Summer Tires...useless in winter?

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I just picked up a set of kumho ecsta supra's from a ceg'er and im looking forward to getting them mounted on my e1's.

my concern is that they are replacing my only other tires that are worn and dry-rotted. i only have one set of wheels so they would most likely be my all-seasons. monetarily i dont think remounting tires is worth it twice a year(id also have to buy new winter tires if i did that)

i know they are designated for summer, but does this mean they are 100% crap in snow, or can i live with them for a few months if i play it safe

will the summer tires be of little to no use for me once it gets cold?..snowy..icy? im not planning on buying new winter tires as well so if they wont be of use im going to have to change the plans. (was maybe thinking getting some nice wheels for strictly summer use, and saving the e1's for winter)
thanks in advance

.Snipey

They will be no use at all in the snow. I've tried it.

Drive only when roads are cleared perfectly, otherwise you need some all-seasons or snows.

yeah, summer rated tires are worthless in the snow, they don't even have a snow rating, this past weekend Cobra talked about how he pulled his SVT out of the garage in the snow with SO3's on the car and he just slid right down his driveway, and couldn't get it back up until the used the sand/salt mix to make paths for the wheels down to pavement

That is BS. I drove my Contour 3 out of 5 years with summer tires in winter.....all winter.

Originally posted by EVOLUTION VIII:
That is BS. I drove my Contour 3 out of 5 years with summer tires in winter.....all winter.

Sorry, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I know it can be done, but very risky.

Driving with Ecsta Supra 712's, I slowed down very slow from waaay back coming to a red light, and all it would do was kick in the ABS and slide forward towards the other cars. I stopped with only inches between me and the next car.

Next intersection I had to stop at, I ended up sliding straight into the middle, pulled the e-brake to try and avoid it once I realized I wasn't going to stop, but instead did a 180 and was looking at the cars at the light I was supposed to be stopped at. Thank god the other cars saw me sliding and didn't attempt to go when the light turned green.

That was my first and last time attempting to drive on those in snow. All-season were installed within a few weeks. I upgraded even more to Blizzak WS-50 because I was having trouble starting on inclines and getting up my driveway. Getting a push into the garage everytime it snowed was not fun.

Originally posted by SVT4STD:
Driving with Ecsta Supra 712's, I slowed down very slow from waaay back coming to a red light, and all it would do was kick in the ABS and slide forward towards the other cars. I stopped with only inches between me and the next car.

I would slow way down driving in dry/wet if I had 712s.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

Originally posted by SVT4STD:
Driving with Ecsta Supra 712's, I slowed down very slow from waaay back coming to a red light, and all it would do was kick in the ABS and slide forward towards the other cars. I stopped with only inches between me and the next car.

I would slow way down driving in dry/wet if I had 712s.

Have them right now....they are good for AWD powerslides in the rain.

Don't do it. If you're contemplating it, check Tirerack to check snow rating of the tires you are considering using in snow.

If anything, pick up a set of steelies/non-SVT wheels for cheap and slap some decent all seasons on them.

I have snow tires for sale. 15"

What summer tires did you drive in the snow? Most decent summer tires are very poor on dry pavement below freezing, and literally worthless on snow.

Originally posted by Auto-X Fil:
What summer tires did you drive in the snow? Most decent summer tires are very poor on dry pavement below freezing, and literally worthless on snow.

I went the whole winter on a set of bfgoodrich gforce kdw's.... I DONT recommend it, I had to be very mindfull of the weather I was driving in and there were a couple occasions that were a bit scary. [oh, I dont have abs or traction control]. if the winter was any less mild, I would not have done this.

even when its cold out, those tires lose alot of their traction

No, summer tires should NOT be used in the winter. You might as well be on ice in 1/4 inch of snow. Dead serious, not exagerating.

Yikes, thanks everyone for the info... i think i decided im going to put the kumho supras on my e1's and find some lesser rims to hold my winter tires... maybe find some cheap e0's or just anything cheap.
oh and the kumho supra's had an N/A for all winter conditions rating

no thank you to that! i prefer to have traction when rally-driving in the snow

u can have a completely clear winter and summer tires will still suck in winter. it isnt just snow on the ground that affects them. when the temp gets down usually before 40f the rubber in summer tires becomes useless. the reason they r so good in summer is the reason they suck so bad in winter. and also why winter tires suck in warmer weather. tire compound plus tread pattern. can u get by in a snowless winter with summer tires, yes. would i want u driving behind me when u have to hit your brakes hard, hell no.

Don't use summer tires in the winter, bad experience

Was going 60 on a highway and saw cars braking about 100ft ahead and my ABS stayed on for a good 7 seconds before hitting dry gravel, scary

.. and i also flew through a stop sign going about 20,, barely missing a car, and launched up someone's driveway.. i bought winter tires by then

Any snow at all and traction is gone.