Anyone else struggle for traction in cold weather?

[TypeRinATL]

Hey guys, my car is now close to 500 miles so I'm starting to play around with full throttle acceleration sometimes. This morning I gently put my foot down and literally as soon as the turbo spooled up, I lost traction and the car was just lighting the tires up.

Switch to 3rd, and it STILL broke loose.

Is this because of the cold weather, or are you guys getting this behavior also? I want to put the power down, not burn the tires off.

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[Fk8 4343]

In cold weather grip is poor but the tires warm up as you drive. Traction control will stop you from spinning them too much. My tires starting slipping on cold starts once the temperature dropped below 60F.
How cold is it in GA? Have you considered a set of all-seasons. No point in using performance summer tires if you can't have fun when cold.

 

[TypeRinATL]

In cold weather grip is poor but the tires warm up as you drive. Traction control will stop you from spinning them too much. My tires starting slipping on cold starts once the temperature dropped below 60F.
How cold is it in GA? Have you considered a set of all-seasons. No point in using performance summer tires if you can't have fun when cold.

As of this morning it was about 40 degrees. I guess I just assumed the soft compound would give me grip, but when you think about it that makes no sense. The soft compound hardens when it's cool so = less grip.

I think this is about as cold as it'll get. Maybe a little colder, but not much. I had only been driving for about 10 minutes also so the tires were probably not up to operating temp.

I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one though. I was beginning to fear that it was something going wrong in the clutch. I couldn't hear tires squealing, just heavy vibration and movement in the steering wheel. I'm not used to feeling tires spinning on FWD.

 

[itsallk]

Same as NewYork

 

[shihabp79]

It's been only cold for a week here in Dallas. But as soon as the temps dropped below 70 degrees, my brakes started squealing like a stuck pig.

 

[Toshagi]

As of this morning it was about 40 degrees. I guess I just assumed the soft compound would give me grip, but when you think about it that makes no sense. The soft compound hardens when it's cool so = less grip.

I think this is about as cold as it'll get. Maybe a little colder, but not much. I had only been driving for about 10 minutes also so the tires were probably not up to operating temp.

I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one though. I was beginning to fear that it was something going wrong in the clutch. I couldn't hear tires squealing, just heavy vibration and movement in the steering wheel. I'm not used to feeling tires spinning on FWD.

Hi, you're not supposed to drive on the OEM tires below 45F, as the compound essentially turns to hard plastic; the tires can actually get damaged/cracked. Your OEM tires are summer performance tires. I'm not surprised at all at what you experienced and would suggest switching to UHP all-seasons. Good luck!

 

[Vortexhunter]

Hi, you're not supposed to drive on the OEM tires below 45F, as the compound essentially turns to hard plastic; the tires can actually get damaged/cracked. Your OEM tires are summer performance tires. I'm not surprised at all at what you experienced and would suggest switching to UHP all-seasons. Good luck!

From the user manual:

Tires get damaged below -4°F, not 45. Performance will decrease at 40-ish, but no one can guarantee that an all-season tire will perform better at those temperatures, which are still high! (probably some UHP all-seasons will)

 

[CTR1633FK2]

These Contisportcontact6 tires have a narrow operating temp band. They loose grip at low temp and they become greasy on the track very quickly.

 

[Toshagi]

From the user manual:

Tires get damaged below -4°F, not 45. Performance will decrease at 40-ish, but no one can guarantee that an all-season tire will perform better at those temperatures, which are still high! (probably some UHP all-seasons will)

Thanks, hadn't seen this, especially the line about UHPs not being reliable under 45F either. However, UHP all-season tires should be fine under 45F. In any case, I wouldn't risk staying on the OEMs under 40-45F, too risky and I think it explains the slippage mentioned in the original post.

 

[JYR]

Thanks, hadn't seen this, especially the line about UHPs not being reliable under 45F either. However, UHP all-season tires should be fine under 45F. In any case, I wouldn't risk staying on the OEMs under 40-45F, too risky and I think it explains the slippage mentioned in the original post.

^^ This ^^

That said, think of any summer tire (which the factory tire is a summer tire) as a snickers bar. When its warm, it is pliable and sticky. Freeze that same candy bar and it becomes slick and brittle. Your tires are no different.

The tire industry recognizes summer compound tires to be used in temps above 45deg F.

 

[Vortexhunter]

^^ This ^^

That said, think of any summer tire (which the factory tire is a summer tire) as a snickers bar. When its warm, it is pliable and sticky. Freeze that same candy bar and it becomes slick and brittle. Your tires are no different.

The tire industry recognizes summer compound tires to be used in temps above 45deg F.

Good comparison, but now I may start biting my tires

 

[JYR]

I hear they are very chewy.

 

[shihabp79]

Yeah, I'm not about to spend a couple thou on another set of wheels and tires because it gets a little chilly. I can just lay off the throttle and corner entry speeds on the way to work for the next few months.

 

[fiatlux]

Summer tires get real hard at 40F and below.

 

[mathewp]

From the user manual:

Tires get damaged below -4°F, not 45. Performance will decrease at 40-ish, but no one can guarantee that an all-season tire will perform better at those temperatures, which are still high! (probably some UHP all-seasons will)

Thanks. Had not read the manual. This means a big deal if I can drive the car in the 30-45F range without damaging the tires. That opens a lot more days of driving without needing winter tires. I am ok with performance loss as I will be doing local drives only. Also once you start driving the tires will warm up and should provide better performance as well as long as it is not wet and snow.

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