New England Winter for a Desert Volvo? Topic is solved

[Rattnalle]

Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

As I said, I have never had a problem nor noticed a difference. Terrible and dangerous advice would be telling him to leave half worn summer tires on. Also, you should never brake hard on winter roads ever, even with 4 new snow tires. Only brake gently when the wheels are straight.

Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing when to brake. That's when it matters. Not when driving as planned. You're much better protected hitting something head on rather than sideways. Besides when checking the grip with a small brake until you start to feel the car slip you'll mostly use the front wheels and you'll never know how much grip you have in the rear.

This isn't something I made up. It's common knowledge and best practice on this side the ocean. It goes for summer tyres as well, best tyres in the rear regardless of what wheels are driven.

[oragex]

Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

As I said, I have never had a problem nor noticed a difference. Terrible and dangerous advice would be telling him to leave half worn summer tires on. Also, you should never brake hard on winter roads ever, even with 4 new snow tires. Only brake gently when the wheels are straight.

This is a quite discussed topic, where to put the better tires, on the front or on the rear axle?

I've came to have my own conclusion on the subject: don't drive with two less good tires, be these installed on the rear or front axle. Have all tires the same quality and close to the same wear. I always install the tires with more thread on the front wheels at the start of the winter, because by the end of the winter these tires will wear more and will have the same thread depth as the rear ones. But the whole idea is to have all 4 tires with similar thread depth.

Also, since the OP mentioned this, the only reason to install studs on winter tires is when driving long distances on open roads with ice and compacted snow - usually there are secondary roads, roads that have less traffic or roads in open fields with blowing side winds. Same if the car has to climb an iced road when going to a cabin or on a steep drive way.

Other than that, what's important for a snow tire is the brand. Cheap brand tires have poor traction, are noisy, wear fast. Michelin, Toyo, Goodyear, Bridgestone are some of the top brands (also Nokian but expensive). Then there are two types of winter tires: the snow type and the ice type - depending again on the road conditions. Usually within cities a snow type is the best to move in/out parking spots with deep snow

Good tires, good wipers (Bosch Icon are sweet), and a set of traction aids in the trunk

[viper69]

Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

As I said, I have never had a problem nor noticed a difference. Terrible and dangerous advice would be telling him to leave half worn summer tires on. Also, you should never brake hard on winter roads ever, even with 4 new snow tires. Only brake gently when the wheels are straight.

Curious, why should I get a spare fuel pump relay?

Didn’t know the Teflon info!

They are known to fail in the cold and leave you stranded. Get a spare, know how to change it, and then you won't be stranded when it happens.

Whether you use Teflon or some kind of silicone spray, just make sure the bottle says rubber and plastic safe. And apply carefully so you only get it on the seals, and wipe up any overspray.

Curious, when spraying the door seals, why do you wipe up the excess? Should I use masking tape to mask the paint/metal?

Do these sprays damage the paint?

[WhatAmIDoing]

Some silicone concoctions can damage metal paint, as well as silicon rubbers, and plastic. Why you have to read the label. You do not need to apply very much. If you get any on the paint, just wipe it up. This is why I use Teflon, because it is generally rubber and paint safe, and a little bit will last all winter long.

[viper69]

Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

As I said, I have never had a problem nor noticed a difference. Terrible and dangerous advice would be telling him to leave half worn summer tires on. Also, you should never brake hard on winter roads ever, even with 4 new snow tires. Only brake gently when the wheels are straight.

This is a quite discussed topic, where to put the better tires, on the front or on the rear axle?

I've came to have my own conclusion on the subject: don't drive with two less good tires, be these installed on the rear or front axle. Have all tires the same quality and close to the same wear. I always install the tires with more thread on the front wheels at the start of the winter, because by the end of the winter these tires will wear more and will have the same thread depth as the rear ones. But the whole idea is to have all 4 tires with similar thread depth.

Also, since the OP mentioned this, the only reason to install studs on winter tires is when driving long distances on open roads with ice and compacted snow - usually there are secondary roads, roads that have less traffic or roads in open fields with blowing side winds. Same if the car has to climb an iced road when going to a cabin or on a steep drive way.

Other than that, what's important for a snow tire is the brand. Cheap brand tires have poor traction, are noisy, wear fast. Michelin, Toyo, Goodyear, Bridgestone are some of the top brands (also Nokian but expensive). Then there are two types of winter tires: the snow type and the ice type - depending again on the road conditions. Usually within cities a snow type is the best to move in/out parking spots with deep snow

Good tires, good wipers (Bosch Icon are sweet), and a set of traction aids in the trunk

Didn’t know there ice tires And snow tires.

I don’t know how well they clear roads here. Most of the main roads I suspect will be decently cleared otherwise no one is going to work.

However the side roads that I’ve been on a bit certainly are candidates for snow and ice to be remaining or not as well cleared, certainly less traffic .

Hence my idea of studded tires.

Right now I have all weather tires. I live in an area now that is both rural and urban.

I’ll ask around with the locals see what they say.

[viper69]

Some silicone concoctions can damage metal paint, as well as silicon rubbers, and plastic. Why you have to read the label. You do not need to apply very much. If you get any on the paint, just wipe it up. This is why I use Teflon, because it is generally rubber and paint safe, and a little bit will last all winter long.

Wow I didn’t know that. I take it if one doesn’t spray the door seals, then water freezes your door shut.

Do the door coverings, they are black coverings that I think protect wiring, need to be sprayed too?

[markone]

I live where the roads are salted heavily, and many folks here swear by an annual application of Fluid Film spray-on corrosion protection. It is lanolin-based and clings very well to coated surfaces. I spray my own cars each year, and my fleet is pretty aged. The Volvos and the BMW are holding up very well after many years of service. The newest car, the Toyota, has quite of bit of scary looking undercarriage corrosion.

[June]

It would be a shame to drive a nice 1995 850 in salt. If it was me I would buy a cheap winter car with snow tires to use and store the Classic Volvo each winter.

In the past we had a house in South Orange, New Jersey which had a winter 4X4 Chevrolet in the garage. 4X4 was needed to get up the hill to get home in the ice. We used to have a oily under coating sprayed all over the undercarriage and in spring he would pressure wash the undercarriage to get as much of the salt off. Our good cars stayed off the road and in the garage protected.

Worse than the salt is idiot drivers slamming into your car whether parked or during a drive. A insurance company would total a 95 850 quickly if it was to get hit. Something to think about! June

[Clemens]

+ 1 on what June said

[scot850]

Up here in Canada it is illegal to only run 2 winter tires on the driven wheels. People do, but it is stupid to do so, especially where ice is concerned.

Change the windshield washer fluid prior to hitting cold/freezing weather. If not you can crack the pump bodies.

Good anti-freeze as the guys have recommended at 50/50 mix is a must.

Rust is not usually an issue, but wash regularly and keep watching for rust and treat as it turns up. Good luck with the move!

Neil.