Summer Only Tires Question

[MCS]

Speaking as a Canadian who faces winter every... winter... Get winter tires.

Don't be cheap. Don't skimp out. I have a set of PP rims that have dedicated winter tires on it and used them last winter. They were hella expensive Nokian tires but the Fins forget more about winter than anyone in NA will ever know so I trust their shit. Plus a buddy of mine lives in Helsinki and swore by them.

This winter she's going to be a garage queen if all goes well so I'll sell the PP Rims + Winter Tires to someone with a Mustang that needs to use it year round.

The point is, if you can't afford to pay, you shouldn't play.

To the OP. If it's below 8C then get winter tires. Plain and simple.

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[momalle1]

Pretty presumptuous. Some of us grew up in the great white north on bias ply's, powerful rear wheel drive V8's and didn't use or need snow tires.

Yep, had an 82 Capri 5.0 that went everywhere on BF Goodrich Radial TAs. Had an 88 5.0 Cougar that came with all weather tires that couldn't handle a dusting. Put Mustang 10 holes on that with Eagles and went all winter.

 

[EFI]

0 degrees in Virginia is no different than 0 degrees in Michigan or Massachusetts. Nor is the rain.

It's more about how often it happens. Driving everyday in 0* temps with summer tires for 3 months is alot more dangerous than driving in that temp once in the entire season. 0* temps in Virginia is once a decade occurance, 0* temps in the north is like once a week as I'm sure you know being from Michigan.

He specifically said he wasn't DDing it during the winter, that there's a truck for that. He/she just wanted to know if the car could be driven when the roads were cold & clear or rainy.

You could drive on Hoosier slicks if you really wanted to. The better answer would be should he be driving on those? We're just telling the OP that based on his location and based on the tire, he should not be. He can take 1 person's opinion saying yes, and everyone else's (including the manufacturer's) opinion saying no.

 

[MAGS1]

I’ll trust a manufacturer that has millions of dollars invested in the research and development of said tires. I driven on my Conti ECS in a few 30 degree mornings and they stiffen up in a hurry. Again, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. And yes, tire companies are absolutely covering their butts because they know when the temperature is under a certain level, the tires will not perform as they should and can become a safety issue. We’re all free to do what we want, but be prepared if something happens and your insurance tells you to pound sand.

 

[EFI]

And to be clear, I did drive a Mustang with Ultra High Performance All Season tires in Michigan, which get's x2 the snow of Massachusetts. No, they weren't MPSO tires, but close enough. And that was 15 years ago when tires were a lot worse than they are now.

This should say everything to the OP. In real winters, you did not drive on summer tires. In a Virgina winter, you can get away with them.

It's not about snow as the OP clearly stated he won't be driving in any snow. It's more about the temperature and how often he would have to drive in said temperature. You can't compare winter temps in Virgina to winter temps in Mass.

That's all from me, OP you're free to take this advice anyway you'd like. I'd just hate to see another Mustang or RWD performance car spun out on the Mass Pike because they didn't respect the conditions and thought that because someone in the south can drive on summer tires in the winter he can too up here.

 

[KingKona]

It's more about how often it happens. Driving everyday in 0* temps with summer tires for 3 months is alot more dangerous than driving in that temp once in the entire season. 0* temps in Virginia is once a decade occurance, 0* temps in the north is like once a week as I'm sure you know being from Michigan.

Well, first, it's not 0 degrees for 3 months in Massachusetts, or in Michigan. Let's not be silly.

In fact, here's the facts. Average high/low temps in January;

S.W. Michigan; 30/21
Springfield MA; 33/15
Northern Virginia; 43/27

So, NoVa isn't the winter paradise of sun and beaches you seem to be imagining. There's real winters here. We get snow. And I've seen decades of worse winters, and driven them on worse tires.

The OP will be fine as long as he/she drives normally.

 

[momalle1]

Well, first, it's not 0 degrees for 3 months in Massachusetts, or in Michigan. Let's not be silly.

In fact, here's the facts. Average high/low temps in January;

S.W. Michigan; 30/21
Springfield MA; 33/15
Northern Virginia; 43/27

So, NoVa isn't the winter paradise of sun and beaches you seem to be imagining. There's real winters here. We get snow. And I've seen decades of worse winters, and driven them on worse tires.

The OP will be fine as long as he/she drives normally.

He. Thanks.

 

[NightmareMoon]

I’ve have cracking in multiple sets of michellins from driving year round in the few cold days in Texas.

in the dry they were never dangerous, even in what is for us arctic temperatures - 20F.

was the cracking all that significant? No. Did it cause me to toss the set early? No.

are the manufacturers blowing smoke about damaging the tires by driving summers in cold temps? Also no, seen it first hand multiple times.

(and yeah I used to live in VA and also drove summer tires in the snow in Utah exactly once, didn’t end well)

i drove MP4S in light snow covered roads a time or two and didn’t die, but I would never recommed it. Cold and wet you can get away with it fine. Very cold and dry, not really a good idea but its not that big of a deal. Snow? Better be careful and maybe a little lucky.

 

[gadgtfreek]

The Goodyear F1 Asymmetrics on this thing are gone Friday for Continental Extreme Contact Sports. The F1s are complete trash in rain, worse than the Nitto G2's, which is saying something. Luckily I don't have to sweat much cold, so I'll be cognizant of 40 degree or fewer days, but we don't have snow at all. So I'll take a Summer Performance tire in 35 degrees and dry vs some of these shat all-season tires in the rain (we get 60-70" rain every year).

Tire naming and labeling really should be rehased for the layperson. All season are a jack of all trades and not even close to a master of any. Whereas you are led to believe a summer tire is grippy in the sun and an all season is for weather. The fact is summer performance tires are better at everything usually (same branded tires) other than snow.

 

[K4fxd]

Wow, you really need to try other tires. The F1 A/S are as good as some rain only race tires, and they work real well on a dry surface too. Hell they work pretty good on snow.

What is your comparison? Do you expect a tire to be as good in rain as it is on a dry road?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Wow, you really need to try other tires. The F1 A/S are as good as some rain only race tires, and they work real well on a dry surface too. Hell they work pretty good on snow.

What is your comparison? Do you expect a tire to be as good in rain as it is on a dry road?

LOL, you obviously haven't used them or read reviews. Their rain performance is never as good as any summer tires. I've had The Nitto G2's, the Michelin PSS, and the now the F1's. The Nittos arent great, the F1's suck in the rain. When I car gets squirrely at low speeds in light rain, they suck. The tires have 11k miles on them and are at OEM tire pressure.

I'm not gonna go round and round with you, you post gibberish anyways. There are people on here that will argue the G2's are great tires, and they arent. The goodyears are a $230 A/S tire, thinking they are in the same league as a summer $350-$450 tire is ridiculous.

 

[MAGS1]

The Goodyear F1 Asymmetrics on this thing are gone Friday for Continental Extreme Contact Sports. The F1s are complete trash in rain, worse than the Nitto G2's, which is saying something. Luckily I don't have to sweat much cold, so I'll be cognizant of 40 degree or fewer days, but we don't have snow at all. So I'll take a Summer Performance tire in 35 degrees and dry vs some of these shat all-season tires in the rain (we get 60-70" rain every year).

Tire naming and labeling really should be rehased for the layperson. All season are a jack of all trades and not even close to a master of any. Whereas you are led to believe a summer tire is grippy in the sun and an all season is for weather. The fact is summer performance tires are better at everything usually (same branded tires) other than snow.

Conti ECS is a great tire. You’ll be very happy with them.

 

[K4fxd]

I've got a set on my car right now. They work great. I've even driven them on snow and am blown away at how well they perform.

Maybe you need to learn how to drive

 

[gadgtfreek]

Conti ECS is a great tire. You’ll be very happy with them.

Good to hear input. I went back and forth on them vs PS4s, but the price difference really sold it. They seem to have caught up in wet/dry, but they are softer on the sidewall. Im not racing or tracking, just want more grip and its a daily driver, so I think they will serve me well. Price is hard to beat.

 

[MAGS1]

Good to hear input. I went back and forth on them vs PS4s, but the price difference really sold it. They seem to have caught up in wet/dry, but they are softer on the sidewall. Im not racing or tracking, just want more grip and its a daily driver, so I think they will serve me well. Price is hard to beat.

I’ve run them for 2 years on my V6 and have a set ordered for my new GT as well. I daily mine and have zero complaints.

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