All season tires

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Xdragonxb0i

Do you drive in the snow?

Well, where I live we some times get plenty of snow, but really there's never enough where it sticks around on the road to the point you're driving on it. At the worst, we drive through slush.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by dsgerbc

Not really true.

NEW all-seasons with decent thread and somewhat large thread blocks will be decent on snow/slush and better than somewhat worn winter tires.
.

disagree. Good dedicated winter/snow tires will be better in the white stuff at half tread (not "thread") depth than good new A/S. My Dunlop WinterSports were great in the snow nearly to the treadwear indicators.

Also, critically important not to lump all a/s tires together, as many are utter crap in the snow from day one.

[dsgerbc]

Originally Posted by ZDan

disagree.

Did you read my link above?

Originally Posted by ZDan

My Dunlop WinterSports were great in the snow nearly to the treadwear indicators.

That cannot possibly be true. People test that, you know. Winter tires suck at winter driving after ~6/32nds.
Think for a minute what's required for snow traction.

Just for reference:
1) Swedish test of a few Ice&Snow tires new at full thread and ~50% shaved. Use google translate.
It's probably the best case scenario test. And these are Ice&Snow tires, not 'performance winter', like wintersports. Degradation of snow performance of those will be worse.
2) And from tirerack tech:

Additionally, if snow-covered roads are a concern, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 6/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility. You need more tread depth in snow because your tires need to compress the snow in their grooves and release it as they roll. If there isn't sufficient tread depth, the "bites" of snow your tires can take on each revolution will be reduced to "nibbles," and your vehicle's traction and mobility will be sacrificed.

[SteveH]

I live in TN and was looking more for a winter tire that has great traction at low temps and wet conditions. I’ve got a 4Runner for the times when we actually get snow, but ice is killer in this area (literately) and those days I’m lucky in that I can just take vacation and stay home.

I talked to Cy at Tire Rack, who has a BRZ, and he recommended the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical A/S tires because he felt that they provided the closest handling characteristics to a good summer tire and very good wet weather traction. I’ve put about 1000 miles on them and my only complaint is that they’re a little bit noisier that the Primacy HP, but much much better in the wet.

I’ll start looking for summer tires soon, but Goodyear’s seem to have been a pretty good choice for TN winters and handle at least as good as the Primacy HP.

[BRZnut]

Originally Posted by matthewl

Just had our first snow (really ice) storm in Triangle area of NC and my FR-S was virtually undriveable. I know there have been other threads, but what I'm interested in, now that people have almost half a winter, is recommendations for mid-priced (around $150) all season tires for my car.

Put in your car on Tire Rack and see which all seasons are avalible and look at the ratings. I think you will find that the Continental DWS have the best ratings and a fair price. Thats what I plan to replace my stock summers with next winter.

[HotLavaMann]

Got tired of slipping around like hell (even when I didn't want to) on the stock summer tires so I just ordered a set of bridgestone RE970AS for my FRS as I'm getting really tired of my summer tires having zero traction on cold rainy days (which we get a few up here in Washington State). I've had good luck with them on other cars so I think they will work fine up to and including light snow.

I'll report back in a couple of weeks when I've got some miles on them.

[gk86]

I also have the Continental DWS. As @HotLavaMan mentioned, in Washington State we get cold rainy days with the occasional light snow. I have not had any issues with these tires in these types of conditions.

[BRZnut]

Originally Posted by gk86

I also have the Continental DWS. As @HotLavaMan mentioned, in Washington State we get cold rainy days with the occasional light snow. I have not had any issues with these tires in these types of conditions.

How is the ride and the road noise with these tires??

[gk86]

Originally Posted by BRZnut

How is the ride and the road noise with these tires??

In comparison to the OEM Michelin Primacy tires, the Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires are much quieter; albeit the road noise is still pronounced in our cars. While the softer sidewalls on the Continentals help to provide a more comfortable and slightly softer ride, this also seems to decrease their responsiveness on hard cornering or aggressive maneuvering.

[marine6680]

Been trying to find some info, but not a lot of direct answers.

Living in SC, where winter temps hover 30-40* with only the occasional day of temps in the 20s... will the stock Michelins get me by until I get around to new tires?

I don't want to get two sets of tires, I might have a little fun in the car, but I ain't on the track nor am I going to push the car to its limits all the time on the street. So I need a set of tires with decent grip that won't turn to crap during the few cold days we see in winter.

I was thinking a set of Potenza RE970AS Pole Position would work well.

I was thinking about putting on tires a little wider than stock as well, thinking it might add a little grip, but seeing that I like the stock wheels pretty well, don't feel like springing for them.

Thanks for the help.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by marine6680

Been trying to find some info, but not a lot of direct answers.

Living in SC, where winter temps hover 30-40* with only the occasional day of temps in the 20s... will the stock Michelins get me by until I get around to new tires?

I don't want to get two sets of tires, I might have a little fun in the car, but I ain't on the track nor am I going to push the car to its limits all the time on the street. So I need a set of tires with decent grip that won't turn to crap during the few cold days we see in winter.

I was thinking a set of Potenza RE970AS Pole Position would work well.

I was thinking about putting on tires a little wider than stock as well, thinking it might add a little grip, but seeing that I like the stock wheels pretty well, don't feel like springing for them.

Thanks for the help.

The latest ultra high performance all season tires will perform better than the stock michelins. Those bridgestones, Michelin A/S 3 or +, Pirelli P Zero Nero A/S. for example.

[marine6680]

Ok thanks. Hopefully the stock tires will be OK until spring time.

[red_comet]

Originally Posted by matthewl

Where I live it snows rarely. I'm old, have driven rear, front & all wheel drive cars for 50 years and know about the strengths and weaknesses of all season tires. I'd appreciate recommendations for a decent all season tire so that I can drive around in the light, infrequent snow I get here without the complete lack of traction that my summer tires provide. Thanks.

I like how people just assumed you had no experience.

All seasons are good for light snow, and cold weather. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I have to second the continental DWS recommendation.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by red_comet

I like how people just assumed you had no experience.

All seasons are good for light snow, and cold weather. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I have to second the continental DWS recommendation.

Exactly. In fact the newest generation of all seasons outperform summer tires in cooler conditions.

One rule of thumb is the better the all season is in snow the less well it performs in the dry. So, select an all season that can cope with the snow you expect.

Only if you get deep snow or lots of ice or ambient temperatures significantly below freezing do you really need to put up with winter tires. If you need winter tires you must get them to be safe. If you don't need them they are a pita because they give up too much grip in the dry.

Where I am we can get dicy weather at any time of the year and truly severe winter at any time from September to June. So I am now switching my summer tires to high performance all seasons and fitting winter tires for winter. If I lived in California and never hit the mountains I'd by Michelin Supersports.

Point is there is no correct tire for all places and all climates. Nor is there a correct tire for all drivers. Buy as much tire as you need for your personal requirements. Safety should be your top priority for a street tire.