Is it really that bad ??

[Hoosteen]

Hey I'm about to order some rims.... However, I'm choosing my tire now.... I'm thinking about going with the Falken Azenis or the Toyo T1S....

Now I don't want to have to buy separate rims/tires for winter use.... thus I just want to buy some rims slap on these tires and be good all year long. I live in Sacramento, CA... no snow.... just cold wet weather in the winter. Will it be THAT bad to buy these "summer" tires and keep em on in the winter? I don't plan on driving my 6 into the snow... (i'll take my gf's).

[Sigma]

As long as you're not dealing with truly winter weather it won't be that bad. I've driven on summer performance tires of various type (Hankook, Nitto, Falken, and Toyo) for years in North Texas, which has its' share of ice storms, and have never had any significant problems at all.

They're not all-seasons, that's for sure, but you're not likely to kill yourself either as long as you know the limitations of your car and don't do anything stupid. Just remember that it not only weather that affects performance tires but the cold. What you can do in the summer on warm pavement is quite a bit different than what you can do on cold rubber. Don't try the same aggressive maneuvers in January as August and you'll be fine.

[Stretch]

Hoosteen: you're in CA, how bad could winter be? Go for summer tires.

Azenis do really well in mild and cool weather. If even the smallest amount of snow hits the ground, however, stay home.

[Tire Guy]

Go with the T1-S and avoid trips to Tahoe in the winter. Wet traction is a function of the size and shape of the tread grooves, so summer tires can still have excellent wet traction. The T1-S in particular has a silica-reinforced tread compound, which enhances wet traction.

The difference is that the tire does not have other tread elements (siping and smaller size/shape as well as all-season compounding) that help all-season tires perform in sub-freezing and snowy conditions. The conditions you'll encounter in Sacramento will likely not stifle performance of the T1-S. Just use caution when road conditions are sub-40 degrees and allow the tires to warm up before driving aggressively.

[crossbow]

I found that overall traction with the T1-S's dropped significantly below 40F. When temps dropped below freezing, the car no longer felt as responsive, and seemed to float a little.

Snow tires on the otherhand, actually IMPROVE the colder it gets. Which is pretty stark in comparison to the summer performance.

Seeing that a few friends the last couple days were unable to leave their parkinglots/driveways because of summer performance tires (it snowed 4-8 inches)...I'd run a dual set if you were expecting a wintery mix. You can easily pick up a second set of rims relatively inexpenisvely. Just search the forums, or ebay. I snagged a set of rx8 16's for around 250 myself...now I have a set for winter and a set for summer. Much better then running all-seasons .

[Tire Guy]

crossbow, read hoosteen's first post! He lives in Sacramento and does not encounter any snow.

Of course your friends would be stuck in the snow with summer tires! They aren't worth a flip in the snow (and they're not supposed to be!).

I found that overall traction with the T1-S's dropped significantly below 40F

Again, that's why I recommended him warming up the tires first. Remember, he lives in Sacramento. If he lived in North Dakota, I would have suggested he switch to winter tires! If there was snow on the ground and the temp was 38 degrees, no amount of driving would likely warm up the T1-S to allow it to have good traction. It's simply not made to go in the snow.

However, based on the information in his first post (and my suggestions are directed at his specific driving conditions) the T1-S makes good sense, even in Sacramento's mild winter conditions.

[cajunautoxer]

for grip you can't beat the azenis. PERIOD END OF STORY! but depending on how much you drive and how aggressive by the time winter comes you may need another set anyway. i've heard they can last up to 18,000 miles with 20 to 30 autoxs on a lowered car.

[crossbow]

Aye Toyo,

I know, I was just relating my experience with summer tires in the winter . If the weather gets bad enough to warrant looking at all-seasons with good snow traction, you should just get a second set of rims and run snow tires.

Best of both worlds. One set snow, one set performance summer. Can't go wrong .

Cajun, You can, but it usually involves the letter R.

[cajunautoxer]

i know but he was stating that he didn't want two set of tires so diffenitly race tires are out of the question. i do know this dentist that never takes his hoosiers off the s2000.

[mbrogz3000]

this is what I'm doing next year...got stuck in my apartment driveway trying to backup into my garage...stupid michelians...