Summer vs. All Season vs. Winter Tires

[SlimKlim]

Let's beat this dead horse a little bit more. My daily driver is currently on Yoko S-Drives, I made it through last winter just fine, provided I drove extra-carefully in rain/freezing rain conditions. However, once snow got on the ground, a RWD ~3,400lb car on 245s just isn't going to do much in the snow. (To Ken's delight).

However, back in snowpocalypse 2010 I drove the very same car on 235 all seasons from my job in Roanoke 30 miles to my parents house in Bedford. It took 3 hours, and I had to treat the pedals like glass, but I chugged right along with my 4" of ground clearance and RWD on all-seasons past all the AWD SUVs in the ditch. I'm planning on suffering through another winter on summer tires. I've got the option to work from home if I need it, and we live in a dense population area so it won't be like waiting for them to clear the roads in Bedford. I can always ride with Jake too.

The reason I'm bringing this up is for my Girlfriend's car. She's got that 540i on 235/255 Hankook Ventus summer tires. On saturday when it was raining and nasty out, she was heavily engaging traction control starting off from stop lights. If I was daily driving the car, I'd probably have the same approach I do with the M3, whatever I can make it through. With her though, she's never had the experience of driving on summer tires in the winter, and I've told her how to adjust her driving style, increased braking distances, using the pedals softly, etc, but she still hasn't had the experience of sliding around in a car like we all have, so I don't know if she'll know how to react. Luckily she does have traction control and ABS, but those are just aids, and can't stop her on snow and ice.

She's a little worried about it too, she drives 1hr each way to work on 95. We've discussed getting winter tires, but that would involve another set of wheels, which she doesn't really want to invest in. I'm thinking about moving to a good, decent performing (meh), good treadwear all season, and buying them now, keeping her hankooks (with over 50% tread left) to save and try to sell in the spring.

What I'm wondering, is if the difference in cold weather performance between a road-car summer tire, and an all-season are drastic enough to justify the cost. Clearly they aren't going to perform as well as a winter tire, but the winter tires are an easy $500, and would require another set of wheels for ~$400, which is more than she's wanting to spend. She could get a set of Kuhmo all-seasons for $450, she has a free alignment waiting for her at her shop in Fredericksburg, so it'd just be $100 to mount and balance them. Then in the spring she can hopefully get ~$200 back for those perfectly good hankooks, so it's really not all that expensive to make the switch. Any thoughts on the best course of action to keep her on the road this winter and out of a guard rail?

[Apoc]

I've had AS on my last few cars and will never drive anything but anymore. I put AS on my wife's car too with no issues for either of us. The ones they're making these days are much, much better than they used to be and a lot better than summer tires in crap weather. I don't even think they're worth swapping out in the summer. I mean, how much grip do you need on the streets?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS">http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS</a><!-- m -->

[JustinG]

All Seasons = Better all around for a DD, typically quieter, better ride, more traction in snow/ice. Especially in this situation, when the car is never going to be autoxd, tracked, pushed to its limits on da streetz yo. I think its a no brainer, don't really see the point in running summer only tires on DDs, unless its your Summer car. Plus does she have to run a staggered setup? I assume so, due to wheel width?

If the snow/ice is bad enough here, where a decent set of AS tires won't get you where you want to go, you need to keep your ass home. I dont think Winters are needed in our area considering the 2 maybe 3 times a year where we get enough snow to make AS tires useless.

FYI, I was very impressed with Kumho ASX I had on the GSX, never had an issue getting where I wanted to go caused by traction. Ground clearance was another story.

[.RJ]

Take a look on craigslist in the DC area, maybe you can find some BMW wheels with winter tires already mounted for cheap - would be way easier than anything else.

[.RJ]

Like this - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/2672992616.html">http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/2672992616.html</a><!-- m -->

[BLINGMW]

What I'm wondering, is if the difference in cold weather performance between a road-car summer tire, and an all-season are drastic enough to justify the cost.

I would say it's a pretty noticeable difference yes. I haven't bought a "summer" tire in a long time because of this. And unless it needs to be used for motorsport, decent AS tires aren't going to leave you missing the summer tires.

I like RJ's idea. Perfect.

[Apoc]

Take a look on craigslist in the DC area, maybe you can find some BMW wheels with winter tires already mounted for cheap - would be way easier than anything else.

Until you gotta swap them twice a year and store the set you aren't using.

less crap + less effort = good

[SlimKlim]

Sounds like the move to A/S is a pretty good idea. Yeah, this car only sees the limit every once in a blue moon when I turn off traction control and have a little fun. She does like to jump on the gas pedal at stoplights, probably explains why she gets about 3 gallons to the mile.

Take a look on craigslist in the DC area, maybe you can find some BMW wheels with winter tires already mounted for cheap - would be way easier than anything else.

That's originally what I was thinking, but she's got a 540i sport with the big fuggin brakes, and I'm 100% sure you can't fit a 15in wheel, and I'm skeptical about 16s as well. (Hell, there are only certain custom made 16s reps that will fit over my m3 brakes) So the possible options get a lot more expensive.

Yeah, the wheels are a staggered fitment, so she needs a 235/255. I think I'll read some reviews of the available tires and try to get an idea how of how much we could get for her perfectly good summers, even if we have to wait till spring to sell them.

I'd like to make the switch myself now that the M3 isn't being used for track or autox, but it's probably not going to happen for this winter. I might run these tires down to the bone, sell my 17x9s and buy 17x8s or 18x8s and wrap some fresh all seasons around them next year sometime. The car wasn't as responsive on the Kuhmo ASXs I had for a while, but it still handled fine, got me home in the snow, and I can get the tires spinning easier when I slam 2nd, so it's not all that bad.

[.RJ]

You probably dont need staggered tires for winter, and narrower will be better. I figured it would be a cheap easy button rather than buying new tires if the wheels will clear the brakes. I just searched for 'bmw winter' in craigslist auto parts and there were a whole bunch of hits.

[SlimKlim]

You probably dont need staggered tires for winter, and narrower will be better. I figured it would be a cheap easy button rather than buying new tires if the wheels will clear the brakes. I just searched for 'bmw winter' in craigslist auto parts and there were a whole bunch of hits.

Yeah I agree on all counts. Its the first thing I went to, but I think in reality for this situation its a little cost prohibitive. In retrospect we probably should've bought a 530i Sport. Better mileage on the highway, almost the same appearance, less finicky than the V8, and we'd have more options in this situation.

Then again, she's addicted to her go-pedal so much that I can't decide if it makes me proud or nervous, and that wall of torque almost makes up for the fact that its an automatic. I'm seriously considering buying an E38 with the same drivetrain as my DD car in a year or two. So pimpy and perfect on the highway, totally makes up for the gas-binging and electronic finickyness.

[Goodspeed]

You could mount/dismount winter tires before and after the season on her OE wheels - no need for an extra set if budget is a concern :dunno:

Or, Autosocks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYjIDvSdzHQ

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/auto...tosock.jsp

[Apoc]

Yeah, cause mounting twice a year is cheap.

[.RJ]

In harrisonburg it is :lol:

[Jake]

The problem with a lot of the generic "BMW wheels/snows" that you can find on CL is that they won't fit an E39 properly. The E39's have a different hub bore than 99% of other BMWs from the 80s to mid-00s. The link from RJ would be perrrrfect for my E34 though. I wonder if $200 would let me walk with them.

Glad to hear Justin had good times with the Kumho ASXs. That's what I have on the E34 right now and was getting a bit of sideways action on Saturday evening in heavy rain as soon as I got too heavy on the fun pedal. I guess I should drive slower.

[SlimKlim]

Yeah, cause mounting twice a year is cheap.

Yeah, I don't want her to have to keep switching back and forth at $100 a pop. I think the accepted plan is to buy some good all seasons now, and attempt to sell the Summers. I'll just keep some threads going for them, but I want her to be ready to wait until next summer to actually sell them, or not sell them at all. She has a free alignment saved up, so we can get her into some Kuhmo ASXs for a grand total of like $550, which seems pretty reasonable. And they are 420 TW, so she shouldn't have to worry about them for quite a while.

[JPolen01]

The problem with a lot of the generic "BMW wheels/snows" that you can find on CL is that they won't fit an E39 properly. The E39's have a different hub bore than 99% of other BMWs from the 80s to mid-00s.

Easily fixed with hub rings. $30 including shipping and you are good to go. <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nlmotoring.com">www.nlmotoring.com</a><!-- w --> if you are lazy or search around for a better deal.

[Apoc]

Kuhmo ASXs for a grand total of like $550, which seems pretty reasonable. And they are 420 TW, so she shouldn't have to worry about them for quite a while.

This. Buy tires that will be on the car 365 days/year for 3-5 years. Easy Button.