All seasons or winter tires?

[logicgaming]

Hi all,

I have a similar question as to this thread but I didn't want to hi-jack it out of respect for the OP.

I drive an Ecoboost Premium with PP summer tires on it. I'm not an experienced sports car driver. My first car was a 2001 Toyota Avalon and my second car is this 2015 Mustang.

I will be using my Mustang as a daily driver, commuting from Virginia to Maryland every day for 46 miles. The current weather is about 40-50 degrees atm but will fall below freezing once we get into January.

We average about 8 snow days and 14 inches of snowfall annually.

Weather report aside, should I get winter tires of all-seasons for this winter? My biggest concern is turning on ramps and roads and hitting black ice. I know better than to drive it on a snow day, but on heavy winter rain or dry freeze I want to make sure I can get a good grip on the road.

I'm hoping folks who had to make this decision can recommend some tires that they like. Thanks!

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[EcoSwag1990]

I'm going with the Michelin pilot as3 all seasons and selling the PP summer tires because I'm cheap and I have the ability to work from home if it snows a lot. But if u don't mind spending an extra $1500 I'd go with the bridgestone blizzak winter tires and slap the summers back on when it gets warm.

 

[foghat]

I wouldn't want to drive with summer tires in the freezing conditions. Some do and say they are fine. Not worth the risk to me.

You say you won't drive when it snows, but what happens when it starts to snow while you are at work and you have to drive home?

If you can swing it, buy some 18inch winter wheels and tires. If can't do wheels, get winter tires for your PP wheels. Keep in mind, that while it is an extra cost up front your summers are going to last you that much longer before needing to be replaced.

 

[logicgaming]

I'm going with the Michelin pilot as3 all seasons and selling the PP summer tires because I'm cheap and I have the ability to work from home if it snows a lot. But if u don't mind spending an extra $1500 I'd go with the bridgestone blizzak winter tires and slap the summers back on when it gets warm.

Thanks, I want to try and spend under 1 grand so I don't think I'll buy the wheels, just replacing the tires. All seasons should work well.

I wouldn't want to drive with summer tires in the freezing conditions. Some do and say they are fine. Not worth the risk to me.

You say you won't drive when it snows, but what happens when it starts to snow while you are at work and you have to drive home?

If you can swing it, buy some 18inch winter wheels and tires. If can't do wheels, get winter tires for your PP wheels. Keep in mind, that while it is an extra cost up front your summers are going to last you that much longer before needing to be replaced.

I agree with you, my original question is considering all seasons vs winters. I'll take a look at some winters as well. I'm not sure if I want to buy a new set of 4 wheels since I'd like to try and save as much as possible. I might just slap them on the PP wheels. It's just considering whether all seasons or winters is better atm. Thanks!

 

[foghat]

Thanks, I want to try and spend under 1 grand so I don't think I'll buy the wheels, just replacing the tires. All seasons should work well.



I agree with you, my original question is considering all seasons vs winters. I'll take a look at some winters as well. I'm not sure if I want to buy a new set of 4 wheels since I'd like to try and save as much as possible. I might just slap them on the PP wheels. It's just considering whether all seasons or winters is better atm. Thanks!

Well, if you are keeping your summer tires for summer and are just looking for a winter setup, not sure why you wouldn't go with winter tires.

Unless all seasons are considerably cheaper - then in your case (not much actual snow/ice), it could make sense. I guess all seasons would probably last a bit longer as well.

Don't forget about the cost of swapping tires twice a year. After a few years that will pretty much pay for the winter wheels...

If I were you, I'd price out 19inch tires (in whatever size you need to fit on the stock rims - I guess 255) and then also price out 18x8.5 wheels and tires that are 245 wide. See what the price diff is.

And then figure out if you can swing it. Costs more up front, will be cheaper in the long run - especially if you change your own tires.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Thanks, I want to try and spend under 1 grand so I don't think I'll buy the wheels, just replacing the tires. All seasons should work well.



I agree with you, my original question is considering all seasons vs winters. I'll take a look at some winters as well. I'm not sure if I want to buy a new set of 4 wheels since I'd like to try and save as much as possible. I might just slap them on the PP wheels. It's just considering whether all seasons or winters is better atm. Thanks!

I just bought 4 new wheels and winter tires for my yet-to-be-delivered GT, 18" with Michelin X-Ice tires. The GT has the same brakes as the EB PP, so they'll fit yours too. $1400 mounted.

If you want to get tires for your PP wheels, they're a lot more expensive. The step-up in price from 18" tires to 19" tires is pretty huge. It's probably cheaper to just get 18" wheels and tires.

EDITED TO ADD: Oh, and especially if you're coming from a 2001 Toyota Avalon: don't listen to the people who say you can drive summer tires through the winter. It's not a good idea. All-seasons are fine in most conditions, unless you've got to drive in a place where there are any hills at all. Trying to accelerate uphill in snow from a red light with all-seasons can be... challenging. Also, all-seasons on snow are really only good for one season -- once the treads start to get worn down, they lose a lot of their effectiveness.

 

[BmacIL]

I completely understand the cost of it holding you back, but I guarantee you that you will thank yourself by getting winter tires on 18" wheels. They are much better than all seasons below 30 degrees, especially so in snow and ice.

 

[souprmage]

Today I went and picked up some Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2's. Same size as stock, and removed the Pirelli's. Feeling the rubber, it's clear they're more at home in the colder temperatures. Definitely a bit stickier, although I've not driven them enough to know how they're going to compare.

That said, I've already noticed one thing they do differently than the Pirelli's that I really like. I live on a gravel road, about .3 mi worth. With the Pirelli's, as I drive down the gravel road, I get a LOT of gravel being kicked up on the under side of the car. I've been going extra slow down the road to try and minimize this behavior. On the way home with the new tires, I got ZERO of this happening. The tires didn't kick up anything at all, it was nice and quiet on the way up the gravel.

I'm hoping this stays after I get some miles on the tires and wear off the release agent. Of course, they're really slippery still, but they're brand new, so I expected that. Once I get a few hundred miles on them, I'll report back.

 

[cush]

Hi all,

I have a similar question as to this thread but I didn't want to hi-jack it out of respect for the OP.

I drive an Ecoboost Premium with PP summer tires on it. I'm not an experienced sports car driver. My first car was a 2001 Toyota Avalon and my second car is this 2015 Mustang.

I will be using my Mustang as a daily driver, commuting from Virginia to Maryland every day for 46 miles. The current weather is about 40-50 degrees atm but will fall below freezing once we get into January.

We average about 8 snow days and 14 inches of snowfall annually.

Weather report aside, should I get winter tires of all-seasons for this winter? My biggest concern is turning on ramps and roads and hitting black ice. I know better than to drive it on a snow day, but on heavy winter rain or dry freeze I want to make sure I can get a good grip on the road.

I'm hoping folks who had to make this decision can recommend some tires that they like. Thanks!

Check out the Consumer Reports link below, better to get info from someone who actually tests the tires not just their personal experience or preference.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...rmance-winter-consumer-reports-news/index.htm

 

[EcoSwag1990]

Today I went and picked up some Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2's. Same size as stock, and removed the Pirelli's. Feeling the rubber, it's clear they're more at home in the colder temperatures. Definitely a bit stickier, although I've not driven them enough to know how they're going to compare.

That said, I've already noticed one thing they do differently than the Pirelli's that I really like. I live on a gravel road, about .3 mi worth. With the Pirelli's, as I drive down the gravel road, I get a LOT of gravel being kicked up on the under side of the car. I've been going extra slow down the road to try and minimize this behavior. On the way home with the new tires, I got ZERO of this happening. The tires didn't kick up anything at all, it was nice and quiet on the way up the gravel.

I'm hoping this stays after I get some miles on the tires and wear off the release agent. Of course, they're really slippery still, but they're brand new, so I expected that. Once I get a few hundred miles on them, I'll report back.

Nice those tires looked good too. I spent like 2hrs reading reviews and test reports on the tirerack website and ended up getting the Yokohama Advan Sport A/S tires (same size as stock PP tires) it came out to $636 for 4 delivered. There were nothing but good customer reviews and they will cost half as much as the AS3s I was going to get. I'll let you guys know how the feel when I get them installed next week. I will probably sell the summers when it gets warm out and more ppl want them.

As a side note, I specifically decided to go this route on the basis of cost and wanting to keep the wheels that came with the car on.

 

[Papaya]

Hi all,

I drive an Ecoboost Premium with PP summer tires on it.....
... The current weather is about 40-50 degrees atm but will fall below freezing once we get into January.

My biggest concern is turning on ramps and roads and hitting black ice. I know better than to drive it on a snow day, but on heavy winter rain or dry freeze I want to make sure I can get a good grip on the road.

I'm hoping folks who had to make this decision can recommend some tires that they like. Thanks!

Nothing is helping you on black ice! Believe me. On the other side you should also look what your insurance says if something happens and you do not have winter tires on your car. Where I live, my insurance would say:50:50 fault means I would have to cover 50% of my damages if I would not have winter tires on my cars. I save also 5% insurance fees because of the winter tires.

With that said, it doesn't matter if you have snow on the roads to feel actually a different in driving. If temperatures fall below 45F/7C all season tires need longer to stop or get temperature. I got last week a set of wheels with winter tires. The only thing what cost a bit more in the beginning are the wheels and TMPS sensors. But after the second winter I think the whole package pays off. You have only to look how much are 19" all-seasons are. $1,000 including installation? For $1,400 you get a 18" set with wheels. You are getting more out of your summer tires with a set of winter tires too.

It looks different if you are planning to sell the summer tires to pay for the A/S tires. :gossip:

 

[Papaya]

BTW: Found something for you

http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/services/certifiedservice/seasonal-offers/western?adv=146375

 

[logicgaming]

Thanks everyone, quick question: how fast will winter tires wear out in mild temperature weather (35-45s)?

 

[foghat]

Thanks everyone, quick question: how fast will winter tires wear out in mild temperature weather (35-45s)?

A lot depends on how much is snow/ice driving vs. driving on pavement. And doing your best to not spin the tires on pavement.

In my experience you can get about 4 winters out them. This is probably about 70-80% pavement driving. Maybe about 5 to 6,000 miles a winter.

Michelin says the x-ice xi3's I just bought last 37,000 miles - up to twice as long as the bridgestone ws70 or the hakka r's. We will see I guess.

 

[logicgaming]

A lot depends on how much is snow/ice driving vs. driving on pavement. And doing your best to not spin the tires on pavement.

In my experience you can get about 4 winters out them. This is probably about 70-80% pavement driving. Maybe about 5 to 6,000 miles a winter.

Michelin says the x-ice xi3's I just bought last 37,000 miles - up to twice as long as the bridgestone ws70 or the hakka r's. We will see I guess.

Thanks foghat! Very helpful advice! I'm gonna get the blizzak's then. One of my concerns was that I might wear it out faster because it hasn't snowed in my area yet and the temperature is relatively mild for winter tires.

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