Michelin Pilot Sports poor in cold weather?

MichaelJP · 19th December 2001, 14:46

I've noticed now that we're getting some cold temps in the UK down to just above freezing that its *much* easier to spin the wheels and invoke the TC than you would think - even if there is no ice and the road is dry-ish.

Do people think this is a problem with the Michelin Pilot Sports fitted or do all sports tyres suffer from this?

- Michael

AndyMenard · 19th December 2001, 15:01

Probably a silly question?, but are your tires warmed up at this point?? I had a scary moment last year with my car when I got sideways (and yes, I did have DSC off at the time

) while my Pilot Sports were not warm enough. It was a cold day (about 35 degrees or so) and it was very humid - but not raining...and I got on the throttle a little too early and too hard coming out of a turn and got sideways... Scared the crap out of me!!

Bottom line, I think this will be a problem for almost any street compound tire until they are properly warmed up and ready to rumble?..

Just my 2 cents!

MichaelJP · 19th December 2001, 17:33

Andy, I don't think they are warmed up, in fact that's probably the reason, they are only good when they are warm and in freezing conditions on city streets, they never get warm enough.

I always leave DSC on in the winter and round town though - its a very useful insurance policy

- Michael

PhilSeastrand · 19th December 2001, 17:34

I agree with Andy -- A cold tire will definitely not grip very well, especially a high-performance tire like the Michelins. They can be fun that way, however!

metzger · 19th December 2001, 19:51

The road surface can get quite slick even if ambient temperature is above 32F. This is probably the reason why BMW's warn you if the outside temperature is 37F.

You can't tell by looking at the road surface whether it's slick or not in some cases. Years ago, I crossed a bridge late at night (temp in the upper 30's) in a Corvette (yes, various substances had been consumed

) and instantly found myself going lock to lock the whole length of the bridge (all effects of said substances being instantly erased by a large hit of adrenalin at this point) as I corrected, corrected, and corrected again. Mercifully, I managed not to hit the bridge sides, though I did slide down an embankment on the opposite side.

When I tried to walk into town I almost fell down because the surface was so slick, though nothing was visible. Keep that DSC on, and don't expect any performance tire to handle snow or ice.

gmajor · 20th December 2001, 10:51

Michael

In these colder conditions we can all get our M5s sideways pretty much out of any turn with heavy throttle use, regardless of the tyres, so car control skills (= driving on and over the limit of grip) become essential to learn, both to deal with an unexpected slide and for pure and simple fun. The good news is the e39 M5 is amongst the easiest cars to drive sideways, and you can learn how to do it in a couple of hours if you can find a safe place to practise (and spin a lot until you get the knack).

There are numerous places you can pay for instruction...if you want to know where I learnt send me a PM.

I drive all over the UK and track here and abroad, at Spa and the Ring. The M5 is a complete giggle, albeit an absolute bloater, and if you get your car control up to scratch you unleash the best part of the M5, which for most owners (in the UK at least) remains resolutely hidden frm view.

My personal opinion is that if you drive a car with this kind of power, you have to make sure your skills are up to it.

Regards

geoffrey

johann · 20th December 2001, 20:08

Quote:

Originally posted by MichaelJP
Do people think this is a problem with the Michelin Pilot Sports fitted or do all sports tyres suffer from this?

It's a common problem for High performance tires. Once the road temperature gets below 7 degrees celsius the tires don't get warm enough. Winter tires have a different rubber mixture and will grip even if they are cold.

BTW, I have Conti SportContact II on my M3 and they have no grip at all on snow same as Pilot Sports.

Cheers,
/Johan

rvacha · 20th December 2001, 21:01

I second Johan!

Right on the money.