All seasons or summer tires?

[ANGST]

Northern VA
I am planning on going with a second set of wheels with all seasons on . Mostly to keep the summers out of the cold for the 3 months we get cold weather here. I have a 6 mile commute to work , and if it snows , I don't have to go in. Plus we have the Explorer.

I probably think the summer Pirelli's would be "ok" , but paranoid enough of all the warnings .

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[zxd9]

The thing is I want to get new rims and tires. I already decided I want RTR Tech 7s, 19s. But if I go with summer tires, I won't be able to use them much at all before winter hits - then have to buy another set of tires that will fit the new rims.. This starts getting expensive.

I'm considering just going all seasons and sacrifice some dry traction.

We can sometimes get a lot of snow here, so snow is a factor. And it gets below 30 quite a bit, so summer tires will not hold up in that weather.

I'm really in a conundrum because I don't like any of the options.

I think the best / most economical choice is all seasons all the way around. Continental DWS 06 or Michelin PS AS3+

Get your A/S tires now on your existing rims. Then purchase new rims and summer tires later. This is what I'm in the middle of doing now. It's early for A/S tires yet, but I had a buyer for my front PZeros so I jumped on it.

 

[sigintel]

You might be able to get more out of your current tires with the suspension mods you have.
Post some pics of your current tire treads front and rear?
Are you already on sub tread or cords showing?
Just some thoughts:
Set the fronts at 29 cold.
Rears at 28 cold.
Go put some heat in the rears.

You might go down to 27 rear. 24 cold is too low as you will likely overheat the sidewalls if you set cruise control at 85 with a loaded car. lol..

The lower pressures cause more sidewall and contact patch flex which build heat internal to the tire. This brings the operating temperature up (and pressure up) which may help with traction on a AS that has been heat cycled.
Log your hot pressures as well for your own notes.

Use front pressure to adjust balance so its not too much oversteer. At 32 front the car should push on flat(no trail brake) smooth corner entry.

Now, of course, you are not going to want to try and drive these same tires in to the cooler fall weather. If you get new AS3+, they have better warm summer traction vs the DWS06. The DWS06 has traditionally had better snow mobility vs the Michelin AS3. Your pick. In either case you can drive the crap out of them and then just replace them every fall. My Pirelli AS lasted 6000 miles and I got everything out of them and then some. Replacing with AS3(current gen not AS3+) in about 60 days.

Its a Mustang, hoon it.

+++ DWS06 for heavier snow
++ AS3+(New) supposed improved AS3 to compete w DWS06 snow grip
+ AS3(old non +) better dry cold grip vs DWS but lower snow traction

 

[Martman GT]

Get you some Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. I use DW since I never get snow down here, but the DWS are the all season version. Good traction in rain, dirt, wet roads, dry weather, and snow... all seasons. It's a perfect year long tire.

+1. I bought the DWS 06's in 275/35/20 for my factory 20" foundry wheels the first winter I had the Mustang. I put the factory P-Zero's back on last May and I HATE them. The DWS's have much better traction even on hot summer days. Hitting the gas hard coming out of the round-a-bouts or aggressively hitting right hand turns with the DWS's would dead hook. Now with the P-Zero's the ass end kicks out. The only reason I'm still using the P-Zero's is I'm wanting to save as much tread as possible on the DWS's.

I'm surprised Paul hasn't chimed in on this thread. I know he's a fan of the DWS-06 tires as well in the UHP all season tire category.

 

[Bluemustang]

Ok so I'm thinking now just to buy new tires and then when summer rolls around again, get new wheels and summer tires.

Here's my question though- my stock tires are 18x8" and next summer - tires I'm gonna want are 19s. And those rims will be 19x9.5". Will I need a new alignment going from 18s to 19s and a wider rim/tire?

 

[Bluemustang]

Leaning towards the DWS 06 for slightly better snow traction.

 

[2015Etrac]

I might have to get some DWS 06's after reading this post when I get some extra $$. I have the stock P Zero 265 Summer tires on my Foundry Wheels. They don't grip that well, but they are really quiet, so sometimes it's hard to tell they are even spinning because of this.

 

[Martman GT]

I might have to get some DWS 06's after reading this post when I get some extra $$. I have the stock P Zero 265 Summer tires on my Foundry Wheels. They don't grip that well, but they are really quiet, so sometimes it's hard to tell they are even spinning because of this.

If you make the change, you won't regret it. I got the 275/35/20 because at that time, they didn't have a 265/35/20. They make that size now and it's cheaper than the 275's. I will admit, they felt a little weird at first. I didn't really get how really good these tires are until I put the P-Zero's back on this year. The DWS's are sooooo much better. I didn't have nearly the amount of groove tracking (tires grabbing groves in the road and altering cars direction) as I do with the P-Zeros.

I've also heard really good things about the BF Goodrich Comp 2's A/S. This was actually the tire I planned on getting, but they were on national backorder at the time. They are also a less expensive tire. They have really good reviews on Tire Rack's site.

 

[Need4SpeedMotors]

Ok so I'm thinking now just to buy new tires and then when summer rolls around again, get new wheels and summer tires.

Here's my question though- my stock tires are 18x8" and next summer - tires I'm gonna want are 19s. And those rims will be 19x9.5". Will I need a new alignment going from 18s to 19s and a wider rim/tire?

No alignment needed

 

[2015Etrac]

If you make the change, you won't regret it. I got the 275/35/20 because at that time, they didn't have a 265/35/20. They make that size now and it's cheaper than the 275's. I will admit, they felt a little weird at first. I didn't really get how really good these tires are until I put the P-Zero's back on this year. The DWS's are sooooo much better. I didn't have nearly the amount of groove tracking (tires grabbing groves in the road and altering cars direction) as I do with the P-Zeros.

I've also heard really good things about the BF Goodrich Comp 2's A/S. This was actually the tire I planned on getting, but they were on national backorder at the time. They are also a less expensive tire. They have really good reviews on Tire Rack's site.

Thanks, I'll check them both out.

 

[CCCP1999]

What kind of tire would be best for Florida?

We never see cold weather anymore.

 

[ANGST]

What kind of tire would be best for Florida?

We never see cold weather anymore.

"summer" for performance

"all-season" for treadwear

 

[swat 79]

Do we have any performance comparisons between the highest quality All Seasons vs the Pirelli Pzeros that come with the car? Essentially, would I notice the difference in aggressive driving on country roads and on/off ramps?

I will eventually move to All Seasons (I live a mile outside of DC), but I don't want to give up too much handling and traction when driving aggressively.

 

[GTP]

Another BFG Comp2 A/S owner here, about 5k miles so far. They're great.

I anguished over this subject too. I have the stock 18x8" wheels with A/S tires, so I was set for winters. But I garage the car in the winter, so I wonder if my stock wheels will ever go back on.

In the end, I realized that so much mileage in my DD is going straight down the highway, and so little miles of spirited driving.

I used the BFG's for 2hrs of track time last month. Morning sessions were rain, afternoon was dry. Performed terrific all day. Easy to control in the wet, and lots of feedback of slip angle with no tire squeal at higher speeds in the dry. And this was with no additional camber (which was sorely needed - a little chunking on the outside edges of the inner tread blocks.)

OP, my advice is to ask yourself what are the predominant miles used for your next tires (daily versus track), and if total cost of ownership is a factor. If yes, then only A/S tires come with mileage warranty (Mich on squares is an exception). Be realistic about your analysis.

 

[ANGST]

Do we have any performance comparisons between the highest quality All Seasons vs the Pirelli Pzeros that come with the car? Essentially, would I notice the difference in aggressive driving on country roads and on/off ramps?

I will eventually move to All Seasons (I live a mile outside of DC), but I don't want to give up too much handling and traction when driving aggressively.

I don't think you are giving up as much as some people think .

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/03/27/tire-review-continental-extremecontact-dws06/

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