PSA: Wet leaves SUCK

[Jim Rockford]

This is a valuable post, thanks to the OP.

Leaves on the road can create tragic results. I know of an instance through another forum where the outcome ended up fatal.

I actually just went for a good fall drive myself and I didn't think of it at the time but this post serves as a good reminder.

[stephen wilson]

Sand & Gravel can have the same effect. I have to be careful driving in PA in the spring, they use gravel/cinders with the salt when they treat the roads. This is especially bad on a motorcycle......

[Fyeganeh]

What was the ambient temperature and was he driving summer tires? Anything below 45-40F and he may have lost traction from the tires not being right for the weather. The leaves may not have been the problem.

I just had my oil changed at an indie mechanic and just decided to ask about summer tires in the winter and the guy at the desk and one of the mechanics had no clue. They said you could use them in the winter - no problem. They said there was no potential to damage the tire and the traction is based on the grooves so don't use them in the snow but don't worry about the cold! They were clueless!

Seriously dangerous advice! I didn't know about this until two years ago and had multiple poor traction stories. Luckily I avoided driving my Boxster in the winter due to salt and knew I had poor traction in the snow. But I didn't realize the performance tires I had were summer only and had such poor traction below 40F.

[stephen wilson]

I drive on my summer tires in the winter, as long as there is no frost or snow. It's not that big a deal, as long as you respect the lower traction limits and don't drive like you would in warm weather. It still has more traction than almost every SUV out there, and many cars.

[Fyeganeh]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

I drive on my summer tires in the winter, as long as there is no frost or snow. It's not that big a deal, as long as you respect the lower traction limits and don't drive like you would in warm weather. It still has more traction than almost every SUV out there, and many cars.

You may want to research this more.... From what I've read and from experience that is a bad idea and could be very dangerous. Any other opinions or experience from others?