I just got my 09 JCW a few weeks ago. It came with two sets of tires and wheels normally a dream come true. I've got on set of Bridgestone Potenzas
on 18" silver JCW wheels, another set of Perelli Pzeros on 18" black JCW wheels. each with about 500 miles on them. So I have a problem as none of these due me any good right now in the Chicagoland area. Cold and snow.I can try to sell one set and go to all weather tires and less expensive wheels,
and run the Perellies in summer. These are not cold weather tires of course but does this mean you won't get decent traction or will the cold temps alone ruin these tires. I could just run one set out but it seams sort of wastfull, but the cost has already been absoarbed. What is cold weather to a tire, 40F or below ? I wish I could get another all weather set but I'm too broke after the car purchase.
Thanks
Jerry

 

The P Zero, like all summer tires, is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

If you try to drive on them below about 50F....(40 might be pushing it depending on the tire....some might be ok), you will have nearly 0 traction.....it will be like driving on hockey pucks.....on ice. And that is on a dry road. A few folks have found out the hard way, by leaving their Max Performance Summer tires on too long, had the temp drop too far while driving, and ended up in a ditch...that is how fast it happens!!

Sounds like you have a pretty good set-up...the Bridgestone Potenzas for winter, fall, and early spring, and the others for the warm spring/summer/early fall. If you don't need the higher performance that the max performance tires give you, you could just put the all seasons on the set of rims you like, and sell the other set of tires and rims. That way you will not have to swap tires/rims seasonally....but your car will not be nearly as much fun come summertime.

EDIT:Some Bridgestone Potenzas are also max summer...some are all season....you will need to look up the model you have to find out!!

 

The Potennza's will have a M&S rating on the side if they are All Season. If they do not have this on the side wall they are summer tires.

Personally living in Chicago I would have a dedicated set of SNOW tires. Snow tires make a BIG difference even over All Season tires on MINI's and other high performance cars.

Just take a look at all the threads here on NAM about this exact subject.

IMHO what you should do is sell the Potenza's and have a set of dedicated "Snow Tires" put on those rims and then when the weather gets warmer (average temps above 50/late april) switch over to the PZero's then when the weather gets cold again (october) switch back. This si what many of us in the northern climates do, and with my set up (dunlop Winter Sport m3's) my MINI goes anywhere in the snow. In fact I out do many 4x4's and that really pisses them off.

 

I have snow tires on my MINI.....and it is a blast to drive in the snow!! The cost of 4 snow tires...a few hundred bucks....the smile on your face when you see a 4x4 that was trying to keep up with you in the snow spin-out...priceless!!