SearchMaster
Diamond Member
I live in the South and have always driven All Season tires, and rarely had issues. We'll get snow 0-2 times a year, ice a few more times than that, and near-freezing (say, 36F) fairly often and often accompanied with drizzly rain.
I have a new Focus ST with 7500 miles. The stock tires are summer tires (Goodyear Eagle F1), and will probably be due for replacement in 8-10 months. The manufacturer recommends not driving them below 40F. When I replace them, I'll likely get the best A/S tires I can, but would rather not spend the $1000 now if I can avoid it, nor go through the hassle of storing and remounting the current tires when they are somewhat near the end of their life anyway.
How "dangerous" will it be to drive on these summer tires through the winter, with the following caveats:
- I still have my old Accord as a potential winter beater, it has brand new A/S tires on it.
- I would never drive the ST in icy conditions, or if there was a threat of icing.
I know the stock, easy answer is "isn't it worth $1000 to keep yourself, your family, and your car safe???" And if the summer tires are truly unsafe under 40F, I'll spend the money or just drive the beater. So really my question is whether there will be a noticeable loss of traction in 36-38F wet or dry roads versus 50F wet or dry roads on summer tires? Again, my only experience is with A/S and I've not noticed a loss of traction with them with no real ice on the roads.
I have a new Focus ST with 7500 miles. The stock tires are summer tires (Goodyear Eagle F1), and will probably be due for replacement in 8-10 months. The manufacturer recommends not driving them below 40F. When I replace them, I'll likely get the best A/S tires I can, but would rather not spend the $1000 now if I can avoid it, nor go through the hassle of storing and remounting the current tires when they are somewhat near the end of their life anyway.
How "dangerous" will it be to drive on these summer tires through the winter, with the following caveats:
- I still have my old Accord as a potential winter beater, it has brand new A/S tires on it.
- I would never drive the ST in icy conditions, or if there was a threat of icing.
I know the stock, easy answer is "isn't it worth $1000 to keep yourself, your family, and your car safe???" And if the summer tires are truly unsafe under 40F, I'll spend the money or just drive the beater. So really my question is whether there will be a noticeable loss of traction in 36-38F wet or dry roads versus 50F wet or dry roads on summer tires? Again, my only experience is with A/S and I've not noticed a loss of traction with them with no real ice on the roads.
