smlporsche

My wife want us to take the Porsche to her company's Christmas party this weekend. The party is about 300 miles away and the weather is calling for the temps to be between 25 and 40 with no percipitation.

I've always thought that the PS2's were classified as summer tires and I am wondering if there are any issues driving them in very cold temps.
Thanks.

Bob Rouleau

Yes they can be driven but the rubber will be very hard and grip will be poor. So stopping and cornering will be far worse than at normal temps. Drive carefully and there is no problem.

Crazy Canuck

I moved my car, on PS2s, out of my garage for a few hours last January. It was cold.

The driveway was covered in snow but it wasn't deep. I got stuck.

smlporsche

Well it turns out it is a moot point.
I'm selling some seats from a S2 that I picked up recently to a guy who lives along the way.
Time for the Denali.
Thanks guys.

brad@tirerack.com

My Miata slid down my driveway in park on PE2's last year, and the PS2's get harder.....

Bob Rouleau

Hi performance street tires freeze at around 40 degrees F. The rubber compounds are optimized for higher temps and they really suck as they get anywhere near the freezing (32 deg) mark. All Season tires (or no seasons as we call them up here are good to around 5 degrees F below which they also "freeze" i.e. become so hard as to lose grip. Real winter tires remain pliable down to -40! On the other hand they will wear out very quickly if driven in warm weather.

Damon, I notice that winter tires now come in different flavors, some optimized for ice some for snow. Some trade off grip in snow and ice for better handling on pavement. Would you care to educate us? Reading the ads hasn't helped me much.

Frino

Have driven on my PS2's down to 15 degrees for the past two winters without any issues. The roads must be clear of any snow/ice with no precipitation in the forecast. Drive carefully and there's no problem.

brad@tirerack.com

We say 45 degrees is the "magic" number. Below that, the tire needs to have a performance winter compound to give you any real reliable grip. Performance all season tires will still grip at freezing temperatures, but only marginally better. Snow tires are the only tires that can really be trusted to get you out of panic situations in freezing temps. I hear "Oh, I'll be careful on them and be OK" all the time. But if someone pulls out in front of you - good luck.

I really don't believe tires to be optimized for snow and some for ice as much as I classify them to be either performance winter or studless ice and snow. Q, S, or T rated tires fall into the studless ice and snow category and include Blizzak WS-60 and DMZ3, Firestone Winterforce, Michelin X-Ice, General Altimax Arctic, Dunlop Graspic, and Goodyear UltrGrip Ice. These tires will provide the best grip in snow and ice conditions as they have the softest and most pliable compounds. These are the softest of the soft, particularly the Q rated ones. They will scrifice ultimate dry day performance, but in when the weather is truly awful, they are the "best tires for the worst conditions". Tires like the Blizzak WS-60 go even farther to incorporate patented different rubber compounds that allow them to out perform studded snow tires - without adding studs. The advancements in today's rubber allows them to be surprisingly better on ice and hardpack than an all season tire would be.

Performance winter tires are tires that still have winter rubber compounds, but they are not as soft as a studless winter tire would be. As a result they will offer better cornering response and turn-in in dry conditions and feel more like all season tires. But when road conditions are truly awful, studless ice and snow tires will be better. Dunlop Winter Sport, Blizzak LM, Pirelli Winter 210 and 240, Michelin Pilot Alpin, and some Goodyear Ultra Grip tires fall into this category.

I hope this helps to make the water a little less muddy! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks.

lowside67

What would you consider a Kumho KW17?