I'm about to mount winter tires on my car, fully subscribing to the notion that driving summer tires in temperatures under 45 degrees is ill advised. The issue is that where I live, it is frequently in the low to mid 30's in the morning, and it can warm to the fifties or even a bit above that by afternoon. When driving in those afternoon temperatures, will the handling of the car be seriously affected? Will there be excessive wear on the winters at those temperatures? What other concerns might there be?

 

I live in NW Connecticut, so winter (November-March) weather/temps would seem to be generally similar to what you describe. I had Michelin PA5s installed at delivery of my 992TTS in December 2020, and thought that they provided very good performance, handling and wear through April 2021.
A footnote - the 2020-2021 winter was relatively mild, with relatively modest snowfall.

 

Winter tires are totally fine when you get a warm day, even up into the 60s. Warmer than that, they start to feel a little too soft.

 

Agreed, And wear might be slightly worse in the higher temps, but not significant enough to not drive the car.

 

Driving on winter tires is absolutely fine when the temps get above 60.. no issue at all. I normally swap my winter/summer sets in October and May.

 

I drove Blizzaks year round on my daily GTI. Summer temps tend to wear that tread down a bit quicker, when one has a significant commute.

 

Have you noticed any degradation in handling or braking with your Blizzaks during warmer weather?

 

My 2c, for the conditions you describe you may well be better off considering a good all season tire. Winter tires will be needed if you will encounter reasonable amounts of snow and ice all winter. If your concern is more about low morning temps then all season will be more suitable for you.

Sensible driving on winter tires in temps in the 50s on an occasional basis isn't anything to worry about, but if it's a daily occurrence and you want to drive harder and enjoy your car you will cause some significant wear to the winter tires. This will compromise normal driving but, more importantly, will have a marked impact on their use in snowy/icy conditions, negating the benefit of the winter tires.

Have a good think about the conditions you'll be facing and the driving you want to do. Hope that's of some help. Cheers!

 

It was a stock 20th, mostly used to drive 95 -> 295, so not a 911 on backroads. Only real handling issues I remember were that the ride was really "squishy" feeling, and turn-in had a slight delay...I imagine similar to what driving on top of a water bed would be like. Subsequent winter had greatly reduced snow traction, while 1st winter, I was keeping up with lifted Jeeps on the hills of 29, between Columbia, and Silver Spring, on 2-4 inches of snow.

 

what all season tires come in 21s????

 

No idea. I've been on full winter tires for years so am not up to date. I'm sure there will be some though.

 

Thanks to you and all who responded here. I'm reluctant to get all-seasons, because they are not good winter tires nor summer tires-- they're a compromise, and I would be troubled knowing that I am diluting the performance potential of the car that I so carefully configured. Based upon what you and others have said, I'll just use my new Pirelli winter tires from December through March, and if they wear a little faster than optimal, then so be it-- I'll just have to replace them when the time comes. My biggest concern is whether winter tires in 55-60 degree weather will adversely affect the handling of the car, and the input so far is that they won't.

 

Quick search reveals https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...1PTAS&i1_Qty=4

EDIT: Stupid smart link nonsense at tire rack. The above should be a Michelin Primacy something or other A/S in 21"

 

I’m in northern NJ and have been driving on my new Pirelli Winter’s for a few days and they’re awesome. I sized down to 19/20’s and they’re definitely quieter. Haven’t pushed it too much just yet but so far, they handle great. Can’t wait to see how they perform in the snow.

 

I’ve ran Pirelli Sottozeros for +10 years on my Cayman S and got them on my 991 Targa 4S.

They are unstoppable imho, I ran them thru the summer once and still made it to next winter. (Only tried that once)