Are any summer tires ok in the cold?

[Vmax911]

I'm guessing the answer is no, but...

I've been running the stock primacies for almost 50K miles, so I'm looking for a new set of tires.

The car is my daily driver, but isn't driven in snow. Summer sees 100+ degrees, winter highs are typically 45+ degrees, however, winter mornings can see below freezing three months out of the year. We do get rain in the late summer.

I know there are several types of summer tires, but are any of those possibilities for my climate? Will all seasons be ok when it is 100+ outside?

I've been ok with the stockers, though they are a bit noisy. More grip would be great, but not necessary. I think less grip would be a bad thing!
Right now the A/S 3+ is at the top of my list, any reason to looks elsewhere?

[venturaII]

Companies like TireRack will include in their info whether a tire should not be run below a certain temp.

[smg1138]

I wouldn't run any summer tires when it's below freezing. I basically ruined a set of Pilot Super Sports by leaving them on during the winter. They pretty much lost all grip after that.

[churchx]

Who cares, if tires are ruined or not. Tires are just wearable anyway.
But if it's place where weather actually gets cold enough for summer tire grip to become dangerously lacking, what's on stake - if car is totalled in crash or not, if one gets by alive/uncrippled or not, if one hasn't caused other casualities or not, due not using right tires for right season.

[dinfern22]

Originally Posted by smg1138

I wouldn't run any summer tires when it's below freezing. I basically ruined a set of Pilot Super Sports by leaving them on during the winter. They pretty much lost all grip after that.

Damn really?? How long were the tires out in the snow, did you drive in the winter?

What do you think caused the loss of grip?

[smg1138]

Originally Posted by dinfern22

Damn really?? How long were the tires out in the snow, did you drive in the winter?

What do you think caused the loss of grip?

I'm guessing they just got kind of heat cycled out or something. Saw some really cold temps that winter getting down into single digits. They also got covered with ice and snow a few times. I should have put the stock tires back on which in my case are the Turanza EL400's.

[cjny]

There are a number of high performance all-season tires that would cover the entire temperature range you are looking for. CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06 is well regarded.

Grip from summer-only tires drops drastically at below freezing temperatures.

[churchx]

IIRC average summer tires are somewhat even on grip with average winter tires at around 5C. Of course, if term "average" can be used. And it's not as if grip difference will be huge if at temps below that but not by much. Winter tires are more to provide grip you can rely on at worst cases. Very low temps, or ice/snow/mud on road and so on.
But then again OP described specific climate .. to which imho summer tires for summer & good all season tires for winter fit better (unless he eg. doesn't go in this car to ski every year to some mountains, but that simply will mean he didn't describe right weather at which he may have drive at).

[Gunman]

I run the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3's, and they are better in cold, and summer, compared to the original tires. I haven't run them in snow, the car is too low for my comfort level in snow, so I take the truck then, but I've driven in single digits multiple times.

[MrDinkleman]

I recently bought new tires/wheels (http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=27023&page=39) and although I had originally planned to buy summer performance tires, I noticed that just about all the manufacturers and Tire Rack are now warning against using Summer tires in freezing and near freezing temps. So I chickened out and ended up buying BF Goodrich G-force Sport A/S tires.

On top of losing traction, even more important to me, they all warn that summer tires' rubber is not suited for cold weather and will crack, especially on the tread inside the channels. IIRC, they call it "cold checking".

The G-Force Sport A/S tires got a lot of good reviews on Tire Rack and pretty high ratings for grip, wet and dry. They're pretty quiet too which surprises me since the tread looks like something that belongs on a mudder 4X4 truck...

[Ernest72]

You can use the AC in the winter and the heat in the summer, see how well it works out.

Tires are literally your biggest safety item on a car, why be cheap. Get the right tires and enjoy safe fun.

[Vmax911]

Originally Posted by Gunman

I run the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3's, and they are better in cold, and summer, compared to the original tires.

This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I had read somewhere that A/S tires can get squirmy when it's hot in the summer. Better than stock all around sounds good to me!

[Dadhawk]

@Vmax911, I ran the Primacies in a couple of Georgia winters without much issue as long as it was dry. They were dangerous in snow though, well unless you enjoyed sliding all around.

I replaced them with Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus and have been very happy with these in all weather except snow (I don't drive the 86 in what passes for snow in Georgia, preferring the relatively safety and protection of my Suburban from my fellow drivers who have no clue what snow is and are all driving on summer or bald tires)

I have actually gotten better gas mileage with the Bridgestones, and they are much grippier, perfect for commuting to me. I've got about 40K on the current set, and will replace with the same when the time has come. Right now, based on how they seem to be wearing, I'll get 60,000 miles out of them.

[why?]

It is not that much money to have a second set of wheels with winter or all season tires on them so you can run summer tires 3 seasons out of the year. It is really worth it performance wise and makes the tires really easy to change too.