Ford Freestar Winter Handling

rear

studded tires would help for sure, i've had great experiences with them, be it a car or snow plow. you really should put them on all 4 though, any tire expert will tell you that. i you have them only on the front your rear will have less traction and slide around a lot trying to keep up with the front. if you only put them on the back, you'll trouble turning and since the freestar is front wheel drive you already know i'm sure what you experience for traction. as good as studded tires are, they're quite noisy which is annoying on long trips(although you do get accustomed to it), they also offer poor bare pavement traction and most areas have restrictions for how many months of the year you can have them on. any of the premium brand (blizzak etc.)soft compound winter tires offer great traction as well, without the limitations of studded tires. also with regular winter tires when they've worn down past being usefull for winter you have the option to run them through the summer to miximize cost, howver with studded tires you essentially have to throw them away unless you want to pop out ALL the studs, which is a real pain trust me.