[s-cars] all season tire choices

[Kirby Smith]

The basic problem is that a good winter tire needs a low glass
transition temperature and sufficient softness (low durometer) to
conform to icy surfaces.  A good summer tire, especially one that is to
be used in quasi-desert conditions, needs to be able to handle very high
temperatures without failure, as well a channel away standing water from
heavy rains (you may not get those).  The summer tire has difficulty
when used in sub-freezing temperatures.  Achieving both capabilities is
difficult.  Further, tires that have high wear indices (long life) tend
to have less traction than lower-valued tires.

If you really want to have fun with your car, and know it will handle
well in the summer, use a tire such as the Bridgestone S-02 or its
competitors.  In winter use a Nokia tire such as the Hakkapellitta Q if
you want to handle deep or slushy snow, or the Yoko Guardex 600 if your
conditions are mainly ice (black or otherwise) and patches of hardpack
on the road.

There are decent No-season tires, but they will generally be a
compromise all the time.

My 0.02 laundered thru the Bank of SJ

kirby



Greg Wolters wrote:
>
> Hi Kevin,
>
> I'm in Nevada City, CA with weather conditions similar to yours, although not as much snow usually.  My 94 S4 has 16" wheels with Michelin Pilot XGT4 225/50 R16 91V M&S that came with it and are near the end of their life.  I'm planning on getting new
> tires as soon as the weather starts to change.  I'm not sure regarding the fit of the other sizes you mentioned but after some research on the Tire Rack web page I'm planning on getting some Continental ContiExtremeContact tires.  These had the best snow
> rating and great wear and other ratings.  It is also very nice that they are $83 each.
>
> Greg Wolters
> Nevada City, CA
> 94 S4
> 86 4KCSQ
>
> Kevin Connington wrote:
>
> > This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> > --
> > [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> > Hello all:
> >
> > I have a 93 S4 and it has 16" rims w/ 225/50/16 tires on it.  I want to go to an all seaon tire as I live in the Tahoe area and need a good winter tire.  has anyone tries different size tires on these rims?  If so, please let me know how it worked out.
> >
> > One guy at a tire store said 225/55 or 225/60 should fit OK?
> >
> > Any thoughts would be appreciated...thanks...
> >
> > Kevin in Reno
> > --
> >
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