Why studded or winter tires in August?

[DenverSteve]

I would generally say ignoramus. However, maybe they can't afford two sets of tires.

[///d]

Mountains can also get snow year round. Snow storms in July, while not frequently, do happen. Colorado just had a storm last week(?) that closed down multiple highways because of snow and ice.

Could also be that they are frequently at higher elevations where they see temps drop below 40deg when the sun goes down (40 Freedom Eagles, not 40 Canadian Geese).

[RM7]

Originally Posted by ///d

Mountains can also get snow year round. Snow storms in July, while not frequently, do happen. Colorado just had a storm last week(?) that closed down multiple highways because of snow and ice.

Could also be that they are frequently at higher elevations where they see temps drop below 40deg when the sun goes down (40 Freedom Eagles, not 40 Canadian Geese).

Well yeah, but studded tires really don’t help with snow or snow on warm summer ground. All seasons would be plenty effective for that. It’s not until the ground cools enough due to solar radiation that you have to worry about ice and frost (black ice). It’s also real hard for black ice (frost) to form on a road at high altitude in the summer (sublimation). We get it here in the winter due to extreme low alt (high pressure) and cold temp, but really, those situations you just brought up are like carrying a motorhome with you on all trips just in case you need to stay overnight somewhere. Now, as we get into October, yeah, this will change dramatically.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by ///d

Mountains can also get snow year round. Snow storms in July, while not frequently, do happen. Colorado just had a storm last week(?) that closed down multiple highways because of snow and ice.

Could also be that they are frequently at higher elevations where they see temps drop below 40deg when the sun goes down (40 Freedom Eagles, not 40 Canadian Geese).

Nope. Nice try. . I spend half my time at my mountain home, at 9,000 feet, and only the occasional hermet or goofball is heard with studs off-season. People in the mountains rarely drive sumer-only tires anyway so their all-season or all-weather (or even non-studded winter tires) are good year-round.

[nick3753]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Definitely they will wear out much faster. Over 7c winter tires shouldn't be driven on as they are useless and will wear fast. That's not to say they can't be used, just kinda a waste of money.

Regarding performance, they do make winter "sport" tires which I assume the handling is better but I personally never tried them. I go for for full traction/safest tires rather than handling when snow is around.

Not only will they wear faster, they will wear uneven. More of an issue is the decreased traction, therefore longer breaking distance when used in warm weather.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

I would generally say ignoramus. However, maybe they can't afford two sets of tires.

Yes that was my first impression, but didn't want to assume!

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

The DWS were really surprising but by about 10,000KM the snow performance dropped right off. I just run winters now, so much better. I scour kijiji (craigslist) for used sets, lots of off lease cars with winters barely used and I save a solid $800 on a new set.

Have you ever compared or can draw a conclusion between DWS snow performance vs a performance winter like PA4?

[Alfisti]

Not sure what PA-4 is but my preferred winter tyre here, in a city that plows regularly, is Michelin X-Ice 3. The blizzaks bite a bit hard but wear faster and on dry roads (90pc of winter drives) they are noisier and don't handle as well.

To answer your question, even new DWS are not even close to either the Michelin or Bridgestone winter tyre, absolutely no contest.

[///d]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Well yeah, but studded tires really don’t help with snow or snow on warm summer ground. All seasons would be plenty effective for that. It’s not until the ground cools enough due to solar radiation that you have to worry about ice and frost (black ice). It’s also real hard for black ice (frost) to form on a road at high altitude in the summer (sublimation). We get it here in the winter due to extreme low alt (high pressure) and cold temp, but really, those situations you just brought up are like carrying a motorhome with you on all trips just in case you need to stay overnight somewhere. Now, as we get into October, yeah, this will change dramatically.

The temps I was referring to wasn't for ice, but tire compound performance. Most of your Audi/BMW/Merc ect are going to be running a performance all-season which are supposed to be good to around 40-45deg before compromising dry traction, so folks running a winter tire (non-studded) on such a vehicle may be running winters for that reason.

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Nope. Nice try. . I spend half my time at my mountain home, at 9,000 feet, and only the occasional hermet or goofball is heard with studs off-season. People in the mountains rarely drive sumer-only tires anyway so their all-season or all-weather (or even non-studded winter tires) are good year-round.

Well, the OP didn't state studded specifically, but was asking about both winter non-studded and studded tires.

But, as I stated in the reply to James, someone could be opting for a winter tire over an all-season because their tire sizes limit them to performance all-seasons which will have compromised performance below 40-45deg even on dry roads.

Or maybe they just don't feel like swapping them out. My gf can run her winters on her Fiesta all year and they will last for quite a while being a small lightweight car. My E90 I could stretch winters for a couple years if I ran them in the summer (I didn't though), the X5 would destroy them in one summer.

Growing up in MN we always ran all-seasons all year, as most people do. It wasn't until I lived with a Discount Tire manager that I realized even the non-performance all-seasons are still only recommended to a certain temp, which depending on the make is usually between 30 and 40 degrees. Will an A/S still work, yeah, but dry traction is still compromised. Some people follow manufacture recommendations to the T.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Not sure what PA-4 is but my preferred winter tyre here, in a city that plows regularly, is Michelin X-Ice 3. The blizzaks bite a bit hard but wear faster and on dry roads (90pc of winter drives) they are noisier and don't handle as well.

To answer your question, even new DWS are not even close to either the Michelin or Bridgestone winter tyre, absolutely no contest.

Sorry, should have clarified, I meant the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4. I realize that the DWS can't compete with the true winter tires, but was curious if you tried the performance winter category like Sottozero 3, PA4, etc.

[Alfisti]

Yeah Sottozero. They were a bit better than a fresh set of DWS but meh.