All Season Tires - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

masonsisland · 07-13-2007, 10:36 AM

I am considering running Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Postion tires on my 04 Boxter S ..... my rims are 18" ..... has anyone any experience with this tire? ... I live in CT, am not a "hard charger", do not anticipate much foul weather driving, do not want to have to do seasonal tire changes but do want to drive in sub 45 degree weather ... am open to suggestions ...

Perfectlap · 07-13-2007, 11:09 AM

well I'm in your neck of the woods and I'll tell you right now all season will not cut it. My advice is to order some Carrera 5 spoke replicas for $800 and get a set of decent snow tires $600-$800.
I run the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 on my 18" Carrera 5 spoke from May to November and then Pirelli WinterSports the other six months. I plan to order the replicas wheels at the end of the fall and mount my snows to them.

I learned this lesson one night travelling home from NYC to NJ. It was raining when I left the city and within 15 minutes (literally) I was in a completely snow covered rows. That's the North East one minute everything is ok the next minute the car is spinning like Sebastien Loeb on three wheels in the rally of Finland.
Except he can actually steer. It took me nearly half an hour to get from the left lane to the exit and I missed getting crushed by an 18 wheeler by less than two feet. Dumped the car as soon as I got off the exit ramp and there it sat parked for 48 hours.

all season tires are no damn good. Not enough grip in summer and useless in even a half inch of snow.

husker boxster · 07-14-2007, 10:34 AM

I have no knowledge of those particular tires you mention but I can pass along my experience with all seasons on a Box. The first winter I had the Box I bought a set of Kumho's, based on the good reviews on TireRack. They were worthless in anything over 1" of snow. I was able to get around, but it was scary and looking back it was probably stupid. Last year I bought a set of Blizzaks and got around just fine. BTW, I have 18" wheels also.

I was surprised and disappointed with the all seasons. Surprised because I had a set of Firestone all seasons on my previous car (MR2 Sypder - same configuartion as the Box) that worked great. Were the Kumhos not a good tire? Applying a little logic, it came to me. Building a good 15" all season snow tire that can go 100-110mph is possible. Building an 18" tire that can go 150mph and go through the snow isn't so easy. If the tire companies have to choose between performance or snow ability in an all season, they're going to err on the performance side since these tires (especially 18's) are going on a high performance vehicle. A snow tire like the Blizzak doesn't try to live this dual lifestyle, so they can concentrate on making it good in the snow.

You really only have 2 choices in winter: buy an extra set of wheels for snows or leave your Box in the garage. I chose the winter tire route because I drive mine every day and I don't want to have a heart attack every time I see a snow flake in the air. With the lousy weather forecasting we have around here, I don't want to get caught out somewhere and not get home. The Blizzaks give me that peace of mind.

Hope this helps in your decision.

FrayAdjacent · 07-14-2007, 10:56 AM

I think if you live in a climate where it gets COLD and you sometimes get SNOW, you should invest in a set of extra wheels, and use snow tires during the cold season. When it warms up, switch back to your summer tires.

I'm thankful I live in an area where I can drive the same car on the same tires year round!

Paul · 07-14-2007, 05:43 PM

I have winter tires on 16 inch wheels for my 01 (won't fit an S). However, we are planning to drive from WI to FL for Rennsport III in early Nov, so I am thinking about all season tires for the trip.

I put a set of Kumho A/S tires on my wife's Audi TT Quattro last winter (used Dunlop Winter Sports M2 previously) and she raved about them. I was about to order these in a 17 inch size, but now you guys have me wondering....

986sport · 07-15-2007, 08:23 AM

I was in same position, and bought the Kumho ASX all-seasons. They seem to be settling down after 700 miles or so into a nice tire. A bit stiffer ride than a summer tire. Excellent gas mileage. I had to have the fronts switched--there was some drift to the right. Seemed to have worked. Quieter now, as well.

I don't know if the Bridgestones are asymmetric. They should be with a Boxster.

Porsche and BMW don't put all-season tires on their new cars in northern climates. I think they should as an option--especially BMW.

YellowPorscheMan2002 · 07-15-2007, 11:58 AM

Dude,

I had to be the harbinger of bad news, but all season tires are NOT the answer. If you are going to risk driving a sports car in the winter, you gotta buy winter tires. Also, I would cut down to the smallest tire size you can get on the car, exact opposite of what you want for summer.

Paul · 07-15-2007, 01:57 PM

So you are suggesting that I change over half way to and from Florida? Not very practical!

blue2000s · 07-15-2007, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by husker boxster

I have no knowledge of those particular tires you mention but I can pass along my experience with all seasons on a Box. The first winter I had the Box I bought a set of Kumho's, based on the good reviews on TireRack. They were worthless in anything over 1" of snow. I was able to get around, but it was scary and looking back it was probably stupid. Last year I bought a set of Blizzaks and got around just fine. BTW, I have 18" wheels also.

I was surprised and disappointed with the all seasons. Surprised because I had a set of Firestone all seasons on my previous car (MR2 Sypder - same configuartion as the Box) that worked great. Were the Kumhos not a good tire? Applying a little logic, it came to me. Building a good 15" all season snow tire that can go 100-110mph is possible. Building an 18" tire that can go 150mph and go through the snow isn't so easy. If the tire companies have to choose between performance or snow ability in an all season, they're going to err on the performance side since these tires (especially 18's) are going on a high performance vehicle. A snow tire like the Blizzak doesn't try to live this dual lifestyle, so they can concentrate on making it good in the snow.

You really only have 2 choices in winter: buy an extra set of wheels for snows or leave your Box in the garage. I chose the winter tire route because I drive mine every day and I don't want to have a heart attack every time I see a snow flake in the air. With the lousy weather forecasting we have around here, I don't want to get caught out somewhere and not get home. The Blizzaks give me that peace of mind.

Hope this helps in your decision.

Traction is typically better in snow with a more narrow treadwidth. It helps to increase the pressure on the snow and compact it. For the same reason, a heavier car will get better traction. In addition, more torque will make it harder to "hook up" with the road.

Dr. Kill · 07-15-2007, 04:22 PM

I concur - a second set of wheels with snow tires is worth the hassel. I would recommend calling Tire Rack. They hooked me up with a set of wheels and tires that was not on their website and the price was better than I had hoped. With those, I surived weekly commutes to, and daily traffic in, Buffalo. If it works there, it should work well where you are too. Good luck!

Paul · 07-15-2007, 06:50 PM

Ok guys I'll say it again, I have a set of snow tires on wheels and a set of summer tires on wheels.

How does this help me drive a car from WI to FL in Nov?

986sport · 07-19-2007, 05:05 PM

I switched to Kumho all-seasons on the Boxster I just bought, because I don't drive that much (<7500 mi per year), and I've always had all-seasons on all my cars in SE PA. I don't have to drive in snowstorms, and wait until the roads are plowed. I had all-seasons on my old Z3 for two years, and never had any problem in the winter. And the Boxster, being mid-engined, should have more traction--even with 18" wheels.

The important thing here about all-seasons is temperature--they don't lose their traction in dry or wet roads below 40 F, as summer tires do. True snow tires are mainly used in my area on trucks that need to be out in snowstorms. Funny I can recall 30 years ago when people would put studded snow tires on the rears--not true anymore. Maybe there's less snow. Maybe all-seasons weren't made then. You do want the ones that read "M + S", as the Kumho ASXs do.

djomlas · 07-19-2007, 08:54 PM

or even better chains hehehe, now i love that
im also looking at some All season tires as well...

yeah, temperature sure means a lot, i drove trough the winter on pretty bald summer tires, an well it wasn't fun, but the colder it got the worse off it was.
but when you wanted to have fun in a empty parking lot kinda place it sure was fun.

Perfectlap · 07-19-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul

Ok guys I'll say it again, I have a set of snow tires on wheels and a set of summer tires on wheels.

How does this help me drive a car from WI to FL in Nov?

leave teh summer tires at home and just chalk up the snow tires to travel expenses. The winter tires run fine in warm climates and you'll be ready for any winter surprises.

insite · 07-20-2007, 07:37 AM

i have the 960AS on the G35. they're really great. they're better than most high performance summer tires as far as ultimate grip / sidewall feel goes. good in the rain, too. i would definitely buy them again. WAY more quiet than the Pilot Sports that came off the car.

rick3000 · 07-20-2007, 07:58 AM

I've got a question. I to am preparing my Boxster for the winter, aswell. I've got a few questions that fit into this thread.
Why does everyone recommend an extra set of rims, why not just get the tires changed at a tire shop using your current rims?
What is the difference between using 16" and 17" rims with snow tires (I've got 17"'s)?
Could you run two snow tires on the back and all seasons on the front?
Thanks!

Perfectlap · 07-20-2007, 10:06 AM

well for a snow tire to work its best the narrower the better.
And of course smaller tires are much cheaper and you more choices.
You need the same type on all four corners. The light front end of the car is going to struggle to find traction regardless of what's going on in the back if you go with all seasons in front only. That can be dangerous.

Changing tires is not as expensive as buying a whole new set of wheels/tires but it's still not cheap. Some discount places won't touch an expensive Porsche wheel for fear of scratching the paint with their low end machinery. And the places with the proper machinery can be expensive. A mid level place charged me $170 to mount my Summer tires. They see those 18" Porsche wheels and I see $$$ in their eyes.

blue2000s · 07-20-2007, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

well for a snow tire to work its best the narrower the better.
And of course smaller tires are much cheaper and you more choices.
You need the same type on all four corners. The light front end of the car is going to struggle to find traction regardless of what's going on in the back if you go with all seasons in front only. That can be dangerous.

Changing tires is not as expensive as buying a whole new set of wheels/tires but it's still not cheap. Some discount places won't touch an expensive Porsche wheel for fear of scratching the paint with their low end machinery. And the places with the proper machinery can be expensive. A mid level place charged me $170 to mount my Summer tires. They see those 18" Porsche wheels and I see $$$ in their eyes.

Plus your choices in manufacturer and design of a dedicated snow tire are wider with a smaller diameter wheel. They're more plentiful. And the chances of sliding and running into something with the wheel are greater, damaging a cheaper aftermarket wheel is less fiscally painful than the Porsche parts.

rick3000 · 07-20-2007, 10:03 PM

I know a guy with 16"'s for sale with Pirelli Snow tires, there the boxster 16" rims. Would that work?
Thanks!

djomlas · 07-21-2007, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick3000

I know a guy with 16"'s for sale with Pirelli Snow tires, there the boxster 16" rims. Would that work?
Thanks!

that would work, and smaller 16s usually have smaller diameter tires, which is even better for winter driving, the narrower the better. and if you have a non-s they WILL clear the calipers.