Cold and summer only don't mix

I read that summer only tires (P-Zero) don't perform well in colder weather. But what happened yesterday was dangerous. Bone dry pavement, 45-50 degrees out, had been driving around for a solid 30mins. I was going maybe 50mph and a texter was sitting at a green light two cars up.... I slammed on the brakes.

The Brembos locked up just fine but the tires...you'd have thought I was on ice! I slid a solid 15 feet. I can only imagine what they'd be like in the teens. So just another case of how bad the P-Zeros suck against anything but warm/hot pavement.

I can't wait to replace these with a good all-season tire in the Spring. I've been doing some reading and it seems like the Pilots are well liked.

I replaced those Pzeros with Continental DWS06.
best tire decision I ever made.

Chef jpd said:

I replaced those Pzeros with Continental DWS06.
best tire decision I ever made.

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Oh yeah? I'll have to look closer at them. So better all around performance then? Any wheel hop at starts? That's something else I never saw in warmer weather when just driving normally. Now....if I'm not driving like there's an egg between my foot and the pedal...tons of hop!

Chef jpd said:

I replaced those Pzeros with Continental DWS06.
best tire decision I ever made.

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I did this exact swap.

I got stuck in an inch or two of snow with those summer pirellis too. It took over an hour getting out of my parking spot. I still always bring a shovel with me.

Those with DWS 06, do you notice the tires flat spot easily? Every morning I drive it, I can feel the tires are not round for the first a couple of miles.
I wonder if it will go away after a couple of heat cycles. Put the tires on when the weather turned cold.

firstly those tires are just plain rubbish, secondly, when I was younger and dumber, I drove my 500+rwhp (that was good power in the late 90's early 2k's) Fox Saleen all year long on drag radials, and Im still alive, just dont drive like a goon and youll be fine!!!!! I don't get this summer tires are instant death in cold weather, we really have became a nation of wussies..........

Emt1581 said:

Oh yeah? I'll have to look closer at them. So better all around performance then? Any wheel hop at starts? That's something else I never saw in warmer weather when just driving normally. Now....if I'm not driving like there's an egg between my foot and the pedal...tons of hop!

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the BMR subframe lockout kit did away with all wheelhop issues for me. And the Conti's have better performance in every category over the Pirellis.( my opinion)

And to Jason, I never noticed any flat spot issues like you have mentioned.

Chef jpd said:

the BMR subframe lockout kit did away with all wheelhop issues for me. And the Conti's have better performance in every category over the Pirellis.( my opinion)

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The lockout kit...looks like it's under $200 and it's just a few bolts. I haven't done anything to the rear end on my S550...are any of the parts involved in the install under spring/pressure that I need anything more than a socket/ratchet to do the install?

Thanks for sharing!

scott_0 said:

firstly those tires are just plain rubbish, secondly, when I was younger and dumber, I drove my 500+rwhp (that was good power in the late 90's early 2k's) Fox Saleen all year long on drag radials, and Im still alive, just dont drive like a goon and youll be fine!!!!! I don't get this summer tires are instant death in cold weather, we really have became a nation of wussies..........

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If it worked for you to drive around all year with no treads...cool. I've cleaned up people from enough accidents of themselves or others doing stupid things to know that I'd like the ability to slam on the brakes and know my car will stop, especially on dry pavement with 6-pistons doing the squeezing.

I bought my Ecoboost PP last February during a warm spell and the P-Zero's were fine until that 35 degree March morning when my rear did the horizontal lambada until the LSD/TC took over. Got a good deal that afternoon from Tire Rack on the Pirelli Cinturato All-Season Performance Tires which have been great. Still have the P-Zero's stored under my workstation...no one wants them -even for free! I think they'll become tables.

DropTopBob said:

I bought my Ecoboost PP last February during a warm spell and the P-Zero's were fine until that 35 degree March morning when my rear did the horizontal lambada until the LSD/TC took over. Got a good deal that afternoon from Tire Rack on the Pirelli Cinturato All-Season Performance Tires which have been great. Still have the P-Zero's stored under my workstation...no one wants them -even for free! I think they'll become tables.

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Tables?? Hows that work?

I swapped for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. They are pricey, but I have bought Michelins for other vehicles and I never regretted the purchase. The PS4S are light years ahead of the stock Pirellis in every aspect. Great traction in dry or wet, quieter, and much more confidence-inspiring. I have never ridden on Contis (on a Mustang) and I know they have a good reputation as well. But if you go for the Michelins, I am pretty sure you won't regret it.

And definitely consider BMR or Steeda's anti-hop solutions. Probably the best mod for the money. My first mod was Steeda's Ultimate Stop the Hop kit, and it is worth every penny

Yup, worse tire I ever owned. I'm pretty happy with my cont. Dws06. I drive in hot to cold wet conditions but no ice or snow.

Braski said:

Yup, worse tire I ever owned. I'm pretty happy with my cont. Dws06. I drive in hot to cold wet conditions but no ice or snow.

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Personally, I only drive on dry pavement with this car. Has more to do with keeping it looking nice than worrying about it's handling. But again, on slightly cool dry pavement...the P-Zeros are pretty much the worst tire I've driven on.

And I'm currently driving on walmart cheapos (Douglas) that will be replaced in the spring on my 02 Forester and those things kick the piss out of the P-Zeros!!

Emt1581 said:

Personally, I only drive on dry pavement with this car. Has more to do with keeping it looking nice than worrying about it's handling. But again, on slightly cool dry pavement...the P-Zeros are pretty much the worst tire I've driven on.

And I'm currently driving on walmart cheapos (Douglas) that will be replaced in the spring on my 02 Forester and those things kick the piss out of the P-Zeros!!

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DWS06 are one of the best All season tire as mentioned

But if you want to stick with a Summer only tire for better performance, if you go with a better Summer tire they have a broader temperature range. I drove with my MPSS last year between 35-40F and they did excellent. I wouldn't go lower than that though temp wise.

Also, the CB005 lockout kit is a pretty simple install, not too hard. Huge improvement in traction for me, made fishtailing much more controllable. Best thing I did for my suspension.