I just bought a new car, a sporty one, and it came with “summer tires.” I have never had anything but all-season tires. How limiting are these summer tires for winter conditions? Am I totally screwed unless I go out and buy a new set of tires this week?
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
Please don’t just give me a Google answer, I want to hear from people who have some experience with this type of tire.
BTW, I am in the DC area and they are predicting 12" of snow by Saturday. I have no intention of trying to drive this car in 12" of snow but I am wondering if driving in 1" of snow is suicide.
Summer tires give you good grip on dry pavement and perform well in dry weather. They aren’t that great in the rain and they kinda suck in the snow. If you need to drive a short distance, I wouldn’t call them suicidal, but they aren’t going to grip the snow very well at all. Those tires have fairly narrow water channels, which limits how much rainwater they’ll push out of the way, and those channels will quickly pack with snow, making your tire essentially a flat surface with very little grip.
You’ll slide easily, but 1" of snow is manageable. Just take things slow and easy. No sudden starts, no sudden stops, no sudden turns. Most areas around DC are plowed fairly well, at least on the main roads. You’ll probably only have trouble on the lesser traveled roads that aren’t so high on the plow priority list.
I would call them suicidal. I got caught on summer tires (Goodyear Eagle F1-GSD3) in New Jersey in the snow storm that hit in late October 2011, and it was not good at all. There were hills that would not have been an issue with all-seasons or snow tires, but my summer-only tires were barely able to stop and start on them, and that was at the point where there was only a little bit of slop on the roads.
One short trip on level streets at low speeds might not be a big deal, but if you plan to drive this car regularly in the winter in a place like DC, you really need to either replace your summer-only tires with all-seasons, or get a second set of rims with snow tires on them.
Thanks engineer_comp_geek! Have you ever driven on that type of tire?
I guess there are people out there who either don’t drive these cars during the winter or they change their tires twice a year. My car is an Infiniti Q60S convertible, not a Ferrari. Not sure why they ship with this type of tire.
As I was typing this I called Bridgestone Tech and Warranty support. Their recommendation was to put on winter tires, but I imagine they are going to be pretty conservative so as to avoid liability. He said these tires are good above 40[sup]o[/sup]F but don’t offer traction in below-freezing temps and snow.
If I change the tires I have to figure out where to put these until April…
(Just noticed your custom title–you passed the Turing test.)
Summer tires will behave really unpredictably on snow. I’ve seen someone with summer tires do a slow uncontrolled 180 on 1/4 inch of snow after carefully changing lanes. I’ve seen a car get stuck at the bottom of a slight incline because they couldn’t get traction. I’d avoid driving on snow if possible–take public transportation, get a ride, or call a taxi if you can. If you drive you might be fine, or you might completely lose control.
I’m pretty sure your Infiniti is a rear wheel drive car, right? If so, I would say you are unlikely to get very far with summer tires. I’m not saying suicidal, but I’m thinking you are just going to spin in place and be unable to get going.
Summer tires have two disadvantages when compared to tires designed for winter driving. First, they have a tread pattern designed for dry summer conditions, but also designed to shed LIQUID water. The tread lacks the small biting tread design of a winter tire. Secondly, summer tires are made with a rubber compound designed to provide the best traction in warm conditions. Summer tires get “hard” in cold weather, and therefore offer less traction.
Having said all that, my ex-wife got through with summer tires on her Mini Cooper last year. But that’s a FWD car. In Atlanta. Whole different beast as compared to your Infinity RWD with a nor’easter bearing down on ya.
Not to put too fine a point on it but they are pretty much useless in snow. The Yokohama Advan A82 came on my car as OEM and they are marketed as an all season tire. Note the difference in my tire and yours. Despite more siping (which helps grip on ice) and more aggresive tread blocks (which helps in snow) With just a little snow and ice on the road my car was basically a curling rock, even with AWD. Get winter tires on there sooner than later.
If you only get occasional blustery weather an all weather tire like the Nokians might fit the bill. I have dedicated snow tires (Nokian Haakapeliitta R2 on steel rims) on my Subaru and they make winter driving a lot more pleasant.
The Michelin X-Ice i3 and Blizzak WS80 are also very good winter tires.
Find a set of steel wheels that fit your car and fit with winter tyres and store your present wheels and tyres until spring this is what quite a few people are doing in the U.K.
If it’s a rear-wheel drive, put about a hundred pounds of something (it doesn’t matter what) in the trunk, no matter what tires you’re using. It’ll make a noticeable traction difference. Bags of sand are nice (and cheap), the sand can be used for traction if you get stuck on ice.
Although you said you don’t want a google answer, one of the hits regarding those specific tires in the snow is a blog that describes the writer’s experience, which is really what you’re after, right? Someone’s actual experience. He lists the steps you need to take in order to survive driving on those tires in the snow; step 1 is “Admit to your life’s mistakes” and the second-to-last step is “Change your pants.”
Another hit is a test done with those tires on ice - they measured stopping distance from 10MPH on ice with 3 different sets of tires. Snow tires stopped in 21 feet, your Potenzas in 47 feet.
Thanks to all for the responses. While you have been posting responses I have been busy tire shopping and it’s hard to find what I need in stock. A few days to order. Still looking. Can’t even get Costco to answer the phone.
Keep in mind you can usually go with a rim an inch smaller and slightly taller tire, which may save you a bit of money and have more availability. Check with tirerack.com as ordering them as a set online might be your only option at this point. Do you have the ability/space to swap them out yourself ? Not asking to be an ass, but some people either can’t/won’t do this themselves.
Adding my voice to everyone else’s, driving will be unpleasant at best with your current set of tires. But once you get new tires, drive much slower than you’re used to, try not to turn as sharply, and apply your brakes with less pressure.
I had already been looking at TireRack before I saw your post. I just placed an order with them and they said I’ll have next-day delivery direct to a local installer. I also talked to the installer and they will have no problem doing the work as soon as the tires arrive. So early Friday morning at latest, before the snow starts in earnest.
I’m not getting a second set of wheels, so this is not a DIY job. TireRack also sells wheels but that would be around another grand and I’m not sure it’s worth it.
My long-term plan is to replace the summer tires with all-season after they are worn. I really don’t see the need for such specialization, even with my car. It’s not like I run it on a track, and I tend to not want to get speeding tickets.
Thanks again to all for saving my sorry ass from tobogganing down I-270.
I think you are going to be stunned beyond belief at how utterly unprepared your summer-tire clad car is for winter weather.
Below 40 degrees, the tire compound is not ready to perform safely or predicatively; it is a loser even on dry pavement at that temperature. Some summer tires are permanently damaged by exposure to very cold temps, too.
Ideally, you’d run summer tires, WHICH ARE BETTER THAN ALL-SEASON tires when it’s warm or warm/rainy, and switch to WINTER tires when temps drop below 40 consistently.
All-Season tires are a compromise for sake of convenience, but switching summer to winter as the seasons change is the BEST option in terms of safety and performance.
BEST: Summer tires when warm, Winter when cold
Compromise: All-season tires, which are a compromise as a jack-of-all trades
Worst: Summer tires in cold or snow, etc.
Very bad: Winter tires in warm weather
As said above, you should be able to find steel wheels cheaply enough (either used or new) so if you want separate summer and winter tires, you could swap them out yourself. On the other hand, the tire shop I used in Connecticut would do the swap for free if you’d bought the tires from them.
