Summer tires in winter?

[ksJoe]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Would a near-bald all-season tire that has poor warm weather traction even when new really have better traction than a new summer tire with a similar tread pattern once it gets cold?


Ohhhh yeah! The bald summer tire will have dramatically better traction.

See this thread.

I had recently gotten a Lexus IS350 (RWD, 306HP sedan), and it snowed a little bit while I was at work.

I didn't realize it had ultra high performance summer tires on the front. They were nearly new. I had been more concerned about the nearly bald all season tires on the back.

But with a tiny bit of snow, it would not stop on level ground with the engine at idle speed. The bald rear tires had enough traction to keep pushing it while the antilock brakes were engaging on the nearly new front summer tires.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: ksJoe
I didn't realize it had ultra high performance summer tires on the front. They were nearly new. I had been more concerned about the nearly bald all season tires on the back.


I now remember that thread. I assume you meant that the bald all-season tires will have better traction?

But who knows what's going on when the electronics kick in. I once drove an AWD Highlander that was useless in snow on OEM all-seasons because of the electronic nannies!

 

[ksJoe]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
I now remember that thread. I assume you meant that the bald all-season tires will have better traction?


Doh! yes, that was my experience.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: ksJoe
But with a tiny bit of snow, it would not stop on level ground with the engine at idle speed. The bald rear tires had enough traction to keep pushing it while the antilock brakes were engaging on the nearly new front summer tires.


I was thinking about this a little more, and it was definitely an electronic issue that prevented you from stopping, not the difference in tires. The rear brakes can easily lock the rear wheels at idle power (possibly even at full power), and with multi-channel ABS the rear brakes should have been able to function no matter what was going on up front. The systems just weren't designed for or capable of dealing with such minimal amounts of traction. You'd have been able to stop if you pulled the ABS fuse, and unless the ABS system is a total hack job, you would have had no trouble stopping with studded winter tires in back and the summer tires up front.

 

[BrianWC]

I know I live in a place where it doesn't get THAT cold, but we do get below freezing fairly frequently in at least December through February. Until a year or so ago, I pretty much never ran anything BUT summer tires b/c they have generally been the cheapest. You're going to have faster wear no matter what season you're in. I never had any cold weather traction issues.