Tires: control in rain, proper inflation pressure, olds cutlass

Question
Both my daughter and I have the same problem.  I have a 96 olds cutlass,  my daughter a 93 cavilier Z-24.  When it rains we both notice our cars have a good tendency to hydroplane and the vehicles tend to slide a little when braking, not at high speeds or stabbing the brakes, but just normal braking.  My car( olds) is horrible in the winter, it does not take much for it to fishtail. I do need new tires this winter - any advice in choosing?  My daughter's tires ( cavalier) are fine, just past inspection but I am concerned how her car will handle in the winter, if she is having trouble with the rain. any advice there?
  We both had our brakes done this summer all good there.  We just need advice on having better control for a Buffalo winter.  Thank you so much.  

Answer
Glorianne,

First, you need to make sure you have enough air pressure in your tires.

Look for the placard on your vehicle.  The placard, among many things, tells the original tire size and the proper inflation pressure for that size.  The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box.  

I like to use 3 to 5 psi above the placard.  I get better fuel economy, better tire wear, better wet traction, better snow traction, better steering response, better tire durability, and only give up a bit of ride harshness.

"They" say you should check your tire pressures once a month.  Don't trust the guys at the shop to do it.  These guys are paid by the hour and this is one of the easiest things to shortcut.  Besides, there are a lot of mechanics you don't know where to look for the proper inflation.  No, it is not on the sidewall.

Buy yourself a tire gauge - a $5.00 pencil gauge works just fine, but I prefer the pistol grip digitals because they are remarkably accurate.  The check takes all of 5 minutes and it is the cheapest safety check you can make.  

Second, adapt to the driving conditions.  Rain and snow mean slow down.  It also means that quick movement is bad.  Practice turning the wheel gently and braking gently - kind of ease into it.

Third, an alignment might be a good investment.  Can't control the vehicle very well if the tires are pointed in different directions.

Advise on tires?  Well in Buffalo (and I assuming you mean NY), I'd move someplace further south - like Miami.  

But seriously SNOW TIRES - 4 of them!  Short of that - get all season (not touring) with lots of edges.  May not wear well but better for traction.

And one last tidbit.  If you really want to feel that your daughter is safe in the snow, take her out to a large empty parking lot just after a snowfall, but before they've had a chance to plow it.  Have her drive around - do a few donuts - try to make the car skid out - great fun and then she'll know what it feels like to be out of control and maybe she'll learn how to drive in the white stuff!  That's how I learned!

Hope this helps.