October 1st for studded snow tires. You are good to go.

It’s never too early. I leave whatever tires I happen to have on my car on all year long. Just don’t drive like an idiot and you’ll be fine. When it’s time to buy new ones I just go for all season tires, which probably makes a tiny fraction of a difference in traction compared to winter tires.

Depends on where in maine you’re driving

I do the same thing. I have never bought snow tires, but pay attention to how the car feels as I'm going down the road. If it feels like the cars moving out of my own control I'll slow down a bit till it feels right and continue on my way. (I'll pull over any time some douche feels the need to go faster than me, idc, I know my lil cars limits and honestly, have no money or ability to replace it should I crash.)

WHY do people leave them on all year?? I cant understand this.

Legally you good, that said patching a nail hole is no biggie, you don't even need to take it to the shop. Just grab a kit from NAPA or whatever, only takes a few minutes.

If you have studded tires I would probably wait a bit longer but it depends on where you live. Legally you are OK anytime after October 1 but studded tires + bare pavement = poor traction, so if you realistically don't expect to be driving in snow for another month I would stick with your all seasons. If you are talking about studless winter tires, yeah go ahead. They do well with cooler weather, rule of thumb is to switch them when averages are 50 °F or below.

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I actually watched a UK based video on winter tires effectiveness in rainy conditions. It makes sense that they have more grip and control, and less stopping distance in wet weather vs all seasons. They were advocating their use in late fall and early spring. Being as our weather also gets wet those times of year, I usually do 6 months on/6 off; Oct-Apr.

I'd say yes because we likely have another month of no snow but that's a wild guess

Not sure why this is downvoted. Snow cover isn't equal across the whole State. This is a valid statement.

I'd say too early. But, Kittery and Madawaska .... makes a difference.

Should take no more than 30 mins to fix a flat. Surely you can find someone to get that done. For 30 bucks.

Im getting my car inspected this week and if they say my tires are done I'm buying the snows I was gonna buy anyway and having them put on. Not studs tho.

Anyway, it's a bit early but if the car is going to the shop anyway might as well.

They "burn up" at temps above 50-60, get hard and aren't as sticky when it matters.

My reason is cost. When I had the snow tires installed my regulars had no tread so they got trashed. I work from home and only drive about 5K a year.

If you do 5k a year.

Get decent all seasons, you can budget the grocery store run around storms.

The reason I purchased snow tires is I couldn’t get up my ice covered road with all season tires. It’s an “ unmaintained town road”. No salt or sand. Heavily shaded. It’s a freakin luge.

I am at the end of a mile long private road. I understand (We use all seasons).

Yes. At least a month too early.

Question from a west coast person ? Do even AWD cars / front wheel drive Cars require snow tires ?

Same question from the Midwest

Lived here my whole life and never put studs on a car I own. Honestly don't need em if you know how to drive correctly. Take your car out into an empty parking lot at first snow and get a feel for it.

Nobody really requires snow tires. My Dad had a small Toyota that he never put snow tires on because he enjoyed the challenge. But I would highly recommend studded snow tires for any car especially if you’re not use to winter weather or Maine roads.

As someone who runs a tire shop no it’s not too early. Put them on now and beat the rush. If you wait until they call for snow you will most likely find schedules booked out for weeks. Last year during peak I was booked out almost five weeks.

Snow tires can go on any vehicle. They not required although they greatly increase traction and handling in the snow. If you plan to drive during a snowstorm (go to work, etc) then it's recommended to have them. Otherwise, you won't need them

Also, if you live near a main road then you might be ok since they are plowed regularly. If you live on a road that gets little traffic then good luck getting out during a storm. You'll have to wait until a plow truck goes by and hope they scrape enough to get decent traction. I live on one of those roads. I've pulled many vehicles out of the snow near my home with my 4WD truck.

Depends on if you want to drive safely in a snow storm, or just rely on hopes and prayers.

EDIT: AWD only helps you accelerate, which is arguably the least important main function of a car. AWD does effectively nothing to improve turning or stopping. This is where snow tires come in. They have significantly more lateral grip, and drastically reduce stopping distances in snow/ice conditions.

If you can change your schedule to not drive in the storms, you'll probably be okay with all-seasons. But if you have a job or other commitments than require you to be somewhere no matter what, snow tires are the right answer.

Thanks for all the great information

I’m a 62 yr old female, never in my life have I put snow tires on any of my cars. My husband is 72 and never had snow tires either. The best thing…drive slower when it snows, not just because you might skid, but others are idiots. When my car goes into a skid, I let go and just go with it. Our tendency is to control it, trust me, you can’t. I had a stick shift Honda Accord and in 2011 my husband and I were driving from Bangor back to Gorham. We saw more than 14 cars off the road or in an accident along the way on 95. Just plain tires and we were fine. And that car was a bitch in the snow.