first snow driving

[harlenm]

And the Ex performed terrifically.

And here is my wife's car getting dug out, so you can see how much snow we got.

 

[EX-SV]

4wd?

 

[harlenm]

Yes. Would be nuts to buy a fwd suv in new England

 

[GregV8]

First time in snow for my Explorer too yesterday. It was unbelievably well balanced and sure footed... it just didn't give a sh/t about the snow.

 

[calb]

First time in snow for my Explorer too yesterday. It was unbelievably well balanced and sure footed... it just didn't give a sh/t about the snow.

I can echo that comment. With the snow we've had here in Toronto and area, the Explorer had no issues.

 

[aznkidlee]

We got snow in our area too over the weekend. It wasn't enough though. Maybe 3-5 inches. The car handled fine but I want like a foot to see how it really drives.

 

[naztruk]

My wife drivers a 2012 Limited FWD. I bought 4 Blizzack's with wheels from the Tire Rack for the snow. She drove back & forth to work this past weekend (worked 6 am -5 pm) & had NO complaints about driving in the snow.
Last year was just a fluke with all that snow we got.

If the snow gets that deep, she has access to 2 F350's or an Escape (all with 4 WD/all wheel drive)

Time will tell

 

[harlenm]

My wife drivers a 2012 Limited FWD. I bought 4 Blizzack's with wheels from the Tire Rack for the snow. She drove back & forth to work this past weekend (worked 6 am -5 pm) & had NO complaints about driving in the snow.
Last year was just a fluke with all that snow we got.

If the snow gets that deep, she has access to 2 F350's or an Escape (all with 4 WD/all wheel drive)

Time will tell

With the money you spent on the snow tires, you should have just bought the 4wd, especially here in CT.

 

[EX-SV]

With the money you spent on the snow tires, you should have just bought the 4wd, especially here in CT.

Agreed, and some of that money comes back in resale value for the 4wd, espececially in snow country.

 

[naztruk]

If we had decided to buy a 4wd, I still would have spent the money on dedicated snow tires. The 20" tires that come on the Limited just wouldn't cut the snow like our Blizzacks!

With the money you spent on the snow tires, you should have just bought the 4wd, especially here in CT.

 

[naztruk]

Besides, who said that I am staying in CT when we retire?

With the money you spent on the snow tires, you should have just bought the 4wd, especially here in CT.

 

[calb]

So the past few days we had a minor snow storm. Just prior my wife tells me that on a street near us, the water main broke, so the road was ice with snow on top.

If my wife hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed. The Explorer 4WD was flipped onto snow setting and it was actually BORING to drive in snow/ice. Where is the excitement of feeling your vehicle sliding, skidding, losing traction?! Sheesh ... this is too easy!!

Seriously - the Explorer handled it way too well - can't go wrong in snow!

 

[harlenm]

Besides, who said that I am staying in CT when we retire?

I'm out of here as soon as I can. Between the cost of living, the lack of jobs, the insanely high taxes, and the horrible gun laws, I can't wait to get out of this hellhole.

 

[peterk9]

With the money you spent on the snow tires, you should have just bought the 4wd, especially here in CT.

I have the AWD Limited and still put on dedicated Winter tires. There is no comparison when it comes to safety and handling between the so called all season (3 season) tire and a dedicated Winter tire. I also save 5% on my insurance premium.

Peter

 

[JohnnyDop]

If we had decided to buy a 4wd, I still would have spent the money on dedicated snow tires. The 20" tires that come on the Limited just wouldn't cut the snow like our Blizzacks!

I have the AWD Limited and still put on dedicated Winter tires. There is no comparison when it comes to safety and handling between the so called all season (3 season) tire and a dedicated Winter tire. I also save 5% on my insurance premium.

Peter

Does the ride get noticably more rough and/or loud when riding on the winter tires compared to the Hankooks?

 

[peterk9]

Does the ride get noticably more rough and/or loud when riding on the winter tires compared to the Hankooks?

I can't really compare then to the Hankooks since I got rid of them the day I picked up the Explorer. Replaced them with Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires.
As for noise, it depend upon the tires you select. I went with the 245/65R17 BF Goodrich Winter Slalom KSI tires on the base model 17" steel rims and they are fairly quiet. I looked at the customer reviews of the various tires and went with this one as it is also one the dealership sells. They are not at all a rough riding tire. Keep in mind that Winter tires are made of a softer rubber compound for better overall traction on dry roads.

Peter