Question is:Are there any C7 Corvettes that can be driven below 40 degrees?If so,which models?I live in Tennessee which does have some cold weather.Don't want to get something I can't drive year round.Am I correct,the Stingray and Z51 can have all season tires?Thanks

 

All C7s come w/ standard summer max performance tires, Michelin Pilot Super Sport (PSS) ZPs. However, there are UHP all-seasons available in base and Z51 C7 sizes that are very good. I use the Michelin AS3+ from November-April in the DC area, and they were great in the lowest temps I drove in last winter, 10ºF.

The OEM PSS dramatically lose grip below 40ºF. Below freezing, they are downright dangerous. You can drive on them, but there's little grip, you have to baby the car, and stopping distances will be severely compromised. On the AS3+, I can drive it in a spirited fashion all winter. They're actually very good year-round tires, but the PSS has a little more grip when very hot.

Unfortunately, there are no UHP all seasons yet available in GS and Z06 sizes.

 

Just posted this on another thread where, when I mentioned a Pirelli SottoZero tire used by Ferrari on their 4 wheel drive FF! ReedZ followed with this posted on that Thread: “Here are the sizes for SottoZero 3 winter tires for GS/Z06 as recommended by Luke at Tire Rack (on a stock set of wheels).

275/35R-19 PIRELLI WINTER SOTTOZERO 3
305/30R-20 PIRELLI WINTER SOTTOZERO 3 XL"

SottoZero tires are also used on BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and others in the winter on the Autobahn. Note a somewhat narrower tire is even better for winter driving as long as the diameter is the same.


My Post re “Winter tires:”
Half my driving life I "lived up North!"

Often had a set of "Snow/Winter" tires on a set of wheels that I swapped in the winter! In 1985, before we moved to SC, lived in CT, where at the time, they didn't believe in using salt for ice! In hilly Western CT we had a number of ice storms, even my driveway was at a 20 degree angle! Folks sliding all over.

I bought 4 Gislaved winter only tires made in Sweden! They were advertised as having a "hydrophobic compound" that was better on Ice to a few degrees lower than freezing!

Had a front wheel drive Dodge Colt Turbo but needed something better than the OEM tires. Bought those winter tires and mounted on the cars 13 inch wheels. Did a "Plus 1" with 14 inch custom aluminum wheels and Pirelli P7's, as I recall, for the rest of the year.

In fact recall doing the same with my Corvair years before! Snow tires on the stock 13 inch steel wheels and 14 inch aluminum wheels with Continental 714's for the rest. That was in 1968 when the words "Plus 1" and "Low Profile" were not even used! Recall seeing those Continental tires at the NY Auto Show and had to have them as was just in an oversteer skid that I was fortunate to drive out of! The smallest size they had was 14 inches so the opportunity to "upgrade!"

Don't recall ever saying, "I won't pay for an extra set of wheels and Snow tire," that is what was done!

Googled Gislaved for fun to see what they had and there have 20 inch diameter, wide tires! Might want to investigate what they have that fits a GS/Z06. They even have a tire for racing in the wet and one with studs! Not sure if studs are still allowed in some States. Their studs are made of a composite material.

 

I run a dedicated set of winter tires mounted on Cray rims for the winter. I'm running Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s on factor spec tire sizes.

The car drives great in the winter as long as you're not in deep snow.

 

Max,

Those are definitely a good choice for you in a place like Toronto. For many of us further south, while it routinely gets very cold, we don't have nearly the amount of frozen precip you do and often little or none.

Last winter, we had no more than 2" on the roads in 1-2 snow events. However, the previous winter we had 24" in one event, and almost no one is driving then.

It really does depend upon where you live as to whether all-seasons or dedicated winter tires are the best choice. It is very cool that you're using your car year-round in Toronto.

 

^^^

I totally agree. Especially with how far they've come with all-season tires in recent years.

 

All of them can be driven at temps below freezing. Will grip fall off? YES, but that doesn't mean they are hard to drive. The big issue with the Cup2 tires is the potential for tire damage when the temps get in the low 20s. Those tires can get cracks in the tread rubber when driven or even moved in those temps.

I personally have driven my car with Cup2s in heavy rain, light rain and in temps down to 28 degrees with no issues. Appropriate use of the throttle is always required since the LT1 and LT4 have a tremendous amount of off idle torque thus off idle HP. You don't flop your foot on and off the throttle pedal you use it judiciously. The LT4 has over 100 ft lbs more torque off idle than the LT1 so you have to be even more judicious in how you use your right foot no matter what tires you have on the car.

If you live in an area where all you get are cold temps with little chance of snow don't worry about getting all season tires. If you live in an area where you have snow/ice all season tires really don't help all that much since there are no true all season tires. Then you need winter tires which are designed to have traction on snow and ice.

Bill

 

It isn't just the tread patterns that make snow (winter) tires perform better in cold weather. Winter tires use a completely different rubber compound that is nore active in cold weather. They also make fantastic rain tires.

 

Bill, I respectfully disagree, and I think that's really bad advice. Most do not have your driving skill. Moreover, braking is often the most important thing on very cold, dry, pavement. With limited grip, they won't stop well at all.

On cold dry pavement below freezing, the UHP Michelin AS3+ is as good as the PSS at 50-60 degrees, and you can actually enjoy driving it normally. I'm guessing you've not tested the AS3+ in very cold temps, and if you had I'm pretty sure you'd be singing a different tune.

 

I second the choice of Michelin AS3+ for cold-weather driving. I have them on a second set of wheels, and run them from November to March. I live in the mountains of Virginia, and we get some cold weather. The AS3+ perform well, accelerating, cornering, and stopping.

 

Under 45 degrees I would not recommend driving on summer tires. At 40 degrees you can suffer from cracks and other damage that can make the tire unsafe.

Now in regards to the rest of the Corvette. It is designed to be driven down to -40 degrees, you just need the right tires. So for -10 to 40 degrees All Seasons would be fine, under -10 degrees I'd recommend Winter Tires (and in reality I'd recommend them under 50 degrees).

That's not FUD either, tires especially the higher the performance (Cup 2's versus PSS) are pickier with colder temps. PSS probably won't crack under 40 (might be fine to 20) but Cup 2's will.

 

Where do you live? How much snow do you get? Do you need to drive the Corvette when it snows? There's a big difference between all season tires and dedicated snow tires. The all season tires are good for low temperature and the occasional light snow but if you plan on driving in anything over a couple inches you will want dedicated snow tires.

 

^

Agreed. My decision to go with a dedicated AS3+ set was based exclusively upon the predominant winter driving conditions in the US mid-Atlantic, which is cold, dry, and/or non-frozen precipitation at temps between 10 to 50 degrees. On the 0-10 days per year where there is any frozen precipitation on the pavement, the car stays at home in the garage.

Because I have two dedicated sets, I've been able to do head-to-head comparisons of the PSS and AS3+ in late fall/early winter, and late spring, with both starting the test cold. In the former, I drove the car at 50 degrees on the PSS over a 10-mile loop of curvy, two-lane, country roads at 40-70 mph. Upon returning home, I immediately put the AS3+ set on and drove the same loop under the same exact conditions. The grip of the AS3+ was not just a little better, it was several magnitudes better. I had to back off several times on the PSS, but was able to drive considerably faster with no drama on the AS3+ at 50 degrees. The late fall test also included spirited starts from stop signs, and the PSS let go easily and immediately at moderate throttle, whereas the AS3+ stuck incredibly well.

In the spring test, I drove the same circuit at 80 degrees, and the two sets of tires were essentially equal. Now, if I'd been on a race track near the 1g limit, I have no doubts the PSS would have been better.