[malba2366]

Has anyone usied the stock 21 inch Bridgestone alenza a/s rft in the snow? How did it perform?

[Saejin]

Don't have these tires or even an X7 yet, but I'll comment as I've used all-seasons in snow before living here in Colorado...I will caveat the snow we get here and the road prep (not salt) we do in Colorado is different than NY. We use dirt on the highways in CO and I think some other non-salt treatment.

With a/s you basically compromise. They can work in snow and summer, but at a lesser capability then dedicated tires for each. I want to say I never had any issues in snow, but when snow turns to ice then all bets are off with a/s tires. Dedicated snow tires will have the best chances in snow/ice as the compound won't freeze and get hard.

I've driven to the mountains in snow with a/s on my XC90 with no issues. However with the X7 weighing so much more and costing so much more I plan to get dedicated tires for winter and summer.

[gsobol]

There is a distinction between ALL SEASON and ALL WEATHER tires. Some of the tires marketed as AS lack the M+S designation (Mud and Snow)

In the nutshell there are two distinctions at work here:

1. is the rubber compound capable of working in expanded temperature range (all season)
2. is the tread pattern capable of performing in the mud or snow (all weather)

Not sure if Alenza is M+S as it's marketed as Sport AS tire, in which case I would avoid snow.

[MystroX5]

I did 20” AS pirelli scorpion’s on several winter trips with a G05 X5. They worked great in slush, snow, and rain. I am running my winter setup with a Continental AS on 21” for my X7 for the same kind of driving. It’s the width of the tire that plays a big role in the slop. Have to get off those 22” 315 skis when it gets cold. My wife’s A4 Quattro with Continental AS will plow through deep snow up our driveway. I always run AS on our German cars and I live on top of a mountain.

[Saejin]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I did 20” AS pirelli scorpion’s on several winter trips with a G05 X5. They worked great in slush, snow, and rain. I am running my winter setup with a Continental AS on 21” for my X7 for the same kind of driving. It’s the width of the tire that plays a big role in the slop. Have to get off those 22” 315 skis when it gets cold. My wife’s A4 Quattro with Continental AS will plow through deep snow up our driveway. I always run AS on our German cars and I live on top of a mountain.

Fat/wide skis are the "in" thing now!

If I can find the 21" OEM rims for a reasonable price, I may run a full square winter tire setup. Right now, the 22" Pirelli Scorpions are what I'm going with.

[gsobol]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I did 20” AS pirelli scorpion’s on several winter trips with a G05 X5. They worked great in slush, snow, and rain. I am running my winter setup with a Continental AS on 21” for my X7 for the same kind of driving. It’s the width of the tire that plays a big role in the slop. Have to get off those 22” 315 skis when it gets cold. My wife’s A4 Quattro with Continental AS will plow through deep snow up our driveway. I always run AS on our German cars and I live on top of a mountain.

Continental AS on 21" are M+S, so they will be alright in a bit of snow.

[Saejin]

Depends on what you consider a bit of snow.

[MB21]

Originally Posted by malba2366

Has anyone usied the stock 21 inch Bridgestone alenza a/s rft in the snow? How did it perform?

I have done A/S and all wheel drive in MN for few years and I thought this was great, until at some point I got more expensive cars and decided to switch to winters, and I have to say there is quite a difference, how well the car turns stops and goes in the snow, simply since then I always have two sets. At the end on average you enraptured with longer life on each set and turns to be no difference unless you buy additional set of rims.

Again keep in mind winters does not mean snow it means that in low temperatures the rubber compound is designed to have optimum performance.

A/S is the "car" that flies and floats, if you know what I mean

[ComingInHot]

The Bridgestone Alenza is also a M+S tire.

[gsobol]

Originally Posted by Saejin

Depends on what you consider a bit of snow.

That's what we call "a bit too much snow", for that I would recommend winter tires or treads.

M+S tire is good for relatively compact "crispy" type of snow, as it provides relatively good grip. You can also make due with a bit of slush. Where you will get into trouble is either highly compacted slick snow, or deep powdery stuff as the tire won't have any bite or it will slide on slick surface.

What makes dedicated winter tires so great is the tread pattern and small block cuts. They act like gecco feet, grabbing onto any surface imperfections.

Most of the time, if you live in metro areas, you will be ok with A/S tires. If you live in the suburbs or more rural area where chance of snow is more than a possibility, I would recommend dedicated winter tire setup. Just my $.02

[nynd]

Probably better with a dedicated set of winter tires. This way you get the added safety, even if it saves you one time, it's paid for itself. Along with that, you extend the life of the summer wheels.

[malba2366]

Originally Posted by nynd

Probably better with a dedicated set of winter tires. This way you get the added safety, even if it saves you one time, it's paid for itself. Along with that, you extend the life of the summer wheels.

I know...I am running out of space to keep the wheels/tires. I have dedicated snows for our other 2 vehicles (this will be a third car). I am on the fence about getting snows or just using the other cars when the roads are bad.

[unfoundnemo]

Originally Posted by nynd

Probably better with a dedicated set of winter tires. This way you get the added safety, even if it saves you one time, it's paid for itself. Along with that, you extend the life of the summer wheels.

+1 here. The issues are going to be with sub-zero days on a dry/clear road where you think you could take a corner like it's summer, or when you're white-knuckling it in white-out conditions at highway (or near highway) speeds.

If you stay away from those scenarios, I'd say they're good enough in a sense that you don't really have to worry about getting stuck unless you're doing some sort of prolonged winter off-roading, or have a steep driveway that you refuse to plow/maintain which becomes a sheet of ice every winter once that hard pack thaws a bit then refreezes (I have many friends with driveways like this).

[malba2366]

Originally Posted by ComingInHot

The Bridgestone Alenza is also a M+S tire.

M+S is basically meaningless...it is labeled as such at the manufacturers discretion.

[gsobol]

Originally Posted by malba2366

M+S is basically meaningless...it is labeled as such at the manufacturers discretion.

In a sense you are sort of right. However, there is a guideline in order to mark the tire as M+S

*"When a tire has M+S on it, that means that it meets the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) guidelines for a mud and snow tire. Similar markings for this include MS, M&S, and M/S. In order for a tire to receive the Mud and Snow designation, it must meet specific RMA geometric requirements."

[gsobol]

I guess this is a best explanation why M+S may not be adequate when talking about specific in snow traction. It may also be why the new 3PMSF designation was adopted specifically to address performance related issues of M+S designated tires.

TireRack - 3PMSF rating