Lazarus Long

I've been researching tire choices to replace the oem Goodyear runflats on my '98.

I am leaning toward the non-run flats, now trying to decide between summer and all season tires. It will NOT be driven in the snow, but I would like to take it out occasionally in the winter when the roads are dry. I live in northern Indiana, so winters here are cold.

I've read a few threads here discussing the difference, and it looks like summer tires quickly lose their grip when cold, some even crack. Some say that if you are careful and don't drive aggressively they are ok. However most of those who say it is ok ignore braking. Stopping is much more important than going.

All seasons are a compromise, they are really only better in the cold, summer tires are better every other season including rain.

My oem tires are 245/45-17 on the front and 275/40-18 on the rear. That seems to have cut down on my choices for summer tires. It looks like the Hankook V12 may be it. On the all season side, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 looks like a good one.

I've read about Nitto, but from my reading I think Hankook is the better choice between those two.

How much of a compromise is the Michelin compared to Hankook? I've read that the A/S is 'almost' as good as their summer tire. Of course people have different interpretations of what 'almost' means.

I have no plans to race it on a track, so I'm wondering if the A/S performance is good enough and not worry about that last 2% (or whatever it is) that I might get going with a summer tire.

thisMSGgood4me

If you're not going to be driving it when there's snow (or ice) on the roads, then summer tires are your better bet. It's not so much the temperature of the roads that's important, it's what's on the surface of the road that you need to consider. The road surface can be cold but as long as it's free of snow or ice, you'll have ample traction.

dbgoodwin

My Goodyear supercars were worthless below 65. I guess you could consider my DW's all season tires and I have traction and grip even down in the 30's.

hawk4077

Have Michelin pilot sport A/S and have never had a problem they ride great and do not have to worry about weather. it get cold here in eastern NC

rrichar2591

I'm glad you posted this. I'm in the exact same boat and have narrowed it down to the same tires. I'm leaning to the a/s 3 in case I do find myself on snowy or wet roads during a road trip. My reading tells me the a/s 3 is just as good as the summer tire. I'll be following this thread with interest.

Koufax

I'm in the same boat and am leaning towards the Hankooks. The cost difference is meaningful to me. I get to postpone my decision because winter storage is less than a month away for me. Baby gets new shoes in the spring -- meanwhile, I'll keep reading these posts.

troyguitar

In hindsight I wish I would have went for all seasons for my street tires. The summers are already dangerous now that we have temperatures in the 30's in the morning. Michelin AS3 seems like a great "all season" tire for a sports car that won't actually see any snow, just cold temperatures.

Bridgestone RE-11's at 35F is bad even on dry pavement, I don't want to see how it is on wet pavement.

KoreaJon

I'm in the same boat.

I have Sumitomo's on the C5 right now...when I drove the car for a bit last Dec-Feb, they were .....less than confidence inspiring. When the temps were warm (between 20 and 30F) they wanted to slide all over the place. I promptly put the car away!

In contrast, I have Hankook Ventus V12's on my BMW 330Ci. Man, THAT car has ALWAYS felt like it rides on rails!! I LOVE the Hankooks! They are quiet, the grip like nobodies business, and they don't beak the bank.

Unless someone has a better recommendation, I plan to put a set on the spare wheels I have for the C5 and extend my driving season this year.


Regards,
KoreaJon

Lazarus Long

What is DW?

Vetteman Jack

As long as the roads are clear, you should be fine with just regular non-runflats. I take my car out occasionally in the winter and am using the Hankook Ventus tires. Never had a problem using them.

3sACROWD

If you're used to using the OEM runflats, you will not be disappointed with an all season tire. I switched to the Continental DWS tires and have no real complaints. I chose this tire for the colder temperature range and the wet weather traction. Sure they may not perform quite as well as a summer tire in the summer but for 98+% of my driving, they are good.

Lazarus Long

I've been doing a lot of reading about summer tires, how serious are the warnings about cold weather? I keep reading conflicting advice - some say they are fine in the old, others say they're terrible.

Another question - are summer tires, being high performance, thinner and more susceptible to punctures and flats?

joe's98

I replaced the Goodyear runflats with Michelin AS/3's this summer before our trip to the NCM reunion. Very quiet, very smooth, and they were great in the heavy rains we encountered on the way home. I have about 3500 miles on them and could not be any happier.

rrichar2591

It's also worth noting that the Michelins come with both a 30 day satisfaction warranty and a 3 year flat tire repair warranty. You can find details on the Tire Rack website.

jackthelad

Had Pilot A/S ZP's on my '98 for a couple of years now. Had OEM Goodyears, then Firestone SX 250's (?). The Michelins are in a different league, and will get you home in the snow if needed. UHP summer tires are not designed to work at low temps - they need to be warm to work.

SG Lou

Continental makes 2 types of HP Tires, DW and DWS
I run DWS and drive it in the cold weather, as long as there is no snow on the roads although it's not a DD.

http://www.continentaltire.com/www/t...act_dw_en.html

http://www.continentaltire.com/www/t...ct_dws_en.html

Great handling in both hot and cold weather, wet or dry pavement and the price is right !

540i 6spd

I have dws' s on my jcw and they work pretty good. Honestly if no snow, I would go with v12's

Notninja

I have Firestone wide oval not made in oem sizes any longer. They grip ok down to about 40 then they get slippery till they warm up. I will be going with summer tires again when the time comes,

QCVette

I had BFG Comp TA summer tires. When it got cold I found the rear end breaking loose on some dry on ramps that when warmer would not have been an issue. In short, they got slippery when cold. I put on some all season tires and did not have that problem any more.

racebum

this is the only real choice if you want an all in one tire

best bet would be sticky summer tires and a dedicated winter tire on cheap wheels. winter tires are very flexible in freezing weather and offer traction no all season can match

if you don't push the G's in your car or drive it at the limit you would probably be fine on the michelin as3