Winter Tires: yes or no?

[Sprinterx29]

So I am approaching my first Mirage winter! I have the 2015 ES (5 speed if it makes a difference). I am from Massachusetts, but I am living in Northern New Jersey and we spend a good amount of time travelling to and in upstate New York...can't decide if winter tires will be necessary or not! Back home, you can barely do winter without them. But locals here in Jersey say they don't get much snow. People with "full size" cars have been telling me that my "tiny little" all seasons will be fine, but I have a pretty hilly commute. My first instinct was to just buy wheels and tires for winter, so I can take them on and off when snow comes, but that quickly became cost-prohibitive. My next thought of course is just the tires, but that's a full winter commitment.

Has anyone driven theirs through the winter in the Northeast, or nearish Jersey? Do you guys get winter tires for yours, or do the small tires really make that much of a difference?

Thanks for the help!

[Eggman]

I say try your first winter on the Enasaves and see how they work for you.

[Cani Lupine]

Winter tires.

Especially if you're heading up north, it's a night and day difference when you run on a set of dedicated winter tires. Get a set of steelies from a 90s or early 2000s Civic, even 13"s, and put some General Altimax Arctics on them. Used steelies can be had for cheap on Craigslist, and the Arctics would run about $50ish per tire, before mounting/balancing.

[anog]

It barely snowed at all here last winter so I got away without snow tires. The little wheels seemed to do a good job of cutting through snow but the traction was pretty bad when the roads were slick. If you have the money you might as well buy a set of winter tires. It costs more now but it's safer and your other tires will last longer since you're not using them half the time. I just ordered a set a few days ago myself.

[Cobrajet]

Enasaves are barely worth a damn on the constantly wet pavement we get here in the Pac NW. There doesn't have to be much snow on the ground for them to become completely worthless.

Mirages are light, but the Enasaves are narrow and gripless. I vote for snow tires. We almost never see snow around here, but I am putting Pirelli SnowControl 3s on mine in the next week or two.

Besides, 14" snow tires are pretty cheap.

[inuvik]

It barely snowed at all here last winter so I got away without snow tires. The little wheels seemed to do a good job of cutting through snow but the traction was pretty bad when the roads were slick. If you have the money you might as well buy a set of winter tires. It costs more now but it's safer and your other tires will last longer since you're not using them half the time. I just ordered a set a few days ago myself.

Good move, if winter wasn't too bad last year in Buffalo then you'll probably get slammed with 15 feet of snow this winter or something ludicrous like that!

[IchabodCrane]

I ran my enasaves for almost 3 winters in Norhern Ontario. (Bought car Feb. 2014 so only finished the first winter from there) I found the narrow tires quite good in the snow. Note that temps here in winter tend to stay cold so snow and roads may be drier than where you are. Drier snow and colder temps help traction quite a bit.

[M-88]

Where in Upstate NY?

I am 100% a fan of snow tires here in NY. I'd rather buy that extra set of tires (and save wear on my "summer"/all season tires) and not need them than end up stranded or in a ditch because the tires I had on were not up to par for what I needed.

Mirages seem to get around okay here with the factory tires - haven't seen one on snow tires yet - but I like having a properly equipped vehicle.

[Angrybeaver]

This year my commute changed from mostly expressway to back roads, so I'm going to try out the winter tires I had on my old Suzuki Reno. They're a little big at 185/60-15, but I think they'll prove useful a few months out of the year.

[Ranny]

I've lived in Portland OR for 12 years. It doesn't snow much, but they only plow main roads when it does. Last year, for the first time, I bought 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks. They were fabulous. My little car was plowing through snow better than all wheel drive cars with all season tires. No, they're aren't absolutely necessary for me, but I can afford it and will continue to use them from now on.