# Summer tires (need answer before Friday's snowstorm) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677 "2016-01-20T14:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/141 "2016-01-26T15:19:05Z")
[Here’s the link](http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ice-storm-1998/) – “The greatest natural disaster in Canadian history” – the ice storm of 1998. Shut down Montréal and a lot of Québec, and parts of Ontario. A hundred thousand people temporarily relocated, over a billion in economic loss (as well as a lot of cows with sore tits, and a hit on the world’s supply of maple syrup that will not recover for decades), by far the largest peacetime mobilization of troops ever in Canada, and over a dozen utility companies from Canada working for weeks (and some for months) to restore power. I laugh when I see a vid on the news of someone who shouldn’t be on the road try to dive on ice, I but I sure don’t laugh when a city gets hit by an ice storm. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/142 "2016-01-26T16:21:20Z")
Snow further south, often a dusting to an inch, can paralyze a town partly because a higher % of their vehicles are wearing summer tires, and that glazing on the road is often more demanding on tires that a snow packed road. . ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/143 "2016-01-26T20:40:31Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Snow further south, often a dusting to an inch, can paralyze a town partly because a higher % of their vehicles are wearing summer tires, and that glazing on the road is often more demanding on tires that a snow packed road. You don’t give your location so I don’t know what your personal experience is. I lived in Michigan for 8 years, then the D.C. area for over 30. When there’s a high of 20[sup]o[/sup] in Ann Arbor and it snows, the snow is dry and stays frozen. We used to drive around on inches of packed snow all winter. It was an art form to do slo-mo drifts in snowy parking lots to angle around (with rear-wheel drive). But when it’s 30[sup]o[/sup] in D.C. and it snows, the snow is wet coming down, creates enormously slippery conditions when it hits the road surface that is above freezing, then when night falls and the temps go down, the slick wet snow ices. Just last Wednesday I saw a minor accident. A guy turning right lost traction in the turn during a snowfall. He was going pretty slow and the road was just really damn slippery with 1" of snow. I was driving an AWD vehicle and I could feel wheels slipping at low speeds. Trust me, it’s not that the drivers are bad. You put a Minnesota driver on a DC road during 1" of snow and he’ll be in uncharted territory. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/144 "2016-01-26T20:41:45Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Pfft! It’s not a car tire thread, it’s a snow tire thread. > > So I [suggest this](http://surlybikes.com/bikes/moonlander). Touché. You put summer tires on that thing in April? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/145 "2016-01-27T02:08:50Z")
I’d never heard of “summer” tires, but once I got to the part where you’re not supposed to use them below 40F I understood why: tires only useful from June to September aren’t practical [here](http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/concord/new-hampshire/united-states/usnh0045). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/146 "2016-01-27T03:35:18Z")
gogogophers here is the solution. Post a link to a picture of your tire treads. The difference between the tread of the summer and a/s versions are [clearly](http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/energy-saver.html#) [different](http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/energy-saver-as.html#). At the very least, tell us how many “rows” of tread there are. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/147 "2016-01-27T16:21:02Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’d never heard of “summer” tires, but once I got to the part where you’re not supposed to use them below 40F I understood why: tires only useful from June to September aren’t practical [here](http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/concord/new-hampshire/united-states/usnh0045). You could throw them on for the day today – 39 and climbing! ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/148 "2016-01-27T17:48:48Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Pfft! It’s not a car tire thread, it’s a snow tire thread. > > So I [suggest this](http://surlybikes.com/bikes/moonlander). I’d prefer the [ice cream truck](http://surlybikes.com/bikes/ice_cream_truck_2015)… Problem is I just built a 27.5 bike for commuting and SWMBO would Surly frown on my buying another one this soon.😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/149 "2016-01-27T18:43:44Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > You could throw them on for the day today – 39 and climbing! Scratch that – it’s 39 and snowing. Oh, New England! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/150 "2016-01-28T01:43:39Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > gogogophers here is the solution. Post a link to a picture of your tire treads. The difference between the tread of the summer and a/s versions are [clearly](http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/energy-saver.html#) [different](http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/energy-saver-as.html#). At the very least, tell us how many “rows” of tread there are. And here’s what Michelin says in that link about the summer version: > [@Michelin](#): > > Summer tires are primarily designed for high-performance vehicles and provide optimal dry and wet performance levels in a temperate environment. Summer tires are not designed to be used during the winter season where temperatures are colder and approach freezing consistently as their performance would be less than optimal. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/151 "2016-01-28T01:46:31Z")
So I got on the road today for the first time since the snow came. Our street hadn’t been plowed until last night and only a high-clearance vehicle could drive on it. It still wasn’t down to bare pavement so I had just a little slipperiness but didn’t come anywhere close to being stuck. Then when I got the main road it was pavement all the way. Tires are fine. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/152 "2016-01-28T02:08:10Z")
🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/153 "2016-01-28T14:19:48Z")
Oh, and there is a distinct smoothing of the road feel in these tires. It’s not that bad but like sex with a condom. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/154 "2016-01-28T14:45:38Z")
That’s the squishy of softer rubber. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/155 "2016-01-28T15:18:42Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > That’s the squishy of softer rubber. The tires or the condoms? ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/156 "2016-01-29T02:59:43Z")
For those folks who appear to be confident in assumptions related to their numerous opinions concerning some manner of implied knowledge about the tires on my car… Here’s the necessary link that will hopefully degas your hyperbole : [Choose Your Michelin Motorcycle Tires by Product Family](http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/all.html#!filter/season:summer%7Ccategory:Luxury) Performance Touring|family:Energy Contrary to what you choose to believe, they are in fact considered by the manufacturer to be summer tires. \ Copy and paste the ENTIRE link line to arrive at the appropriate link. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/157 "2016-01-29T03:36:08Z")
**gogogophers** , nobody is disputing that Michelin manufactures a tire called Michelin Energy Saver tires that are available in a summer version. They also manufacture a tire called Michelin Energy Saver that is available as an all-season version. This has already been demonstrated quite nicely in post #122 by links to Michelin’s site. The question is, how can you show us which style of Michelin Energy Saver tire is on \*your \*car? I think a photo of the sidewall lettering would settle it once and for all. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/158 "2016-01-29T17:54:24Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > **gogogophers** , nobody is disputing that Michelin manufactures a tire called Michelin Energy Saver tires that are available in a summer version. They also manufacture a tire called Michelin Energy Saver that is available as an all-season version. This has already been demonstrated quite nicely in post #122 by links to Michelin’s site. > > The question is, how can you show us which style of Michelin Energy Saver tire is on \*your \*car? I think a photo of the sidewall lettering would settle it once and for all. I asked for a picture of the tread because the two are so clearly different. Looks like gogogophers would rather link to the webpages we’ve all discussed ad nauseum. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/159 "2016-01-29T18:06:39Z")
Also, if you pick the summer tire on the Michelin site, and match it with gogo’s car (post 111, 2006 Honda Civic), the site says it won’t fit on that car. ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677/160 "2016-01-30T01:59:04Z")
Now, some want pictures. What next, an affidavit? This level of suspicion is just plain odd. I’ll provide no photo to pacify this want… So carry on among yourselves as you wish, and conclude what pleases you. Enjoy your tires. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-tires-need-answer-before-fridays-snowstorm/743677.md?page=9)