toyotaman7

My thinking is that if you can wear the shoes you wear to the beach in the snow then you can also use the tires you use in summer in snow.

If not then a set of winter tires is wiser.

As far as winter tires only on one axle, it is a big NO. Very dangerously as it changes the cars handing in bad weather causing the tail to come loose easily. Just my opinion.

mikemu30

You can wear your ALL SEASON shoes to the beach and the ski slopes

toyotaman7

If you can do that where you are then you are okay with all season shoes...

mikemu30

Kidding aside in Canada I'm sure you need snow tires - here in northern NJ, you really get by without them. If there's a blizzard, I'm not driving anyway.

AllinCLE

I also live in NE Ohio and I would highly recommend using snow tires with the weather we experience. Doubly so depending on where you actually are and if you get dumped on with the lake effect snow. I have a 120mi daily commute from Cleveland-Akron, and I will say definitively that running dedicated tires in the winter makes it much less stressful December through March (and sometimes April ). I also recommend mounting your winter tires on their own set of wheels, so it's a quick and easy swap at the start and end of the season. Or worst case you're just paying the shop for a tire rotation to put them on/off each time.


If you're interested, I have a spare set of 17" wheels with Michelin X-Ice Xi3 tires mounted on them that will let go cheap. I used them for the past two Winters on my 2019 ES 350, and no longer need them as I sold the car this week.

AllinCLE

I guess to follow up on my previous comment, I'll also say that no you don't necessarily "NEED" snow tires. It's not a legal requirement here and truthfully lots of people get around without any knowledge or thought to what tires are on their car, let alone their condition.

What's your ES350 replacing and have you run snow tires in the past? If you are used to them, you will miss the safety and confidence they give you in the worst weather.

sderman

I recently posted on the RX site that I put Michelin CrossClimate2's on our 2017 RX350. We haven't had any snow yet but I am looking forward to testing them on my steep driveway. They are highly rated by both Consumers Union and Tire Rack for both snow and rain. They are for all-season use but they are also designated as a mud and snow tire. Some have commented that these are noisier on the road but I think they are quiet. I don't have many miles on my 2020 ES350 but when the times comes for a tire change, I would seriously consider the CrossClimate2's. BTW, I have had ES's for more than 20 years and the all-seasons tires have always been fine for the occasional moderate snow amounts here in NJ. For the rare deep snow, we would only drive the RX.

dklanecky1

IMO, In my 50 plus years of driving in the snow belt, experience, the driver (experience and skill) is way more important that the tires when driving in snow.

If you've driven in snow before, without snow tires, you'll be fine for the first year on brand new all season tires on the FWD ES.

I also am of the opinion that the best all season tires are not better than the worst dedicated snow tire, all other factors being equal.

We live in south east Wisconsin, and always have had a set of dedicated snow tires for all of our vehicles, FWD or AWD, after the first winter on brand new tires.

The cost of your insurance deductible (should you have an accident that snow tires would have prevented) will likely be a significant percentage of the cost of the snow tires/wheels you didn't buy.