PSA: Wet leaves SUCK

[stephen wilson]

I've done it for 6-7 years with no ill effects. Do you see Porsche dealers putting every car in a heated garage for the winter, and forbidding test drives.....I don't think so. The article even characterized the cracks as "cosmetic", and I'm generally not driving it in sub 20° temperatures.

[Fyeganeh]

The consumer reports article says:

If you own a car with summer tires, refrain from using it at all in cold temperatures as the tires may crack. Leave it parked. Beyond cracking concerns, summer tires have diminished grip below 40º F on dry and wet roads and virtually little to no grip on snow and ice.

The cracking is characterized as cosmetic, but in our experience any cracking shouldn’t be taken lightly as it can evolve over time.

[Jamesp]

I've almost always used "all season" tires when I drove through winter. Used winter tires only one winter. Man were they noisy! No difference than all season from my experience other than the noise. The car goes sideways just as easily. "Summer" only tires? I never knew there was such an animal. Guess I've got to get out more often.

[Fyeganeh]

The high performance tires that most of us put on Boxsters are summer tires - they are optimized for high speed maximum traction and high wall strength for turning in warm temperatures.

Yeah I didn't realize all this until a few years ago and I've had my Boxster for 16 years... I thought the same - that the traction is not the greatest in the winter because it's not an all season tire, but I didn't realize that it could actually be dangerous and I've had three close calls during cold weather due to poor traction and not being aware.