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      09-21-2016, 09:36 AM   #1
WaMi
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What are the disadvantages of winter tires?

I'm going to be using the M2 as my DD. I will be moving to the DMV area (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia) and friends there tell me it only really snowed once last winter. They say that it gets cold and rainy yes, but it doesn't snow often, and when it does, the entire DMV area shuts down so I won't really have to do more than a few days of snow driving in the entire year.

I am currently between the DWS 06 UHPAS tires, which have rave reviews from all sides, and perform well even in snow (not really deep snow), and a set of winter tires. My reasoning is that I assume the DWS 06 would give better handling than winter tires in other conditions than snow. I understand that winter tires are not just for snow, but the rubber compound is softer and made for weather below 44 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celcius).

So, to my question, assuming the price difference between the two is not too vast, why would I not just go with the DWS 06? Is there a disadvantage to winter tires over something as highly-rated and high-performing such as the conti DWS 06's? TIA!

UPDATE
For anyone still debating, I did decide to go with a dedicated set of performance winter tires and 18" wheels. Even though they're only going to be on the car from Dec-Mar, I'd rather not be stuck in that one random evening of snow in the DMV area, and looking at average temps, they're mostly consistently 40 or below during the Dec-Feb months here, that would put the winters at an advantage over the all-seasons.
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Last edited by WaMi; 11-02-2016 at 09:23 AM.. Reason: Updates
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      09-25-2016, 09:50 PM   #2
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Do not run winter tires in the DMV year round period.

It barely snows there and to be honest, when it does you are usually snowed in. I would run the stock tired or if you really want to change them, some good all seasons.

I have only been stuck driving in the snow once and that was in my e90 m3 with PSS's. I wouldn't bother buying news tires, with the money you would save you could take an uber when it get super bad out, if that even happens.
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      09-26-2016, 12:45 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaMi View Post
I'm going to be using the M2 as my DD. I will be moving to the DMV area (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia) and friends there tell me it only really snowed once last winter. They say that it gets cold and rainy yes, but it doesn't snow often, and when it does, the entire DMV area shuts down so I won't really have to do more than a few days of snow driving in the entire year.

I am currently between the DWS 06 UHPAS tires, which have rave reviews from all sides, and perform well even in snow (not really deep snow), and a set of winter tires. My reasoning is that I assume the DWS 06 would give better handling than winter tires in other conditions than snow. I understand that winter tires are not just for snow, but the rubber compound is softer and made for weather below 44 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celcius).

So, to my question, assuming the price difference between the two is not too vast, why would I not just go with the DWS 06? Is there a disadvantage to winter tires over something as highly-rated and high-performing such as the conti DWS 06's? TIA!
Stop for a moment and reconsider those DWS06. Even though the 06 are revised, those sidewalls are still much too soft (if you care about steering/handling precision). The 06 are smooth, quiet, and grip well in snow/ice and even better in the wet. But they vastly reduce steering effort, precision, on center feel, and sharpness. In my opinion, they have no place on any enthusiasts vehicle. Similar money will buy BFG Comp 2 AS Sports. Just as quiet and smooth, with levels of responsiveness befitting a sporting vehicle. I had both tires on my 535i, back to back. The BFG are a significant upgrade over the dws06. However, I did not get a chance to use the BFG during snow/ice as the season had already past. The BFG do get good snow ratings though.

Just thought I'd share before you bought the DWS and started to wonder what happened to your steering feel.

To answer your question, though, winter tires have several disadvantages:
Mushy, squirmy handling
Reduced grip during warm weather
Reduced fuel economy, due to higher rolling resistance
Increased tire wear during good weather.
Winter tread patterns may also be a bit noisier (if not well designed)

You do not want to run winters during the summer.
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      09-26-2016, 01:49 PM   #4
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Winter tires year round will suck the life out of your M2
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      09-26-2016, 02:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fusionrace View Post
Do not run winter tires in the DMV year round period.
It barely snows there and to be honest, when it does you are usually snowed in. I would run the stock tired or if you really want to change them, some good all seasons.
I did not plan on running winter tires year round. My question was, is it better to get a set of excellent all-season tires or should I buy a set of winter tires just for the months of Nov-March. The only reason I ask is because I was informed the winter is very mild in that area, it gets cold yes, but only snowed like once last winter. I do not plan on running my stock summer performance tires during the winter months. My friend has a RWD Tesla in the area and he said he was fine with all-seasons last winter, so I guess he agrees with you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IS+1 View Post
Winter tires year round will suck the life out of your M2
I do not plan on running winter tires year round. I guess I was not clear in my original post. My main question was, is there an advantage of winter tires over the DWS06 for an area that experiences a mild winter. By mild I mean, the average lows in Dec/Jan are mid 30s and average highs are mid 40s, a lot of rain, hardly ever any snow. Through my research I've learned that winter tires aren't just for snow and that the rubber compound is softer for the colder weather, meaning anything below 45 degrees. So, do they perform better than the DWS 06 tires on a 40 degree weather rainy day?

Quote:
Originally Posted by thakid22 View Post
To answer your question, though, winter tires have several disadvantages:
Mushy, squirmy handling
Reduced grip during warm weather
Reduced fuel economy, due to higher rolling resistance
Increased tire wear during good weather.
Winter tread patterns may also be a bit noisier (if not well designed)
You do not want to run winters during the summer.
Thank you for answering my question! I will certainly not be running winters during the summer, I will keep my summers on stock wheels and buy a new set of tires/wheels for the winter months.
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      09-27-2016, 04:28 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaMi View Post
I did not plan on running winter tires year round. My question was, is it better to get a set of excellent all-season tires or should I buy a set of winter tires just for the months of Nov-March. The only reason I ask is because I was informed the winter is very mild in that area, it gets cold yes, but only snowed like once last winter. I do not plan on running my stock summer performance tires during the winter months. My friend has a RWD Tesla in the area and he said he was fine with all-seasons last winter, so I guess he agrees with you.



I do not plan on running winter tires year round. I guess I was not clear in my original post. My main question was, is there an advantage of winter tires over the DWS06 for an area that experiences a mild winter. By mild I mean, the average lows in Dec/Jan are mid 30s and average highs are mid 40s, a lot of rain, hardly ever any snow. Through my research I've learned that winter tires aren't just for snow and that the rubber compound is softer for the colder weather, meaning anything below 45 degrees. So, do they perform better than the DWS 06 tires on a 40 degree weather rainy day?



Thank you for answering my question! I will certainly not be running winters during the summer, I will keep my summers on stock wheels and buy a new set of tires/wheels for the winter months.
go with a set of excellent all season tires....... because of the following....


Quote:
Originally Posted by thakid22 View Post
To answer your question, though, winter tires have several disadvantages:
Mushy, squirmy handling
Reduced grip during warm weather
Reduced fuel economy, due to higher rolling resistance
Increased tire wear during good weather.
Winter tread patterns may also be a bit noisier (if not well designed)
As others have mentioned.. Winter tires are great for WINTER weather. The weather you described is more like a wet/cold fall. I grew up in Indiana and I also have lived in the DC area and experienced a winter there and it does not get bad at all in either location.. To be perfectly honest.. full Winter tires for 2-4 months would be more appropriate for areas like upstate Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, or Wisconsin or the upper NE.

as @thakid22 indicated above.. on those 55 degree nice warm days in the winter... your car will feel HORRIBLE on winter tires. It will be utterly uninspiring to drive.. and if you do try to drive it hard you will likely succeed in tearing up your tires.

A great set of all season tires (with an M + S - mud and snow - rating) will give you the properties you are looking for...

1- a tread compound that is soft enough to stay pliant in cool temps
2- ability to move snow away from the tread blocks
3- ability to handle rainy, wet wather
4- still maintain 75-80 percent of the performance of the car on nice days..
5- will also have the flexibility to be driven all the way through a mild or even moderate winter and last well into spring (in the event that a nagging winter drags on) until you are ready to switch back to full summer tires.

With a good All season tire.. you can stick with stock sizing on the OE wheels and simply swap tires for the winter... or.. if you have the $ for a set of winter wheels then you might want to consider going with 18" wheels and tires to save on the expense of tires and also go with a slightly narrower contact patch for better traction in inclement weather.

Last edited by M3 Adjuster; 09-27-2016 at 04:45 PM..
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      09-27-2016, 05:30 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fusionrace View Post
Do not run winter tires in the DMV year round period.

It barely snows there and to be honest, when it does you are usually snowed in. I would run the stock tired or if you really want to change them, some good all seasons.

I have only been stuck driving in the snow once and that was in my e90 m3 with PSS's. I wouldn't bother buying news tires, with the money you would save you could take an uber when it get super bad out, if that even happens.
I would never run summer compound in cold weather.

Once when changing my summer compound tires, to in my case winter tires, on a wet day in late October, I noticed that the water from the road had frozen in the compound creating a thin film of ice all around the tire. Something I did not notice when the tires were on the car.
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      09-28-2016, 03:41 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster View Post
go with a set of excellent all season tires....... because of the following....




As others have mentioned.. Winter tires are great for WINTER weather. The weather you described is more like a wet/cold fall. I grew up in Indiana and I also have lived in the DC area and experienced a winter there and it does not get bad at all in either location.. To be perfectly honest.. full Winter tires for 2-4 months would be more appropriate for areas like upstate Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, or Wisconsin or the upper NE.

as @thakid22 indicated above.. on those 55 degree nice warm days in the winter... your car will feel HORRIBLE on winter tires. It will be utterly uninspiring to drive.. and if you do try to drive it hard you will likely succeed in tearing up your tires.

A great set of all season tires (with an M + S - mud and snow - rating) will give you the properties you are looking for...

1- a tread compound that is soft enough to stay pliant in cool temps
2- ability to move snow away from the tread blocks
3- ability to handle rainy, wet wather
4- still maintain 75-80 percent of the performance of the car on nice days..
5- will also have the flexibility to be driven all the way through a mild or even moderate winter and last well into spring (in the event that a nagging winter drags on) until you are ready to switch back to full summer tires.

With a good All season tire.. you can stick with stock sizing on the OE wheels and simply swap tires for the winter... or.. if you have the $ for a set of winter wheels then you might want to consider going with 18" wheels and tires to save on the expense of tires and also go with a slightly narrower contact patch for better traction in inclement weather.

Thank you! That's the question I was really looking to answer and the fear I had, especially when it mild during the winter.
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      09-28-2016, 03:49 PM   #9
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Obviously haven't had a winter for the m2 but when I had to use my old 135i as my dd all year around I had a set of summers and set of winter/snows. I was amazed how well the winter/snows worked. I passed 4x4 trucks stuck in the snow/ice with 300 hp rear wheeled car! All seasons wouldn't have done it. I highly recommend getting separate winter setup. I installed them the night b4 the first snow and took them off when it got 50s out. The snows I had were Dunlop sport 3ds not sure if they still make them been out of the game for a while.
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      11-01-2016, 08:57 AM   #10
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Winter in northern VA is not just about snow. It ices more frequently then snows. I agree winter tires are smart but not required. I live in nova and just took possession of my m2, I did think hard about winter tires for the cold months but probably won't.
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      11-01-2016, 10:32 AM   #11
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All seasons on an M2 is not going to be great, at all, in the snow.

While I don't suggest getting full-on snow tires, at least get performance winters. They offer compounds similar to all-seasons, with significantly better snow traction. They also wear and handle very well (again, like an all-season).

With your RWD, driving in snow is all about not getting stuck, all-seasons are going to be a headache in that regard should you see any real snow.
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      11-01-2016, 01:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PrematureApex View Post
All seasons on an M2 is not going to be great, at all, in the snow.

While I don't suggest getting full-on snow tires, at least get performance winters. They offer compounds similar to all-seasons, with significantly better snow traction. They also wear and handle very well (again, like an all-season).

With your RWD, driving in snow is all about not getting stuck, all-seasons are going to be a headache in that regard should you see any real snow.
Agreed. I already pulled the trigger on performance winter tires. I do make drives up to Jersey, and I don't have a winter beater, so it's definitely good to have them rather than not.
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      11-01-2016, 01:29 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hasan007 View Post
Winter in northern VA is not just about snow. It ices more frequently then snows. I agree winter tires are smart but not required. I live in nova and just took possession of my m2, I did think hard about winter tires for the cold months but probably won't.
So, are you staying with your summer performance tires then?
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      11-01-2016, 11:02 PM   #14
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On a $50k performance coupe with loads of torque this should be a no-brainer. Winter or snow tires on an extra set of wheels so you can swap between summer and winter tires in an evening. All-season tires are a waste of money - they suck at everything. I procrastinated buying winter tires for my BRZ two winters ago. Never again! After getting the winter set I was converted and I will always have a set for every car I own if I ever live in a snow state again.
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