kodas

My summer tires perform more than adequate and safe for the occasional dip below 32 here in Tennessee. For a daily driver it is not worth the investment for a second set of rubber for the few swings below 32. I got good performance out of all seasons on my S4 in 4 brutal Michigan winters but prefer the summer rubber for my southern car. Summer tires are worthless on snow but they still have adequate grip for a daily driver in cold temperatures.

thinklabinc

Me too, in the North East I get away with driving with the OEM performance tires in the winter, although I find it helps with the rattles and harshness, to add more air to compensate for the cold weather drop in pressure.

ADias

That is where you are doing wrong by 'compensating' for cold weather. See my post above.

If your cold pressures are 33/37 those are the values when the ambient temp is 68F. If the ambient temp is 38F the tire pressures should be set 3PSI down at 30/34 (or whatever numbers you use -3PSI).

Wayne Smith

Just to view this from a slightly different view point ...

Your car is being supported by air molecules (oxygen, nitrogen, etc.), not the tire. The tire is just a balloon.

Remember -

PV = nRT

R is a constant, so let's change this to -

PV is proportional to nT.

The volume of the tire is roughly constant as well (for what we are doing we are assuming it is). So -

P is proportional to nT or -

n (number of moles of gas) is proportional to P / T

To keep n, the number of molecules that support the car, the same, if T (temperature) goes down then P (pressure) must also go down. And vice versa. This is all relative to absolute zero, of course.

Para82

Rough and tough in the cold, compliant and smooth in everything else. It would take a lot of money to get me back up north...A LOT

ADias

Deleted.

cerbomark

I v been using Conti DWS all seasons lately... too much cold temps in the northeast.
They handle about 1/2 as good as what my summer tires do. The DWS are smoother and quieter.
May have to do two sets, summer/ winter like most of you already do.

robh75

The DWS only handle 1/2 as good in wet or dry or both? And I assume you mean in hot summer temps or in say all 50+temps? I thought at some point could be interesting to try instead of 2 sets due to price point and as a fellow northeaster, but perhaps not if they are so poor comparatively.

cerbomark

The DWS only handle 1/2 as good in the dry/warm. Not as precise. More sidewall flex. I mean, you could drive the car all the time on the DWS for sure, as I said the are smooth and quiet. I m sure they have a longer life too.
But if you are someone who pushes the car to it s designed limits you will notice the difference.
As of now I only have the DWS tires in use... Planning on another set of wheels so I can run both. I was told a long time ago on this site that s is the way to go.... More $$$.

malahhaor

I had DWS on Benz S550 land yacht and they are a great all around tire. Even in light snow if you are careful. But like they say, all season is no season. Not as good as summer tire performance and not as good as dedicated winter tire. But all around is very good.

cerbomark

For sure, I don t drive my car in snow so the DWS are really just for the sub freezing weather we have for months...

malahhaor

If I didn't have to worry about snow, I would do just that.
Maybe even run them all year round since I almost never push it too hard.

John in Bismarck

Our Carrera rides a lot better in cold weather with Bridgestone all seasons than it did on Michelin PS2's. I don't drive it in the snow (that's what our Cayenne is for) but like to be able to drive safely when it's below 45, which can be 9 months around here. The 997 is really a good cold weather car, with heated seats and an excellent heater. It's supposed to be below zero tonight but the roads are clear, and I hope to drive it tomorrow, if the garage door isn't frozen shut.