lap times in both icy or snowy track layouts.
 
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