Below 40 spin city
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,248
Likes: 767
From: Lindenhurst, IL
High performance snow tires are your best bet for winter weather.
Based on my experience, all-season tires don't do much better than summer tires.
I can highly recommend the Bridgestone Blizzaks.
Based on my experience, all-season tires don't do much better than summer tires.
I can highly recommend the Bridgestone Blizzaks.
Last edited by car2fast4you; Dec 9, 2009 at 04:14 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,015
Likes: 2,709
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Matt (above) and I live only about 20 miles apart, but have different experiences.
My C5 had the Goodyear M+S Winter runflats, real knobbies. They worked well in any snow that wasn't deep enough to get plowed by the air dam.
My C6 currently has the Goodyear All Season Runflats, the tread design is same as the base C6 tires but different tread compound for cold temps. I remove the Z51 Supercar tires/wheels each Fall and install the A/S. I've been very pleased with these A/S tires, they seem nearly as good in snow as the C5 knobbies (again, air dam plowing is the problem) but better handling and less noise on dry roads. If interested, phone Tire Rack, they're not on the website.
My C5 had the Goodyear M+S Winter runflats, real knobbies. They worked well in any snow that wasn't deep enough to get plowed by the air dam.
My C6 currently has the Goodyear All Season Runflats, the tread design is same as the base C6 tires but different tread compound for cold temps. I remove the Z51 Supercar tires/wheels each Fall and install the A/S. I've been very pleased with these A/S tires, they seem nearly as good in snow as the C5 knobbies (again, air dam plowing is the problem) but better handling and less noise on dry roads. If interested, phone Tire Rack, they're not on the website.
Last edited by Gearhead Jim; Dec 9, 2009 at 06:12 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 8,502
Likes: 925
From: Alaska
Jim,
How does your Corvette handle packed snow/ice with the winter tires? Would love to be able to drive my Vette all year but up here in Alaska the side roads are covered with compressed snow that turns into ice from mid Nov to 1st of April.
How does your Corvette handle packed snow/ice with the winter tires? Would love to be able to drive my Vette all year but up here in Alaska the side roads are covered with compressed snow that turns into ice from mid Nov to 1st of April.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,015
Likes: 2,709
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Perhaps this will help:
Let's rate my C6 with Supercar tires as a "1" out of 10 for handling and traction on packed snow & ice.
Let's rate my wife's Toyota Camry with All-Season tires as a "7".
Based on that, I would rate my C6 with the A/S Goodyears as about a "5".
Keeping in mind that a heavy right foot will instantly turn it into a "0".
The car is driveable on packed snow & ice, but it's not much fun. For me, NOTHING is fun under those conditions. The reason I've used winter tires on the C5 and C6 is that around here, even Dec-Jan-Feb have many days where the roads are clear except for clouds of salt dust, so I can still have some fun with the car. That might not be true for you.
Also, the car is very limited in it's ability to handle frozen ruts.
If you try the 'vette during winter, let us know how it turns out.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,282
Likes: 2
From: Deerfield, Illinois Turn On, Turn In, Track Out
I had a C6 vert 05-08 and I drove on GY A/S RFs most of the winter but drove a beater on real snow days. The ride was fine, they were quieter and wore better than the OEM supercar tires, and they did not lose grip under 40 degrees like the summer tires do.
I got stuck once on an offramp in a "surprise" snowstrom in <20 degree weather when the salt doesn't work well. I swore that if I drove a vette in the winter I would get dedicated snow tires if I found the right sizes. Last time I checked Pirelli winter sottozeros came in sizes that were close; maybe there are new choices out there, but none in Z06 sizes...
I got stuck once on an offramp in a "surprise" snowstrom in <20 degree weather when the salt doesn't work well. I swore that if I drove a vette in the winter I would get dedicated snow tires if I found the right sizes. Last time I checked Pirelli winter sottozeros came in sizes that were close; maybe there are new choices out there, but none in Z06 sizes...
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,409
Likes: 129
From: Fairview Heights IL
Pirelli, on the other hand, makes a Winter Sottozero 240 in C6 sizes. It's not a runflat, but it likes cold weather. If you buy Sottozeros in the same sizes as your summer tires, you have to look very close to see that the tread pattern is different.
Update: According to TireRack's wizard, Pirelli does not make Sottozeros in Z06 sizes.
Last edited by Eritosthenes; Dec 9, 2009 at 10:05 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,248
Likes: 767
From: Lindenhurst, IL
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,248
Likes: 767
From: Lindenhurst, IL
Matt (above) and I live only about 20 miles apart, but have different experiences.
My C5 had the Goodyear M+S Winter runflats, real knobbies. They worked well in any snow that wasn't deep enough to get plowed by the air dam.
My C6 currently has the Goodyear All Season Runflats, the tread design is same as the base C6 tires but different tread compound for cold temps. I remove the Z51 Supercar tires/wheels each Fall and install the A/S. I've been very pleased with these A/S tires, they seem nearly as good in snow as the C5 knobbies (again, air dam plowing is the problem) but better handling and less noise on dry roads. If interested, phone Tire Rack, they're not on the website.
My C5 had the Goodyear M+S Winter runflats, real knobbies. They worked well in any snow that wasn't deep enough to get plowed by the air dam.
My C6 currently has the Goodyear All Season Runflats, the tread design is same as the base C6 tires but different tread compound for cold temps. I remove the Z51 Supercar tires/wheels each Fall and install the A/S. I've been very pleased with these A/S tires, they seem nearly as good in snow as the C5 knobbies (again, air dam plowing is the problem) but better handling and less noise on dry roads. If interested, phone Tire Rack, they're not on the website.
It sounds like they're a good solution.
It's just my preference to switch over to a pure winter tire if I'm going to drive it in the winter.....especially if I'm going to go thru the effort & expense to switch them over.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 167
From: Frederick, MD
Snow is not what bothers me about winter driving in the Vette. Hidden potholes are my concern.
The Vette is not good in the snow. With winter tires it is driveable but better left home IMO when the snow flies. Remember it only has around 4 inches of clearance which is not much. If you worry about going over a sleeping policeman (speed bump) then you should defintiely not drive down a road you don't know what the surface is like.
I had real good luck with A/S high performance tires on previous cars. I'm considering putting the Mich PS2 ZP A/S on my Vette since they are better than the OEM tires or summer tires when it is 40 or below which is about 8 months if you count the nights in Utah.
I wouldn't buy GY because of how crappy the OEM tires are compared to the Michelins. I never bought a GY tire but I have owned plenty (OEM).
The Vette is not good in the snow. With winter tires it is driveable but better left home IMO when the snow flies. Remember it only has around 4 inches of clearance which is not much. If you worry about going over a sleeping policeman (speed bump) then you should defintiely not drive down a road you don't know what the surface is like.
I had real good luck with A/S high performance tires on previous cars. I'm considering putting the Mich PS2 ZP A/S on my Vette since they are better than the OEM tires or summer tires when it is 40 or below which is about 8 months if you count the nights in Utah.
I wouldn't buy GY because of how crappy the OEM tires are compared to the Michelins. I never bought a GY tire but I have owned plenty (OEM).
