At which temperature to switch to winter tires?
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Professionals will say when the temperature drops below 8 celcius a winter tire will outperform an all season. For me, I didnt put my snows on til the temperature was starting to hit the 2-3 celcius mark. The Pilot sport A/S isnt a bad tire in the snow, id swap them out for winters when the temp dropped to around the 3-5 celcius mark.
Joined
·
750 Posts
very much temperature dependent
From personal experience I watched all season tires on my car work just fine in the snow at 20 degreesF yet spin in place on the same car when the temperature dropped to less than 10 degF in the snow. Winter tires are designed to perform at the lower temperatures. The issue is whether to use full snows or winter sports. I now use winter sports on my car because it's a better compromise for the substantial periods during Winter where it's just dry and cold. They don't perform as well in the snow but have less squirm and better handling than the full snow tires.
There are lots of good technical articles on Tirerack related to winter tires. I know one has recommended temperature zones but can't find it at the moment.
TireRack.com - About - Tech Center
From personal experience I watched all season tires on my car work just fine in the snow at 20 degreesF yet spin in place on the same car when the temperature dropped to less than 10 degF in the snow. Winter tires are designed to perform at the lower temperatures. The issue is whether to use full snows or winter sports. I now use winter sports on my car because it's a better compromise for the substantial periods during Winter where it's just dry and cold. They don't perform as well in the snow but have less squirm and better handling than the full snow tires.
There are lots of good technical articles on Tirerack related to winter tires. I know one has recommended temperature zones but can't find it at the moment.
TireRack.com - About - Tech Center
In most cases once temperature drops below 6 degrees celcius winter tires will easily outperform all season ones, just because the design of the tread that clears slush and snow from it's path and they better grip the road due to rubber engineering that remains soft at the lowest temperatures. But many drivers are happy with all-seasons for the most part.
Joined
·
113 Posts
What about full summer tires? I've been driving in ~30ish weather with them a few times (no precipitation). Didn't seem like there were any problems (I'm running Good Year Eagle F1 tires).
When I had high performance Bridgestones, traction became kind of iffy around 40F. I found myself sliding through corners a lot more. I couldn't push the car that hard and for me, it simply wasn't worth the risk of an accident keeping the summers on in cold weather.
Dedicater performance summertires definitely firm up at temps below 40F.
Track days in the fall we are warned about warming up tires before spirited driving.
If you have dedicated winter tires, seems logical to transition early for safety.
Joined
·
113 Posts
Thanks, unfortunately no snow tires yet. Still trying to figure out my winter setup. Wheel, tire issues etc. I'l be more wary at low temps though!
Yeah for full summer tires I'm also gonna say you're chancing it under 35F-40F. Mainly because you might drive to a higher elevation where the air temp drops (or you drive overnight) and suddenly you're hitting black ice etc. Plus depending on where you live you're facing cold wet leaves as well.
All-seasons you're probably good a fair bit lower because of better tread pattern and softer rubber, but once you get into the teens or are driving in snow all-seasons pretty much suck too. You may get by if they're brand new, but with 25%+ of tread worn away from age you're in a bad spot.
So for summers I'm gonna say get off 'em if you're gonna see 35F or lower and be more careful as you get closer to that.
All-seasons you're okay with almost new ones in light snow, but black ice still a real threat. A good driver will be on snow tires by time that can happen.
All-seasons you're probably good a fair bit lower because of better tread pattern and softer rubber, but once you get into the teens or are driving in snow all-seasons pretty much suck too. You may get by if they're brand new, but with 25%+ of tread worn away from age you're in a bad spot.
So for summers I'm gonna say get off 'em if you're gonna see 35F or lower and be more careful as you get closer to that.
All-seasons you're okay with almost new ones in light snow, but black ice still a real threat. A good driver will be on snow tires by time that can happen.
Around here, it's a good idea to get your winter tires on before the rush. We went from fall to full blown winter overnight, and the tire shops are taxed (to put it mildly). It's one thing if you have the tires on rims in your possession, and can switch them over when you like. If you have to order them and make arrangements, you'll wish you did it yesterday. That way, you can hopefully better navigate the typical 3 days of stupidity on the roads that follow the 1st (not melting away) real snowfall. It usually takes a while before our city snow removal & sanding teams get a handle on the roads when winter 1st hits. Edmonton was reported to be the 2nd or 3rd coldest place on the planet last week, but today it is hovering at only freezing. Two weeks ago, I was sucking leaves off the lawn with the mower...
The sooner the better! I put mine on a month ago. Summer tires and some all seasons will turn into hockey pucks offering almost zero traction when cold. You can forget any defensive manuovers when it's cold outside and bye bye beast all because you were procrastinating.
Why wait till its freezing out? If I had to drive my M5 in the winter - I would swap wheels / tires on a warmer (above freezing) day to make it easier on myself. Since you are from the same part of the world as me, I would suggest doing it as early as next week since a cold week can come out of nowhere in December.
Joined
·
113 Posts
I also have a old SUV for when it gets bad (and that's all I used last winter). I am working on trying to get the M5 good for winter (namely, finding some OEM front style 65 wheels), but I'm not forced to rush with the purchase/install. I'll continue my search so that I can use my beast over the winter!:wroom:
Joined
·
988 Posts
Looking at some of the addresses..Boston, NJ, and the like, I would say this weekend guys.
There are a number of recent topics on winter tires, size, etc.
Example:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/167135-optimal-winter-tire-nyc.html
Example:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/167135-optimal-winter-tire-nyc.html
I think the rest of us are all set.
I've had winters on since early Oct. when there were a few sub 30F days. We're just replying to the OP.
Joined
·
97 Posts
I am debating putting my winter wheels on today. DC doesn't usually get cold this early, but my summers are nearly spanked.
Definitely throw them on as they will give you way more traction whenever the temps dip below 30 but even more so when your summer tires are almost done(heat cycled especially) and will act more like hockey pucks.
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Join the discussion
