Seasonal Tire Storage

[Anonymous]

I'm planning to put winter tires on my SUV this year because i will be spending time in Vermont. Does anyone know a tire shop in the area (Mclean specifically) that has a decent selection of winter/snow tires AND will store the summer tires for the season? I would rather not stack them in my garage.

[Anonymous]

You are actually willing to pay someone to store your tires?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are actually willing to pay someone to store your tires?

Yeah, this is a thing in many parts of the country. It's like $10/month if you do it at the shop that sells you the tires. I don't mind paying $120/year to not have to haul tires around and put them in my garage or basement.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never heard of this around here. Probably because people but “all season” tires in these parts.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in VT and all seasons are fine on your car. Switching tires was a thing when I was younger, but not so much now with better quality all seasons available.

[Anonymous]

Get All-Weather tires, which are different than All-Season tires. All-Weather tires are better than all season tires in the cold, snow and ice, but they are also built to be kept on year-round. They are meant for situations where people experience some snow and ice but don't want to deal with the hassles and expense of buying, storing and swapping out two sets of summer and winter tires. They're actually perfect for areas like the DMV, where we get some snow but not enough to make true winter tires worthwhile. A great example would be the Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires.

[Anonymous]

All season tires are fine.

[Anonymous]

You don’t need winter tires or even a 4WD. DH is from Vermont and his parents drive a Prius w/all season tires. They live off a steep gravel road and have never had an issue.

[Anonymous]

Pick a winter oriented all season, there are several with the 3-peaks symbol that are good. You would also do fine with an M+S symbol tire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All season tires are fine.

For places that don’t get snow.

We get snow here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in VT and all seasons are fine on your car. Switching tires was a thing when I was younger, but not so much now with better quality all seasons available.

They’re “fine” but winter tires are really nice and will perform much better.

I lived in VT and Buffalo for a decade and it’s true that many people don’t bother. But people often commented on how well my car handled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pick a winter oriented all season, there are several with the 3-peaks symbol that are good. You would also do fine with an M+S symbol tire.

This is the way to go. As someone said above, these fall into a relatively new (to the U.S.) category of tires sometimes called "All Weather" instead of all season. A lot of people aren't aware of this in-between option and are still stuck thinking there are only mild all seasons or full-on winter tires.

Another advantage to getting all-weather tires instead of swapping twice a year is that you don't have to buy a 2nd set of wheels, and you don't have to have your TPMS (tire pressure monitoring sensors) recalibrated when you swap every fall and spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All season tires are fine.

For places that don’t get snow.

We get snow here.

Ha. DC doesn't get enough snow or get cold enough to justify winter tires. All-seasons are fine here. Just adapt to your conditions and don't drive like a jackass (which, I get it, is a tall order around here).