Tires for cold weather but not snow..

[bimmerbumm193]

So i need to get some regular street tires for my 95 M which is still rolling on DS1s. I wanted to get a high performance summer tire, but i still will be driving in the winter when its nice out. I will not be driving it in the snow though. I do know that the summer tire compounds do not perform well in freezing temperatures. So I guess that leaves me with getting an all-season? The other issue is that I am running on DS1s so I guess i will be staying with 235s, which does not leave a lot of options for all-seasons. The car is in the process of being built for hillclimbing, so it is on ASTs and will have a bunch more track goodies. It will have dedicated track tires and wheels, i am just asking about some street tires now. As of right now im looking at Kumho ASX because they are cheap and the only high performace all season on tireracks site. But i have had them before and wasnt too impressed.

thanks
Kendrick

[fretburnr]

If you can clear a 235/45-17 (which my m3 does, but I no longer have stock spring perches) the options for all seasons are significantly more plentiful. Same with 245/40 and 225/45.

[auto da fe]

If you're winter driving in "nice weather" I wouldn't bother with the compromise of all-season tires. Drive slowly (and carefully) until the tires warm up and you'll be OK. I've run summer tires in freezing temps with no problem but they can be skittish until they've had a chance to warm up. I don't drive them in snow however.

[dougmcintyre]

To my knowledge, only Michelin recommends using their summer tires at temperature below 45 degree F.

From http://www.michelinman.com/sites/michelincom/tires-101/buying-tires/how-to-choose/seasonal-tires.page

"Summer: These tires are primarily designed for high-performance vehicles and provide optimized dry and wet performance levels in a temperate environment. Summer tires are designed for year round usage but should not be used during the winter season where temperatures are colder and approach freezing consistently as their performance would be less than optimal."

See http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1746240 for a fuller discussion.

[pbonsalb]

I think the warnings for summer tires are due to the rubber compound, which works great in heat but not so well in cold. They are compromised for summer use. An idiot driver who does not realize this could slide off the road. By the same token, an idiot driver who takes his snow tires to the race track in summer may also slide off the road.

If you want a performance cold weather tire, I would probably skip all the extreme performance summer tires. As has been noted above, a few tires that qualify for that category are also factory fitted to cars that may be used rear round, like the Michelin PS2 and PSS. Sure, performance goes down in the cold, but they still work OK because the rubber compound is compromised for this use. A more serious summer tire like the RE11, AD08, RS3 will be better in the summer, but worse in the cold. Michelins are expensive, but they have a pretty good R&D department and are factory fitted to many cars.

I do not think you have to go to all season tires, unless maybe you want a rain tire.

[dinanstu]

If you're winter driving in "nice weather" I wouldn't bother with the compromise of all-season tires. Drive slowly (and carefully) until the tires warm up and you'll be OK. I've run summer tires in freezing temps with no problem but they can be skittish until they've had a chance to warm up. I don't drive them in snow however.

Part of the design of all-season or full on snows is the tread grooves and depth which actually generate heat into the softer rubber compound when they are in motion. A full summer tire will not sufficiently do this.

Nice car, hate to see it in an accident..... :)

[JustinE36M3]

they arent snow tires, they are winter tires

[bimmerbumm193]

I think i am leaning towards all seasons. My daily routine consists of short trips on fun back roads so by the time i warmed up summer tires i would already be at work. I honestly dont Think i need the performance of a summer tire on the street, i get enough kicks during the summer legally racing on public roads on r-comps:). Now my question is in order to get more tire choices should i reduce width to 225/45s or stay with 235s but increase height to 45.

[Dublin321]

I always base tires off of how bad the weather is. I'm from Missouri and we've had two pretty brutal winters back-to-back. Every year I say I'm going to get thicker treads with more complex grooves, but my drives haven't been that bad to warrant separate tires for specific seasons. I've just tried to make sure I keep my tires in better shape regardless of the weather by making sure they hit standards like these ones: http://burnettauto.com/?PageData=54121

[Lendoma78]

The other issue is that I am running on DS1s so I guess i will be staying with 235s, which does not leave a lot of options for all-seasons.




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