Can you use winter tires all year round

[luxury1]

The box goes through tires pretty quickly so I wondered if I could buy winter tires now and as they wear they would essentially turn into all season with less traction by summer. Handling is not my priority, it is wear and traction.

Also, will winter tires wear excessively in the summer with Northeast temperatures? Besides handling, is there any other downside to this approach?

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by luxury1

The box goes through tires pretty quickly so I wondered if I could buy winter tires now and as they wear they would essentially turn into all season with less traction by summer. Handling is not my priority, it is wear and traction.

Also, will winter tires wear excessively in the summer with Northeast temperatures? Besides handling, is there any other downside to this approach?

I would imagine that the winter tires would wear even faster, but I don't have first hand experience with winters tires on my Boxster. I have used Blizzaks on a few vehicles and their traction and wear stunk...

If you want all season wear and traction, the best thing you can do is buy all season tires. They are designed to be the "best" of all worlds and will have a longer life with reasonable traction.

[Perfectlap]

this my first winter on dedicated winter tires, Pirelli Snowsports. I mounted them back in October, a bit early by I had a puncture to one of my summer tires.
In April I'll put on the Michelin PS and run them until the fall.

I think up here in the North East using all season tires is useless. They are no damn good in the snow and warm weather performance is crap too.

Like Sammy said hot weather and winter tire durability don't mix. I also have doubts about how good the added stress would be for your CV joints and the drive train itself. I know that some 911 owners were being warned by Porsche about putting too many miles at high RPMs on super soft compounds and the possibility of denying warranty claims for using r comps.

[racer_d]

A winter tire is designed to work best in cool to cold weather. Think 40 degrees or less. As such, its performance and wear rates will be severly diminished when used in warmer weather. Plus, you won't be getting all the performance your Boxster can provide, if she's using the wrong "shoes".

Be smart, not cheap, and use the correct tires for the season/weather that you need to drive in. If you are looking for "wear and traction", get the "right" tires. you don't need DOT R comps in the summer, but I am sure a regular "summer tire" vs a "extreme performance summer tire" would have the wear characteristics you want. The fact is you shouldn't expect more than about 25,000 miles out of the rear tires and that may be a "high" number.

[luxury1]

Thanks for all of the great information guys! Do you feel that it is dangerous to drive with summer tires (the continentals that shipped with the car in '05) when the weather is near freezing if there is no snow or ice. For instance, I have to drive 600 miles over the next two days and the weather will be around 37 when I leave in the morning.

Hey Luxury1!

Happy New Year! We have not heard from you in a long time. I hope all is well.

The Porsche tire guide states, "when the tempature drops below 35-40 degrees F, the rubber compounds that provide those extreme levels of grip tend to become stiff and unforgiving. Traction levels off and braking distances increase, even on dry pavement. The tires never reach their operating tempature in cold weather, and unpredictable handling is the result."

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by luxury1

Thanks for all of the great information guys! Do you feel that it is dangerous to drive with summer tires (the continentals that shipped with the car in '05) when the weather is near freezing if there is no snow or ice. For instance, I have to drive 600 miles over the next two days and the weather will be around 37 when I leave in the morning.

It is by no means ideal to drive with summer tires at cold temperatures, but as long as you drive smart, it won't be dangerous. You will have less traction if you need to make an emergency manuever but it's not like you're going to be all over the place. IMHO, I would not make it a long term thing and would get the proper tires for cold weather.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by luxury1

Thanks for all of the great information guys! Do you feel that it is dangerous to drive with summer tires (the continentals that shipped with the car in '05) when the weather is near freezing if there is no snow or ice. For instance, I have to drive 600 miles over the next two days and the weather will be around 37 when I leave in the morning.

I tried something similar once (not 600 miles though) and the weather dropped unexpectedly fast and guess what happened next? Rain that quickly became snow! In a span of less than 50 yards I went from cruising at 50mph to spinning like on dog in a hockey rink. Easily the most dangerous situation I have ever been in. The 4WD cars and trucks(big ones!) sailed right past me as I struggled to keep the car moving in a straight line just to get the car off the interstate. But no before spinning into the barrier and miraculously avoided damage. Somehow I literally drifted down the exit ramp and slid into a parking spot in a residential area. Everything changed in a heart beat. That's winter in the North East.
Now I have my snows and from what I hear the car is excellent on them.