"skinny" Tires??

[CrimsonEclipse]

Hey! I found the 2018 Elio tire selection!

 

[McBrew]

In northern states, changing to snow tires will commonly select a skinnier size, AKA minus sizing.

Absolutely correct. I may not be in a 'northern' state, but I still rely on snow tires for a few months out of the year. I use them on MY car because it has summer/track tires the rest of the year, which are not even supposed to be driven in less than 40 degree weather, and on my wife's car because she takes a couple of trips to Michigan each year.

In both cases, we use minus sizing to get a narrower patch on the road.

 

[CheeseheadEarl]

Gimme the skinnies for snow and ice. I'll put the fat ones on in the summer for dry cornering. I don't even care for the factory width tires on my truck in snow.

12" of untracked snow is gonna stop an Elio or most any other small car. 12" of wet heavy snow will have a full size 4x4 with it's hands full.

I've pushed thru headlight high drifts to get home before. It works, sometimes, if you don't lose the road. Even then, packed grilles lead to overheating (seems wrong till you've BTDT) and snow in the engine bay can also mean slipping belts, wet possibly to the point of not functioning ignition systems, and wheelwells packed so full of snow that your turning is impeded.

Not fun if you don't absolutely have to get somewhere NOW in other words. I can't see the E as an only vehicle for someone with a need to be out in those conditions.

Now if someone would send me an E and a foot of snow, I'd be happy to prove my point in a few minutes, then spend the rest of my day snowmobiling.

 

[Coss]

Gimme the skinnies for snow and ice. I'll put the fat ones on in the summer for dry cornering. I don't even care for the factory width tires on my truck in snow.

12" of untracked snow is gonna stop an Elio or most any other small car. 12" of wet heavy snow will have a full size 4x4 with it's hands full.

I've pushed thru headlight high drifts to get home before. It works, sometimes, if you don't lose the road. Even then, packed grilles lead to overheating (seems wrong till you've BTDT) and snow in the engine bay can also mean slipping belts, wet possibly to the point of not functioning ignition systems, and wheelwells packed so full of snow that your turning is impeded.

Not fun if you don't absolutely have to get somewhere NOW in other words. I can't see the E as an only vehicle for someone with a need to be out in those conditions.

Now if someone would send me an E and a foot of snow, I'd be happy to prove my point in a few minutes, then spend the rest of my day snowmobiling.

If I was out in conditions like that, one of the first things I would do is take the fenders off the front tires, and put on the warning flag off the dune buggy and put it on, so you can find me under the snow.


<CE; good one on the tire selection >

 

[3wheelin]

How will it do in the snow/bad weather?
August 23, 2016 01:25
The Elio will do well in all kinds of weather! The front engine, low center of gravity, front wheel drive and ABS will create some great traction action to help pull the Elio through the snow or other bad weather. Word of caution though, we are not a 4-wheel drive urban assault vehicle, so if there are 5' snow drifts, stay home and wait until the plows come through!

I think you should skip the Elio and get a urban assault vehicle, and perhaps you can get a job telling us Elio owners when its safe to drive to work.

"Clearly" he likes the ELIO that's why he's here! It is also "clear" that he's more into what looks good than what is "safe". "Hey honey, I just skidded and crashed, but I'm ok and looked good doing it" This tire might help him:

Problem solved!

 

[vietvetx2]

I had a 70 beetle in college in Kalamazoo Mi and there was plenty of snow. Rear engine over the drive wheels worked great. However, the lack of weight in the front resulted in terrible understeer.

The Elio with front engine and front wheel drive with traction control & anti-lock brakes should handle great.

 

[McBrew]

Taking ground clearance out of the equation, I have found that the two most important factors are drive wheels and tires. Generally speaking, FWD is better than RWD for getting a vehicle moving in the snow. AWD/4WD is better than FWD. However, snow tires beat all-seasons in stopping and steering, no matter how many or which wheels are powered.

The best combination is AWD with snow tires. But FWD with snow tires will usually beat AWD with all-seasons.

We'll have to wait and see is anyone decides to produce a true winter tire for the Elio or not.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BaldGuy]

You know, that might not be a bad idea- the urban assault vehicle. The more they tweak/change/ruin this Elio, I am liking it less and less.

Really how so? Personally, I'm just the opposite. The dash now uses normal gauges, and the gas tank is suppose to move to the left side. Also, they now have a bike rack option, which is good for me as I ride 2-3 per week.

What have they changed you dislike?

 

[SandyCWV]

There is one point that I think most have missed; how often do you have fresh unpacked powered snow vs. packed down snow on the majority of streets and roads?
The Elio is not designed to be a snowmobile; it's a commuter vehicle.
So what roads is it going to be used on? Yes, the regular lines people commute on.


Good article

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/03/25/tall-and-skinny-tires-next-big-thing/

You have it right Coss.
That is why here in West Virginia, when on a snowy day I have a half mile of uncleared gravel, then two miles of uphill (250 ft elev change), packed by 4x4 traffic, narrow, winding pavement, into a small town that might have cleared the streets, onto a two lane road that drops back down about 400 feet in elevation in five miles to the Big town... well, you get it. That third wheel would be riding pretty high on the snow while the front end is pushing snow.
How will I solve the problem? Park the Elio on those days and drive the AWD crossover.
On the other end of the spectrum... those windy roads will be fun and the MPG will be great for my drive out of the hills.

 

[Coss]

Really how so? Personally, I'm just the opposite. The dash now uses normal gauges, and the gas tank is suppose to move to the left side. Also, they now have a bike rack option, which is good for me as I ride 2-3 per week.
What have they changed you dislike?

Nickskeys decided to part company with the forum, so you're probably not going to get an answer any time soon.
Just an FYI.