I live in Michigan – normally, I wouldn’t spend the extra money on snow tires. But during a long 39 month, what is the liklihood I’m going to need to tires to turn in the lease anyway? If that chance is very high, then doesn’t it make sense to pay for a set of snow tires and start using them from now?
It’s a 2022 Grand Cherokee. It came with “Michelin Primacy LTX” (I think the LTX part is correct).
If I’m going to need new tires before the 39 month lease ends, which Winter tires should I get? I could change them in between seasons and then neither set would go bald before the lease is over I suppose?
You’d need to return at 4/32” tread remaining or higher to avoid getting charged … tires are the very definition of YMMV but that sounds improbable to me.
so definitely makes sense to spend the money + get max benefit out of it vs being charged at the end and getting no benefit at all.
General and Falken are two good value tires. Anything below that you’re probably looking at a steel drop off in quality that wouldn’t be justified by the small savings.
Another option is Michelin Cross Climate, technically an “all weather tire” and not a dedicated winter tire. But its snow traction is enough to be endorsed with the 3-peak rating. It will be more expensive than the Generals or Falkens. But you can run them longer into the spring each year and keep more wear off your OE tires if necessary
I might be a little above 36K miles so I think the chances of needing new tires is fairly high. If I buy snow tires now, I can get use out of them instead of buying them for the dealership at the end. Does that seem to make sense or not really?
What about Michelin Ice-X? Those seem to be real snow tires versus the Michelin Cross Climate. I could install Cross Climate and use them full time – then switch back to the OEM tires before I turn in lease so I wont have to buy a new set at the end of the lease.
Or I can go with Ice-X but then I have to pay for mount balance twice a year between seasons, and store them in my garage or pay discount tire to store them for me.
If you go with dedicated winter tires, you’d need a separate set of 4 wheels for them. Repeated mounting and discounting is bad for both rim as well as tire. And the $$$ add up over time.
The wheel & tire combo can be sold at the end to recoup some of your spending. And take into account the savings from not spending money on mounting 2x a year.
What are the chances that they will be below 4/32 on a 39 month lease? If that chance is greater than 75%, it seems to make sense to buy better all seasons now (such as Michelin Cross Climate), and actually get use out of them, then switch back to the OEM tires before turning in the lease. Right?
I’ve been using Michelin Ice-X for the last few winters and they’ve been good for me. I think you just have to adjust your expectation for what snow and ice tires can do and what they can’t.
They can help you get off the line and brake better than all seasons.
They do not allow you to drive as if the roads are perfectly clear. Regardless of the tire you have on the car, your braking distance will increase, and handling will decrease when there is snow and ice on the ground. Think of the tires as having an edge, not ability to drive however you want.
It sounds like you have a few options
Slap a new set of all seasons on now and return the car on the stock tire with full thread. This seems like a waste to me since you’re not getting using up any thread on the stock tires
Gamble and see if you have enough thread left at lease end. If not you can buy used tires off eBay. I’d imagine this is what most people would do.
Get a dedicated winter tire/ wheel set. Most costly option but you’ll benefit in snow and ice, plus it will almost guarantee your stock tires can be turned in.
I bought new tires for my QX60 in December. The thing barely had 30k miles on it and the Toyo Open Country All-Seasons were pretty close to 4/32". Those tires were garbage and they had no mileage warranty. I would assume the same for yours, but doesn’t hurt to check. You might be able to get a pro-rated amount if there is a mileage warranty if they go bald early, but your Michelin’s are a much better tire than the Toyo’s I had.
I purchased Michelin CrossClimate and they are fantastic. I am in Chicago and the grip in the snow is very close if not comparable to winter tires. Got them at Costco for under $1k all-in. My lease ends in March, but I plan on buying out the QX60, possibly to resell it if a decent deal on a 7-seater comes along (not holding my breath).
You should hold onto your old tires either way cuz you may be able to trade in or sell the GC with the old tires.
No. Why would you want to pay for the privilege of driving your 3rd winter on nearly bald tires? And possibly endangering yourself, your passengers and other innocent people?
Save that money for buying tires when you’re at 4/32” and get some benefit from that money spent.
