Best all-season tire

[analogman]

I've tried many all-season tires over the years, it's usually the first thing I do when I get a car. I've had good experiences with the Michelin Pilot Sport, and similarly with the P Zero Nero. The Bridgestone Potenza I've found to not be that great in snow. The Continental Extreme Contact is great in snow and rain, but gives up some dry weather performance.

For my new Mustang, I've decided to go with Goodyear Eagle F1, primarily based on the great reviews on TireRack. I've never had them before, I'll post my experience with them.

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[Murdered Out Pony]

Im having the dealer take the Pirellis off and putting Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s.
Ill keep the Pirellis for back up rubber.

 

[souprmage]

The more I read up on A/S tires, the more I realize 'good' and A/S don't belong in the same sentence. Especially on a performance car.

Essentially, they're full of compromises for every season, so they don't work ideally in any season.

Road & Track has some good articles on this.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/winter-tires-track-tested?click=main_sr
http://www.roadandtrack.com/boot/ca...e-for-winter-tires-65-5-roa0114?click=main_sr

I found the articles enlightening.

Of course some people may not have the ability to have two sets of tires for the various seasons, so they don't really have a choice, but it's still worth knowing the information.

At first I was going to go with A/S tires for the rainy months, but now I'm not so sure. It seems winter tires may be the best option because it can be below 40 far too much around here. I better decide soon though, these Summer tires definitely aren't the right tire at the moment.

 

[Murdered Out Pony]

The more I read up on A/S tires, the more I realize 'good' and A/S don't belong in the same sentence. Especially on a performance car.

Essentially, they're full of compromises for every season, so they don't work ideally in any season.

Road & Track has some good articles on this.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/winter-tires-track-tested?click=main_sr
http://www.roadandtrack.com/boot/ca...e-for-winter-tires-65-5-roa0114?click=main_sr

I found the articles enlightening.

Of course some people may not have the ability to have two sets of tires for the various seasons, so they don't really have a choice, but it's still worth knowing the information.

At first I was going to go with A/S tires for the rainy months, but now I'm not so sure. It seems winter tires may be the best option because it can be below 40 far too much around here. I better decide soon though, these Summer tires definitely aren't the right tire at the moment.

We get to experience all the seasons where I live.
I know that the best performance would come from a set of summer and a set of winter tires.
The fact is this is my daily driver.
Im also a professional truck driver with over 800,000 safe miles under my belt. I have a lot of experience driving in inclement weather.
A good set of all season tires is all that I need. A little common sense and safe driving practices will do more to keep you on the road and out of a ditch than even the most expensive set of snow tires.

 

[souprmage]

We get to experience all the seasons where I live.
I know that the best performance would come from a set of summer and a set of winter tires.
The fact is this is my daily driver.
Im also a professional truck driver with over 800,000 safe miles under my belt. I have a lot of experience driving in inclement weather.
A good set of all season tires is all that I need. A little common sense and safe driving practices will do more to keep you on the road and out of a ditch than even the most expensive set of snow tires.

I never said otherwise. Common Sense and save driving is paramount to avoiding incidents. However, that still doesn't make an A/S tire optimal in any condition.

I'm confident I could make my Summer tires work all year round as well. Because, like you, I drive within the limits of the conditions including the tires. However, using the right tire for the right condition increases the limits of what safe is, as well as your odds of staying safe.

One of the things contained in the articles I linked is: winter tires != snow tires. Winter tires are not just for snow, they also excel in cold, dry conditions as well as cold, wet conditions. Specifically with respect to braking distances compared to an A/S or Summer tire. In cold temperatures, A/S are much closer to Summer tires in that regard than they are to Winter tires.

 

[Murdered Out Pony]

I never said otherwise. Common Sense and save driving is paramount to avoiding incidents. However, that still doesn't make an A/S tire optimal in any condition.

I'm confident I could make my Summer tires work all year round as well. Because, like you, I drive within the limits of the conditions including the tires. However, using the right tire for the right condition increases the limits of what safe is, as well as your odds of staying safe.

One of the things contained in the articles I linked is: winter tires != snow tires. Winter tires are not just for snow, they also excel in cold, dry conditions as well as cold, wet conditions. Specifically with respect to braking distances compared to an A/S or Summer tire. In cold temperatures, A/S are much closer to Summer tires in that regard than they are to Winter tires.

I dont disagree with anything you have said EXCEPT you wouldnt want to even try the summer tires in the cold because it can split the compound and cause a horrible accident.

Im sure I will eventually get a 2nd set of rims and go winter/summer tires but there are other things I would rather spend thousands of dollars on (like exhaust )
Ive read a lot of negative things about the Pirellis that come with the car btw. I would probably want to buy a new summer tire as well as rims/winter tires.
In the mean time Im going to enjoy the shit out of my new car (if it ever gets here) on my sub optimal A/S tires

 

[Mustang Convert]

I'm thinking about switching out my p-zero summer tires for some all season. What do u guys recommend? I'm in Michigan and would love to drive my car on a sunny day in the winter. Thanks for the input!

What wheels do you have? I could only find two options for the 20" wheels.

 

[analogman]

I've been driving for over 40 years and have owned 103 cars during that time (the Mustang will be lucky #104). During that time I've driven all manner of summer-only, winter snow, and all-season tires, in various climates.

What tire is most appropriate for a driver and their car depends on their use and what they're looking for. There is little absolute 'right' or 'wrong' about it, it's what works for you. As others have opined, 'summer' tires will certainly give the best "performance" (= lap times on a track under timed conditions) than any all-season tire.

At this point in my life, that's not my driving. I will never take my Mustang on a track (I'll leave that to my S2000). As far as normal street driving (not 'street racing') goes, I have to say that I personally have never noticed a difference in normal street driving between all-season and summer tires - in warm, dry conditions. I have noticed a HUGE difference in cold, rainy, or snowy conditions.

Summer only tires have a rubber compound which gets hard and looses traction when it gets below about 45-50 deg (and I believe they even come with a warning against use in those lower temperatures). Thus, even in dry but cold conditions, they feel greasy. The summer only tires I've owned (many Pirelli's, also Michelin, Bridgestone, and a few others) hydroplane fairly easily in the rain. They do best what they're designed to do - maximize grip and performance in warmer, dry conditions. The only time I've gotten stuck in the snow and needed a tow was when I foolishly tried driving a car with Pirelli P-Zero's in the snow, and the only time I've spun out in the rain (in normal driving) is with Pirelli P-Zero's.

The all-season tires I've owned (Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Continental) have all done much better in the rain than any summer tire I've had. Likewise, with sane driving, I've been able to get through decades of light to moderate winter driving with all-season tires (though if you're going skiing in New England, dedicated snow tires are needed).

For my own personal use of my Mustang (if it ever gets here...), here in our new home in Portland OR, it rains frequently, and is often below 50 deg. A 'summer' tire would be insanity, and it doesn't "snow" often enough to call for a pure snow tire. In a climate with 180 days a year of measurable rain, and probably as many if not more days of temperatures below 50 deg, an all-season tire is perfect (and I'll be trying Goodyear Eagle F1's for the first time on my car, based on TireRack reviews).

If you live in Southern California or the southwest, it would seem to be the opposite situation, and a summer tire would seem to be great all the time (and just be careful the 4 times a year it might rain). But, for many of us, the 'fantasy' of being a 'race car driver' and 'tracking' the Mustang is just that, a fantasy, and for daily driver use in mixed climates, good all-season tires work just great.

Just my 2 cents worth....

 

[valentinoamoro]

I've been driving for over 40 years and have owned 103 cars during that time (the Mustang will be lucky #104). During that time I've driven all manner of summer-only, winter snow, and all-season tires, in various climates.

What tire is most appropriate for a driver and their car depends on their use and what they're looking for. There is little absolute 'right' or 'wrong' about it, it's what works for you. As others have opined, 'summer' tires will certainly give the best "performance" (= lap times on a track under timed conditions) than any all-season tire.

At this point in my life, that's not my driving. I will never take my Mustang on a track (I'll leave that to my S2000). As far as normal street driving (not 'street racing') goes, I have to say that I personally have never noticed a difference in normal street driving between all-season and summer tires - in warm, dry conditions. I have noticed a HUGE difference in cold, rainy, or snowy conditions.

Summer only tires have a rubber compound which gets hard and looses traction when it gets below about 45-50 deg (and I believe they even come with a warning against use in those lower temperatures). Thus, even in dry but cold conditions, they feel greasy. The summer only tires I've owned (many Pirelli's, also Michelin, Bridgestone, and a few others) hydroplane fairly easily in the rain. They do best what they're designed to do - maximize grip and performance in warmer, dry conditions. The only time I've gotten stuck in the snow and needed a tow was when I foolishly tried driving a car with Pirelli P-Zero's in the snow, and the only time I've spun out in the rain (in normal driving) is with Pirelli P-Zero's.

The all-season tires I've owned (Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Continental) have all done much better in the rain than any summer tire I've had. Likewise, with sane driving, I've been able to get through decades of light to moderate winter driving with all-season tires (though if you're going skiing in New England, dedicated snow tires are needed).

For my own personal use of my Mustang (if it ever gets here...), here in our new home in Portland OR, it rains frequently, and is often below 50 deg. A 'summer' tire would be insanity, and it doesn't "snow" often enough to call for a pure snow tire. In a climate with 180 days a year of measurable rain, and probably as many if not more days of temperatures below 50 deg, an all-season tire is perfect (and I'll be trying Goodyear Eagle F1's for the first time on my car, based on TireRack reviews).

If you live in Southern California or the southwest, it would seem to be the opposite situation, and a summer tire would seem to be great all the time (and just be careful the 4 times a year it might rain). But, for many of us, the 'fantasy' of being a 'race car driver' and 'tracking' the Mustang is just that, a fantasy, and for daily driver use in mixed climates, good all-season tires work just great.

Just my 2 cents worth....

Well said Nick. Folks often think of performance on the two extreme ends of the spectrum. In places like Seattle, where its mildly cold and wet most of the year (38-68), all seasons are the best performers. Summer tires suck most of the time here and snows are overkill and greasy from April - Nov.

I am looking into having the dealer do a swap of the Pirelli's with all season rubber for my soon to arrive GT. I am thinking of possibly getting some 285 all round forged wheels (or 275 f and 295 rears) with R compounds for autocross - if I get serious about it.

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