Stock Tires in 5 to 10° C (50° in Fahrenheit) Weather

[lexro]

Hi all,

I understand that the stock tires are sports performance tires and are not meant to driven in cold weather. To my knowledge, below 7° the performance of the tire drastically decreases.

I have appointment to change them into winter setup in first week of November, by then average temperature in my area would hover between 5 to 10 (sometimes 15°C if there's a heat wave of sort).

I granny drive the car a lot during work commute, and due to traffic average speed is pretty slow too.

My question is that do you guys think it would be alright as long as I don't drive aggressively? It's my first time ever driving with performance tire so I just wanted to be sure.

Thanks!

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[MoodySara]

Here's what Tire Rack has to say about it.

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.

 

[lexro]

Here's what Tire Rack has to say about it.

Yeah that's exactly what im aware of, however I have no second car with me and thus have no choice but to keep commuting until the winter tires are on, which is 3 weeks away. with that being said I'm looking for reassurance and people with experience of driving these in colder weather to share their thoughts with me.

Thanks for looking it up though!

 

[SDAlexander8]

What tires are you talking about?

 

[wildbilly32]

When my car came in new it was January following a snow and ice storm. I asked the sales guy(who I knew) if he would hold the car inside until the snow/ice melted. He agreed. A week later I drove the car home in 15F temperature with still some snow on the roads. I got home ok @ 10 miles with no problems...the tires did not crack in half. Would I do this in a consistent manner? No. My understanding is summer tire rubber compounds do not like cold weather and traction will be an issue. If my math is right 5C is 41F so I would not be all that worried but wouldn't go corner carving in that temperature. Just my two cents worth.

 

[AlphaDigital]

in 50 degrees youre absolutely fine. I wouldnt start worrying until youre below 30 degrees. For reference, in Minnesota, I arrived at our local event the other day and it was 38 degrees out. When we started racing it wasnt much above 40 and tires did fine.

Just drive within your limits and not like an ass and youll be fine. If your roads are at all frosty then I would be concerned.

50 degrees? I dont bat an eye.

 

[NapalmEnema]

If it gets too cold / freezing before your tires get in -

Suggest getting friend to help you bring tires to shop to swap them out - as in - get tires off your car, leaving it up on jack stands so you don't risk it. I don't play around with summer tires in cold conditions - traction goes to zero and any stopping distance you're used to is not accurate and a lot further than you think esp if you hit some ice or something.

 

[WhatThePuck]

personally once the temps get consistently around 45 degrees F I change mine to my winter set. I think it said for these tires not to run them below 45 degrees.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I live in northern Vermont, a bit south of Montreal. I change my tires over to winters first week in November as well. The tires will be less grippy at 45 F and below, but I've found that occasional use in that range is ok as long as we're not talking about dipping into the thirties really. There is never a perfect time to swap, as too soon and you are wearing down your snows and too late and you might be in for some bad traction times.

 

[ems657]

I knew this topic was discussed many times, but here is my personal story.

- I live in Seattle. On 12/24/2018, my (then) brand new Subaru STi slid down the hill and crashed onto the side of the road.
- It had factory summer tires. It was about 34F with maybe 1/4 inch of snow on the ground. The slope was right in front of my house.
- The damage was $22K. The car was repaired but I sold it right after, and got a CTR.

Please don't make my mistake. It is a risk "not" worth taking. Cheers,

 

[lexro]

I knew this topic was discussed many times, but here is my personal story.

- I live in Seattle. On 12/24/2018, my (then) brand new Subaru STi slid down the hill and crashed onto the side of the road.
- It had factory summer tires. It was about 34F with maybe 1/4 inch of snow on the ground. The slope was right in front of my house.
- The damage was $22K. The car was repaired but I sold it right after, and got a CTR.

Please don't make my mistake. It is a risk "not" worth taking. Cheers,

Ok no i don't intend to drive it in freezing condition with any traces of snow. Being in Montreal Canada, winter tires are a must. Required by law too (deadline is 1st of December) I unfortunately don't have a second car handy and the earliest appointment i can get at a trusted shop (right next to my office) is early November. Average temperature should be in the above 40F by then, historically speaking. I live in the city and fortunately there is no aggressive hills during my daily work commute.

Thanks for the warning and i hope no one was hurt from the accident.

To all who shared, thanks! I gather that as long as I drive calmly, it should be just fine (im stuck in traffic most of the time anyway lol) also sorry to everyone if it's a recurring topic on the forum.

 

[NapalmEnema]

I knew this topic was discussed many times, but here is my personal story.

- I live in Seattle. On 12/24/2018, my (then) brand new Subaru STi slid down the hill and crashed onto the side of the road.
- It had factory summer tires. It was about 34F with maybe 1/4 inch of snow on the ground. The slope was right in front of my house.
- The damage was $22K. The car was repaired but I sold it right after, and got a CTR.

Please don't make my mistake. It is a risk "not" worth taking. Cheers,

That's just your angels looking out for you and getting that STi out of your life so you can be in an R.

Don't look a gift snow horse in the mouth :X

 

[itsovr9k]

In dry conditions, it's generally fine until you drop into the 20s. You will notice the lack of grip in the 30-40F range but it's easily manageable as long as you drive within reasonable limits.

I run summer tires all year (winter daily lows in my area are around 33-35F).

Grip drops off rapidly in wet conditions in the sub 40F range. I don't even try with snow or ice, as they are useless in those conditions.

The capability to drive at low temperatures varies between Summer tires (and between car models). I have not tested this with the Continentals.

 

[dwag0588]

I won't drive mine when the temperature drops below 30. Above 30 it's fine for occasional use, just don't drive like you still have mid-summer levels of grip. If you park in a garage this will also help. My garage temperature never drops below 45, so the tires themselves aren't too cold before driving on them.

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