Ultra High Perf. All-Season Vs. Max Perf. Summer Tires

[ekam]

You're making a compromise with these all-seasons tires. It'll give you adequate summer/winter traction no doubt.

It's not how fast they'll wear out - think of the safety aspect, you'll definitely get worse braking distance for sure.

You have to realize your driving style plays a big part on how long tires last - the tread wear rating is just one value from the whole formula.

Tires IMO are the most important aspect for our cars. Spend the money where it should be spent.

[Samson]

Originally Posted by ekam

It's not how fast they'll wear out - think of the safety aspect, you'll definitely get worse braking distance for sure.

Not always true... for example, in a 50-0 test, here are some numbers:

RE960 Pole Position A/S: Dry- 87.8' Wet- 92.4'
Conti SportContact2: Dry- 88.6' Wet- 96.2'

The cars used were different (e46 vs e90 3-series), but the numbers are still valid for comparison.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Samson

Not always true... for example, in a 50-0 test, here are some numbers:

RE960 Pole Position A/S: Dry- 87.8' Wet- 92.4'
Conti SportContact2: Dry- 88.6' Wet- 96.2'

The cars used were different (e46 vs e90 3-series), but the numbers are still valid for comparison.

Nevermind you pull those comparisons for 2 different vehicles that are weight differently and have different size rotors and pads.

Well guess what? Those tests were done in perfectly warm climate!

Summer & A/S tires freeze when the temperature gets cold. The rubber compound get hard & stiff and you'll loose significant amount of traction.

Snow tires are designed to work in freezing temperature, therefore will work at advertised at its optimal temp. range.

husker boxster:
I guess people like us have learned our lesson, I agree with what you said 100%.


And today I learned people actually put all-season tires on their Porsche. What's next, take your Porsche to Midas to do brake service to take advantage of their lifetime guarantee so you'll never have to pay for brake pads again??

[Samson]

Originally Posted by ekam

Nevermind you pull those comparisons for 2 different vehicles that are weight differently and have different size rotors and pads.

Well guess what? Those tests were done in perfectly warm climate!

Summer & A/S tires freeze when the temperature gets cold. The rubber compound get hard & stiff and you'll loose significant amount of traction.

Snow tires are designed to work in freezing temperature, therefore will work at advertised at its optimal temp. range.

When it comes down to it, both cars have very similar braking systems... but that isn't the comparison here. Both systems are more than capable of locking the wheels, yes? Both have very similar ABS setups. Both are within 100lbs of each other. What this shows is that there is little to no difference in the grip of these two particular tires when it comes to braking. Yes, it is a limited test, but it's just an example.

Regarding the freezing, true... tires freeze. All-season tires, however, have a lower freeze point, if you will.

That said, I agree that snows/summers are the way to go (which is why I have both Winter Sport 3Ds and Ecsta SPTs for the IS300). But, some people don't want to mess with or pay for that luxury, and that's where the all-season tire fits in.

Regarding the Midas comparison... it isn't like a Pilot A/S is a multi-mile grand touring tire from WalMart. It's a very high quality solution to this particular problem.

[Mike_Yi]

It seems to me that tire wear should be of little concern to you because it's only going to be a weekend driver. So you'll put on something like 2-3000 miles per year? A 10,000 mile tire will last you 5 years.