hey everyone, im gonna hit the snow for the first time with my WRX 04 but, im not sure if i need chains or not, alot of my friends say i dont because i have a 4wd some say yes, so im really confused anyone know the specific answer for my car? thanks

 

It is simply, if you expect heavy snow, set yourself up with a set of Blizzak WS-50's, if you expect a lot of driving on cleared roads or packed snow, get the Dunlop M3's or Blizzak LM-22's all three are great snow tires.

 

your wrx came with four season tires. you'll be fine as long as you don't do something stupid.. but then again even with snow tires, if you're stupid you'll endup in gutter somewhere.

I've made over 50 tahoe trips in my 02 wrx with crappy 4 season tires and i'm still here.

snow tires are junk on dry roades, so unless you plan on living up in tahoe, fogeaboutit

 

i have pair of RE92 in my front and a pair for Kumho ECSTA ASX in my rear, because i was riding on bald in rear, but the Kumho have a rating of 8.2/10 on snow would that be fine?

 

You should be okay. How badly are your front tires worn? You should rotate the tires w/ more tread to the front. Just go slow and keep plenty of space between you and the car in front. Also, no sudden braking. If your tires are stamped w/ "M+S", you have all season tires. They are okay for snow. Never as good as dedicated winter tires, but don't bother if you're only making a couple trips a year to the snow.

 

Just for some quick info. The wrx has awd not 4wd, there is a difference. The stock tires on the wrx SUCK. Blizzaks are great snow tires and i would recommend them any day of the week.

 

Same here - my 1996 Legacy L made every trip to Tahoe and Yosemite without chains. Well, except for the first trip which was more for me to get familiar with the driving experience. Made me really appreciate AWD even more every time I cruised on by the chain control area.

 

If youre going to be driving on oncleared roads or roads with a lot of ice, use chains....if youre going to be driving on cleared, well traveled roads, you'll be fine with all season tired

 

Yeah, use those all-season tires and the first time you wish you paid for them is when you are sliding sideways towards a tree. IMO the extra safety of betting a dedicated set of tires is worth the price.

 

I'm debating whether or not to get a set of chains (well...not really chains...cables or some other type of traction device) for my Tahoe trips. Yeah, I don't think I would ever need them since they clear the roads up there pretty quickly. But what if I'm up there and get caught up in a snowstorm? My guess is that my STi will lose clearance before I'll need the traction devices, but just in case...

 

i hear lots of people say, that by the time our WRX need chains, the snow will be so bad, that they'll close the roads anyway. i love our cars. i feel like a vip not having to stop to put on chains and getting waived through at the chain checkpoints. its great. drive safe, drive slow, and you'll be fine.

 

In California, if you are driving in any areas that have chain control then you MUST by law carry chains in your car. They will never require you to put them on because they close the roads before they require awd vehicles to put them on. I do suggest buying a cheap set. As long as you have all season tires then you will be fine. Just drive slow and be careful.

 

agree

 

It is also important to have four MATCHING tires. You can harm the awd if your tires have varying circumferences.

 

california requires chains for 2 wheel drive vehicles and large trucks over 6k lbs.

chains on awd do not apply.

the best way is to get a whole set. dedicated snow/ice tires on steel rims for that day of trip, and your bling blings when you get back. a bit of hassle, but it's worth the extra safety. steelies don't cost that much anyways

right now I just swap tires when the season changes. $100 every time and 2 times a year.. that would have bought me set of steelies already.. but i can't fit brembo's with steelies. I have continental's and they are great..

***ONE THING about WRX's*** in snow/ice the car i light even with full passengers and gear. and it will have longer breaking distance then heavier trucks.
my friend's 4 runner could out stop me any day in snow, so remember to keep your distance.