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Are winter tires necessary with the long range dual motor AWD?

Are winter snow sires with AWD Model 3 needed?

  • I am comfortable with the stock tires handling in the snow.

    Votes: 40 23.1%
  • I am NOT comfortable with the stock tires handling in the snow.

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • I have experience driving in snow with and without snow tires feel the snow tires are worth it.

    Votes: 106 61.3%
  • I have experience driving in snow with and without snow tires feel the snow tires NOT worth it.

    Votes: 15 8.7%

  • Total voters
    173
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I'm in DC (where more than an inch of snow turns into a snow day) and not every winter results in extremely cold temperatures under 32 deg F, so I'm not considering a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. However, I am considering a set of winter tires and just mounting them onto my existing rims if a need arises (winter road trip, ski trip, etc). Does anyone have any suggestions on how to store unused tires (tire bags? vertical vs horizontal?), or better yet, does someone know a shop in the DC area that does winter wheel/tire storage?
 
My apologies for naming names in my reply I generally don't do that but I'm not blowing smoke I actually have the experience first hand and I can tell you that you will probably be okay with a good all season Tire on an all wheel drive 4000 pound car unless you just don't know how to drive.

We didn't use seat belts, ABS, or a whole slew of other things to make our driving experience better and safer either and I can also say that we would probably be okay without any of them.

Why chance it though? Winter tire technology has improved considerably over the years - for the additional cost to get that edge in safety, I highly recommend it.

I have a winter set on my Tesla, but I don't have a winter set for all the cars in my household, admittedly. Sure. they get by on All Seasons, but for my daily drivers, I put Winters on them here in the Northeast.
 
For $1800, you can get a full set of 18" wheels and winter tires for your car. There are a LOT of advantages to this approach.
SomeJoe777 offers a TPMS programming service through this forum. I paid him $127 last year to buy a set of sensors for me, program them and then send them to me. His service was impeccable.I then paid $1,000 net for a mounted and balanced set of wheels and Michelin X-ice from Discount Tire. There was no extra charge to install the TPMS
 
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Costco has the Michelin CrossClimate + at $208/tire + $18/tire for install. Buy 4 and save $110 through 10/1. Total price is $802 for a set of 4. Seems like a good deal. Has anyone gotten these for cheaper?
That looks like a great price installed. If you order them from Tirerack and install them, it'll be like $1000. Do you have to be a Costco member to buy tires?
 
Michelin CrossClimate tires are "all-weather" which are better than an "all-season" but not the same winter performance as a true "winter" tire.

According to Transport Canada:
"When shopping for winter tires, it is important to look for a tire that displays the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Symbol (also referred to as the ‘Alpine’symbol) on the sidewall. Transport Canada acknowledges that tires displaying this symbol meet the specific snow traction performance requirements, and have been designed specifically for use in severe snow conditions.

Winter tire testing is innovative, reliable and sophisticated. All winter tires that are marked with the Alpine symbol (pictured below) undergo the ASTM F 1805 tire test on medium-packed snow in standardized testing conditions to ensure their snow traction performance meets the minimum industry requirements to be considered a winter tire. Importantly, tires that are manufactured for medium-packed snow are required by law to perform this test and may display the 3PMSF symbol on the sidewall. "​

The CrossClimate+ is a 3PMSF tire, as are a few others.
 
According to Transport Canada:
"When shopping for winter tires, it is important to look for a tire that displays the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Symbol (also referred to as the ‘Alpine’symbol) on the sidewall. Transport Canada acknowledges that tires displaying this symbol meet the specific snow traction performance requirements, and have been designed specifically for use in severe snow conditions.

Winter tire testing is innovative, reliable and sophisticated. All winter tires that are marked with the Alpine symbol (pictured below) undergo the ASTM F 1805 tire test on medium-packed snow in standardized testing conditions to ensure their snow traction performance meets the minimum industry requirements to be considered a winter tire. Importantly, tires that are manufactured for medium-packed snow are required by law to perform this test and may display the 3PMSF symbol on the sidewall. "​

The CrossClimate+ is a 3PMSF tire, as are a few others.

I don't disagree. I believe every tire branded as "all weather" also has the 3PMSF symbol and meets government requirements for driving in the snow. All I'm saying is a pure "winter" tire is better in snowy winter conditions compared to an "all weather" tire. Here's a quote from aha insurance (a Canadian insurance company) on the difference:

All-Weather vs. Winter Tires: the Key Differences
While winter tires tend to be the popular choice for handling driving during colder months, all-weather tires are becoming trendier for their convenience. For urban drivers, all-weather tires are becoming a common go-to solution as they tend to travel on ploughed roads most frequently. These tires also include a winter rating much like winter tires.

However, all-weather tires aren’t ideal for those -10°C days when several inches of snow have fallen and you’re figuring out how you’re going to get to work. They won’t perform as well as dedicated winter tires in the more severe conditions, but they are convenient to access. Winter tires come with tire changeovers and the accompanying costs, but discounts exist to offset those costs.

All-weather tires also have improved mileage and noise levels over winter tires, making them an attractive option for driving up to your cabin or some distant getaway. Tires such as the Nokian WRG3, Toyo Celsius, and Hankook Optima 4S are some recommendations if you’re looking for all-weather tires.

A drawback is that Ontario’s auto insurance companies may decide not to offer winter tire discounts on all-weather tires despite their solid winter safety rating—so be sure to check your policy or with your provider before buying any new tires. For discounts, there’s a clear winner in the debate of all-weather vs. winter tires.

Despite changeover costs, winter tires are safer to utilize as they will get you through those snowstorms safer than their all-weather compatriots. Because their rubber compound is designed to stay soft throughout even the coldest moments of the season, winter tires are wise investments for encountering black ice and hard-packed snow, conditions that often affect long-distance and highway drivers.​

If you were to buy a single set of tires for use all year round, then "all-weathers" like the CrossClimate+ would be ok but if you want max winter performance then a true winter tire like the X-Ice would offer better winter traction and performance.

At the end of the day if I were being followed by a car in the winter I'd rather it have true "winters" than "all-weather" tires.
 
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are 4 winter tires required? Could people that dont go to the snow that often get by with 2 rear winter tires on an awd?
Having significantly different traction front vs back is very bad mojo. This is especially true of a vehicle whose design is such that it expects “square” tire setup, which is the case with the Model 3.

Even worse, Far better traction in the rear is a recipe for heavy understeer. That exasperates rather than improves the situation with an AWD vehicle. If anything you’d rather have slight bias to front traction rather than rear.
 
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When you use all 4 wheels, particularly including the front rather than just the rear, you get clearly get better braking out of the tires.

I'm missing how you are equating awd with how the brakes work - remember our religion here, tires stop a car not brakes so... or is this a comment about snows only in the rear in which case yep, all 4 snows please.

AWD cars tend to be heavier, big battery operated EVs or not , and inertia is not the friend of turning or stopping in friction-compromised environments..

Snow tires are cheap insurance in helping to make sure your car turns, stops and goes in bad weather and also very likely reduces the chance you'll hit someone else...
 
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I'm in DC (where more than an inch of snow turns into a snow day) and not every winter results in extremely cold temperatures under 32 deg F, so I'm not considering a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. However, I am considering a set of winter tires and just mounting them onto my existing rims if a need arises (winter road trip, ski trip, etc). Does anyone have any suggestions on how to store unused tires (tire bags? vertical vs horizontal?), or better yet, does someone know a shop in the DC area that does winter wheel/tire storage?

There are tire bags for this but consider, each time you mount/dismount a tire you weaken the bead. Is it worth not just getting dedicated tires/rims? Cars are big $ steel rims and some snows so much less so..
 
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I have an essential service job so I have to make it to work come hell or high water.
Denver's winters are normally fairly mild, but with that said I end up driving in a snow storm a few times a winter.

For me it's absolutely worth it.
 
This winter I will most likely drive my LR AWD in the snow with the 18 inch all seasons. I had a Corolla, a Mustang, and a Challenger that drove on all seasons just fine. In fact, I had a CTS-V with snow tires that was worse in snow than my other cars on all seasons.

Where I live the snow comes down and gets plowed and salted within 8 hours usually.