Has anyone drove with the OE factory Michelin pilot sport 4 tires all winter. Not necessarily in snow but in cold or freezing temps wet and dry? If so how did they react?
Get ready for two groups.
The “I drive in snow and ice and y’all suck for buying winter tires”.
mans the “I always get winter tires”
just know... these turn to hockey pucks near freezing.
Probably not needed in lower states.
but I have two thoughts.
1) I don’t hoon in winter and hate wasting very expensive tire tread in winter.
2) winter tires are cheap (as are a lot of wheels). Cheap insurance in case you do hit bad conditions. While ice is the great equalizer... winter tires when babied will perform on ice better than summer tires...
Bottom line. This is the biggest/never ending topic next to “what’s the best exhaust”.
Do your own research and decide yourself. You won’t get magical insight here. Just arguing.
The softer the tire, the more it is affected by cold. I'm going to run my summers this winter and i'll report back how they perform. I've never run a true 'snow' tire, but have certainly had my fair share of all seasons. Those are also still sh*t in the snow. Just take it slow and let them warm up.. at least this is what I keep telling myself.
I live in Las Vegas, NV. I used the Mich 4's all year round. They are affected by the cold to some degree (probably not a surprise). I did have issues when it rained and when it snowed (I know, crazy madness here in Vegas). As a matter of fact we drove my wife's car those few days when it snowed (VW Jetta) because I didn't want to create unnecessary madness in my life. I recently purchased the Conti DWS06's for year round driving. We'll see how it goes.
I was amazed how well they worked in the upper 20s. I didn't get any colder than that and Michelin has warnings about not using them under 20 even and gives directions on warming them slowly and not driving if you hit that temp.
But many summer tires get hard and the 4s still had great grip at 28 degrees.
Did get stuck driving in one snow where there were a few inches and several cars in the ditch and I made it through. Wouldn't recommend using them in snow but it got me through one unexpected snow.
I drove around a track at freezing temps with ice and slush and was amazed at how well they performed. I wouldn't try it with anything less than 50% tread left but the car and stability control kept me on track. Lots of cars spun off and one AMG was wearing winter tires. It was great to experience the limits of the car and tires in those conditions. I drove home completely confident that I would be able to stop and handle the precipitation. Mine is AWD though. Might have been different if RWD.
I drove around a track at freezing temps with ice and slush and was amazed at how well they performed. I wouldn't try it with anything less than 50% tread left but the car and stability control kept me on track. Lots of cars spun off and one AMG was wearing winter tires. It was great to experience the limits of the car and tires in those conditions. I drove home completely confident that I would be able to stop and handle the precipitation. Mine is AWD though. Might have been different if RWD.
AWD wont help you stop any better than RWD , I had these on a 5 series BMW ( RWD) and literally was stuck in a flat parking lot ....................very dangerous if any ice or snow is prevalent
Has anyone drove with the OE factory Michelin pilot sport 4 tires all winter. Not necessarily in snow but in cold or freezing temps wet and dry? If so how did they react?
@Gordo did, two winters ago. He described how he slid to the bottom of "his" hill on the way to work; but that was a morning of fresh snow (iirc, a couple of inches). Any snow layer at or below freezing is going to be dicey at best on Michelin summer tires.
Dry roads are okay, as long as you take into account the increasingly hard tread the colder it is. Above freezing but below the recommended 40F, these tires are not going to grip as well as "advertised." But they are not dangerous if you accept that you should curb your enthusiasm. At or below freezing, this is even more true. But you're not going to tear chunks out of the tread (as in the horror pictures posted online and here last year) unless you act like its "hooning weather" and do burnouts or try to corner as if you're tracking your car. If you "just drive the damn car, don't try and stand it on its bloody ear", then frozen but dry conditions will produce a harder ride, and a louder ride (reminding you that you are "breaking the rules"); but safety shouldn't be an issue.
I will not drive on my PS 4S this winter: I stayed off the PS 4 last winter. But after talking to "my tire guys" about this, I am not actively afraid anymore of driving at or below freezing, as long as the roads are dry. Now, in the "Great White North", i.e. anywhere that it routinely gets into the teens and lower as a high, this caveat becomes moot: the colder it gets (no matter how dry) the harder the summer compound gets: and of course the worse the ride gets and the more risky.
AWD wont help you stop any better than RWD , I had these on a 5 series BMW ( RWD) and literally was stuck in a flat parking lot ....................very dangerous if any ice or snow is prevalent
He did imply cornering/traction was surprisingly good. Stopping on any surface at or near freezing no matter how dry should be conducted with extra care and precaution. As @nhcowboy28 said, just don't hoon in the winter.
AWD wont help you stop any better than RWD , I had these on a 5 series BMW ( RWD) and literally was stuck in a flat parking lot ....................very dangerous if any ice or snow is prevalent
I live in Canada, I think I know AWD doesn't help you stop, but a good set of tires do, that is why I mentioned the caveat on fresh tires. I cant say how the MPS4 will handle once worn. Anyway some photos from that track day.
I guess Stinger > than BMW 5 series. And Audi TT .
He described how he slid to the bottom of "his" hill on the way to work; but that was a morning of fresh snow (iirc, a couple of inches). Any snow layer at or below freezing is going to be dicey at best on Michelin summer tires.
