FWD Tire Test: Summer vs All Season vs Winter

nickminir56 · #1 10-26-2009, 12:05 PM

Edmunds Inside Line's front wheel drive tire test(with tirerack):

http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html

"Only one car satisfied all of these specific requirements: the Honda Civic Si. It can be bought with your choice of Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 all-season tires or, for $200 more, Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 high-performance summer tires, both in size 215/45R17. And Michelin builds an aftermarket snow tire in that very size, the Michelin Primacy Alpine PA3."

Test is done on snow surface, wet surface and dry surface. Very interesting result and it's different from tirerack's previous test on RWD 3 series.

Robin Casady · #2 10-26-2009, 01:32 PM

Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 in snow:
0-40 mph in 41.7 seconds.

40-0 mph in 351 ft.

The test does show just how much of a compromise all-season tires are -- especially in the wet.

Thanks for posting it, but doesn't this belong on the Tire, Wheels, & Brakes forum?

lhwelch · #3 10-26-2009, 02:24 PM

I am totally surprised that the All-Season tires came out the worst for all categories in the wet test. I would have thought they would have been designed specifically for performance on wet surfaces.

I believed that All-Season tires were the correct choice for the semi-sub-tropical climate where I live, but now I wonder ??? We have a lot of wet conditions here in the winter.

Does anyone know if there are any other similar tests out there?

lhwelch · #4 10-26-2009, 02:29 PM

Also, thanks nickminir56 (hope I got that right) for posting that link.

Very useful information!

Btwyx · #5 10-26-2009, 10:54 PM

Interesting, but I'm sure there are better all season tires out there which would narrow the gap to the summer tire in the wet. Also every review I've ever read about the Michelin PE2s note that they're particularly spectacular in the wet.

You can't really generalise from 3 examples to the categories.

Duffer · #6 10-27-2009, 11:50 AM

What about cold temperatures, I have read that summer tires get slick even on dry pavement when the temperature drops below 40 degrees F.

bee1000n · #7 10-30-2009, 10:57 AM

I remember seeing a similar test, on Tire Rack or maybe even Consumer Reports, that showed Goodyear's "summer" GS-D3 greatly outperformed their "all-season" tire (RS-A, I think) in the wet. Mostly I think it's an indictment of the original-equipment all-season tires you get on most cars these days. My guess is they are designed to be quiet and long-lasting rather than offer decent performance in the wet or dry.

The GS-D3 was the best performance tire in the wet in the Tire Rack/Car and Driver tire test a few years ago, and now it seems other summer tires are following their lead. That's great since the GS-D3 no longer comes in 205/50/16 and I'll need to switch to something else for my next set.

Btwyx · #8 10-30-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bee1000n

The GS-D3 was the best performance tire in the wet in the Tire Rack/Car and Driver tire test a few years ago, and now it seems other summer tires are following their lead. That's great since the GS-D3 no longer comes in 205/50/16 and I'll need to switch to something else for my next set.

I switched to Michelin PE2s, they have even better dry grip, the reviews give them stellar wet grip, but I haven't been out in the rain since I got them (that's California summer for you). As a bonus they're also much quieter and smoother.

carla99 · #9 10-31-2009, 07:40 AM

I know most summer tires have a temperature rating. Does that mean the tires would deteriorate quicker in colder climates? I live in Philadelphia, so could I use the PE2 or a summer tire all year or would I be asking for trouble? I need some new tires badly ('07 MCSa) but it's hard to find all-season non-run flats.

carla99 · #10 10-31-2009, 07:52 AM

nm....guess it helps to read the review first. definitely going to get all season's....i have a feeling we'll be getting lots of snow this winter and i'd like to be able to accelerate easily while driving (instead of the extra 30 seconds it says in the review).

NightFlyR · #11 10-31-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duffer

What about cold temperatures, I have read that summer tires get slick even on dry pavement when the temperature drops below 40 degrees F.

I am not sure slick is the word, but they do get hard and loose some of there grip in the dry, forget about the wet or snow they tend to be useless below 40

bee1000n · #12 10-31-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carla99

nm....guess it helps to read the review first. definitely going to get all season's....i have a feeling we'll be getting lots of snow this winter and i'd like to be able to accelerate easily while driving (instead of the extra 30 seconds it says in the review).

Here's my summary:

Very snowy winter: Snow tires

Occasional snow in winter: All-season tires in winter because they are safer in non-snow winter driving than snow tires would be.

No snow ever: Summer tires all the time. Yea!

Rest of the year: Summer tires for both performance (quicker acceleration) and safety (better handling and shorter braking distances). Just make sure that if you live somewhere with something called "winter" you switch to the appropriate winter tire before the first snow.

AndyW318 · #13 10-31-2009, 10:49 AM

Even if you never see snow, but often see temperatures below 50 degrees, I strongly recommend all-season tires.

Below 50 degrees, I can spin my Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's in the first four gears. Above 50, only the first two gears. Other summer tires may be slightly different, but you get the point.

-AndyW