Should I have snow tires and summer tires...? Or All Seasons?
 

Hey guys. By the time winter rolls around this year, my car should have about 20-25k miles on it with the stock tires, and they will likely need replacing. However, I am debating what I should do about the seasons, as I discovered this past winter that the 8 is like being on an uncontrollable rollercoaster on ice.

Here's my options:

First Choice:
- Get nice new rims and match em with some spring/summer tires that have good wet/dry traction control
- Put winter tires, like the Blizzaks L-25's, on my stock rims, and just switch those on when winter rolls around.

Second Choice:
- Get All-Season tires and either just put em on stock rims or possibly get new rims anyway


I am assuming the traction control gained by winter tires is worth the trouble of having two sets of tires? Or are all seasons good enough?

Thanks ahead of time for any opinions!

well you COULD search, as there are plenty of threads already on this....

HOWEVER...

All seasons are a jack of all trades but a master of none. You'll be compromising year round instead of the proper tires for the season.

If you can afford it, best to have dedicated Summer and Snow tires. All seasons are very good these days (e.g. Goodyear F1 A/S), but still not as good as Summer tires. And all seasons are also a compromise for Winter. They're ok in plowed areas, but not very good in significant snow.

So, it depends what you like. The full performance of your sports car and winter assurance in snow, or a bit of a compromise year round without having to swap wheels/tires.

btw: I use all seasons on my Jeep Patriot, first because they came on it, and 2nd because we rarely have unplowed streets in my area. Same on my wife's Lexus and my daughter's Mazda6. I keep summer's on my '8, but don't drive it much in the Winter.

Consider the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 Max performance Summer tires. Outstanding wet and dry.

Game Guy.

You may consider a third option:
1. Sell your stock rims when you wear outta rubber. ($300-$600 for all)
2. Take proceeds from your stock rim sale and put them towards a new set of nice rims and summer rubber.
3. Browse the For Sale section and look for a used set of 17'' rims with winter tires. I bought my nearly new set of winter wheels and tires for $630.

I personally drive my car throughout the winter and drive it to the ski resorts. I would not settle for anything buy dedicated snow tires. The 8 really needs them. You may consider a set of 17'' with run flat tech so you don't find yourself stranded in freezing temps at the side of the road.

GameGuy, I live in your area (OP), and I would say go with two sets of tires if you can afford it. I run the BFG KDW-2's during the summer, and used a set of the Dunlop Wintersport M3's this last season. The BFG's are exceptional, and the Wintersport's performed a hell of a lot better than any FWD car with all seasons... imo, all seasons in the '8 probably still won't allow you to drive in any amount of snow come winter time.

+1 for two sets on two sets of rims. Easy to switch and both will last you a while that way.

When my stock tires finally wore out, I put on snow tires (Pirelli Snowsport 240 I think?) and... well... just left them on ever since, lol.

If they perform any different than the original summer tires, I sure can't tell. I DO enjoy my car, but I'll admit I probably don't push it as much as some probably do, so maybe they're not for everyone.

What really surprised me was how *quiet* they are, at least compared to the original tires. I figured snow tires would be awful loud, but they're really nice.

Oh, and they work reasonably well in the snow. I've never had a problem anyway, at least not in the road conditions around here (salted/packed/ploughed snow, but never like 8" of unploughed stuff or anything, lol).

My understanding of snow tires is that the rubber is a lot softer compared to summer tires... Summer tires arn't supposed to be used below a certain temp because they become too stiff, sacraficing performance. So, the softer rubber on the snow tires should make them more quiet, but they should also wear out a hell of a lot faster, especially in warm weather.

That's what I worried would happen too, as summers here get kinda hot (80s and 90s). But the rear tires lasted around 30,000+ miles I think (two summers), and the fronts are still (barely) OK going into a third summer now.