alt Hacker News> opted to not put their winter tires on.
Heh. At least they have them, and/or know what they are. I have been met with "they make tires just for snow?" when talking about snow tires in the US before.
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Hah! Yup! Heard that one before from Californians, Texans, New Yorkers, and Arizonans in my travels.
Ignorance can be the death of ya! Thank goodness most of them aren’t trying to drive up here!
I live in the southeastern US. I am aware that winter tires exist, but you simply can't buy them here off the rack. You have to order them. For our "snow", which happens once every 2-3 years, you don't even need them. In an ice storm, you just stay off the roads for two days. The heat from the sun is sufficient to melt it even if the air temperature never gets above freezing.
What you need here are tires that can handle huge amounts of rain. Which, in the western US, is not an issue.
Not sure when snow tires became more mainstream but I started driving in Michigan in the late 80s and didn't know a single family that used snow tires. Where I live now snow tires only make sense for those who live in or visit the mountains regularly. The valleys are mostly at or above temps where snow tires wear quickly or become less effective on wet surfaces.