w00zie

My dealer warned me no to drive my GT4 in cold weather (below 10 deg Celsius) as he says my tires could crack in cold weather

Something about the soft compound in the Michelin's and Dunlops

I'm not planning to drive it in sub zero weather but was trying to drive it as much as I can before winter gets here

Anyone else heard this?

RealityGT

I normally would not trust them below 5*C. They literally become hockey pucks and could easily crack.

zedcat

Yes, that's common for R compound tires. Should be in your owners manual too. I think Michelin recommends not driving below 5C for Cup 2s. About 40F. Grip in the colder temps is low. Also don't let the tires get below freezing as then there is a risk of cracking. I've driven Cup 2s on a GT3 down to about 45 to 48F. No issues, just take it easy.

PistolPete

I've heard this too from a Michelin rep during a PCA Tech Tactics seminar in Easton, PA. My car is kept outdoors and while in the past I would drive my Cayman on cold days (32F) with SuperSports if the roads were clear to keep the fluids circulating, I won't be doing that with these tires.

I've heard that the Corvette folks had tires crack from just being in temps that low and not moving but then I realized the Sport Cups they use are probably a different compound because they're run flats.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

sonorous

I originally learned of the issue here: http://www.torquenews.com/106/michel...-move-car-cold I will not be moving my vehicle in any temps below 20F (-7C). It is not worth the risk. It will be in storage anyway but I will wait for a 32F+ day to run it occasionally in the driveway.

PistolPete

Thank you for that link!

focal

I thought i just have to be careful driving with colder weather 3-5C. Didn't know about cracking. I will be putting in storage next week. Glad the car arrived early and I got two weeks with it.

konaforever

Going to store mine during the cold winters here in Boston.

IrishAndy

Not only will the tires become difficult to drive on (45 degrees on the Dunlops is like a skid pan) but the tire warranty is typically invalidated also.

My previous 997 had only 6K miles when I bought it and still wore the factory Pilot sports. They had 90% tread depth left but the sidewalls were covered in hundreds of micro-cracks from the dealer storing it in an unheated warehouse in the winter. The tires looked like they came off of a 50 year old barn find.

Green_Hornet

Are P-Zeros similarly impacted?

cash-man

So what are you guys doing in cold climates that don't have heated garages? Removing the wheels from the car, and supporting the suspension with the car on stands?

IrishAndy

Quite possibly. One way to get a sense is to go to the Tire Rack site and look up the tires. I think they typically have a link to the Manufacturer's warranty. It will say if temps are an issue and what that temp is.

jphughan

F1-style electric tire blankets?

I guess it depends on how cold your climate is. My garage temp is usually very different from outdoor temp simply due to insulation even though it's not climate-controlled, and since Austin never really gets colder than 32 F, I doubt the garage would ever get cold enough for the tires to have an issue just sitting there. But people in the Midwest and Northeast are another story entirely.

Green_Hornet

I have a propane heating system in the garage. It never goes below 40 degrees.
When I had my Lotus I had stacks of track and r compound street tires.

IrishAndy

Insulation alone makes an amazing difference. It can be minus 9 outside and my garage is at 45.

A lot of dealers around here actually offer summer tire/wheel storage as a service for those putting winters on.

PS I was at the Ferrari factory when the Enzo was being made and they used huge skinny alloy wheels with no tires (almost like bicycle wheels) as the method for moving the cars between stations. Somebody should sell something similar for winter storage...