Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan
Rain isn't as much an issue as most, Star Spec, PS2s, Vredesteins, all seem to work fine in the rain. The question is temperature. Extreme Summer Performance tires simply turn into hockey pucks as the temp gets lower. The cutoff rule of thumb is about 40 or below--from there on it's really risky. Many folks with PS2s over on the M3 section found that out, much to their chagrin, last winter. Rain + cold = wreck.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 14th BMW
Do you know where the thread is for the M3 folks' problems. I searched the forum and couldn't find it.
Freude am Fahren (ohne Verunfallen)...
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Here are a few of many....
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...light=PS2+Cold
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...light=PS2+Cold
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...light=PS2+Cold
From TireRack:
"The Pilot Sport PS2 is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."
"....Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec summer tires are not intended to be driven through snow, on ice or in near-freezing temperatures."
"Near freezing", from what I can gather, is
dry. "Near freezing" when wet means ~40 degree F. But that's not a hard and fast rule, and I'm not saying they're fine at 41 degrees. I think it's safe to say that as the temp decreases grip decreases with this class of tire and rainy/wet conditions exacerbate those problems.
Another thing to note: wider rubber has benefits in dry conditions, but makes the car more prone to hydroplane in wet conditions (think about how a snowshoe works and it makes sense). This is why a true snow tire and winter tire setup will be narrower than stock performance/summer sizes--so the tire cuts through the snow and doesn't snowshoe on top of it. So, a if running stock sizes or plus sizes in the same brand, the stock sizes will perform better in wet conditions than the plus sizes. (That's per my discussion with Tire Rack.)
Caveat: All statements above are given as opinion, not fact, and ultimately we're all responsible for selecting the right tool for the job.