Can I ride on winter tires year round?

[cricom]

Long story short. Driving from NYC to Montreal a couple of days ago, hit a major pothole on the highway. Stop, perform a visual inspection - all seems okay. Return home (good 450 km remaining). This morning notice a tire to be deformed a little - there is a side bubble on the front left tire (pictures attached).

First thought is to change a tire, but out of curiosity:
(a) what is that thing?
(b) is it safe to drive?

As an alternative, I have just a little over a year left on lease. Can I change to winter tires and drive on them for the remaining term all year-round (that will include two summer terms)? I barely drive 12,000 km /year. Are there any cons of driving winter tires in the summer?

BMW 550i GT.

Thanks for any advice/info.

[tritonx]

They will use much faster in higher temperature apart from that I can't see any problem with it.

[mryakan]

You will wear them quickly and stopping distances and grip will be abysmal. No logical reason to do so and cheaper overall to get a summer set.

[Regamaster]

A. That is a goose egg, caused by damage of the sidewall. In a few cases goose eggs result from manufacturer's defect, but considering you hit a "major" pothole it's safe to say that was the cause.

B. The tire is still drivable but assuming it won't blow out at any given moment is a gamble. If I were you I would change the tire, or better yet check if the tire is covered under warranty. Don't mention the pothole just to help out your odds. :)

[jp5Touring]

Its a sidewall impact break,,, You wont have to tell em anything they will know how you did it,,, I would just replace the one tire, shop around might get lucky n find that brand on sale someplace,, My son works for a big tire chain store they due two or three a day like that,,

[cricom]

Guys, thanks for the advice.

Regamaster, thank you for shedding some insight into what that is. I agree with an opinion that the dealer/manufacturer will most likely know how it happened, so I can't claim a manufacturing defect.

I'm obviously leaning toward changing a tire versus riding the rest of the term using winter tires, but if I don't get lucky finding one, as per jp5Touring suggestion, I think I'll switch to winter. Considering I have just about 15 months left on lease, 5-6 of which will be winter months, don't think they will get used that much at all (I won't drive more than 15,000 km (~9,300 miles) on them). Some people drive more mileage in 1 season, not 1.5 years, so I assume the total mileage of winter tires are certainly made to last.

The only thing I realized by driving a GT is that it is not made for the Canadian climate and the quality of the roads in this country (well, the city of Montreal for sure - what a disaster!) Will most likely go back to X5 once this lease us up.

[Rexwagon]

Just curious why you would want to drive such a nice, sporty and fast car on winter tires in the summer? I know those tires are expensive but can't be more than $300. And if you can't afford that then it begs another question....

If you want to drive my 325i on summer Conti DW tires for a couple of months I will take your 550 and put a tire on it for you :-)

[millerlite6]

Go for it do what you want!

[GunnerNell]

Go for it do what you want!

But whatever you do, do it soon. That goose egg scares me. I wouldn't want to drive on it very far, and certainly not in hot weather. Good luck.

[cricom]

Just curious why you would want to drive such a nice, sporty and fast car on winter tires in the summer? I know those tires are expensive but can't be more than $300. And if you can't afford that then it begs another question....

If you want to drive my 325i on summer Conti DW tires for a couple of months I will take your 550 and put a tire on it for you :-)

I'll keep my 550. :)

The reason I wouldn't mind driving winter in the summer time because it is a lease and I don't care about driving on 19" instead of 20". If anything, the roads in Montreal are so horrendous that it'd provide for a more smooth experience.


But whatever you do, do it soon. That goose egg scares me. I wouldn't want to drive on it very far, and certainly not in hot weather. Good luck.

Oh I am aware. Every time I take off, I pray for it to hold. We are in the heat wave here on the East coast. I don't get on the highway and my driving in the city resembles drunk driving as I try to avoid every single pothole with that wheel.

I have already visited Goodyear and ordered a new tire. The retail price of the tire in Canada is $600+labour, but due to little wear of the tire (13%), Goodyear will cover the difference (or so they said), so I am out only about $150. I hope the quote they gave me actually holds as they have placed an order already. Expected to change the tire by the end of the day today hopefully.

[GunnerNell]

Wow, $150 for replacement? Sounds pretty good to me -- take it and run with it. Good luck.

[cricom]

Wow, $150 for replacement? Sounds pretty good to me -- take it and run with it. Good luck.

Came to $143 with change. Sweet! I am a happy camper.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.