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Old 10-26-2013, 11:43 PM   #24
dsgerbc
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So no link with a test then, thought so.

Quote:
Summer tires are vastly inferior to winter tires on bare pavement when ambient temperatures drop below 7C
That's a fantasy with zero proof. Even race tires don't have "glass transition" temperature that high, and most EP summer tires likely have that temp well below freezing. Even freaking A/S tires will brake 60-0 at least a car length sooner. It might've been true if there were a tire with 'winter' compound with exactly the same tread design as a summer tire, but there isn't.

Believe marketing all you want.

Anyone reading this - look at my links and judge for yourself. Braking distances and lateral Gs are right there. And please brake early and keep a somewhat larger distance when drying on the dry road on your winter tires. The driver ahead of you on A/S tires is likely to stop better than you in the event of a panic stop.

Another thing to keep in mind: Winter tires employ various amounts of hydrofilic compounds to get some traction on ice/snow. Summer tires have compounds that are hydrophobic. A/S tires usually have a touch of hydrofilic too. So in the wet/damp, when it's a few degrees above freezing, one is still better off with decent summer tires (not OEM Michelins though, lol) or A/S tires, compared to winter rubber.

Basically, if there's no chance of ice or snow on the road, summer tires are the way to go.

Last edited by dsgerbc; 10-27-2013 at 12:09 AM.
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