Quote:
Originally Posted by c4racer
you certainly do give up some grip. But I don't think it creates a dangerous situation. Not on the order of running summers or even all seasons (no seasons!!) in the winter anyway. I run them until the rainy season is mostly over because my summer tires are pretty dicey in heavy rain. And we get some warm days in there. Never noticed an issue with grip although I am not trying to lay down top time of day on an autox course or anything  |
A good summer or all-season tire should handle heavy rain just fine. My Pirelli Scorpion Zeros are good and my old Toyo S/T's were fantastic in the rain. I have never driven a vehicle in the rain with as much confidence as the X5 on those old Toyo's. Among many other reasons, your winter's may have felt better in the rain because they are much skinnier than your summer tires.
Running winter tires in summer creates a dangerous situation as the heat causes them to become even softer than they were designed to be run. This causes longer stopping distances and reduced handling capabilities.