Tire advice Atlanta area

[g e]

I also posted this question in my regional forum but hoping to get more input here.

I live in metro Atlanta and am looking for advice on tires. My 2013 BRZ will need a new set in the next month or two. I don't track but enjoy some mountain driving and taking on some Curves in my short commute.

I prefer another set of summer tires but Atlanta area does have cold spells and snow events happen. For cold, I don't mind taking it easier in the turns until it warms up above 45. Snow obviously means no go.

I used to borrow my wife's Forester on snow days but that car is gone. Winter tires don't make much sense in this area.

Michelin PSS are atop the summer list and their AS/3+ for all season. I read on this tire thread the impressions of someone who went with as/3+ and lamented the loss of slot car feel he enjoyed with the summer tires.

Thoughts?

[venturaII]

All season tires generally have tread designs with more void area and more aggressive siping, both of which allow the tire to perform better in wet and occasional LIGHT snow, but the result is a less stable tread block which allows for more squirm. Add this to differing compound from a true summer tire to compensate for a wider temperature range, and you get a tire that sacrifices dry performance in the name of all-round mediocrity.

[Tcoat]

I am running the AS/3+ tires and based upon the usage you stated they should perform very well. It is true they are not suitable as a track choice they are still a UHP tire that performs well above the level of mediocre in all street driving applications. This being an "enthusiast" forum many scoff at the idea of AS tires performing well but the truth is they do.
The loss of "slot car" feel complaint in the other thread appears to me that they were running them a bit too low a pressure. I had the same feeling when I first got mine but bumped the pressure up 3psi and was very happy with the change. It is a bit harder to break the rear end out with them but you soon learn what works. The longer I have run them the more I like them. In the cold temperatures right now they are almost perfect so I would expect them to be right on for an Atlanta winter. They can even deal with a bit of snow.
I will be sad at the end of the month when my snows have to go on but I gain two months a year on decent tires by going with the AS.

[Leonardo]

Originally Posted by g e

I also posted this question in my regional forum but hoping to get more input here.

I live in metro Atlanta and am looking for advice on tires. My 2013 BRZ will need a new set in the next month or two. I don't track but enjoy some mountain driving and taking on some Curves in my short commute.

I prefer another set of summer tires but Atlanta area does have cold spells and snow events happen. For cold, I don't mind taking it easier in the turns until it warms up above 45. Snow obviously means no go.

I used to borrow my wife's Forester on snow days but that car is gone. Winter tires don't make much sense in this area.

Michelin PSS are atop the summer list and their AS/3+ for all season. I read on this tire thread the impressions of someone who went with as/3+ and lamented the loss of slot car feel he enjoyed with the summer tires.

Thoughts?

Though I have not driven on A/S3's, I had the Michelin A/S + on my FR-S. (the A/S3 replaced it) Anyway, I Loved them. I didn't feel that I lost any traction normally. I had 225/45/17's.


I now run MPSS year round. Which loose traction when it gets cold. There really is no ONE tire that does everything. I sold my extra set of wheels and studded tires. I hated the way they drove.


As compromises go the A/S3 is going to be about as good as your going to get. But, hey that is my opinion... I love Michelin tires!

[venturaII]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

There really is no ONE tire that does everything.

Bingo.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by venturaII

Bingo.

Just imagine how rich you would be if you could create such an unicorn!

[Leonardo]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Just imagine how rich you would be if you could create such an unicorn!

Guess I'd be pretty rich!




via Imgflip Meme Generator

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

Guess I'd be pretty rich!




via Imgflip Meme Generator

Could have a mascot with a big spike on it's hea....Oh wait that is a bad mascot for a tire company.

[ZDan]

You should buy tires for the worst conditions which you *might* encounter. If you're not tracking it and don't want to fool with two sets of tires, I'd go all-seasons. But not *any* all-seasons, there are a lot of them that are really no better than summer tires in the snow. Pick one that's rated highly for wet, dry, and snow. In the green for all categories here: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...=1#ratingsSort

Wife called to thank me for picking out the right tires for her Mazda3 when she was driving around stuck traffic in the last Atlanta snowstorm...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I am running the AS/3+ tires and based upon the usage you stated they should perform very well. .

Originally Posted by ZDan

You should buy tires for the worst conditions which you *might* encounter. If you're not tracking it and don't want to fool with two sets of tires, I'd go all-seasons. But not *any* all-seasons, there are a lot of them that are really no better than summer tires in the snow. Pick one that's rated highly for wet, dry, and snow. In the green for all categories here: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...=1#ratingsSort

Wife called to thank me for picking out the right tires for her Mazda3 when she was driving around stuck traffic in the last Atlanta snowstorm...

Top of the class!
As Dan said I would chose from this short list for your application and driving plans.

[Gunman]

I'm just north of Charlotte, and I've had a set of A/s3's, and now the A/S3+. I didn't even question getting them again. Car is daily driven, unless we get a decent amount of snow...I prefer the added ride height of the F150 then

[g e]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

I'll give the Michelin A/S 3+ a go when Costco does their $70 off sale. Bridgestones are on sale now.

Btw, has anyone used chains with Summer tires in a pinch? I read somewhere about an alternative to chains. Some kind of synthetic material.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by g e

Thanks for all the responses guys.

I'll give the Michelin A/S 3+ a go when Costco does their $70 off sale. Bridgestones are on sale now.

Btw, has anyone used chains with Summer tires in a pinch? I read somewhere about an alternative to chains. Some kind of synthetic material.

The owners manual is very specific on not using chains on these. Don't mess around.

[jmark]

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=230 All 4 of these tires rate pretty well.