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MKC in Snow

21K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  daveo 
#1 ·
Hi
How does your MKC Drive in the Snow?
Thanks
Peter
 
#3 ·
Have not had any problems with the MKC in snow; I kept the all-weather tires on last winter and survived. Still, might consider snow tires this year just to be "safe"; we'll see. Hard to justify snow tires when you survived this past winter on the standard tires!
 
#12 ·
Hi
Thank You All for Your Advice. I live in New York. So we could get Between 2 and 8 inches normally.
Thanks
Peter
Also consider winter tires if you are in a more urban location for most of your driving. They work in a few inches of snow but have improved ice, wet and dry traction over all seasons. Go with snow tires if you are driving on snow and ice regularly. The Michelin Alpines are excellent winter tires, did 7 years in a FWD car with them in NH, no problem with under 3" snow. Ambient Air Temp's also has to be below 45 degrees F regularly before winter or snow tires are really worth the money too. Yes snow and winter tires will work but they will be really soft and wear quicker.
 
#6 ·
I am on Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2's and my MKC is a Beast in snow, better than my old 4x4 SUV with snow tires. Been all over the mountains of NH, VT and Quebec this winter and no problems what so ever in snow. Something I have noticed unless you are going up hills, it is mostly in front wheel drive. You can pull up what the AWD system is doing if you have the option in it, I found it rather interesting while driving in various weather and road conditions.
 
#9 ·
I run snow tires on my factory wheels and my Michelins on a set of chrome mags in the summer. People always worry about getting stuck in the snow, but stopping and handling are much greater concerns. If you're stuck you can get pulled out. If you can't stop or turn, it could lead to a accident and possible injuries.
One other aspect people never consider. If you buy dedicated snow tires for winter use, you're extending the life of your conventional tires. They get used for half the year so they last longer. You have to buy tires anyway, so why not the right ones for road conditions?
 
#13 · (Edited)
WHAT HE SAID! BELOW ~40-45 DEGREES, ESP ON A WET ROAD, YOU'D BE SHOCKED IF YOU SAW THE INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES AND LOSS OF LAT G ABILITIES ON A SET OF ALL SEASON TIRES. All season tire means "does nothing well" When Pirelli's are toast, I intend to put some proper summer tires on vehicle such as Sumitomo HTRZ3's. Fabulous tire for any money and will easily blow the Pirelli's out of the water. I've had them on 3 cars. Another favorite are General AS03's. Few compromises here for an UHP tire. You don't have to pay Michelin, Bridgestone or Goodyear's advertising bills to get top shelf performance these days. I've had many tires on the track..........unless you are racing against the clock , saving .1 sec/lap isn't worth double the cost. Finally all these tires that last a ridiculous 60-80K miles mean you spend 10-20K extra time on worn down tires with greatly diminished wet performance...the most important performance for a street driver.

No excuse not to run true winter tires anywhere if you are routinely below 40 degrees in winter regardless of precipitation .:|
 
#10 ·
This is my 2nd winter with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires with studs. They are terrific. We get a lot of snow where I live and my driveway is steep and uphill, about 150 feet in length. I've yet to have any problems getting up the hill even when there is 8-10 inches of soft snow. More importantly I haven't had any problems backing down the hill with the studded tires when there is freezing rain and the driveway is a sheet of ice. Handling is much better as is stopping distance. I'm very pleased with the Nokian tires.
 
#14 ·
I just purchased a 2016 MKC AWD 2.3L and live in South Dakota. It slips and slides all over even though the tires are in great condition according to the dealership. We have very little snow right now. Does anyone else have this issue. If so, possible solutions?

Thank you!
 
#15 ·
If you don't have winter tires on the car then that is what you need. It doesn't matter that the car is AWD.....all seasons are not meant for winter driving conditions.
 
#16 ·
Over the years I had to drive on interstate 81 between Syracuse and Fort Drum numerous times in the winter. I can't tell you how many times a 4-wheeler would go flying past me in the passing lane only to end up in the ditch several miles down the road. Even with AWD, good snow tires and Driver Common Sense are necessary.
 
#18 ·
I second the need for ONLY Winter Rubber in the Cold, All Season Tires for the rest of the Above freezing temps.
If you can afford to get a second set of Rims and put your Winter Tires on them and get a set of New TPMS and a cheep programming tool. You'll be set up.
I'm running more confidently on Toyo Observe Gsi-5 235/50R-18 WINTER ONLY Studless TIRES.
 
#19 ·
I'm up at 8500 feet in the Rockies. I'm also coming from a Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk, and Liberty before that. I had DEEP reservations about going from a real 4WD system to any AWD system. Those were mostly unfounded. The AWD system in my 2019 MKC is really stunning, and quite smart. It puts the power right where it's needed all the time.

That being said, the factory all season Mich ties it came with were NOT very impressive. They slipped and slid a LOT on both mud and snow. I'm running Continentals now, and they are FAR superior in almost every way. Tires really DO matter when you are on snow, mud, or ice. The Michelin's were very quiet, and nice on dry pavement, but losers on snow and in slippery mud.

Dave O.
 
#21 ·
Please keep us posted on how they do!
The MKC has a really refined AWD system. It doesn't have a great deal of ground-clearance however. When you finally bottom-out in heavy snow, not much can help, but up till that time, it's a very capable vehicle. I'm still impressed with mine.
Dave O.
 
#22 ·
I live in WI. My 2017 MKC 2.0 is terrible on ice and snow. It's a certified vehicle and the dealer installed new Uniroyal ties. Not sure why. Should not make a difference but I even tried normal and sport mode. No change.
Any ideas except different tires. These have less than 10K on them.
 
#23 ·
My 17 MKC 2.0 is fantastic in the snow! Nearly as good as my Subaru Outback...just doesn't have quite the ground clearance.

I have Continental "Pure Contact" tires on mine. The Mich that came on it were terrible in the snow.

Take a look at your all wheel drive display. Is it putting power to the rear wheels when you climb a hill? Mine does.

Dave O.
 
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