Major Rant

[bhennrich]

Originally Posted by Helihover

Exactly!

My main reason for going with a summer tire year round, here where I live. Yes there will be 2 months or so of occasional wet weather under 40*, but it just doesn't warrant running two sets of tires. We get a ton of rain here and most of the time it is above 40*, so I feel the DW extreme is a perfect choice for my climate zone, year round.

P.S. Living in Oregon has put a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to studded tires. It makes driving in the rain worse.... It rains waay more here than it snows....

I disagree,

I run Continental DWS 06 on style 87 staggered 20's and they are amazing for most things... But they are WAY to wide for snow or ice! I run a set of 235/65-17 Cooper M+S fully studded for winter. Have never experienced them to have a loss of steering in the rain. And last Monday morning when Portland was covered in a sheet of ice I could safely get around. I run Hankook iCept iZ's on my E36 M3 and they are awesome in snow and rain, but NOTHING can handle ICE like a good set of fully studded tires. My wife and I have to transport our two children safely no matter the weather and studs is the safest option...

[Helihover]

Ya last Monday I stayed home

My all seasons on my X however had no problems on Sunday! And if I do, I have chains.

The summers are going on my DD, the Z. The X is my back up.

[bhennrich]

Another BIG reason I switch out in winter (beyond the largest reason of safety) is my set of studded tires cost $890 M&B with studding, and my DWS's cost $1400 M&B. Add that to the fact I can not run chains on a 315/35-20, and the camber DESTROYING wide rear tires and...MASSIVE COST SAVINGS. I also travel to the mountain for skiing a lot, and it seems that when we do get "winter weather" in the Portland area it comes in the form of an ice storm

[Helihover]

Hey to each there own. I don't drive on ice. I sit home and drink coffee and play with kids!

[TiAgX5]

I'm with Helihover.

If the X is driven regularly in rain under 40deg, the 18s with all season tires replace the stagger 19s with summer tires. Ice snow, X stays in the garage and I drive the beater/dog hauler Accord with all season tires (2 yrs newer then the X with 1/2 the miles).

[Clockwork]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

When I started looking into design/geometry/material trade-offs tire designers have to deal with to optimize for climate/surfaces, I gained a whole new respect for the process. The science/physics are staggering!

I 100% agree. Tires really are amazing equipment and choice is vital for the most performance from a certain limit nd of vehicle for a certain kind of weather/climate. So much science goes into making performance (winters or summers)

[jfoj]

Tires make all the difference except when it is icy. Also some conditions where there is no ice on the road, but the road is covered with snow it can basically turn to ice with the pressure of the tires on the snow. Usually when there is 1/2" or less.

My X came with Continental DWS tires, staggered, and I have a 4.8l. No problems in the snow last year for me. I was really surprised how well the DWS worked. I am sure there are dedicated snows that may be better than the DWS, but I was happy with them.

Anytime the roads look questionable, I test them. Pull out of the driveway and make sure no traffic is around. I stab the brakes a few times to figure out what the road conditions are and how the vehicle will handle before I even get a few houses away from where I start.

My wife's E46 came with Continental Ultra High Performance Summer tires or something like that an it was rather scary to drive in the snow with those tires. They did not last long, compound too soft anyway, so I moved onto some decent Michelin All Seasons and it has been MUCH better.

Best to hit the tire rack web site and look at comments and reviews. You probably not need dedicated winter tires and wheels, you just need something far more suited for where you live and will be better in the snow.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by jfoj

I moved onto some decent Michelin All Seasons and it has been MUCH better.

Had my fresh out of college niece put on the Michelin all seasons a couple of weeks ago with her xmas money (she lives in Flagstaff). Good thing, they got 30" of snow last week and her little accord handled it no problem (old tires were all season generic POS'). She's starting to understand that her "car guy" uncle knows his stuff.