BE CAREFUL OUT THERE THIS WINTER IN YOUR SS.

[CamaroFemme]

I'm sure, if you live in Canada.

I drive my SS at least 5 days a week, a daily 30-mile round trip to work & back. Had it since the end of Sept. If either I or Vlad felt the tires were unsafe, we'd definitely change them out. Thus far we have not.

[attymf]

Put the traction control back on and stop dumping the clutch.

[Ken-h]

Originally Posted by CamaroFemme

If I felt it was UNSAFE to be driving on them, I certainly wouldn't be stating I had no problems here on this board where I have friends (and more than friends.) I would -not- possibly contribute to endangering their lives by downplaying unsafe tires. I'm just saying *in my experience,* *in the weather I drive in in southeast OK,* they're fine; and I also don't see a big push by dealers to put winter tires on their SSs/warn their customers. Maybe I just naturally don't drive my car as dangerously as other people on this thread, or maybe I'm under different weather patterns, or maybe they're just being overcautious, but I assure you I'm not lying "just to contradict."

Key word here is "experience" and I don't think being contradicting was the intent. Obviously different conditions warrant a different driving techniques. IMO the tires are acceptable and safe in most conditions with the exception of snow and ice. When it's cold all tires harden up.

[OUR72GTO]

Take the MACHO out of it.

Ask your insurance agent if they will pay out if you are involved in a claim with SUMMER ONLY tires in winter conditions. Then ask yourself if a loved one (yours or some one Else's) is dead or injured if it was really worth it?

[Erik@Torq]

Yes I am from Sweden and we have different laws and stuff over there (summer tires in under 40 and they give you a HUGE ticket and zero insurance if you crash), but how can one even think it's ok to drive any car with summer tires at temperatures below 40? Even so called "all season" tires are crap, not great in the summer, not great in the winter. Summer tires in the summer, and winter tires (studded or studdless) is the only way to go for safe driving.

The rubber in a tire changes completely with a temperature drop like that, and doesn't matter if it's dry on the road or not. Summer tires get hard and lose grip. Yes it's doable, and when driving straight it might feel ok but believe me, it's not.

Any car is half decent in winter conditions with appropriate tires!

Hell I even drove an 01 Lambo Diablo VT (AWD) with 640hp in the winter with winter tires, worked like a charm in the snow!

[CamaroFemme]

Originally Posted by Ken-h

the tires are acceptable and safe in most conditions with the exception of snow and ice.

If that's the case, since there's never snow on the road here, I'll be fine. I notice all the people in this thread saying not to drive the Pirellis in the winter are from Canada or the northern states.

[Erik@Torq]

Originally Posted by Ken-h

IMO the tires are acceptable and safe in most conditions with the exception of snow and ice.

When temperatures are above 40

[Captain Vlad]

Originally Posted by 71cam

sure....not driving an SS with pzeros, having an LS/1LT/2LT with different tires than pzeros (not sure what they are equipped from the factory), exaggerating about how ok the summer tires are in the cold and ice, more tolerance to slippery surfaces, different driving habits, not driving very far, repeating what others have said.

Several of the people who've posted with no troubles drive an SS, which generally comes with the P-Zeros. CF isn't prone to exaggeration or repeating what other folks say; naturally I can't vouch for the others. We've said that we haven't encountered snow or ice, and likely won't, just the occasional sub-freezing temperatures.

So that leaves us with distance (wouldn't the tires gain grip as they go? They HAVE to warm up some) and driving habits.

I'm leaning toward driving habits, myself.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by attymf

Put the traction control back on and stop dumping the clutch.

Sometimes traction control will get you stuck..
Saturday I tried to get up my driveway.. well the traction control kicked in about half way up and starting to cut the power to my engine until I started sliding backwards.. I then took the TC off and drove right up the driveway... it spun but I kept moving forward all the way to the top...

[Erik@Torq]

Originally Posted by Captain Vlad

Several of the people who've posted with no troubles drive an SS, which generally comes with the P-Zeros. CF isn't prone to exaggeration or repeating what other folks say; naturally I can't vouch for the others. We've said that we haven't encountered snow or ice, and likely won't, just the occasional sub-freezing temperatures.

So that leaves us with distance (wouldn't the tires gain grip as they go? They HAVE to warm up some) and driving habits.

I'm leaning toward driving habits, myself.

The tires may warm up a little, but the road is still freezing. You don't want the tires to actually warm up, that creates water in between the tires and road and it's the water that makes the car slide, not the ice as many might think. A "soft" tire and a warm tire are two different things. A winter tire has the appropriate "softness" at 40 and below, where as a summer tire from 40 and up.

[Captain Vlad]

Originally Posted by Erik@Torq

The tires may warm up a little, but the road is still freezing. You don't want the tires to actually warm up, that creates water in between the tires and road and it's the water that makes the car slide, not the ice as many might think. A "soft" tire and a warm tire are two different things. A winter tire has the appropriate "softness" at 40 and below, where as a summer tire from 40 and up.

Yeah, I've hydroplaned on snow before. I know that feeling. That's more a worry for us than ice, actually, as, like I said, snow is a serious rarity down here and often when it happens the ground is still relatively warm, so it will melt under any kind of tire you can name.

Road temperature could be the real problem, then. Even when the temperature drops hard around here, it's rarely cold for very long. The 19 degrees we've had a couple of times this year have happened once or twice, and even then it got up to above freezing during the day, so it's likely the ground hasn't even approached the frostiness ya'll are used to.

Most times, even in the winter, 32 degrees or higher is typical around here.

About the tires themselves: Generally speaking, doesn't a warm tire grip the road better? Isn't that why race cars do warm up laps?

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by Erik@Torq

The tires may warm up a little, but the road is still freezing. You don't want the tires to actually warm up, that creates water in between the tires and road and it's the water that makes the car slide, not the ice as many might think. A "soft" tire and a warm tire are two different things. A winter tire has the appropriate "softness" at 40 and below, where as a summer tire from 40 and up.

I remember back in the late 70's Goodyear came out with the first all season tire
that worked very well in all weather conditions.. I had a set on my 84 Chevy Celebrity and I went everywhere in that car and never got stuck...
They were called Tiempos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/111innov.../2/EUO0CX_qZU4


not a winter tire but I saw this on You tube also.. i thought it was pretty cool..

[Erik@Torq]

Originally Posted by Captain Vlad

About the tires themselves: Generally speaking, doesn't a warm tire grip the road better? Isn't that why race cars do warm up laps?

On dry tarmac yes, until they get to hot and become as slippery as driving on water!

But that does not apply for cold weather driving. I have raced on all surfaces, asphalt, gravel, ice, snow etc you name it! The handling characteristics of a tire change drastically depending on temperature no matter what surface you are on. It's more then just straight line driving, braking, cornering, traction, balance, feel etc all have to be counted in.

Think about it this way, he tire is the first, and last thing in the chain keeping you on the road, period. It doesn't matter if you have an amazing suspension, AWD, FWD, ESP, TCS etc etc. If you have zero traction your still going to slide everywhere.

[Captain Vlad]

Originally Posted by Erik@Torq

On dry tarmac yes, until they get to hot and become as slippery as driving on water!

I'm don't think I'm adventurous enough for me to get them to that state. Not normally anyway.

Which reminds me...winters are usually dry 'round here (it's grass fire season), in addition to being relatively mild. Spring on the other hand, we'll need pontoons on either side of the car.

The handling characteristics of a tire change drastically depending on temperature no matter what surface you are on. It's more then just straight line driving, braking, cornering, traction, balance, feel etc all have to be counted in.

Sure, but it's how the car feels when we're going around a tight curve and such that tells me that, so far, we haven't experienced much of a difference.

Think about it this way, the tire is the first, and last thing in the chain keeping you on the road, period. It doesn't matter if you have an amazing suspension, AWD, FWD, ESP, TCS etc etc. If you have zero traction your still going to slide everywhere.

As a teenager I tended to ignore my tires until threads were showing and my car threw sparks whenever I rounded a corner, so I'm...well acquainted with this.

I've become far more safety conscious as I've aged, which is why I'm concerned about this issue, though as I've already said, so far we've encountered no signs of a loss of traction, which is why I'm both dubious about some of the claims I've heard yet still curious.