How To Survive Driving On Summer Tires In The Snow

"Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire" (arch-duke-maxyenko)
02/16/2015 at 19:12 • Filed to: how to, survival guides, balls of steel, winter driving

These are the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A I RFT's that came on my car. These tires grip great on warm days. Rain or shine, they're just fine. Today, however, it snowed. Which means that the otherwise perfectly fine tires were absolutely abysmal. Pathetic, really, but I still made it home perfectly safe and sound without a scratch on my car. So how did I do it?

1. Admit to your life's mistakes.

Driving on summer tires in the snow is a terrible and reckless decision. You should be ashamed of your choices, so admit that you are wrong in your wrongness and move on to the next step.

2. Take a deep breath.

Now relax, every thing is going to be just fine.

3. Slowly pull out of your spot.

See, be gentle with the throttle, use second gear if necessary, and slowly get driving.

4. Pull out onto the road.

YOU HAVE FUCKED UP, THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?!?!??!!?!?!?!?!? Now your sliding a bit sideways while going forward. Easy does it, gently steer into the slide and ease off the gas.

5. Be smooth and easy with the brakes.

Try not to use them. Let the engine braking slow your roll. If you have to use them, easy does it, tiger. Don't mind the brake pedal shuddering, that's just the ABS doing it's thing.

6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until you're home.

7. Change your pants.

There was a lot of sphincter clenching, so changing your pants will feel good.

8. Admire your BALLS OF STEEL

You just proved yourself to be a bad enough dude to not Silvestro your car. Be proud of your new found BALLS OF STEEL. Now swear that you'll never do that again.

DISCUSSION (16)

AM3R shamefully returns > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:14

Fuck the runflats, get rid of them ASAP!

Coty > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:17

Do you do each number two once, or do you pick one to do twice? I'm confused.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > AM3R shamefully returns
02/16/2015 at 19:26

I'll keep them until they die.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Coty
02/16/2015 at 19:26

You do what you gotta do, man.

AM3R shamefully returns > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:32

that's what I did, then I got conti DWS. They've been great so far. Supposed to get 5-8" by tomorrow morning, already an 1.5" on the ground and I'm not worried. The car will also ride sooo much smoother and more quiet. I also saved a shit ton of money.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > AM3R shamefully returns
02/16/2015 at 19:35

I have no plans on getting new run flats.

Axial > AM3R shamefully returns
02/16/2015 at 19:42

I put Continental Extreme Contact DW on the '96 Corvette this past summer. Amazing tires so far, even in the snow. The side-wall is a bit squishier than that of the out-of-production Firehawk Wide Ovals that previously adorned the wheels, but the grip is real and it just feels stickier on the turn-in.

jariten1781 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:42

Ha! I've had RE050 on two different cars and made the mistake of trying to drive on them in the snow once. I live on a mid-steep hill that ends in a culdesac. The only way out is up. We got hit by a surprise snow, only a little over an inch. I had Blizzaks in the garage, but hadn't put them on yet because it wasn't consistently cold and no precipitation was forecast. Swapping that morning would make me late to work. I had walked and scouted and the only road out of my neighborhood that was not plowed was mine. All I had to do was make it up my hill and I was good.

Well, pulled out of the driveway and nothing but spin. Tried getting going a couple times and only managed to go backwards about 6 ft.

So, what to do? Thought about coaxing it down to the bottom then swapping the tires there...but was too concerned that any amount of momentum would snowball and I'd whack one of the street parked cars or smash into the curb at the end. Grabbed a shovel and scissor jack and swapped the two on the drive axle while my neighbors flug snow on me spinning their tires to get up the hill. Then pulled back into the garage and was late to work anyway.

Never again.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:44

it snowed like 3 days after I got the WRX. Those tires suck in the snow. It was also day 3 with my first manual car.

Raphmoe > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 19:50

Great write up, glad you made it home safe.

What car do you drive? I can not tell what kind of BMW that is.

Textured Soy Protein > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 20:52

I can confirm the RE050A RFTs are garbage in the snow. I've been caught in like 1" snow situations with my 135is and it's usually a disaster. I might be able to get going a little better with a manual but since my car is DCT there's not really any way to slip the clutch(es).

AM3R shamefully returns > Axial
02/16/2015 at 21:08

perfect way to put it, so much grip but I too have noticed it's s little bit softer on turn-in. I countered that by putting a tiny bit more air in them. Great tires!

FromCanadaWithLove > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/16/2015 at 21:22

I can confirm MPSS are garbage in the snow. In the fall we had a surprise 2cm of snow, and it was definitely a tense drive.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/17/2015 at 02:58

I tried that for a while on Hankook Ventus v12's on my turbo DSM. When boost hits you go sideways. Then i got Bridgestone winter tires and now i have to be on gas harder to break loose

Stef Schrader > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/17/2015 at 03:20

I had balls of steel coming home from Eagles Canyon last year.

...

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.

Z2s + snow = NOPE.

I stopped at Braum's halfway home for ice cream. Was not staying in the car any longer. Also, there was ice cream.

brianbrannon > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/29/2015 at 17:22

I was waiting to change my summer tires until it snowed so I could do a back to back comparison with the snow tires. It never snowed but the summers were so bad in the cold that I thought my struts had failed. Swapped the winters on and was unicorn riding spurting rainbows