Plan on investing in snow tires for my 09 Fit Sport. Some people I talked to said they are only necessary on the front since it's a front wheel drive. Somewhere I read that snow tires should be put on all wheels. Having driven a small SUV for years I haven't had to deal with snow tires. The tires I'm looking at are the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25's. Any advice? Front only or all four? Thanks!

 

Definitely put them in sets of 4.

Just 2 in front causes lots of problems. For example: Just imagine going around a curve and you start to slip out sideways. The first wheels to slip will be the rear ones (they have the least traction). How are you going to regain control in that situation? See how the answer doesn't come along so easily? Now think about how much time you'll have to think about it when it happens.

Also check out the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 as an alternative if you want to go with 15" wheels.

 

Having winter tires on the front helps you start from a stop.

Having winter tires on all four wheels helps you stop and prevents your car from fishtailing.

Frankly, winter driving is far more dangerous when you're already at speed. Being able to accelerate faster is a convenience. Being able to stop or stay in control could save your life.

Buy four.

 

Thank you both for your replies. Friends and family kept telling me snow tires were only needed on the front for a FWD even though I remember reading somewhere that all four should have snow tires. Your answers made perfect sense. I will be ordering 4 snow tires online tomorrow.

ND winters can be treacherous and the streets in my town are slick about 90% of the time. I also have an inclined driveway. We just went through a rain/ice/snow storm with many power outages. Trees and power lines still glisten with ice.

I have just over a thousand miles on my new Fit and I'm still adjusting my winter driving from a Ford Escape 4WD to the Fit. I had a fleeting desire for my Escape immediately after the storm, but it passed quickly as I'm loving my Fit. I just can't figure out why I have the only one in town....everyone should discover the Fit!!

Lengthy post, but thanks again!!

 

Figures that you would receive all Canadian responses strongly endorsing a full set of winter tires! We KNOW winter up here....

 

Yeah. I wouldn't even want think about going through winter without a good set of 4 winter tires.

 

Four winter tires on steelies is the way to go.

A few years ago when I had my Civic, I had a flat rear winter tire that needed repair. The shop was busy so I put on a summer tire and dropped off the winter tire so I wouldn't have to leave the car. The grip level on snow in the back dropped a lot more than I expected!

Out of curiosity, I swapped the other rear winter tire so I had two winters in the front and two summers in the rear and then took it around the block. It was almost like those videos where FWD cars put McDonald's trays under the rear wheels and set the parking brake to do donuts. Might be different with two front winters and two all-season rears. Still, I'd recommend four winters.

 

Yet another Canuck chimes in! Seriously, people in the US DO run winter tires, right?

 

Yeah, you NEED 4 winters!... and honestly if i HAD to run only 2 snows I'd want to put them on the rear. Rather have a little understeer (and tires that have some traction because they have an engine sitting on them) then the massive snap oversteer you'd get in the Fit (no weight, especially in rear, short wheelbase)

 

.... Canadian #5 chimes in.

 

It's the law in Quebec anyway.
Couple of negatives: tends to be noisier/less fuel efficient and more importantly it's a lot more difficult to swing the tail around the corner in a fun slide...

 

This is a new law starting this year and it isn't what makes me want to have them. I have always used winter tires as do most people here in winter.

 

Oh look, Canadian #6! Didn't know there were so many of us on this forum! Yes, snow tires are undoubtedly noisier. Mine are Nokian Hakkapeliitta R which are "ultra low rolling resistance". In practical terms, they apparently offer some fuel economy over regular snow tires. On their website they state "low rolling resistance not only saves you money at the gas pump but it also reduces your carbon footprint by lowering your CO2 emissions. The Hakkapeliitta R can save you .21 gallons of gasoline for every 100 miles you drive compared to a standard all-season tire. This will add up to a significant fuel cost savings over the life of your tires." Not sure how this will pan out in the REAL world, but there you go....

 

Better get them soon. There could be shortage of winter tires this year because of this new law.
Winter tire shortage expected

 

Where in ND are you? I'm only about a hundred miles from the northwest corner of ND. (It's far more likely that you're on the eastern border with Minnesota, but one never knows.)

You will be surprised at how good your Fit is with winter tires. I would expect it to perform nearly as well as your Escape did, despite lacking all wheel drive. (Of course, you can put winter tires on an Escape, too.)

 

For pics of what just front snow tires do on a fit, go to the link at the bottom. Completely totaled. I must say that the Fit handles horribly in the snow with the stock tires (they are just junk tires in general and cannot wait for them to wear out). I had cooper weathermasters s/t 2 on my old Fit (but just in the front) and had trouble with the back end going all over the place, then the accident happened. At least I got a new one though. I was not terribly hurt either.

Syco54645/totaled car - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

As a side note, I need to get new tires. Not sure that I want to get the coopers as I slid all over the damn place with them, but that just could be because of the back end... Not sure.

-Syco54645

edit: Looks like the weathermasters are the best snow tires around. I guess it was just a combination of the backend of the fit being so light and no snow tires back there.

 

I'm looking at getting a pair *I meant set* of Winter tires for my 09 Fit DX-A, I've never bothered with snow tires before on any vehicle I've owned, most of them we're bigger or heavier so a good set of all seasons seemed to work well (*knock on wood*, we're never been in a car accident in the winter yet). But my question is should I get them on rims or just get the tires?

Thanks

Edit: How much should I be looking at (with or without rims) for a good set of snow tires?

 

Thankfully you weren't hurt too bad.

To criticize the Fit saying "the Fit handles horribly in the snow..." when you installed snow tires on the front only and left the summer tires on the back just isn't fair. Just about any car setup like that will behave adversely.

Always install winter tires in sets of 4.

Also, most people don't realize that there is a huge difference between all season and performance tires. The performance tires are far more slippery on snow!

 

Please don't install "a pair of Winter tires". Click the link in Syco54645's post above to see what happens with only 2 installed. Learn from his mistake and install a set of 4 winter tires.

 

I meant to say "Set"! I just wasn't thinking when I posted earlier.