Very confused about what tire to put on

[stevenfstein]

Will be picking up a 2014 28i, M Sport package with the original Potenza tires that need to be replaced. Interested in the Pilot Sport 4S but it seems that they are not run flats and the ZP version is. All well and good. However the disclaimer on tirerack is that "The Pilot Sport 4S ZP excels in warm, dry and wet conditions, and like all Max Performance Summer tires, it is not intended to be serviced, stored nor driven in near- and below-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.". If I look at the description for the Potenza it basically has the same warning about driving in cold weather yet that is what comes from the factory. During the cold/winter I will be doing mostly local driving or a bit further, normal speed conditions and not pushing the car - what issues might I face and am I reading too much into this. Beyond confused at this point and any help greatly appreciated.

Best... Steve

 

[tiglon]

I used MPS4S through the winter in sub zero temperatures on occasion and they were absolutely fine.

 

[Colin_E]

Where do you live OP?
There are many countries where a switch between summer & winter tyres is completely normal - as the climate variation from one season to the other is significant. On the other hand many of us here in UK don't really need winter tyres for the handful of days the temperature drops a degree or two below zero.
So how cold & for how long is your winter?

 

[stevenfstein]

I live in New York, about 35 miles outside of NYC. Temps can easily get down to the teens and below but not sustained. Typically, January is the coldest averaging 29 F.

Steve

 

[B21]

All tyres are a trade off..the MPS4S is designed to be run above 45F…once it’s below about 38F it’s performance will be a lot poorer than a broader spectrum tyre…

When I had to use my E89 in the winter I used either winter tyres or all season…both were a lot better than tyres like the MP4S below 40F.

Now I just use the E89 on dry cold days and live with the limited performance and I’m very mindful of cold and especially damp conditions.

If you can get the tyre temperature up then summer sports tyres can be made to work but again when they don’t warm up especially on damp conditions they can catch you out especially on a torquey 28i..

So difficult to get a tyre to work in all temperatures and wet and dry..

Best option is to select a tyre like the Michelin all season pilot tyre for the winter..and then have a mp4s for summer…

Not everyone can afford / willing to invest in two sets of wheels..FWIW

 

[stevenfstein]

probably going to stay with one set - this will be a casual use car, mainly for summer vacations and maybe 5k miles a year. Plus would have to find a place for the 4 tires and I don't think my wife would be too happy having them in the middle of the living room.

Steve

 

[B21]

probably going to stay with one set - this will be a casual use car, mainly for summer vacations and maybe 5k miles a year. Plus would have to find a place for the 4 tires and I don't think my wife would be too happy having them in the middle of the living room.

Steve

Could change the wife? :tumbleweed: :rofl:

 

[Pondrew]

probably going to stay with one set - this will be a casual use car, mainly for summer vacations and maybe 5k miles a year. Plus would have to find a place for the 4 tires and I don't think my wife would be too happy having them in the middle of the living room.

Agreed
If anyone is planning on driving through the snow and ice everyday, I would say think about changing your car, not your tyres!
I didn't even know 'winter' tyres existed until I joined car forums. There is a lot of b*llshit in the modern day world, and car tyres seem to be up there at the forefront. :roll:

 

[Z4Mariner]

I'm still looking for my new-to-me Z4, so I won't claim Z4-specific knowledge, but both of the two vehicles my wife and I drive have winter and non-winter (the other seven or eight months) tires.

We live in Minnesota (US). It's not constant, but our winter temps routinely go below zero F (-15C) four months of the year, so my strategy is All Season (A/S) tires, two sets of tires, or "I don't plan to drive the car when it snows". The last category is for the Z4 I hope to buy soon. Some of this depends on what roads one drives - I live in a still fairly rural area, but if I commute into the city on Interstate highways (think Motorways), I can be turned into a "tailgater" in half a second by some other driver's ill-considered lane change. so the winter tires become a safety net in nasty weather. Temp as I write this is about -2C (28F).

Stevenfstein, I suggest careful reading of the Tire Rack's ranking of the tires you consider and trying to sort the owner reviews for what you think you need. There's a big spread in "light snow" performance among A/S tires. If you avoid travel into the big city on snow and ice days, maybe you can find an performance A/S tire with enough cold weather capability to get you by, but without going all soft and spongy on dry roads in nice weather. Good luck in your search !

Z4Mariner

 

[mr.tourette]

A good quality set of all seasons would be best if you dont want to change tyres in winter.. obviously they wont have the outright grip of summers when the weather gets hot but New York much like the UK doesnt have months of consistently hot weather.. Ive never found the Michelin Cross Climates on my daily wanting and that is also a 280bhp rwd car. they are a fantastic tyre in any conditions, they excel in wintery conditions and are more than capable in the summer when pressing on

 

[Southwestz4]

+1 for michelin cross climate

 

[sars]

You lucky owners in the States have a much much better selection of all season tyres that extends to the UHP segment, that have almost summer tyre performance with the M+S symbol, like the Michelin Pilot Sport AS4
[youtube]25VEv0YexGk[/youtube]

 

[Marcoose]

Back when the E85 was under warranty, I too lived in Minneapolis and Chicago. The E85 was my only car. I bought whatever AS RFT the BMW dealer ‘recommended’. During big snow storms, I took public transportation or walked. If the roads were ploughed, I drove. If there was a steep incline, I would reverse up the hill. I never felt the AS RFT were letting me down as far as traction.

 

[sars]

I never felt the AS RFT were letting me down as far as traction.

Most people think about the get going, you should be thinking about the stopping
This is the weekend my winters wheels come off and my summer wheels go on.

 

[Marcoose]

Most people think about the get going, you should be thinking about the stopping

Most people think traction means get going, whilst it means get going, turning, and stopping.

 

[royalmike]

Take it from someone that lived in Canada for 14 years low rear wheel drive car on cold north east US if you want to use in winter you need good winter tyres still would not recommend it though.

 

[Marcoose]

But is your driving as good as your punctuation?

oke:

 

[royalmike]

No that's crap as well

 

[enuff_zed]

No that's crap as well

As long as when you brake you come to a full stop.