MPSS in the cold
 

OEM Primacy's are starting to get low on tread, so I'm starting to think ahead on tires. The Primacy's kinda sucked in the cold, and awful in the little bit of snow we get in NC, which I noticed a lot the first winter, with my short drive to work. By my second winter with the car, I had a longer commute, so the tires had a chance to warm up, and they weren't as bad in the cold, and I didn't even bother when we got snow.

So, my question is, how to the Pilot Super Sports compare to the Primacy HP's in the cold? I'm guessing very similar, since both are "summer tires"?

MPSS's are worse in the cold. They get very slippery. You would probably be better with the Pilot Sport A/S 3's.

From my experience, temps under about 40F will make the MPSS suddenly very slippy. Like able to break traction in the middle of a gear going straight slippy. At least until you get some heat in them. I would not recommend driving on the MPSS at anything close to or under 30. You could probably get away with not killing yourself (probably) but it certainly wouldn't be fun.

Well shoot. You guys just extended my search time for new shoes but that's the info I needed. I also need new rubber soon and reasonably high performance tires that function well in the cold is important. Maybe not as much so as in the rain but I don't want to have to run the dedicated winter tires unless snow is imminent. Some winters around here we can go with minimal snow but it's always colder than summer tires are intended for. This year they were necessary frequently and I'll keep them on for another week or so but the rears are shot after 11k miles.

@gravitylover will send you two primacy HPs with low mileage for cost of shipping and like 30-40 a tire if it helps ya.. sucks to hear too because up here in the PNW temps get chilly in the winter. Oh well, proper winter tire and summer setups it will be

^^ That's a maybe. I'll let you know in a day or two. Thanks.

MPSS in the cold
 

Winter tires are better in temps below about 45F, regardless if it is dry, wet or snow...and not just in snow. If you don't have two sets of wheels, all seasons like A/S 3's would be a reasonable compromise...but they will not be great in summer or in snow. The more expensive option is more optimal year-round for any location where temps drop below 45F for long enough to warrant having both. I'm in north east and I own four sets of wheels (summer, winter and two for track/ax), neither of which have all season tires. I use mpss for summer street and wet track.

I do have to say, I think the MPSS is absolutely fantastic in the wet. I would even go so far as to say they might be better than the Primacys.

FWIW, it is 4C/39F and dry here today and I just swapped my CEWC snows for new MPSS last night. Even fresh, the MPSS have more grip than the snows in these conditions. Not sure about when it gets below freezing and I'd never want to have to try the MPSS in the snow! There is supposed to be freezing rain tomorrow, so I'll be driving the wife's Golf on snows. I'm looking forward to trying the MPSS in the wet once it warms up, though. They look like cut slicks.

BTW, with lightweight rims the ride on the MPSS is actually slightly better than stock but man are they noisy. I'm running 225/45 on 17x8 720Form GTF1s.

I believe the stock tires have a warranty to 30k. From what I read from some thread here, you can warranty them and use the credit towards another set of michelins.

toyo proxes 4 are decent all-season tires while maintaining decent performance

People blow things out of proportion. It got down to -10F here and I kept my MPSS on all winter. Just don't drive like an A-hole and you'll be fine. Save the spirited driving for warmer days.

I will say, just i case anyone misconstrues what I said, they SUCK in any snow whatsoever. Downright dangerous even. I drive my wifes Optima anytime it snows. (She's usually off since she's a teacher).

Thanks for the offer but I think I disliked them enough that I'll pass. I got the car with 14,500 on the clock and two of the stock tires were nearly shot and the others that weren't sucked in the rain. Working' on options now because the winter shoes will be coming off next week. I know you also do a lot of miles, I'll let you know what I decide on and how they hold up.

Tirerack.com - MPSS Product Description - While Pilot Super Sport tires are designed to allow sports cars, sporty coupes, performance sedans and supercars to achieve their full potential in dry and wet conditions, like all summer tires they are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

What you can do and what you are advised to do...

I'm running a set of MPSS right now. When it gets below freezing, they feel like driving on hockey pucks. Once they get warmed up though, it's not too bad. You definitely don't want to drive on any amount of ice or snow on them though. During our last snowfall, I literally couldn't get out of my parking lot. I'm probably going to put a set of winter tires on my factory rims for next winter.

Snag some cheap used winters and then get some good summer tires. The OEM tires are good at nothings besides highway/mpg.

Most extreme performance summer tires (like the MPSS) actually get damaged by exposing them to freezing temperatures. If they get too cold it changes the rubber compound and they lose a ton of grip.

That's why my summer tires are in the basement, not in the garage.

Only a few extreme R compound tires can be damaged by storing them below freezing. PSS do NOT fall into that category, otherwise Michelin would attach a warning as other manufacturers do with the tires that can be affected. I have brought this specific issue up with Michelin, and they stand by their word. The PSS compound DOES NOT CHANGE! (Well maybe at -200C)

Well, he DOES live in Canada...


General question: Treadwear ratings are a fluffy number with no fixed point that varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, which renders it useless for comparisons between manufacturers. What about comparisons from the same manufacturer though, such as the MPSS at 300tw vs. the A/S3 at 500tw? Would that be a valid comparison?

I've seen manufacturers suggestions to not store tires below ~5* C from a few manufacturers of high performance summer tires (not R compounds). Temperature will absolutely affect compound, whether they admit it or not.

The PSS might be fine around zero (C), but I wouldn't chance it, and definitely wouldn't store them well below freezing.

Considering the very short summer we get in Toronto if this car is just a daily driver and you do not plan to go to the track every other weekend I would consider getting the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3. I just swapped the x-ice3 with these here in Toronto. It's been below 0 degrees Celsius this past week and I have tons and tons of grip. It's nearly impossible to trigger traction control / swing the back end out right now with these A/S3.

Plus the A/S3 is comparable to a lot of max performance summer tires out
there as most magazines / reviewers have raved about. Amazing wet traction too.

In the cold they will slip a bit, but it's do-able.

Don't even think about going anywhere that has snow on the ground.

It snowed a bit here Thursday night, just enough to lightly cover my side street. It was -7C/19F when I left for work in the morning. It was an exciting drive down the block. The main roads were dry and the grip from the MPSS was fine for the drive across town. The low temperature grip seems to be pretty dependent on the roughness of the pavement. The shiny areas are pretty slippery. There is also lots of sand still around. We need one good April rain to can things up.