Winter Tires When Temp Spikes Up

[mynameisnick4]

So I am on my second winter with my fr-s and the second winter with a set of Blizzak WS80s. This winter is turning out to be very mild compared to the last here in Western PA as far as temperatures and snow fall is concerned. We have only had 1 real snow storm (the outer skirts of the one that hammered Washington) and now we are having 50-60 temperature days. Today's high temperature has shattered the record temp by 10 degrees in my area.

I am trying to figure out what this means for my WS80s. I know winter tires wear a lot quicker in warmer temps but by how much? I have to drive about 300 miles this weekend on them and it looks like its going to be in the 40s. I'm concerned about cooking the tires and killing the tread life on them. I hear people get around 3 winters off these tires and don't feel like having to shell out another $500+ come next winter.

Anyone know how long WS80s are lasting on our cars? How do you handle the warmer temperature spikes as far as driving? Do you keep it below a certain speed, take all corners very gingerly? Any ideas on how to get the most out of these tires?

[jvincent]

If the temps are in the 40's you should be using winter tires anyway, so don't sweat it.

[go_a_way1]

Yeah I must concur with the above statement

[churchx]

You haven't told how much you drive in cold seasons per year and how do you drive . At reasonable 10K per winter without drifting on tarmac frequently imho they should last 2-3 seasons from mid autumn to mid spring easily (and i don't mean lasting - driving till little of thread grooves depth left). But even if just 1-2 seasons depending on how do you drive .. think of it like $500 insurance to prevent $1-20K accident damage . Even on least/worst performing cars there are two things i advise never skimp on - brakes & tires. Most probably you'll pay way more on fuel during tire life anyway, so why save on a bit bigger or a bit lesser fraction of fuel costs spent on other wearables (tires), if it will mean also saving on own safety?
As for temps, i had used winter tires also @50-60F. Yes, they will wear a bit faster, yes, they will grip less then summers, but wear increase won't happen at miraculously faster rates of few-times more. Yes, you may get 5-10% less total mileage of tires if putting on winter tires sooner in autumn and keeping driving them longer in spring, but you won't see unpleasant surprises if had been hit by unexpected for time of year sudden cold. As side bonus changing tires prior last days when it's mandated by law will also mean waiting less in queues of busy tire shops, when first snow/ice hits, and mirriads of drivers suddenly remembered that they still haven't changed to winters

[mynameisnick4]

Originally Posted by churchx

You haven't told how much you drive in cold seasons per year and how do you drive . At reasonable 10K per winter without drifting on tarmac frequently imho they should last 2-3 seasons from mid autumn to mid spring easily. But even if just 1-2 seasons depending on how do you drive .. think of it like $500 insurance to prevent $1-20K accident damage . Even on least/worst performing cars there are two things i advise never skimp on - brakes & tires. Most probably you'll pay way more on fuel during tire life anyway, so why save on a bit bigger or a bit lesser fraction of fuel costs spent on tires, if it will mean also saving on own safety?
As for temps, i had used winter tires also @50-60F. Yes, they will wear a bit faster, yes, they will grip less then summers, but wear increase won't happen at miraculously faster rates of few-fold. Yes, you may get 5-10% less total mileage of tires if putting on winter tires sooner in autumn and keeping driving them longer in spring, but you won't see unpleasant surprises if had been hit by unexpected for time of year sudden cold.

I had a bit of a change since last winter. I put my tires on last winter in early January and took them off end of March. I was doing about 130ish miles a week during that time. This year I put them on again in January but now I work from home and only do about 50-60 miles a week plus this trip back to WV that will be about 250 miles. In the grand scheme of things I'm definitely below average as far as mileage goes.

As far as driving habits, I definitely change when it comes to winter. I'm pretty cautious and keep the speed down on the highway and in the corners because I know these tires aren't designed for that.

[churchx]

I on the other hand am wearing winter tires quicker. Simply because loving visiting ice/snow race tracks due pursuing more sideways fun, not speed. Yes, winter track driving lets save more on tires vs trackdays in summer, but still wears them faster then basic daily driving.