Originally Posted By: 69GTX
1. Dude....read what I wrote.
You said "I've never heard anyone complaining about it so it's probably not the case." I know what you're saying, but that sentence as-is is a textbook example of a logical fallacy.
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
It concerned selective winter driving....not a DD in daily slush. The OP is not suggesting driving in slush either or even if ambient temps are under 32 deg F. That's no Daily Driver. They should be as selective as needed based on the weather.
All OP said on this point was "I was going to drive the car all winter until it got real messy (snow) this winter." That's not the same thing as "only when it's nice."
If the plan is to drive through the winter until the weather report gets too rough, there WILL be days when there's unexpected moisture on the road. Maybe even ice. Could be from snow that comes unexpectedly in the middle of the day, could be something left over that didn't thaw or run off completely. If you encounter that while you're on max-performance summer tires, you're screwed -- and someone else might be, too.
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
2. No one in this thread has complained about owning a summer toy that sits for most of the winter except for brief maintenance runs....and worrying about "cracking" tires. In fact, I'm the only one that replied in that manner.
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Originally Posted By: 69GTX
3. I own a '99 SS which you could have easily seen in my sig line. 350 hp 6 speed with a fairly stout 1st and 2nd gear. It can easily break loose under spirited driving on dry roads. It's no daily driver nor a Prius.
Nor is it rear-heavy with a back end that can swing like a pendulum when it breaks loose. And it has a massive understeer bias at the limit. The Porsche is much more capable and more controllable on the limit IF you know what you're doing, but also quicker to react and more neutral at the limit.
Again: different car, different tires, different usage. Different ballgame.
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
If the winter is bad this year both the OP's car and mine will be sitting for most of Dec-March. We've been lucky with 3 out of 5 recent mild winters.
Exactly. Lucky. As in, if OP intends to drive the car more often than not, he's rolling the dice.
That's why so many in this thread have recommended winter tires. That would take all of the guesswork (and irresponsibility) out of the equation. There would be no need to wring hands about weather reports, and no need to worry about what was going to happen to the tire compound.