Sport Tires in Snow
10-02-2002, 03:26 PM
#21
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What makes the sport tires unsafe is....
What makes the sport tires inherently unsafe is their tread compound, not their tread depth. You could have a summer tire with full tread depth and -in snow- it would perform about the same as a summer tire with little tread depth. At cold temperatures (near freezing temperatures), summer tire tread compound gets hard and does not grip to much at all.
Can you get by? Maybe. It didn't snow much in the Northeast last season. My brother had the stock summer Pirelli P6000s on his S4 for a few weeks in winter and he managed to get around in some slushy weather - didn't seem to faze him too much. I have Dunlop SP 5000 all-seasons and they worked okay in the snow. But after some slips and slides in them, I decided to buy some winters for the safety and peace of mind. I wanted to have the security of having traction even if I would only use it for only a relatively small percentage of winter. Its not fun having no control of your car. You can get winter tires and wheels for a lot less than a thousand - that seems rather high.
You probably could get around on your summers, especially if it snows but a few days a month. People do it. But it is nice to have the sense of security, knowing that you have the right tires to give you traction during those times that you really need it. Hope that helps and good luck deciding.
Can you get by? Maybe. It didn't snow much in the Northeast last season. My brother had the stock summer Pirelli P6000s on his S4 for a few weeks in winter and he managed to get around in some slushy weather - didn't seem to faze him too much. I have Dunlop SP 5000 all-seasons and they worked okay in the snow. But after some slips and slides in them, I decided to buy some winters for the safety and peace of mind. I wanted to have the security of having traction even if I would only use it for only a relatively small percentage of winter. Its not fun having no control of your car. You can get winter tires and wheels for a lot less than a thousand - that seems rather high.
You probably could get around on your summers, especially if it snows but a few days a month. People do it. But it is nice to have the sense of security, knowing that you have the right tires to give you traction during those times that you really need it. Hope that helps and good luck deciding.
10-02-2002, 03:27 PM
#22
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Oops... forgot something...
A high performance snow tire does not necessarily mean that you can go really fast in snow. It means that you will have traction in snow, but can still drive farily aggressively on dry / wet, or at least more aggressively than Bingo in the SUV next to you with the big knobby tires (which is good once you get past Furry Creek on the way home and want to get past those guys... 
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10-02-2002, 03:48 PM
#25
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Summers S@#$ in snow, the quattro keeps you on the road...
but its needlessly scary. It took me 5 hours to get from Taos, New Mexico to Pagosa Springs, Colorado a drive that usually takes 1.5 in the dry and 3 in snow in a 4wd toyota. The traction control and the quattro did a good job but I would often find myself in the "no warning" slide which kept me driving very slow.
Because of all the snow driving, and cold, the conti sports that came with the car died at 13.5k. I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport Y rated. I've noticed a slight (very slight) loss of dry performance and my one snow day this season got me out of my driveway, something I couldn't do with the conti's.
If you don't want two sets of tires and wheels I recommend the Michelins
Because of all the snow driving, and cold, the conti sports that came with the car died at 13.5k. I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport Y rated. I've noticed a slight (very slight) loss of dry performance and my one snow day this season got me out of my driveway, something I couldn't do with the conti's.
If you don't want two sets of tires and wheels I recommend the Michelins
10-02-2002, 03:59 PM
#27
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So you have quattro, but 4 wheels with no traction will still get you no where...
Remember, 4 x 0 = 0, so please for your own safety and others on the road, get snow tires! Especially you'll be driving up on snow covered mountains and stuff.
YES! get snow tires for snow. Key would here being "snow".
10-02-2002, 06:57 PM
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Your point is a good one...
If you are a skilled driver, you don't need the agressive tread of a winter tire. We drove on summer tires all winter in a place with tons of snow when I was growing up in the olden days.
However, the difference is the compounds used in high performance summer tires. We had "normal" tires back then, not gummy treads designed to maximise grip in warm weather. Unfortunately, the cold alone will degrade the grip dramatically...add in some snow and it is like driving on slicks in the rain. This amazing grip tire suddenly turns to the exact opposite.
Of course a high performance all season won't have that problem, but you will also lose the top 5% of the dry grip.
If you were just tooling around town, I am sure you could get away with the summer tires, being careful at night or when the temps drop. The quattro makes up for a lot.
But if you are going to high elevations where it will be cold, the potential for deep snow mixed with twisty roads...get the proper tires.
I have a similar problem as you: I live in Toronto. Last year we had about 3 days with snow on the streets, but occasionally it gets cold and stays well below freezing for days at a time. I decided to just go for the ultra high performance all seasons so I would know that with quattro, I didn't have to think or worry about any weather or road conditions...I can make it through anything, anywhere.
However, the difference is the compounds used in high performance summer tires. We had "normal" tires back then, not gummy treads designed to maximise grip in warm weather. Unfortunately, the cold alone will degrade the grip dramatically...add in some snow and it is like driving on slicks in the rain. This amazing grip tire suddenly turns to the exact opposite.
Of course a high performance all season won't have that problem, but you will also lose the top 5% of the dry grip.
If you were just tooling around town, I am sure you could get away with the summer tires, being careful at night or when the temps drop. The quattro makes up for a lot.
But if you are going to high elevations where it will be cold, the potential for deep snow mixed with twisty roads...get the proper tires.
I have a similar problem as you: I live in Toronto. Last year we had about 3 days with snow on the streets, but occasionally it gets cold and stays well below freezing for days at a time. I decided to just go for the ultra high performance all seasons so I would know that with quattro, I didn't have to think or worry about any weather or road conditions...I can make it through anything, anywhere.