I just don't understand your reference to performance summer tire use in cold weather. Are you trying to say there are "winter" tires that are going to be better in cold temperatures than summer performance tires? I have been driving high performance sports cars all my adult life and when the roads are clean, regardless of ambient temperature, you will get your best performance from a "performance" tire when they are up to operating temperature period. "Summer tire" is not a reference to temperature. It is a designation that you don't use them in inclement weather like snow and ice. If you know of a "winter performance" tire that will give more traction on clean winter roads, please provide that information.

 

no doubt. I was trying to ascertain if it was wheel hop due to tires/conditions, or the traction control system. Since I am used to pre traction control system era vehicles, I didnt know. Unfortunately, for those of us in the rust belt, we see a lot of cold temps, and on the "marginal days" where the sun is bright and it hits around or north of fifty degrees, we jones for a few miles of spirited driving this time of year. It will just have to be slightly less spirited than I might like. That wont preclude me from driving, rather, will just make me be a little lighter on the throttle until april. Sorry, I dont buy cars to let them sit in the garage all of the time. I buy them to drive. In this case, since it is not a daily driver, I have to take my shots when I can.

 

I'm in the same boat as you in terms of weather conditions. I've been driving the ZR1 all along and will continue to do so. I just guess I don't need someone telling me this:

"Don't you understand the traction control is taking over because otherwise you would be toast, as well as some innocents as well? You are trying to accelerate way too quickly for the existing conditions, the capabilities of your car, and most certainly your capabilities as a driver. The first thing you need to do is to learn the limitations of your car, which you are currently exceeding. Does it have summer tires on it? If so, you shouldn't even be driving it, because if you haven't noticed summer is long over."

I'm sorry, but that has to be one of the poorest soapbox moments I've seen in awhile.

 

Absolutely. Tire compounds are made using different base polymers having completely different cured characteristics, such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, elongation, hardness, high temperature resistance, and cold temperature capabilities.
Summer performance tires are made using compounds that are "sticky" at higher temperatures, which enables them to provide higher "G" force turning capabilities (thus making them so-called "performance" tires). Thus the performance of summer tires are related to and limited to summer temperatures. Unfortunately these same summer performance compounds generally have poor wear resistance, and in addition have poor cold flexibility capabilities, plus their wear resistance may be one-third that of non-"performance" tires, and they may start getting noticeably harder and more slippery at temperatures below 55 degrees, not much cooler than room temperature. As the April issue of Motor Trend Magazine reported on the 2012 Grand Sport: "This car with these tires, is downright dangerous in the rain and cold. These rock-hard Eagle F1 Supercar tires have no grip at all when they're cold."
All season tires and winter tires, use compounds which are more flexible and "grabby" at lower temperatures, and which usually provide higher coefficients of friction in wet weather, plus provide greater wear resistance.
One "winter, spring, summer and fall" performance tire I can strongly recommend is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus ZP (Zero Pressure) which are Ultra High Performance All-Season run flat high speed tires that enhance all-weather performance, wet grip and tread wear along with year-around traction, including in light snow. The tire features three different tread compounds molded side-by-side, and three different tread designs to communicate road feel, reduce noise on dry roads, sharpen steering response and dry road handling, resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. Two steel cords spirally wrapped with polyamide increases tread wear and ride comfort while providing high speed durability and predictable handling.
Tire technology has come a long, long way in recent years, but many old timers have not kept up with these amazing advancements. A tire good in the cold and wet, and yet good on dry roads, warm or cold, and capable of 200 mph speeds, plus capable of running safely even after experiencing a puncture, is, in my mind simply amazing. The bottom line is, driving on summer performance tires this time of year is not very smart.

 

Thanks for these posts. I've had issues with my C5 breaking loose and been told that it means the TC isn't working. Well, maybe neither they nor I understood what the traction control was expected to do. I've had other cars with at least as much horse power as this 350 and didn't have the control issues of it breaking the rears loose so easily. I'm wondering how much of it has to do with the 3:15 performance axle and how much is the Michelin A/S run flats. The car drives and rides much better now that I have the ZP's on it and they have a couple of thousand miles on them. But twice now I've gotten in the gas to make it through a gap in busy traffic only to have the rears break loose. WTF ! ? These are some big tires for no more than 350 horsepower and they skate around like nothing when I didn't get anywhere near the floor with the pedal ? I'm also thinking I'm better off to just turn the TC off and drive the car like I've driven other cars with similar horsepower to weight ratios. Other's thoughts ?