Warm week: switch out winter tires?

"yitznewton" (yitznewton)
02/01/2016 at 13:52 • Filed to: tires

It looks like we’re not getting any more snow for at least a week here, so I have a dilemma of whether to switch back to my fair-weather tires. The problem with the winters is that the sidewalls are much less rigid than my all-seasons, which totally destroys the driving experience.

I am jonesing for some tite cornering yo. I went out on my usual route this morning, and while it was a really nice cruise, it was only that. Depressing!

Worth it to switch back for what may only amount to a week? Maybe.

DISCUSSION (28)

ColoradoTaco > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 13:55

Not worth it imo but for you it depends on how much you like changing wheels.

Steve in Manhattan > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 13:55

Where do you live?

Justin Hughes > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 13:58

I’ve been wondering the same myself. If the summer wheels were in the garage rather than out in the shed I’d probably charge the impact wrench and do it.

BKosher84 > Steve in Manhattan
02/01/2016 at 13:59

This will make all the difference.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 13:59

It has been warm in Boston, but winter tires still confer a benefit if it’s consistently below 45. Even without snow we’re only getting 2-3 days of weather like that before it gets cold again. For me, though, the fact that I don’t have a second set of wheels yet makes the decision a lot easier.

Tripper > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:00

If you’ve got an impact driver and a fast jack, I say do it. I’d be switching mine all the time if I had those two things. That is however, manly because I bought trash winter tires and not only do they kill the driving experience, they are dangerous when its warm and wet.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:03

How many weeks until the next snowfall? These snow mounds are taking up valuable parking space. Keep the snows on if tools and jacks are limited.

Steve in Manhattan > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
02/01/2016 at 14:07

I like this answer. I think NYC and Boston will get hit again before March.

McMike > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:08

How long does it take you do change sets, and do you mind doing it at night after it’s started snowing?

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Steve in Manhattan
02/01/2016 at 14:09

How did the city do with the cleanup? I’ve been hearing nobody bothered cleaning out their spots in Brooklyn and just left their cars.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:22

Well if your other tires are all seasons (and not summers) you are doing it wrong! Snow is not the only reason for your winter tires anyways. It will surely be cold again by next week and the soft compound will be well worth having. The GT Altimax Arctics can definitely handle some abuse so a week of warm-ish weather is not so bad. Just enjoy the top down weather while you can, I sure am!

yitznewton > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/01/2016 at 14:24

Yes, I would not personally buy A/S for an S2000, but the car came with a new set of passable Firehawks, so :shrug:

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:24

If you have space sure, its suppose to be high 50's wednesday then switch back to being cold. Winter make be broken but i doubt we’ll be spared snow

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Justin Hughes
02/01/2016 at 14:24

You worry at all about the cold having an effect on your summer tires being outside in storage like that?

Justin Hughes > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/01/2016 at 14:27

They won’t be much warmer in my garage, so whatever I do, they’re going to be cold. I’m not too worried though - they’re MPSS, not R-compounds, which I would be worried about.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 14:31

Well you should definitely use those tires for gratuitous amounts of autocross which will promptly destroy them! Very good for teaching how to really drive at an Auto-x too since you are constantly fighting the tires.

Steve in Manhattan > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
02/01/2016 at 14:45

Brooklyn I don’t know ... here in Manhattan the clearing effort was pretty good. I have no car, so I don’t know how it would have been for me, but 3 days after the storm my landlord came over to fix something and found a space right in front of the building.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Aaron M - MasoFiST
02/01/2016 at 14:59

today is unreal, it feels like may

Aaron M - MasoFiST > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/01/2016 at 15:00

It’s 62 now...

OPPOsaurus WRX > Aaron M - MasoFiST
02/01/2016 at 15:02

internet says 58 here in quincy.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/01/2016 at 15:05

Yeah, 62 is for Cambridge, from Weather Underground.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Aaron M - MasoFiST
02/01/2016 at 15:13

there is a good chance i’ll be up in Cambridge in the near future. I had someone email me about doing some drawings to renovate their house.

I may have asked before but where do you live? your not on the oppo map

Aaron M - MasoFiST > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/01/2016 at 15:18

I live in Dorchester but my office is in Cambridge.

As an aside, where is this Oppo map you speak of?

jariten1781 > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 15:24

I keep mine on till the winter potholes get filled. Less chance for wheel damage by keeping a larger, softer sidewall. Especially when there's a warm spell right after a period of freezing the potholes get nasty. Cracked/bent wheels suck.

yitznewton > yitznewton
02/01/2016 at 15:55

I guess this is why California is popular with driving enthusiasts :sad_panda:

OPPOsaurus WRX > Aaron M - MasoFiST
02/01/2016 at 16:26

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-oppo-map-a…

Aaron M - MasoFiST > OPPOsaurus WRX
02/01/2016 at 16:44

I just spent more time dicking around in Google maps than I perhaps should have and still can’t figure out how to add myself to that. I’ll revisit it later.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Aaron M - MasoFiST
02/01/2016 at 17:18

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/where-you-at-o…

This may help