when to switch to summer tires

[nhsjpeterson]

I'm in North Dakota. The snow is gone, but we can still have many nights (and some days) below freezing for several more weeks.

Daytime temps are now around 40-50, so I'd really like to switch now, but is it advisable when the nights will still be in the low 20s? (Granted, most of my driving would be during daytime, but not all of it)

 

[Aarvix]

I'm in Texas.

I usually take my summer tires off when they're worn down and put new summer tires on.

 

[eflyguy]

I'm in North Dakota. The snow is gone, but we can still have many nights (and some days) below freezing for several more weeks.

Daytime temps are now around 40-50, so I'd really like to switch now, but is it advisable when the nights will still be in the low 20s? (Granted, most of my driving would be during daytime, but not all of it)

Is the vehicle garaged? What does the manufacturer of your tires say?

Michelin says you should not even move a vehicle on Pilot 4 Sports if they have been below freezing, until they have been above 40º for 24hrs, or you risk damaging the tires and they might fail in use. Many people ignore that advice.

Note:

Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.
Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Max Performance Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. Compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.

 

[Revvdmedia]

I agree it should definitely be at least 40-50F continuously before switching tires. 2 reasons is potential damage (summer tires can potentially crack in cold weather but this is not a guarantee), plus reduced traction on cold roads.

The other thing to consider is if your area uses gravel or sand on the roads in winter. Summer tires love throwing these things at your fenders, wheel wells, paint on the side of your car....

 

[MerlintheMad]

Summer tires love throwing these things at your fenders, wheel wells, paint on the side of your car....

I think that the more aggressive tread on a winter or A/S tire would pick up more crap and "throw" it than a summer UHP tire.

The newer a tire is the less prone to cracking in any form. So, Michelin et al. are covering their butts with these guidelines/recommendations. A new UHP tire is not going to crack in the cold. Those creepy pics of UHP tires with whole chunks of tread missing because of frozen driving conditions were not new tires by any stretch: they also were likely hooned around with.

I have had my summer tires on since the beginning of the month. It isn't getting down to freezing much anymore (supposed to tonight, coincidentally). I've driven on these tires in the Uintahs with temps down to either side of 20F. No issues. And the grip was pretty good: I was being careful, not testing it. That is just stupid. On an UHP tire in sub par temperatures you should just back off and drive carefully. Those conditions are not the time to try out the tires to see their limits. It is time to wait for the return of 40F plus temperatures. Let the A/S and winter tired cars have their moment of fun being in their element.

 

[eflyguy]

The newer a tire is the less prone to cracking in any form. ... A new UHP tire is not going to crack in the cold.

Sorry, but you are absolutely wrong on both counts. You're welcome to your opinion, and drive on them as you see fit, but don't state it as truth and put other people in danger.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Sorry, but you are absolutely wrong on both counts. You're welcome to your opinion, and drive on them as you see fit, but don't state it as truth and put other people in danger.

I have "my" tire guys who have been in the business for years telling me otherwise. I ran all of this by them several times and they say no trouble; just slow down and don't drive in the snow or on icy roads. Below 20F you start to get into temperatures where tire damage can occur but even then it is rare. Why risk it? If you live in North Dakota that is insanely cold for too much of the year. But if it is getting well above freezing in the daytime the danger is non existent vis-à-vis risk to tire damage. And yes, we are debating opinions. Do what you feel comfortable with.

And absolutely a newer tire is more resilient than an older one. That is why we are advised to change out tires every five or six years, not go by how much tread is left alone.

 

[nhsjpeterson]

so do some people use snow tires in winter, then switch to all-season for early spring, and then to summer tires once the temps are always well above freezing?

 

[Revvdmedia]

I think that the more aggressive tread on a winter or A/S tire would pick up more crap and "throw" it than a summer UHP tire.

Not sure what Utah is like, but if you drove on our roads, you'd see exactly what I'm talking about. I can drive over large stretches of gravel and especially "sand and grit" on any all season tire or winter tire and get minimal kick up onto the body and fender/arches. You'd get an occasional larger rock, which is the flinging you're thinking of. With summer tires, there is something about the compound and the blocky treads that collects this fine grit and just sandblasts your vehicle. I've driven through winter sand laden parking lots in late spring (they don't get cleaned up until May or June here sometimes), even doing speeds like 10km/h, and you can just hear your car literally getting sand blasted when on Michelin Pilot Super Sport (or now, PS4/PS4S). I've experienced this on all cars I have run on proper summer tires. When you park your car after driving on that, you can see the treads with millions of pieces of sand stuck in the blocky tread, this is what gets thrown at the car when driving.

To add insult to injury up here, the city in their supreme genius decided to start filling cracks in the road by laying down some kind of road crush (don't know exactly what it is), driving over it with a steamroller, and leaving the excess debris on the road for weeks at a time. Doing lane changes over this debris, or driving through patches of it on summer tires results in that all too familiar sound of running your car through a sand blaster. It's enough to drive you ballistic.

 

[Revvdmedia]

so do some people use snow tires in winter, then switch to all-season for early spring, and then to summer tires once the temps are always well above freezing?

I think there may be "some" people that do this, but most people with performance cars likely run full winter for winter time and full summer for summer. The game we like to play is "how early can I put the summer tires on, and how late can I take them off," often resulting in a sketchy drive on snowy roads once or twice. Oops.

 

[Hockster]

To add insult to injury up here, the city in their supreme genius decided to start filling cracks in the road by laying down some kind of road crush (don't know exactly what it is), driving over it with a steamroller, and leaving the excess debris on the road for weeks at a time. Doing lane changes over this debris, or driving through patches of it on summer tires results in that all too familiar sound of running your car through a sand blaster. It's enough to drive you ballistic.

That stuff is basically small rock and glue. Why they leave the leftover on the street is beyond me. Probably another way for King Don to drive people into the bike lanes.

 

[Revvdmedia]

That stuff is basically small rock and glue. Why they leave the leftover on the street is beyond me. Probably another way for King Don to drive people into the bike lanes.

For a while I was somewhat convinced they just shovel it into the cracks or potholes and didn't even roll over it. Just let us peasants run over it with our cars, it'll pack down on its own with traffic!

Oh ya and don't idle you car in the winter, because don't worry, the windows will de-ice and defog as soon as you drive off!

 

[Hockster]

The shit gets sprayed into the cracks, which explains the mess, but damn, sweep it up.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Not sure what Utah is like, but if you drove on our roads, you'd see exactly what I'm talking about. I can drive over large stretches of gravel and especially "sand and grit" on any all season tire or winter tire and get minimal kick up onto the body and fender/arches. You'd get an occasional larger rock, which is the flinging you're thinking of. With summer tires, there is something about the compound and the blocky treads that collects this fine grit and just sandblasts your vehicle. I've driven through winter sand laden parking lots in late spring (they don't get cleaned up until May or June here sometimes), even doing speeds like 10km/h, and you can just hear your car literally getting sand blasted when on Michelin Pilot Super Sport (or now, PS4/PS4S). I've experienced this on all cars I have run on proper summer tires. When you park your car after driving on that, you can see the treads with millions of pieces of sand stuck in the blocky tread, this is what gets thrown at the car when driving.

To add insult to injury up here, the city in their supreme genius decided to start filling cracks in the road by laying down some kind of road crush (don't know exactly what it is), driving over it with a steamroller, and leaving the excess debris on the road for weeks at a time. Doing lane changes over this debris, or driving through patches of it on summer tires results in that all too familiar sound of running your car through a sand blaster. It's enough to drive you ballistic.

You've just raised my awareness. Yes, I noticed recently how I hear clicks and ticks at low speed; obviously grit from the road impacting my car. I have had my summer tires back on the last c. three weeks; didn't notice this noise before. So, you are right about the "sandblasting" going on. Is it time to put on those "mud guards"? Those would prevent the rear edges of the wheel wells from getting sandblasted.

 

[Revvdmedia]

You've just raised my awareness. Yes, I noticed recently how I hear clicks and ticks at low speed; obviously grit from the road impacting my car. I have had my summer tires back on the last c. three weeks; didn't notice this noise before. So, you are right about the "sandblasting" going on. Is it time to put on those "mud guards"? Those would prevent the rear edges of the wheel wells from getting sandblasted.

I had the OEM Kia mudguards on mine, and also the mesh in the front fender vents. I didn't notice a substantial amount of damage on the sides of the car after 18 months, only a few bigger rock chips, so they may have both helped.

One area to keep an eye on, it could have just been mine due to fit and finish, but the frontmost edge of both driver side doors (front and rear) at the very bottom were getting hit by rocks. I had 3 chips on the front door and 2 on the rear. I covered this 3" long area with little strips of stone guard on all 4 doors after touching up to keep it from happening. Just to raise some awareness!

 

[Alagos]

Hm.. Here we say from „O“ to „O“ - Ostern - Oktober .. Easter / October

Next days will be rainy with a little snow here (First snow this yeah but I don’t believe there will be snow at all) after it was warm - next week temperatures go up again .. the week after is Easter already .. so .. within the next 2 weeks is my plan, maybe 3-4 weeks until my dealer has time

 

[Yeti]

How bad are the stock performance tires in the snow? Purchased the awd gts in December when my mustang was falling apart. The mustang was absolutely the worst car ever in the snow even with snow tires. Did not have the gts out playing in the snow this year as my winter driver is a 4wd F150. Life happens so I am sure there will be a time when I have to take the gts out in bad weather. I am in the Pittsburgh PA area

 

[MerlintheMad]

How bad are the stock performance tires in the snow? Purchased the awd gts in December when my mustang was falling apart. The mustang was absolutely the worst car ever in the snow even with snow tires. Did not have the gts out playing in the snow this year as my winter driver is a 4wd F150. Life happens so I am sure there will be a time when I have to take the gts out in bad weather. I am in the Pittsburgh PA area

You'll find the AWD with Michelin summer tires surprisingly adept in light to moderate winter conditions. Above freezing road surfaces are controllable enough to be safe, if you don't push to see how far you can push. Drive as if you are on a slick surface, gingerly, and you'll find the AWD does the rest.

 

[Yeti]

Thanks. Bought the awd just in case I need to run it some in the winter. I will be careful and drive it like the mustang not the 4wd truck

 

[MisterMac]

I'm in North Dakota. The snow is gone, but we can still have many nights (and some days) below freezing for several more weeks.

Daytime temps are now around 40-50, so I'd really like to switch now, but is it advisable when the nights will still be in the low 20s? (Granted, most of my driving would be during daytime, but not all of it)

No. Don't run summer tires unless your temps are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, period.

Ignore the opinions. If you really want the truth, research the specific summer tire at the manufacturer site. Then you'll know this is truth