“Can I get by with my Summer tires in snow?”

SDAlexander8

Senior Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
Threads
49
Messages
2,450
Reaction score
2,091
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s)
17’ Si FC3, 17’ Accord 2dr V6 6MT, 22’ RL RTL-E
Country flag
NO. Don’t do it you cheap son of a bitch.

For anyone asking themselves or thinking of making a thread asking whether they need winter tires, please consider watching this man’s videos. Especially if you have summer rubber on your car and think you can tough it out.

You can get by in a good all season if you live somewhere that only sees significant snow maybe 4 days a year. Just drive carefully. FWD is very predictable on snow.

Type R owners: Get a cheap set of 18’s with winter tires. 20” winter tires to go over the stock wheels cost over 400$ per.

Here’s a very informative video of the difference between Michelin’s pinnacle level tires for each category on nothing but snow.

Sponsored

 
Last edited:

Boosted_01_R

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2016
Threads
34
Messages
524
Reaction score
351
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
2020 FC3
Country flag
Saw the title and was like "Jesus, here we go" ? . I went with 18" Michelin Snow this winter and they are very quiet.

If your on a budget, might be able to find a deal on X-ice 3 since they are phased out. Michelin's perform well and are pretty quiet.
 

latole

Civic Lx 2018 Manual , Civic LX 2016 Manual
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Threads
17
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
806
Location
Vaudreuil,Quebec ,Canada
Vehicle(s)
Civic Lx 2018 Manual , Civic LX 2016 Manual
Country flag
Saw the title and was like "Jesus, here we go" ? . I went with 18" Michelin Snow this winter and they are very quiet.

If your on a budget, might be able to find a deal on X-ice 3 since they are phased out. Michelin's perform well and are pretty quiet.

That is what I use, Michelin Ice ( don't remember the exact model) quiet, made for ice and they are good on snow in cold Quebec, Canada winter
 

charleswrivers

Senior Member
First Name
Charles
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Threads
43
Messages
3,736
Reaction score
4,468
Location
Kingsland, GA
Vehicle(s)
'14 Odyssey, '94 300zx, 2001 F-150
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
Yeah… I was about to jump all over this one.

Summer tires may allow you to get the car moving and turn your car into a 3000 lb plastic and metal missile. It will not allow the car to stop effectively or maneuver to avoid other objects on/off road once at speed… even drastically reduced ones compared to a posted speed limit. I kept a set of decent all seasons on a set of old prelude rims with some summers of aftermarket rims back when I had my RSX in upstate NY. The car barely could move from a stop on slush/ice once the treads got filled on the summers and would slide like Mario on an ice-level if I even thought of applying brakes. As an ignorant hit on FL-boy in my fist rap winter… I did an experiment in my driveway on it once and didn’t make it out of the driveway before garaging the car and hunting for new tires.

Don’t. Do. It.
 

yungee2b

New Member
First Name
ben
Joined
Oct 8, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Vehicle(s)
2018 civic Type R
Country flag
yeah man ! don't risk it!!! go get cheap snow tries.... you only going to use them for a few months...i would get a rim and tire package with snow tires for under $1600. ..
 


latole

Civic Lx 2018 Manual , Civic LX 2016 Manual
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Threads
17
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
806
Location
Vaudreuil,Quebec ,Canada
Vehicle(s)
Civic Lx 2018 Manual , Civic LX 2016 Manual
Country flag
yeah man ! don't risk it!!! go get cheap snow tries.... you only going to use them for a few months...i would get a rim and tire package with snow tires for under $1600. ..

Cheap snow tires are noisy and not very good on snow
 

civicfk7

Member
First Name
triona
Joined
Sep 30, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
22
Reaction score
38
Location
Airdrie, Alberta
Vehicle(s)
2019 Honda FK7
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
yeah you definitely need a good set of winter tires for this season. i have michelin x-ice as well, and it is worth spending a bit extra on proper tires
 
OP
OP
SDAlexander8

SDAlexander8

Senior Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
Threads
49
Messages
2,450
Reaction score
2,091
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s)
17’ Si FC3, 17’ Accord 2dr V6 6MT, 22’ RL RTL-E
Country flag
Good winter tires are actually really fun in the snow. You’ll be smiling and waving past all the idiots with worn out all seasons.
 
OP
OP
SDAlexander8

SDAlexander8

Senior Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
Threads
49
Messages
2,450
Reaction score
2,091
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Vehicle(s)
17’ Si FC3, 17’ Accord 2dr V6 6MT, 22’ RL RTL-E
Country flag
Saw the title and was like "Jesus, here we go" ? . I went with 18" Michelin Snow this winter and they are very quiet.

If your on a budget, might be able to find a deal on X-ice 3 since they are phased out. Michelin's perform well and are pretty quiet.
If you could just r8 my b8 in the comments below, that would be gr8. Thanks.

Honda Civic 10th gen “Can I get by with my Summer tires in snow?” E176C3C3-2EF2-4CB4-940D-CA427426C478
 


yungee2b

New Member
First Name
ben
Joined
Oct 8, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Vehicle(s)
2018 civic Type R
Country flag
If you got the money go get good snow tires. If not 4 cheap snow tires are better then all season. If this is a Type R why drive it in the snow??? unless it is your daily driver...Best advice go get cheap AWD car or suv for winter and call it a day
 

MoodySara

Senior Member
First Name
Paul
Joined
Apr 14, 2021
Threads
6
Messages
335
Reaction score
276
Location
NH
Vehicle(s)
2021 Type R - Boost Blue; 2024 Civic Touring - SGP
Country flag
Tire Rack has this advice.
DON'T DRIVE SUMMER PERFORMANCE TIRES IN COLD TEMPERATURES
In anticipation of the next time Mother Nature extends her cold reach, drivers with vehicles equipped with summer performance tires need to know those tires are not designed for near- or below-freezing temperatures on clear roads, nor in slush, snow and ice.
When faced with near- and below-freezing temperatures, drivers should leave their summer performance tire-equipped vehicle at home and drive a vehicle equipped with all-season or winter tires.
Summer performance tires feature tread compounds engineered to provide traction in warm to hot ambient temperatures. They were never intended to experience near- and below-freezing temperatures, nor the wintry driving conditions that often accompany them.
As ambient temperatures get colder, typically in the 40-45° Fahrenheit range, summer performance tires lose a noticeable percentage of traction as their tread compound rubber properties change from a pliable elastic to inflexible plastic. The tire industry uses the term "glass transition" to describe the temperature where a summer performance tire's grip/slip performance changes dramatically. This means the summer performance tires that provide predictable traction in warm to hot conditions will be found to be very challenging to drive in cold to freezing temperatures. This is especially true when the tires first begin to be driven or if the driver aggressively applies gas pedal pressure with today's turbocharged fours or high-torque sixes and eights. Fortunately, glass transition is a reversible condition that allows the tires' normal traction to return as the ambient temperatures climb.
If ambient temperatures drop to near- or below-freezing, driving or rolling a vehicle equipped with summer performance tires risks the possibility of tread compound cracking. Tread compound cracking is a permanent condition that requires the tires to be replaced. The other condition that can be caused by running summer performance tires in cold temperatures is the possibility of chipping away the edges of the tread blocks.
Since both of these conditions only occur as the result of what's considered improper use or storage, they are not typically covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
 

arsh88

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Threads
47
Messages
592
Reaction score
410
Location
Wisconsin
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic Hatchback EX
Country flag
summers no, good all seasons, technically yes but the results wont be as good. If you actually commute regularly just get a set. The only reason i don't have a set yet is because i went with conti DWS (dry wet snow) AND I work at home and rarely go anywhere of distance in the cold months. that said, if i do not have a new vehicle by next winter or plans for a new vehicle i will be getting a set. I've basically held off as I've been wondering if I will be keeping the 10th gen but wanted to see the teggy and wrx in person.
 

geeeek

Senior Member
First Name
Daniel
Joined
May 2, 2018
Threads
25
Messages
406
Reaction score
388
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Vehicle(s)
Black Civic Hatch Sport 6MT
Country flag
Tire Rack has this advice.
The solution to driving summer tires during winter is to do a burnout in the garage before driving out in the snow. Not only will this increase traction by bringing tires up to temp, the hot tires will then cut through snow and ice like butter, thus achieving maximum safety and drivability.
 

MoodySara

Senior Member
First Name
Paul
Joined
Apr 14, 2021
Threads
6
Messages
335
Reaction score
276
Location
NH
Vehicle(s)
2021 Type R - Boost Blue; 2024 Civic Touring - SGP
Country flag
The solution to driving summer tires during winter is to do a burnout in the garage before driving out in the snow. Not only will this increase traction by bringing tires up to temp, the hot tires will then cut through snow and ice like butter, thus achieving maximum safety and drivability.
Yeah. That sounds like it should work.

Keep us posted.
Sponsored

 


 


Top