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You asked, we answered ...

Everything you always wanted to know about snow tires, but didn't know whom to ask. For the skinny on snow tires that really work, Get a Grip.

I have a front/rear-wheel-drive car. I should buy a pair of winter tires for just the drive wheels, right?
Bad idea. The vastly improved grip of modern winter tires makes them grab much more effectively. If you just put a pair of snows on one end of your car the other end will be more likely to spin. In fact, you’d be safer not buying any winter tires than buying only two.

Why are the wheel sizes of winter tires smaller and narrower than those on my car?
Because narrower winter tires dig through the snow better and provide superior traction. This means you’ll need to buy a set of wheels to go with your winter tires, which will be more costly initially. But paying to have your mechanic mount and balance four tires every spring and fall will soon cost even more.

What are “performance winter tires”?
These are engineered with a grippy rubber similar to that found on “dedicated” winter tires, but with a stiffer structure like that of summer tires, so you get some of the dry performance you’re used to.

I drive a hybrid. Should I buy snow tires?
You must buy snow tires. Hybrids come standard with low-rolling-resistance tires, which are great for improving gas mileage and terrible for winter driving because they become almost deadly slick in the cold. Any of the “performance winter tires” listed here will work great.

What about studs?
Studs are illegal in many places because of the damage they cause to road surfaces. They’re also noisy and can’t be driven safely at high speeds (the studs can fly out). Worst of all, they don’t actually improve traction as much as their stud-free cousins: On ice, the studs float the tire above the surface, so the tire itself makes less contact with the road. During a turn, the studs skid across the frozen surface, decreasing control while widening the expected turning circle. And don’t get us started on retractable studs — which, as it turns out, aren’t really retractable. Rather, the tire is run at a lower pressure to lessen stud protrusion in dry conditions and then at a higher pressure in foul weather, meaning you’d need to get to a service station in deteriorating conditions to make the studs protrude. Give us the convenience of superior studless models any day.