Having enough first hand accounts of this tire's snow traction I would like to find out more about how the tire behaves on dry pavement.

Can Alex or anyone else that has tried these tires out comment on:

a) Dry pavement steering response, traction and steering input/feedback? If you can, please compare them to the stock 15" Conti tires for reference.
b) Tire wear in the dry. Now much mileage are these tires expected to deliver if driven in dry/wet weather in a 'spirited' fashion?

I am asking this as my Conti's are worn out and I am planning on getting the Snowcontrols as my regular daily driver tire rear round (except for the summer months where my other set of holies with Azenis will go on). Given their dry traction and wear, should I be even considering the snowcontrols as my primary street tire?

Thanks!

 

Eh... You could, but I wouldn't. I haven't driven on the Conti's for a while now (been running on 16" runflats), and I just put the 190's back on this Sunday. Obviously, there is a noticeable difference between the 15" and 16" runflats, but it is a little tough for me to remember exactly how much difference from the Conti's at this point.

One thing - they are a little louder.

As for treadwear, they are a softer compound and they don't show any treadwear rating on the sidewall whatsoever - I'm guessing we don't want to know the real rating. I did, however, run these all last winter (about 5 months/7,500 miles) and can't really discern very much wear this year - so it musn't be all bad.

It also seems that the softer compound tends to roll a little more than the Conti's - but, again, I may just be used to the 16" runflats. This morning I noticed a healthy grip to the wet pavement. Almost sticky. Not performance tire sticky, but soft-rubber, supple, grabby, sticky.

I really like the tire for winter (especially because we aren't perpetually under snow here and will tend to have some clear roads throughout those months), but I'm not sure that I'd want to ride on it year round. Not saying that you couldn't, but I wouldn't. Of course I now have 4 different sets of tires for my MINI (and a couple as spares) - so I may not be a good one to judge by!

Not sure if any of that helps. But I hope it does!

 

A - less precise for steering and cornering - thats part of what makes the rubber work well in winter. Less precise than OE CH95

B -20 k Winter use is average

Alex

 

The tires certainly squeal much more on dry pavement when taking turns aggressively.

...I currently am due to check my air pressure, but even with accurate inflation this is true!