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Interesting you posted that video..I was all set on the Alpins after my dealer of all places was offering me a discount on a set of 4, even beating tire rack. But then I saw this video and wondered if I only drive in dry cold weather, is it really worth the premium and should I save up for just getting a nice set of Pilot Sports to replace my P zeros. I am mainly concerned about cracks in summer tires in extreme cold and extending the longevity of my summers by timesharing with the winters.
I would still get all seasons for cold and dry.
Originally Posted by evilfij
It was not that cold, he had driven a while to get heat in the tires, and it was dry. Get caught out once is snow and you are toast too.
The point of the video was dry performance of the snow tires. Not the snow performance. I have run snows where it warrants it. Even on my SUV. I am not a snow tire nay-sayer. But in the cold and dry all seasons will suffice for sure.
It was not that cold, he had driven a while to get heat in the tires, and it was dry. Get caught out once is snow and you are toast too.
I got caught in a freak snow storm on a day that started out at 60F and clear skies. I had been using summer tires year round for several years and just took the SUV on days when there was a chance of snow. Grip was fine even with the bit of snow coming down until I went over a bump/pavement gap in a construction zone and it kicked the rear of the car sideways. Must have been accelerating or slowing. Ended up in a ditch. Not going to do that again. They work pretty well in cool weather if you pick the right set but if you get caught out you must be prepared to call Uber even though you'll likely be fine. A 1-5% chance of issues will eventually catch up.
The right set of all seasons might work well but I just go for full winters for that extra safety factor. Alpins don’t compromise dry performance or feel nearly as much as Blizzaks or Hakkas.
Also the S2000 has an LSD which helps stabilize the rear under braking. Not all 911s do, and a 911 can be trickier to bring back under control than most cars if it gets momentarily out of hand.
And as the guy says in the video, if you live in a place where it doesn’t snow... that I agree with. In that scenario I’d also skip winter tires.
Michelin Alpin would be my choice. They are a great cold weather tire as well as for snow. If you were doing serious snow driving I would say the X-Ice.
I ran Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires on our Cayenne as my summer tires. I found them to be quite good in warm weather and in transitional seasons. In winter conditions, they simply don't compare to a dedicated winter tire. On the Cayenne, they were terrible in snow (even light snow). That said, if I lived in a relatively flat place that saw little to no snowfall each year, then I might consider them in lieu of winter tires, especially for a car that's not driven every day so that I could avoid the really nasty stuff.
In my opinion, the performance oriented winter tires like the Michelin Alpin and the Pirelli Sottozero are vastly superior to the old "snow tires" that people used to use. They give up very little in terms of dry weather performance, and they perform very well in snowy conditions. They've almost evolved to the point of being an all-season tire with a winter bias (This type of thing does exist - my son runs Nokian WRG3 tires on his Subaru all year in Colorado).
I think that if you're going to switch tires for the seasons, then a performance winter tire and a performance summer tire combo is the way to go. If you're going to keep one set of tires on your car all year and you're willing to put up with the compromises of an all-season tire, then something like the DWS or the newer variant might be worthy of consideration. Each choice has some compromises. In the transitional seasons, I get caught with winter tires on my car on days when it's 75 degrees and sunny. This is a compromise, just like getting caught in snow or ice with an all-season tire. I think the key here is to decide which tire combination gives you the best combination of value, performance, and risk management. There's no single solution that's ideal for all drivers and all driving conditions.
Michelin Alpin would be my choice. They are a great cold weather tire as well as for snow. If you were doing serious snow driving I would say the X-Ice.
Took the car out this morning (Alpins) it was dry and -11F and they performed very well.
Has anyone found any all-season tires in sizes even close to the standard 991.2 19- and 20-inch sizes?
The closest I have found are 285 for the rears. Since I have 991.1 GTS, my rears are 11.5 inches. So my question for those who have tried is, can I fit 285s? Also, is there a problem with oversizing 255s on the recommendations 245 fronts? These would be for conti dws06s. Thanks.
I ran Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires on our Cayenne as my summer tires. I found them to be quite good in warm weather and in transitional seasons. In winter conditions, they simply don't compare to a dedicated winter tire. On the Cayenne, they were terrible in snow (even light snow). That said, if I lived in a relatively flat place that saw little to no snowfall each year, then I might consider them in lieu of winter tires, especially for a car that's not driven every day so that I could avoid the really nasty stuff.
In my opinion, the performance oriented winter tires like the Michelin Alpin and the Pirelli Sottozero are vastly superior to the old "snow tires" that people used to use. They give up very little in terms of dry weather performance, and they perform very well in snowy conditions. They've almost evolved to the point of being an all-season tire with a winter bias (This type of thing does exist - my son runs Nokian WRG3 tires on his Subaru all year in Colorado).
I think that if you're going to switch tires for the seasons, then a performance winter tire and a performance summer tire combo is the way to go. If you're going to keep one set of tires on your car all year and you're willing to put up with the compromises of an all-season tire, then something like the DWS or the newer variant might be worthy of consideration. Each choice has some compromises. In the transitional seasons, I get caught with winter tires on my car on days when it's 75 degrees and sunny. This is a compromise, just like getting caught in snow or ice with an all-season tire. I think the key here is to decide which tire combination gives you the best combination of value, performance, and risk management. There's no single solution that's ideal for all drivers and all driving conditions.
I hope everyone reads your post Dennis. I believe Tirerack rated DWS the best A/S tire around....and its not good in winter.
I'm a Performance winter and performance summer tire guy. Even run PSS on my SQ5.
I hope everyone reads your post Dennis. I believe Tirerack rated DWS the best A/S tire around....and its not good in winter.
I'm a Performance winter and performance summer tire guy. Even run PSS on my SQ5.
Thanks! I’m just trying to help based on my experience.
I’m currently running 21” Pirelli P Zeros on my SQ5 in the summer, and 19” Nokian Hakkapeliittas in the winter.
Just picked these up TODAY as I pick up my 4-GTS tomorrow and the dealer will swap out the factory summers for these winters which I will bring with me...
Hopefully these are the correct ones to put on the OEM RIMS....
Fronts: 245/35/20
Rear: 295/30/20
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4
If im wrong, please let me know... so much debate w/ these winter tires!
12-31-2017, 01:20 PM
