What's the BEST Tire Pressure in Snow? 10 to 50 PSI Scientifically Tested

[@tyrereviews]

The Fanttik stuff is genuinely really lovely, I'm very impressed with them. Here's the links you need: Get 34% off the Fanttik X8 Apex portable tire inflator deluxe package until Dec 2nd! (only $79 after code)⬇ Use code TYREX8APEX at www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQYQ42PR?maas=maas_adg_205A628EC197219167B917164D7B9D75_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas Get 34% off the Fanttik X9 Pro mini tire inflator until Dec 2nd! (only $39 after code)⬇ Use code TYREX9PRO at www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJDZVDJN?maas=maas_adg_1E344FA561E45B2F42C56A094BA8FD4C_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas Get 44% off the Fanttik X9 Ultra 92Wh tire inflator until Dec 2nd! ($139 after code)⬇ Use code TYREX9ULTRA at www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQK4SRD8?maas=maas_adg_04973D867F5EEEB44BB552256D37A006_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas

[@soulsbourne]

Do the same for STRAIGHT AND Curved aquaplaning on water ...

[@lilFS34]

some of the links just take you to amazon homepage

[@Conquerera]

Awesome video as always! Thank you! The Fanntik stuff really looks tempting but the promo codes appear to not be valid on the German Amazon.

[@tyrereviews]

Shame about the amazon promo but hopefully they'll have a good blackfriday deal anyway!

[@doctor_who1]

can you please do this in a ultra high performance summer tire on dry road

[@Saramandalha]

I'm from Brazil, I have never even seen a winter tire in my life, but i just like the way you spread good information in your videos.

[@tyrereviews]

That's super kind, thanks for watching.

[@bobah2107]

Съезди в Аргентину там должен быть снег

[@markmd9]

Go to a ski resort in Chile or Argentina and have fun.

[@JoaoPaulo-ph8ug]

I am from Brazil and I used to watch his videos even though I was there. Now I'm in Canada and the knowledge I got before coming here has already been very useful. 😊

[@nomadd07]

With the climate changing , you should use all season tyres, cause you never know when snow hits you (joke) 😅👍

[@Surestick88]

As a Canadian I think I can confidently say the true answer is: "It depends". There are a lot of different types of snow and what works best for taction is going to depend on what kind of snow you're on, how deep it is, and what's under it.

[@Nidvard]

Indeed. Speed is also a contributing factor. I'd avoid high speed on low pressure.

[@sandy7299]

Agree entirely!

[@Scoobienorth]

As a snow wheeler, lower pressure will always get you further in the snow, in nearly all snow and ice conditions. It just ups the risk to the tire and you have to go slower.

[@MrMattc79]

My tire distributor said 35 psi was the right tire pressure for my 285/45 R22 tires.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

@@MrMattc79 I think that's the recommendation for general use. low pressure might be great for traction, but it's a killer for fuel consumption. As mentioned here, it depends a lot on where you are driving and what kind of surface you're traveling on.

[@TheBetaBearShow]

The tire tread contact patch actually doesn't get much wider with lower tire pressures, but the contact patch does get a lot longer. Many off-road channels have demonstrated this with paint or chalk and lowering the tire down onto a surface to see the resulting contact area based on pressure. It can be quite a large percentage in added contact area. Of course, you don't want to drive at those pressures at higher speeds on the road, but if you're stuck in a snow rut, just like in sand, the lower pressure can be the difference of making it out or not. Once you're out you can reinflate the tires and be on your way

[@tyrereviews]

You are correct

[@StepLucch]

Same reason they do it at the drag strip

[@bernardshaw7585]

Came here to say that thanks

[@ianmathieson65]

The lower the tyre pressure the longer the contact patch so you’re actually tending to become more of a tracked vehicle, and we all know how good those are in snow (Ref. snowmobiles).

[@pearlrival3124]

@@ianmathieson65 tyre=tire

[@antibrevity]

Excellent, as always. This does *not* mean that drivers should run their winter tires at low pressures all Winter; it merely means that temporarily-reduced pressures can help on a surface of snow; low pressures will reduce performance and tire life when driven on paved surfaces. Kudos to Pirelli for letting you run their tires outside recommended pressures.

[@tyrereviews]

100%

[@Rroff2]

Yeah - I know someone who does off-road stuff in the mountains who swears by 18 PSI (and likely not a randomly picked number given their profession) in the snow, which interestingly meshes closely with the results of this video, but they also use beadlocks and inflate/deflate coming on and off snow or other terrain as appropriate.

[@howabout2138]

@@Rroff2 offroad tires are completely different than normal tires, even if yoiu run some AT tires then you probnably have some ridiculous sidewall profile like 75 or 80 or 85, with such numbers you can go low on pressure as the tyre will spread out evenly, if you tried it on low profile tire which is much stiffer you would probably lose it behind you after first accceleration

[@naffeju]

exactly my thinking, I will now about this trick of lowering to just under 2 bar in my case to improve traction on heavy snow surface if I hit it with my all seasons. They're set at 2.75 normally.

[@Dan-yk6sy]

@@howabout2138 Almost forgot about that, almost every new car/minivan/suv has low profile tires (aka rim benders). I've driven my regular AT tires at about 15psi on sand and never worried about the bead coming off.

[@LearningFast]

I have absolutely no use for this information yet I still watched the video because I appreciate the effort that goes into these videos. Thanks for always bringing us such great content.

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HelloKittyFanMan]

So you live in an equatorial type of area or you can't afford your own vehicle, or...?

[@aleksandarcukavac8559]

I am from Serbia. I was stuck on a big uphill. Snow about 30cm. After several attempts I deflate my pireli winter tires from 2.4 to 1.4 bar on my x5 Xdrive and it goes like a tank. You have the most useful videos on YT. Thanks

[@JackAndTheBeanstalkr]

the rest of the world uses kPa

[@ShawnGuertin]

​@JackAndTheBeanstalkr bars and kilopascals are on the same scale. It's just moving the decimal point, 1 bar = 100 kPa = 1000 hPa = 0.1 MPa ≈ 14.5 psi (note that all those values refers to the standard atmospheric pressure on earth)

[@aleksandarcukavac8559]

​ Google it bro. Don't be lazy

[@Imenijebitno108]

Vidis ja u mene 17 ke zkmske i odoh na snijeg a nisu mi nesto gume sta mislis dal da spustim na 1.7 ili 1.8 bara?

[@rrAzz]

​@@JackAndTheBeanstalkr which rest of the world? UK and Australia? 😂 In Europe we use bars

[@Njazmo]

Hello from Finland, that was really interesting test. Here we have ice and snow (normally) during winter, and we use studded tires, and friction tires, like in your video. What I've noticed, it's better to keep your tires inflated to the 2-2.5bar range, and there's a reason. Sometimes we might have a drop in temperature, like 20C from where it was, and tire pressure might come down fast too, and you don't want to drive long with underinflated tires, as they can fail horribly. Normal people don't check tire pressures daily, and older cars don't have tire pressure warning system in the car. And yes, we have a lot of older cars because of heavy taxing of cars, and high prices. If the tires gets old, like 5-6 years old, the rubber isn't any good because it hardens, and there's barely any grip. Now that's a lot of text, more than I normally do, but cheers, It was a great video. 😂

[@vermontsownboy6957]

Absolutely correct. Not enough people, and even tire sales and maintenance shops, understand the relation between ambient temperature and pressure. It's the same in northern New England as you describe in Finland: through-out a winter season we can easily experience temperature variations from 60F (15C) in the shoulder seasons to -35F (-37C) on the cold mornings. Following the rule of thumb - 1PSI/10F in temperature change - the tire pressure would vary by close to 10 PSI over that temperature range. Throw in a pressure loss of approximately 1PSI/month through slow leakage, means that a semi-underinflated tire at the start of the winter season will be dangerously underinflated on a really cold morning in late January.

[@moderndiogenes]

Here in Alaska when it gets below -50f like right now, you must drive for a quarter of a mile at about 25mph to get the tire to warm up and the flat spots from sitting all night to go away. Washboard city 😆 Also very common to have people with under inflated tires from the summer weather 70f to the coldest winter days -80f

[@demidof111]

Привет Я раньше жил в России и шипованные шины nokian hakapelita самые лучшие

[@ianmangham4570]

@@moderndiogenes insane weather Alaska

[@boomergames8094]

@@vermontsownboy6957 PV=nRT...

[@ElcheapoNorwad]

As a retired truck driver I say slow down in the winter. Take the few minutes to clean your windows and mirrors before hitting the road and give your car a quick look over to see if your lights and wipers and tires are safe for the drive. Also put the dang phone down and focus on the driving.

[@jamesengland7461]

Of course, but this is not the subject of the video, which is if you can improve traction with air pressure.

[@oldguysrock2170]

I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with winters that last 5 months. Driving in deep snow, slush, in zero temps, and roads with tracks from accumulating snow! You are absolutely correct about “slowing down!” I have seen numerous 4x4 trucks passing people on highways losing control when changing lanes leaving the snow tracks in traffic lanes because the lead car is driving to slow for their convenience. Good tread, equal tire pressure, and being aware, all make safer driving. One tire being low in PSI can create issues in snow and ice.

[@DarkChaos87]

​​@@jamesengland7461 slowing down improves traction. You don't need specific air pressure.. Look at the sticker in the Door jam of the driver door, slow down, pay attention. That's it. That's all.

[@epicinator2372]

Amen

[@chris.eskimo]

Best advice in these comments!!!

[@nirfz]

Was really waiting for the important warning at the end. 1.38 bar /20 psi on hard surface or higher speeds might kill your tyres not just out of wear, but by damaging the sidewall from getting too hot from the increased deforming they have to do. Sure if you only deflate that far for a short, slow speed situation in the cold, it most likely won't. But as you said, there is real danger if that low pressure is kept. That said, most people have too low tyre pressure in cold weather anyways. Because they don't check regularly, and usually fill their tyres when the weather is nice and still somewhat warm. So when they put 2 bar in at +15°C and then it gets around freezing, they are already missing around 0.2-0.3 bar on average. (depending on the air volume in the tyre and when and under which circumstances they filled the tyre it can be more.)

[@Pusahispidasaimensis]

Good point about people not checking the pressures. A finnish poll from 2019 says that most finns only check the pressures twice a year when they're changing from winter to summer tires and vice versa. You can imagine how low that pressure must drop between the changes...

[@giomas3728]

​@@Pusahispidasaimensis OMG ... I test tyre's pressure each month 😂

[@javahaxxor]

I destroyed my PS4s-es tire walls with too low pressure

[@tyrereviews]

I really should have reminded everyone to check pressures. AT least the Fins check their pressures twice a year, places like the UK where we don't change tires no one ever checks.

[@Ariskot007]

Well, my dealer managed to hand me over brand new car with tyres which were inflated to 1,5 bar / 2,5 bar left side vs right side. So I wouldn't expect any normal user to check the pressures unless there is an error message on the dashboard :-)

[@kevlarcorolla]

As an ice racer for over 2 decades in loads of different cars and tires you might find it interesting that I settled on 15psi as the best all around pressure. With extended periods of excessive spinning/sliding pressure growth with a suprisingly hot tire by race end(like blued tread blocks kinda hot)would see hot pressures in the low to mid 20's. The grip was better at the start of the race and would fade a bit as the laps added up,but was too risky to start any lower.

[@Levibetz]

Is that on a studded tire or studless? And what vehicle weights or factory pressure recommendation? I think I'll try lower pressures this year doing studless ice racing.

[@kevlarcorolla]

Street studded tire class but non studded classes are similiar. Like other motorsports the lighter the car the better,I put more effort then most and....a sawzall is your friend ;)

[@Levibetz]

@@kevlarcorolla I'm currently dominating the field in weight at around 2300lbs curb weight with awd. I'm considering doing some basic aero to try to get some modicum of downforce, namely a flat floor and big spoiler/wing.

[@kevlarcorolla]

​@@Levibetz My mid engined awd R1 powered geo metro was right around 1700lbs and had 2 BIG wings with a combined area of approx 16 sq ft :)

[@gerakliman808]

Born and raised in Siberia, my driving experience has been over 25 years. I currently live in Canada, I have always driven winter tires with a pressure of 25 psi, I have never been stuck on both 4x4 and 4x2. Thanks for your video, now I'm sure that I'm doing everything right! Good luck!

[@andrewsnow7386]

As someone that commonly runs 5 psi for snow-wheeling, I was really happy to see this test. I've contended for years that low pressures help in bottomless snow (that is show where you can't cut through to the pavement/dirt underneath). But I would have liked to see you mention that snow conditions very widely -- what works well one time may not the next. And, I still think higher pressures are better if you have conditions where the tires are digging all the way to the pavement/dirt. However, I've also said lower pressure doesn't help on ice. While your results are mixed, it looks like I might be wrong about this.

[@tyrereviews]

I wish I could test in deep snow, no one has really worked out how to do it fairly yet though, so we'll have to use the knowledge from people who do it in the real world like you :)

[@andrewsnow7386]

@@tyrereviews I would actually find testing in thin snow -- snow where the tires might have a chance to cut through to the pavement -- to be more interesting. The question to answer would be is it common to have conditions where a 50 psi tire will cut through and get better traction than a 20 psi tire that floats on a layer of snow? Unfortunately I think any kind of consistency between test runs would be very difficult to achieve.

[@tyrereviews]

@@andrewsnow7386 Exactly. I'd love to know all of this myself too but it has to be done properly and fairly, and sometimes that's just not possible (without throwing millions at it)

[@abengelbrecht]

Agreed deep soft snow in a 4x4 is very similar to deep soft sand. Go as low as your tire wheel setup allows. Since 4x4s typically have a lot higher and stringer tire sidewall than typical car tires you are able to get to sub 10 psi with little risk of damaging the wheel/tire or popping the tire bead.

[@Cloud30000]

I’ve always heard that thinner winter tires are better because they can cut through the snow and grip better on ground then floating on top of it, which coincides with higher psi to reduce deformation. To test, you would need to find a consistent runway size track to allow many runs on fresh snow, then measure the maximum amount of force per square inch it can support before giving way to ground underneath. You could then tune the contact patch through tire pressure to spread the vehicle weight higher or lower than the threshold, and examine the tire tracks after to confirm the expected behavior.

[@Roddy451]

I bring the pressures down slightly. On average, I run 12.5% less, from 36 PSI to 31.5 PSI. The tires are Michelin Alpin P5, which are classified (USA) as performance winter tires. This video confirms my experience. Thank you for taking the time to run this test!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you've found something that works for you

[@michaelschneider-]

Roddy451@ .. Copy that. .. Here in Vail @ a snowy 8,200Ft elevation, daily snow-covered roads are a given. ... Never really pressure down the winter tires; simply pressure up on the money @ 36psi. . '23 E450 wagon and '20 Subi Outback XT Touring ... Michelin Alpin 5's all around. P.S., Took a flier on the neu CrossClimate 2 ...... this tire sucks BIG time in the snow and understeers like a dog on dry pavement; '20 Subi Outback XT (235/55/18). .. Returned the tires @ Costco and fitted the Subi with winter Alpin 5s. . Back to normal.

[@phatgringo2.0]

Smart, I was going to say somewhere between 10-15% and you nailed it!

[@boomergames8094]

Agreed. I think more than 15-20% lower runs too many other risks of low pressure.

[@HypnoticAbyss]

As a firefighter, the biggest thing is just slow down and make sure your windows are clean, of and put your winter tires on in advance, we had our first snowfall yesterday and our radios were dispatching non stop, our town alone had 5 car accidents within a few hours.

[@troybabs]

The problem is here in Canada a winter tire is in contact with the bare asphalt the vast majority of the time during the winter months because after it snows, it is plowed and then salted, which clears the snow and ice... at least on major roads and populated areas. That said, maybe this is more realistic for those who live in the country where dirt roads are more common.

[@superspeeder]

After watching this I’ll be airing down to 20 psi for those blizzard commutes and back up again afterwards. I’m in Ottawa and it’s cold enough here that we get enough snowy roads. But yeah, growing up just outside Toronto, 99% of the time the roads were clear.

[@fredygump5578]

I agree. In northern-ish US, most major roads are free of snow and ice most of the time. Driving on fresh show is rare. Much more common is driving on packed snow/ ice left after the roads are plowed.

[@billyhw99]

Depends where in Canada you are.

[@mikman7219]

An underinflated tire has more grip on any surface. Not just ice. Of course, winter tires are useful only a few times per year. But when you need it 2-3% of extra grip can be a game changer.

[@superspeeder]

@@billyhw99 true, but that’s also true everywhere.

[@Gazer75]

Keep in mind a temperature drop of 10C can also loose 0.14 bar or 2 psi. So in winter it is important to check pressure in as cold a temperature as you can if you know temps will drop quite low on the trip. I've had the pressure warning come up many times when driving from like +5C to -15C and then back to +5C. Basically going over a mountain in Norway and when I get back down to sea level it might trigger. I usually add 0.1 bar in winter to account for temp drops. My garage rarely get below freezing so going out in -15C or below is a big difference.

[@jdrissel]

Back in 88, I had an Accord LXI 2 door. I put better brakes, tires and struts on it. The tires were the star though. Yokohama AVS A+4. I did skid pad testing and tuned the tire pressures for maximum grip. Then I tried a slalom course. It felt sloppy, so I slightly raised the pressures until it felt good and re-tried the skid pad. The raised pressure cost me about 0.02g. If my memory serves, I used 31 in the front and 28 in the back. The tires wore evenly, and lasted longer than you would expect on my daily commute, and I had the advantage of having just about the quickest turning and stopping car on the road. Never did anything about the engine, so it was slow to accelerate, but I had many people in much more expensive cars discover that they could not hang with me in the tight twisty stuff. One guy in a 928 followed me for almost 10 miles to ask what I had done. I saw him a few months later running AVS Dry, and yea, he smoked me and then we started tuning his tire pressures.

[@roadfordays]

Currently on a 2500 mile road trip on snow tires due to temps ranging from 65F to 15F and everything from sun to snow, and pressures have been on my mind, so this was super timely! I have tended to run them high when in hotter temps to reduce overall tire temps and avoid overheating the compound, and drop them when there's a chance of snow. Seems like more or less the right approach judging by your test. Thank you for such helpful videos!

[@Hashashin74]

As a Seasoned Canadian driver, i recommend manufacturers recommend psi on asphalt . In the backroads where the snow is packed down for months at a time we down pressure the tires. And traction off for fun. But driving on a frozen body of water is the best.

[@Everything-hilarious]

I live in Canada we have a solid mix of road. Highway. Snow, ice and slush covered roads. In my experience I always set my winter tire pressure at 30psi. Anything less can be dangerous when on cold Pavement but still provides great traction for all conditions

[@mdshovel]

I have driven for nearly 50 years and my experience with our vans at work has been to lower the driven wheels to 20psi on snow and reflate them as soon as off snow. This has worked in even recovering stuck drivers in our fleet and on just standard van tyres with no special pattern. Drive smoothly according to conditions and try to keep on fresh rather than compacted snow

[@Un1234l]

How did you re inflate them on the road? Portable tire pump?

[@mdshovel]

@@Un1234l everyone has a portable pump - anyway - in case of punctures. My own one is cordless

[@ashley_neal]

This for me also highlights how important it is for even tyre pressures all round. Great video as always!

[@simsnqta]

Ha! The driver instructor from Birmingham. 😅

@@simsnqta Maybe not Birmingham, but importantly saving lives. Thankyou Ashley, Thankyou Tyre reviews

[@egocd]

A lot of cars, especially small hatchbacks, state that the front tyres require more pressure than the rears, due to the weight of the engine. Going even all around can be in disagreement with your owners manual.

[@Rroff2]

@@egocd Yeah my Qashqai even has 30 rear/33 front split and putting them to even noticeably impacts the steering and ride comfort. Unfortunately it isn't easy to get a good balance though as IMO 30 is too low on the rears and a lot of tyres don't seem to like it, while the steering starts to feel worse once the fronts rise above ~36 PSI and you need a good 3 PSI between the front and rear to maintain the normal levels of handling and comfort.

[@04smallmj]

Liverpool

[@IcarusTECH]

You should warn people on the dangers of running a tire severely underinflated for lengths of time, especially when your not always on snow/ice. It can lead to overheating even in cold condiotons and blowouts etc.

[@bhut1571]

Thanks; looked like fun. Could have told you this living here in Northern Ontario. In the early 60's (yes, I'm a geezer)with my 58 Ford, we would lower pressure about 5 (or if confident 10) psi if there was a high chance of being stuck in snow. Carried a bicycle pump in the trunk to reinflate. Although surface contact area is fairly but not totally independent, there are a number of variables involve including: The temperature of the snow, the pressure on the snow (on ice, think of ice scates vs boots), the depth of snow, the rate of acceleration and the related, change in coefficient of static vs kinetic friction. Nowadays driving is sooo much easier with front wheel drive, stability control and much better snow tires.

[@AndersRichardsen]

I really enjoy your in depth videos! I’ve always said that the best compromise on winter tyres, is tall and narrow. That gives you a good penetration on slush, and a long footprint for traction. More nerdy stuff please😎😂 Happy winter from Norway.

[@jdmeaux]

I live in Louisiana in the USA. I've driven in sand, mud, and snow. It is normal for my wife and I to visit family in the wintertime in Northern states where snow, ice, and slush is normal. I have also driven heavy 18-wheelers (lorries for my European readers) and learned early on that reducing air pressure does help on snow. On my personal vehicles, reducing air pressure to about 20 psi definitely helps in snow because it widens the tire footprint. Moe

[@will.green.]

it also reduces load capacity. how much can you air down when you weigh 80 tons?

[@vehicle-stuff]

This test was the next step from the "wide vs narrow" in 2023. Thank you. And in this test the difference looks noticable.

[@grigorirasputin996]

I live in the colorado rockies. Vehicle spec with snow tires has always done me right. I've never even thought about playing with the pressures because it's never been an issue. Edit* but I appreciate you doing this experiment for us 😃👍

[@yokrobe61]

This confirms what the elders knew, it confirms what I was right to deflate the tires on the snow. Thank you very much for your excellent works

[@cdrbrnr]

My experiment with Nokian tyres during a Canadian winter proved that the fastest way to destroy the tire casing is to run it below the placard pressure for the car. Car called for 32 psi, I went as low as 20 psi while experimenting. The traction was great. The weather warmed up, went back to the car's suggested pressure, a few warmer days later and 3 of 4 tire casings separated causing a severe vibration. When they were removed from the wheels there was no scuffing on the inside of the casing. 60% tread remaining tires went to the scrap pile.

[@Jonathan-hx6oy]

From a tire tech, 20 psi shouldn't destroy tires, thats poor QC not systematic issue

[@MikeYurbasovich]

​@@Jonathan-hx6oynokian tires are excellent winter tires. I prefer them over all others for Wisconsin winters

[@Jonathan-hx6oy]

@MikeYurbasovich i didn't say nokian were bad. I said it sounds like a QC problem with the particular set he had. Possibly he got old/new tires, pretty common with winter tires.

[@MikeYurbasovich]

@@Jonathan-hx6oy got ya

[@LoneWolfSnowplowing]

nice contradiction

[@JohnD-JohnD]

When you air down the tires, you get a larger contact patch. Too low is also bad because the tire will deform too much and not put enough pressure on the driving surface.

[@NIGHTMAREuki]

Also, this only applies ins slow speeds on snow. don't drive on highway with under-inflated tires

[@tyrereviews]

Yes

[@Tiberiumfreek]

I have always had day and night results with running lower tire pressure in bad conditions here in Canada. In a front weight biased car, like my 04 Impala, where 60% of the weight is up front and 40% is in the rear; dropping my pressures to 30/20 (normally 35/35) make almost 0 fish tailing and confident braking. It plows through snow on any given tire pressure, so no complaints there.

[@nallen.9434]

I've been waiting for this video :) Good job!

[@tyrereviews]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@chrisridebike8]

This is the best tire channel ever. Great work as usual

[@jbbolts]

44 seconds in and I will say 25psi is the sweet spot... now on to the video!

[@MussbacherIndustries]

Here in the great white north of Canada, where lots of snow and -40C is common, I run my tires at least 10 lbs less than recommended manufacture settings. The confidence in braking and cornering is very positive. I run Michelin Aplin PA4's on a 2013 Mercedes AMG C63.

[@asylumslaves]

When you go offroad or for every day driving...?

[@no-damn-alias]

Interesting to see what would happen on compacted snow or slushy road conditions as these are more common for me as a European in southern Germany.

[@tyrereviews]

It would have been, it's just very hard to consistently test in slush. No one does it

[@xog64]

​@@tyrereviews a wet test would be nice (skipping the 10psi), as many times during winter in snowy areas when temp is above 0C degrees there is a mix of "clean" main roads which are wet, and roads with snow&ice

[@no-damn-alias]

@@tyrereviews what about aquaplaning with different pressures and testing in wet mud for slush as an orientation? Compacted snow should be possible though

[@mcyoon77]

So when it comes to winter and carrying blankets, snow shovel etc you should also carry a means of re-inflating a tyre if you need to drop it down if you encounter enough snow to warrant dropping the pressure. Top tips as always. Thanks.

[@will.green.]

if youre in town you can just limp to a compressor

[@antonroux6737]

this is good but you really need to explain the anomaly at 30psi as it makes no sense. also you should do this again with 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40psi. these are more realistic and practical pressures that would give more useful information than unsafe pressures at 10 and 50psi for winter roads

[@will.green.]

50psi isnt unsafe depending on the tire. its what the nokian hakkapeliittas recommend at 51 max psi. i always run my studded hakka 8s at 50psi with great traction and i still get 50mpg in my prius and increase the life of the tire

[@robertcrawford8668]

Really useful video. In Alaska 16 years ago there wasn’t any info on things like this. Arriving in September with only all season tires I was practically on skis after the first snow. Then, with studded snow tires, when the snow melts, there were too many walking speed near accidents on plate ice. The only info I could get was more pressure was better- to pizza cut through the snow. But, I’ve known that cornering and braking are more important than accelerating so, I’ll determine a figure based on your course times and braking figures. Knowing is half the battle. Thanks!

[@OmarZ77]

Loved the video and interesting takeaway! I knew for sure that lower pressure was better in sand (so many people get stuck in Saudi Arabia or Dubai, but get going once the pressure is lowered). So it’s interesting to see it’s the same for snow.

[@clintk4691]

Yup, confirms my driving experiences. I run 25psi in my truck on road for winter. 20 performs better but I'm trying to consider tire wear, 32psi is recommended.

[@LV4TD101]

I'm amazed that this is surprising to most. Coming from the off road and snow wheeling community, I've been dropping my tire pressure during snow storms to 20 psi for decades, it's unbelievable the difference. Actually here in the northeast they use to teach that trick in the drivers Ed books. I wish the "people of the internet" would do their own testing before they give horrible advice like running snow tire pressure at 50 psi for maximum traction, lol

[@kc510]

Same! I always will run lower in deep snow. 10psi when slow Offroad.

[@tyrereviews]

10psi you must be on beadlocks?!

[@kc510]

@@tyrereviews no, I’ve never lost a bead either. 33x12.5r15 tires on 8” wide wheels. I think the 8” wheel pinched the bead of the wide tire very tight and maybe helped? To be fair I was almost exclusively doing

[@robertcrawford8668]

Nobody said to run 50 psi, the tester just did it to see the results. But, just like you have off road experience lots have heavy weight carrying and pulling experience with increased air pressures. The argument for more pressure was to pizza cut into the snow, not float over it with low air pressure. I guess, before snow tires got good, more air pressure was a solid technique.

[@acerimmer8338]

I'd always been told higher pressure 'narrows' the tire, so it can dig in to the snow. Kinda like the same reasoning you don't want monster wide tires during winter or rain. I was told wrong and have learned.

[@tedeganagondi]

Airing down lengthens the tire not widens yes widens but marginally.The point that gives traction is the length of the contact area

[@MO-fu7vi]

I’m Australian and we just love our UHP tyres all year round 😂

[@evilroyslade3155]

One important detail: You will ruin your sidewalls if you run your tires at a low pressure, the lower you go, the faster it will happen. Even 25 psi will eat up your sidewalls due to flexing. This happens in a straight line, not just when cornering. If you run your tires at 20 psi for 500 miles and remove them, you will find ground up rubber inside from the sidewalls disintegrating.

[@VinDieselS70]

Being a Swede, yes, lower preassure does work in snow as you explained but the it depends on the snow, wet snow and low pressure is like a boat. Now living in Scotland i rely purley on normal pressure, Michelin Crossclimate and snow socks, should i need it.

[@will.green.]

should get hakkas then you wont need it

[@lappihirni3835]

Big thanks for this test. I think the discussions shouldnt be about riding with low pressure but to know that there is a chance to ride on when you get stuck! I was pleased that this is still the same with the new tires as we learned 45 years ago in switzerland. I like your great videos very much!

[@Druezy]

Winter tires go on tomorrow here in New Hampshire! These videos are fantastic, helped me pick the X-Ice Snow from Michelin for my Nissan Rogue Sport last year!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you like the Michelin, get a review on the site!

[@jbrown4137]

Had Michelin ice x for last car, and now my CX-5. Definitely an awsome tire for NH

[@Druezy]

@jbrown4137 They are unreal! Performance blew me away, blasting up to the mountains early before the plows came out to hit some fresh powder!

[@WilHenDavis]

Good video, thanks for sharing! I've been using Bridgestone Blizzaks for the past 11 years as a winter tyre on my Toyata Prius. Brilliant tyre!

[@stevengagnon4777]

Had them on my 93 Mazda Protege lx. They were very good on ice. Deep snow wasn't their favorite thing. But the throttle pedal was good for keeping the car moving in the right direction. As long as the tires were spinning and the car moving forward I never got stuck or went off course. Never changed them or rotated them . Got five years out of them the fronts were done but the back tires were still 70 %. That car was easy on tires . Excellent tires in the cold and rain.

[@ChuckD59]

Now what we need is a way to adjust tire (tyre) pressure on the fly. It's being done in pro cycling (bicycle) racing now. Most places I go here in northern NY begin with a couple miles of country road where this could sometimes be useful, and then onto a highway where 20-25 psi wold be a deathwish. Thanks much for the testing. Very enlightening. Now who's going to tell rally racers who seem to prefer skinnier tires?

[@malifestro3319]

As a Jeep Wrangler driver that has 35s I can tell you we always air down offroad and it makes a huge difference. When I plan to drive on the snow I always air down as well and 20psi for both has always been a good starting point. I don't think the results would change much but 15psi is also usually the low end where going below that requires a certain need. Thanks for the awesome data!

[@monsaka7827]

Yeah but with 35s you are going for flotation. A big fat wide tire does flotation very well but if you want to cut down to the pavement then a big narrow tire does better. Of course pretty much any wet snow over a foot deep is probably going to need flotation.

[@Jay-me7gw]

@@monsaka7827 The only time you are cutting down to pavement is if its slushy and you can spray it out of the way. Any other snow on the road is just going to compress under the tire. If you could always just cut down, then there wouldnt be a whole lot of reason for snow tires.

[@monsaka7827]

@Jay-me7gw That is not what I meant at all. It's obvious to a brain dead chicken that tires running over snow are not going to contact pavement. But they will compress the snow. That compressed snow will resist shear under weight assuming your tires can grip it. Winter tires do an excellent job gripping it. Weight does a great job of increasing the shear strength.

[@Jay-me7gw]

@ ok well you didn’t explain what you meant well. So maybe consult that brain dead chicken

[@BlackForestWoodStoving]

315/75R16 on my H3, I go as low as 6-8PSI without beadlocks for deep snow (not offroad, but like, deep snow rescue/recovery neighborly stuff). Never lost a bead on 7.5" wide rims.

[@JustaPiGuy]

Great video, looks like you had lots of fun making it. The anomalies might be caused by loss of center contact at lower pressures. When tires are aired down, the tread directly under the sidewall will maintain contact - that part is intuitive. But the center tread can actually lose contact on a flat surface. As the tire is loaded, the sidewalls can deform and cause the center to bow up so that most of the the traction comes from the edge tread. Grip from the center of the tire changes depending on tire load and pressure, but not at the same rate (curve) as grip from patch length. If you were to plot those as curves, there would be a point where both produced a combined minimum and that's where your numbers go negative. The loss of center grip at low pressure is not as noticeable on soft, deformable surfaces such as snow or sand because the bowed tread simply "wraps around" the snow/sand. Anyway that's my conjecture.

[@francoiscaudron5144]

Amazing content as always. Can you make the same kind of tests about tyre pressures but in dry and wet? I'd love to see that

[@tyrereviews]

It's on the list!

[@cpftank09]

I’ve got Nokian R5 winter tires on our Subaru Ascent, door stickeris 36psi. I’ve noticed far better control and traction when they are around 32psi in the winter. When they are around 36-38psi, the lateral grip especially suffers. I also generally run 2psi less in the rear since it’s rarely loaded up to the point where it needs the extra pressure, this is also based off tire chalk tests.

[@ryancooper73]

10:25 if you've gotta know! Last winter, with temperatures close to -10°C, my dash showed very low tire pressures, so I inflated them back to the OEM recommendation of 2.6 bar for fuel efficiency or speeds > 160 km/h (front axle, Germany, winter oriented 4 season tire). Unfortunately, this was not ideal for the colder conditions; just 10 meters from home, on a compacted snow-covered uphill right turn, I started sliding backwards. Had to install my tire socks to complete the journey, so close yet so far. My observation has been that, applying the recommended pressure at 20°C ambient seems to cover all scenarios. Since that incident, I adjust the tire pressures by adding or subtracting 0.1 bar for every 5-degree deviation from 20°C. With this approach, the wear and grip has been perfect in every condition. Can't tell whether that applies to all tire-OEM-car combinations, though.

[@kodiak2fitty]

The biggest concern I'd have with low tire pressure is uneven wear of the tread, as TR pointed out. I've got wider meats for my summer tires and I'm getting excessive inside/outside shoulder wear despite inflating 3 to 4 PSI above normal tires on my car. Next summer, I'll be aiming for 6 PSI over stock.

[@mikman7219]

Can you elaborate on the tire pressure at 20 degrees? Is it written in your manual that the tire pressure should be checked at 20 degrees? Does this mean that the winter tire will be severely underinflated at 0 degrees and colder?

[@pjpankratz8829]

Thanks for validating what I felt last year - had an oil change and they over inflated my snow tires to over 40 psi and the SUV felt so different on the way home (snowy day). When I got home is when I figured it out and aired them back down to 33. With my conditions keeping them at 33 is the compromise for everyday driving.

[@daniel.s.stefanov]

Oooh, that song at the end is a baaanger!!

[@haileybenson9714]

Hahaha I just was saying this

[@jasonguthrie4691]

So much of a banger that I had to find out what it was, which is "Wrath by AGST" kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmqqgXSsgKyfsJI

[@tyrereviews]

The next video on the channel will be full of them

[@makimoko]

In winter, I usually put 2-3 PSI more of tire pressure at garage temperature (10C). I find that it works well for most conditions and doesn’t become excessively soft even in very cold temperatures like -30C. When we have very cold temperatures for sustained periods, I sometimes check the pressure with car parked outside and adjust as needed until we have warmer temps. Never had the need to deflate tires even in the worst snowstorms in suburban areas.

[@henrikluthman1641]

Being from Sweden, I've known this for a long time!

[@will.green.]

what else do you know, great swede?

[@michaltomsu6924]

Thanks

[@tyrereviews]

[@Tea_1745]

OEM PSI! Give or take a 1-5psi depending on the tire.

[@s87583]

I keep the pressure proportional to the load. Too low and too high are bad for traction. But in loose snow it is soft. For cross-country ability. Thank you.

[@peterscott2662]

Mostly I see the "air down" claims for offroad, not on street, even in winter. I stick with recommended (car door) pressure for my winter tires.

[@shutu6338]

going 0.3bar lower than spec not only gives u grip, also saves your suspension, all new car pressures are made for fuel efficiency crap not longevity

[@peterscott2662]

@@shutu6338 Fair point. There is also tire wear to consider. Maybe I should start doing a Chalk test for optimal pressure for tire wear.

[@michaelisaacson9735]

FINALLY! I asked you if this test was coming four years ago. Which is best for snow tires, higher or lower pressure? I've been unable to get an answer from car magazine pages and Tire Rack here in the states because nobody knew the answer and nobody wanted to say anything but, "use the manufacturer's recommended tire pressures", which had to be bunk. One way had to be better or worse, right? I'll drop my snows, just put on yesterday, to 5psi below the recommended numbers. Can't do more than that, the tires will be eaten alive by snow-less roads and, a huge caution about lowering pressures before heading out on a cold and snowy day, Schrader valves can freeze open when the expansion or air comes out if there is any water inside the stem. You'll be left with a flat tire. Do pressure adjustments ahead of time or don't do it at all!

[@andyowens5494]

The engineers do a pretty good job of making winters that grip better than standard (compounds and patterns), so fitting winters is most of the benefit. It'll probably stick to recommended pressures, as they've done all the engineering to come up with those, balancing snow/ice/slush and clear roads (unless you're in Scandewegia or the Alps, I'll bet many of us have mostly clear roads), wear and sidewall degradation etc etc. They seem to know what they're doing, and whilst there may be marginal gains from tweaking pressures, there will be down-sides too (its not all about acceleration and braking on snow and ice). Great and thorough testing regime, as always, and some intriguing results. I guess snow is a soft material, so the more tread/sipes in contact with the small crystals, the better performance in general - that's why winters have sipes after all.

[@will.green.]

ya i keep mine at 50 without any problems

[@janpatzig3860]

Thank you very much for this video. This is important information for using the tires correctly. Since I have been using all-season tires, I drive with lower tire pressure in winter (approx. 0.4-0.5 bar). This means that the tire works harder and gets warmer. This is why the tire pressure increases more during the journey. In summer, the tire pressure is increased again by 0.4-0.5 bar.

[@AlpinaBG]

Thank you for yet another great test! But what is happening with "All Season and Winter tyres" comparison review?

[@tyrereviews]

It's still on the list. It'll be a december video now sadly, just not enough hours in the day

[@AlpinaBG]

@@tyrereviews, thank you a lot! No rush, just being "worried" that it won't going ot make it for this season, and I'm really curious on it, as for the last 3 years switched to "Sumer+All season" instead of "Sumer + Winter"

[@YouRedix]

Thanks for confirming my best guess. I've had positive experiences lowering the front tire pressures in FWD wagons by 0.2-0.4 bar in winter. Much more predictable behaviour with the balance moving toward oversteer. On a snowy commute, it's reassuring to know that understeer is not the default skid and that I have more ways to correct a skid. That is to say - lowering front tire pressure increased front tire grip

[@KaiTimmerherm]

Without having watched the video yet, I assume it's the golden middle (or how it's expressed in proper English). Let me watch the video now to see if my wild guess is wrong or right 🤓

[@Holden-McGroin]

I’m in New England. I run aggressive (triple snow peak) AT tires on my trucks at 35psi year round. Never had an issue with this setup. I’ve found you will gain more traction by adding a few hundred pounds to the bed/trunk than by adjusting tire pressure.

[@will.green.]

only triple snow peak? ever considered the ice grip emblem? maybe then you wouldnt need to add weight to the bed

[@Holden-McGroin]

⁠ I’m not familiar with an “ice grip” rating, but I assume it is something only found on snow tires? I’ve never felt the need to go to a dedicated snow tire, nor would I want to deal with the hassle of doing so.

[@milan_gt]

So wider tire is better, for sure

[@SomeGuysGarage]

Yeah, can we get this tested...same tire just in varying widths. Everyone says go narrower, but I'm not sure I buy that.

[@peterscott2662]

@@SomeGuysGarage Tyre Reviews tested that as well. And it was pretty much a wash...

[@milan_gt]

@@SomeGuysGarage I drive 235 all 4 and 285 all 4 on A7, sottozero 3, much much better on 285..

[@MegaEssin]

On packed snow yes, to a point. But winter roads arent always this prepaired, if There's loose snow ontop a wider tire will slide on top of the snow, and a narrower will cut through the loose snow to come in contact with the packed snow underneath, which is why rallycars use narrow tires in snow. They used 135 width tires a couple of years ago to cut through the snow into the ice at the bottom. A wider tire will also wander alot as packed snow is almost never level. There is a lot of ruts, and the wider tire will hook into them more than a narrower tire.

[@MegaEssin]

​@@SomeGuysGarageHe's already done that, but of course thats on a packed prepaired snow course. Not the same as a road.

[@davidbeckenbaugh9598]

Well, that was interesting. People ask me quite frequently about it and I answer them with a stock "The manufacturer tests the tires quite a lot. What they recommend will be best MOST of the time. If you get stuck, then it is time to experiment.....". I run snow tires on my '85 Toyota P/U. I only put about 3,000 miles each year on it, so the longer lasting hard tread designs have to be replaced due to age long before they are even half worn. The snow tires have lasted three years now, and are only a 2/32nds down on tread, with 5/32's left to go before they have mandatory replacement at the end of the summer.... Mandatory meaning when I feel they are too worn. Minimum tread is ridiculous in shedding water...... Good vid, good testing ideas. Bravo.

[@reqinu1678]

In the winter just stay around 2.0 BAR

[@_TrueDesire_]

I have wheels at the tire hotel, they put in 2.8 front and 2.9 rear, on a 2009 Lexus IS 250! I said guys it's not an SUV 😅 dropped to 2.6 and 2.7. After seeing this, I'm going to try out 2.1 front and 2.2 rear.

[@BigSteve_Gaming187]

Read and follow your side door sticker on recommended psi under cold conditions. They spent the time & money on your specific vehicle on what works best without damaging anything given the weight and all other variables.

[@_TrueDesire_]

That's it. I'm dropping my pressure from F/R 2.6/2.7 to 2.1/2.2 bar 🕺🏼

[@tyrereviews]

Just keep an eye on wear. Closely.

[@swecreations]

That's going to make your wear and fuel economy a lot worse.

[@_TrueDesire_]

@@swecreations at -20 to -25C? The rubber is pretty stiff at those temperatures.

[@665Thunder]

In just a few years all car enthusiasts' doubts will be gone! You do cover it all! Another amazingly clear, relevant and well done test. I feel the results will be valid on specifically this type of tire (a high quality winter tire). Potentially studded tires will follow a different trend and also all terrain tires.

[@intelligentcomputing]

there's a rule of thumb: "if running deflated tires , never travel more than 2x the PSI in MPH" -- so, at 10psi, don't go any faster than 20mph

[@TranceFur]

So if I deflate my tires a few PSI to 30 PSI, then I shouldn’t drive faster than 60 mph? I feel like you just made that up.

[@don.timeless4993]

i think the reason of the accelerating & breaking different numbers is due to the hardness & softness of the front & the rear suspension. when accelerating the body weight gos to the rear, while breaking gos to the front

[@Zedilt]

BEST tire pressure, is the manufacturer recommended tire pressure.

[@captindan5460]

Incorrect that tire pressure is for the best mpg, not necessarily grip and performance.

[@fabianrudzewski9027]

​@@captindan5460 here in Germany you're usually given multiple tire pressures. Mostly it's empty normal driving, fully loaded and good Fuel economy. Some sporty cars throw in an extra value for high Performance driving.

[@tyrereviews]

The manufacturer recommended pressure is a great starting point

[@PKWeaver74]

Didn't watch the video?

[@Trump985]

I run my tires around 5 psi in snow, however I have bead lock wheels. Without beadlocks I find 8 psi to be about the limit for tire pressure. That 3 psi makes a huge difference in my experience. You get stuck in snow when you get high centered. Running your tire pressure as low as possible will greatly increase tire floatation and make a huge difference. Investing in a set of beadlocks is the best thing you can do when it comes to your rig.

[@koimaxx]

10:22 I recall in your previous video that the direction of the treads could explain the discrepancies in traction and braking on ice. But I'll definitely consider underinflating if this means some increased stability and more predictable handling compared to factory spec.

[@toddtheisen8386]

Grew up in Midwest of the USA. Deep snow winters are par for the course. Get stuck, let some air out. More often then not, drive right out. Otherwise, time to chain up.

[@guardrailbiter]

Instant sub! I love how the top comments are from Serbia, Finland, and Canada. 👍 🌨🌨❄❄

[@svenschwingel8632]

I do lower my tyre pressure by 10-15% in the snow. The softer surface makes the tread work more which helps with traction. In the dry or wet, I operate my tyre pressure close to the manufacturer's recommendation.

[@AlanBoulter]

Driving since 1972 and father gave advice then that reducing TP to about 20psi would get me out of most problems. Used this advice both in UK but also Germany and Austria when I lived there and the advice has never let me down in tricky snow 👍🏻

[@free45678]

Two fine points. On a radial tire, the tread contact patch does not get significantly wider as you lower pressure. It gets longer. The ground pressure of the tire does not change when the car is braking, as you stated. The ground pressure is related solely to tire pressure and a rule of thumb is that it is approximately equal to tire pressure..

[@kdmag88]

This really depends on conditions. An inch or 2 of snow on a road, higher pressure is better. You want a small contact area to cut through the snow and reach the pavement beneath, tire touching pavement is always whet you want. If there is a few inches of snow and you would either bottom out or not have the contact psi to slice that deep, you want low psi in your tires to float above the snow. There's other situations to consider flotation like if there was ice under the snow or rough terrain you don't want to cut down into.

[@glennkullberg9370]

When lowering the tire pressure its not for making the contact patch wider but LONGER. To lower the tire pressure to get more traction on loose surfaces like deep snow, mud and loose sand is very old knowledge. When driving on loose sand, like example a beach, you should always lower the tire pressure for not getting stuck in the sand. But with normal street tires this is only for emergency use/ short time, because the sidewalls can't handle this over time. With a offroad tire like example a All Terrain or Mud Terrain, you can drive with lowered pressure much longer. I have Nokian Outpost All Terrain tires on my Land Cruiser and when I'm on a overland roadtrip I lower my tire pressure from 34-35 psi to about 20 psi when going on long distances on bad roads like gravel roads, because of much higher comfort. When going on really bad roads like forest roads its also smart to lower the tire pressure to reduce the risk of puncture a tire on example (sharp) big rocks and roots. When I'm back on normal tarmac roads again, the tire pressure goes back up to the normal 34-35 psi.

[@tyrereviews]

Agreed, we drop down to about 20 on gravel mostly for comfort

[@PM-wt3ye]

This has to be (one of) the best tire review/test channels on KZbin.You should have way more abos in my opinion!

[@garybouwman2157]

I drive a Ford F150 with AWD. The manufacturer makes a recommendation for a reason - the tires are engineered to work best (safety, perfomance, longevity) within the recommended range. Living in Canada, I drive on winter tires when there is snow. Currently -26C, packed snow on the streets, my tires are at 2.3 bar, and my traction is phenominal for stopping and going.

[@daveharris39]

I put the stock size Toyo Observe GSI-6 265/65-18 on my stock wheels, at the stock pressure (35 psi) and they handle the rain, snow, and slush well - but I noticed after 2000 miles (3200 km) the nibs are still on the shoulder lugs. After watching this video, I'm going to drop them to 30 and continue to monitor wear.

[@rael5469]

You would want to go up and over the snow because digging in could get you high centered. Some big four-wheel drives don't care about high centered because they have the body height to deal with it, but for most of us mere mortals we want to go up and over the snow. So I would say having a wider tire with the best traction you can afford would be the way to go. I just bought Bridgestone Blizzaks and inflate them to whatever the sticker says on my door sill. Then I let them go lower in pressure if the temperature gets colder, for better traction on ice. So far so good. I'm happy with the Blizzaks. I can feel the difference between dedicated snow tires and all-seasons.

[@lastboyscout1065]

Great video! Thanks!! Here’s another data point for you: when I took my family on a tour of sand dunes in New England one summer, I learned that, to drive on the sand dunes, the driver said the tire pressure was set to 11! PSI. I never would have thought to go that low. And he was very specific about that because he checked it before we drove onto the sand!

[@narancs5]

Thanks for this test! There is always something to learn from your videos. Thanks to the rigorous methods you use we get reliable information. This is way more than entertainment. I had one memorable experience in this topic. No clue why exactly but once I have overinflated my rear tyres by 0,5 bar (2,3 instead of 1,8). The car started to have noticable oversteer in the corners on snow even at modest driving speeds. Fun on a closed track but quite scary on public roads :D

[@ashokeb]

Absolutely fascinating, as always! Confirmed my bias toward lower pressures. Similarly, off road, particularly on rocks and sand, 10-15psi is commonly used, but only at very low speeds. Generally, the greater the contact patch, and tread deformability, the better the grip, though with loss of steering response, predictably. Amazing work! Looking forward to your next revelatory test!

[@tyrereviews]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ashokeb]

@ always do, even though I never get to drive on snow these days… in Australia! By the way, I’m getting my new BFG KO3s next week, for my Ranger Raptor, 315/70x17, so I might take them to the snow, if there is any, next winter, while you’re testing UUHP summer tyres!

[@ancientowlaudio1838]

I live near donner summit in California, where we get ALOT of snow, both dry grippy snow and wet slushy oil slick snow. I drive a crossover SUV over the summit to work every day and find that lower PSI (15 minimum) generally makes for infinitely better traction in both icy and deep snow conditions. The exception is wet slushy snow. In cold snow, it's best to float on top with a bigger tread area. In wet snow it works much better to air up so the tire can actually poke through the snow down to the road instead of sliding around on top or hydroplaning (really wet snow).

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

I can tell you what works. The skinnier your tires, the higher the PSI or pounds per square inch applied to the road/snow resulting in better grip, higher friction. If you're using skinny tires, you definitely want higher PSI to apply higher pounds per square inch pressure. The higher the PSI the higher the friction!

[@cmawhz]

great video, but tire wear over time is the missing factor here (for people in the comments thinking they should adjust tire pressure on their winter beater). if you aren't trying to maximize performance temporarily, or snow wheeling or whatever, there's no benefit to drop pressure from factory spec. the results within a safe operating range for the tire are so minuscule that it won't make a big difference for your daily commuting needs, but the tires will wear faster (which will make a difference for performance), and the mpg will go down. so it basically just costs more money and for very short lived benefits to drop the pressure. and no, overinflating the tires isn't a good idea either because the tires will just wear out the center tread faster so performance drops and will need replacing sooner which also costs more money. keep pressures stock for your vehicle- the tread will distribute vehicle weight evenly to maximize life of the tire as designed by the engineers. premature tire wear will cause more performance loss than whatever you gained by changing pressure in the first place. unless you're rich and buy new snow tires every month, then in that case go ahead and drop pressures because tire wear won't be a factor.