Do I need winter tires?
 

So.. it's getting quite frosty in Seattle area (going under 30 degrees F) , and I was wondering if I need to start looking for a separate set with winter tires, or if I'm okay with the stock Primacy HP tires. The stock tires are already slippery on its own, so I was sketchy with the temperatures dropping super hard this week.

Googling a bit, it seems that the general consensus is that if temps drop below 40 degrees F, summer tires like the Primacies just become rock hard and might crack if I keep driving on them - so being a worrisome person, I stopped driving my car (haven't driven at all this week due to this).

So! Can anyone shed some light on this? Should I get winter tires, or is driving sensibly good enough for the sub 30 degree weather currently?

There's no way in hell I would run these tires in the winter months. Get winters...

Well.. all my coworkers/friends that are Seattle natives were telling me that they are unnecssary because it never actually snows here, just temperature drop.

Then don't?

I was scared for my life driving in rain with those tires let alone snow and cold temps..

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Winter tires are not just for snow. Winter tires are designed to grip properly at cold temps. Summer and most all season tires are not rated for temps under 20-30 degrees

Your coworkers and friends are wrong and probably don't have high performance summer tires. If they're on all-seasons, yes. No reason to change. You're on summer tires, and questionable ones at that. You need tires that will work in cold and inclement weather.

I wonder if Prius drivers have the same concerns using the same tyres?

This^ all day long this!
The stock summer tires start to get hard at about 40 degrees and turn into hockey pucks with zero grip at anything near freezing.
I understand from people local to your area that full on snow tires are not required but you need a good all season at least.

Do I need winter tires?
 

Just got a set of winter tires on last week. The peace of mind being off stock rubber is worth it. And this week in Portland the temps have started to drop to freezing and have already seen a few snowflakes. I am actually looking forward to some snow sticking now


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gotcha guys. Thanks! Now to look for stock/steel rims ..

NO NO NO.


Read some of the posts above.


I stopped driving my car on performance summer tires anytime the temp drops below 20F, even when the roads are bone dry.


DONT DO IT!
This is from someone who has spun into oncoming traffic, on the highway, because of summer tires - and DUE TO PURE LUCK, still have my car intact.

And that's why I LOVE the internet. No matter what you want to hear, and no matter how wrong it is, you can find somebody who will say it.

Mr. "i heart ricers," you left one word out of your post... the word is "yet," and it goes right after the words "no issues here."

An incredibly-light-in-the-back-end fairly powerful (YES, our cars are slow sports cars, but they are NOT the underpowered econoboxes of the 70s and 80s) RWD car does not belong on roads that may at any time see snow, ice, or freezing rain w/ summer performance tires on it. Period. There is no discussion of this.

I had a couple Fiat Spiders back in the 80s, and I know how to drive in snow; I've been doing it all my life and truly ENJOY it. Just for giggles, I left our trusty '73 Delta 88 by the curb and took one of Spiders out after we got a few inches of snow just to see how it would do. That car had considerably less power than our twins do, and I could barely, and I mean BARELY, get the car rolling; even just letting out the clutch w/out touching the gas would occasionally get the tires spinning.

"CAN" you drive an FR-S/BRZ in snow w/out winter tires? Sure. You can stop drinking fluids for a few days, too. Neither are particularly good for you.

I know the original poster was only querying re/ subfreezing temps and mentioned that they don't get snow, but if snow is even a possibility AND you don't have an alternate means of transportation in the event you DO get snow, winter tires are the only option for a thinking, responsible human being driving one of these cars. In most cases, you are NOT the only person on the road. Even if you don't care if you lose control, the people you slide into may not share your carefree attitude.

Stay warm out there..

Barry

I have been on Primacys until recently when I switched to Continental DWS. The advice to change to all-seasons is very good advice, but I have had not a problem with the primacy tires through a couple of winters, but I used some common sense. Don't drive the car at freezing temps, take your spouse's car if you're lucky to have one, unless he/she has a sports car, too, of course. And finally, use common sense and be safe. I drive completely differently dependent on conditions and drove slowly to work with snow flurries this morning. I would rather arrive late than be 'late'.