Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Will normal highway cruising speeds (60 to 70 mph) at near-freezing ambient temperatures build up enough heat in a max performance summer tire to make it safe at those temperatures? The reason I ask is that I planning a 1,800 mile trip (in my 2005 Legacy GT) from the frozen Canadian North to Florida around the end of March, returning in mid-April. We can still get some pretty heavy snowfalls that time of the year in Montreal, but the farther south I get the less chance I have of encountering snow. I'll be taking a route through Boston, into PA on I-81 and then cutting across to I-95 south of Richmond. I can check the long-range weather forecast before leaving and if there's no sign of snow, even if it's cold and dry I might drive down on my summer tires if, as I'm hoping, they'll be safe at highway speeds. If I use the winter tires, by the time I get halfway down I'll be burning them up in the southern heat, not to mention the ride and noise factors. So do I play it safe and wear my brand-new Bridgestone Blizzak snow tire into the Florida heat or do I take a chance in the North and use my brand-new Conti DW summer tires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Users seabass07 Posted March 1, 2012 Mega Users Share Posted March 1, 2012 Personally, I'd only do a trip like that with a decent all season tire. Mainly because the summer tire will likely be horrible in the snow. Cold temps aren't a big deal, but snow and ice will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Well, A/S tires are not an option - don't have any. If snow is in the forecast anywhere along the route before I leave I'll keep the snow tires on. I'd only wear the summers if dry or wet roads above freezing are expected. If snow happens on the way back, I'm retired and not under any great pressure to be anywhere soon - we'll just lay low for a day to wait for the roads to clear. I'm just wondering if highway speeds will keep the summer tires at a good operating temperature even if it's cold outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too luchadorjose Posted March 1, 2012 I Donated Too Share Posted March 1, 2012 you could probably drive at a lower speed until the ambient temp is high enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Users seabass07 Posted March 1, 2012 Mega Users Share Posted March 1, 2012 They should be fine if there's no snow/ice. They won't grip like they do in higher temps, but they shouldn't be unsafe if the roads aren't slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I agree with seabass. I think you'd be fine as long as the roads are clear. Remember, it's not a matter of you checking forecast. The forecast might tell you the current weather conditions, but it won't tell you the road conditions. If it snows 3 days before you leave and the roads aren't cleared sufficiently, you'll still have to deal with the snow that accumulated, even if it's not actually snowing during your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The end of March should be pretty safe, but there's always a chance of snow or freezing temps. Winter tyres are only mandatory until March 15th. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 ...If it snows 3 days before you leave and the roads aren't cleared sufficiently, you'll still have to deal with the snow that accumulated, even if it's not actually snowing during your trip. Good point. I'm used to our roads being cleared up the day after a big storm here but that may not be the case farther South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Under 45 degrees F is the rule of thumb for three season tires. Just be aware of it and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rice_rocket Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 But why doesn't anyone say.. forget it, and run the winter tires? Sure they'll wear out faster, but other than that and the road noise... I wouldn't care about it that much. I personally had been a cheapo on one car I had.. a 1999 A4 turbo and wanted specifically to wear out the winter tires so I could buy some nicer 3 season tires. They ended up lasting me 16,000 miles before the tread even got to 3/32 of depth which amazed me since the tread wear rating isn't for that high. It really wasn't all that noisy and highway speeds were fine, cornering was the noisiest and bumpiest, but it didn't bother me much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseagle08 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Go with summer tires and just don't push it around hard turns when it's cold. They'll be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 ...forget it, and run the winter tires? Sure they'll wear out faster, but other than that and the road noise... That's what I plan to do if there's any sign of a Spring snowstorm working up the East Coast. But my Blizzaks are brand new this winter with less than 2,000 miles on them. I'd rather not put another 3,000 bare pavement miles on them if I can avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 But why doesn't anyone say.. forget it, and run the winter tires? I'll be that guy... A couple winters ago I helped push a guy's car to the side of the road because he was stuck, on a really trivial hill, with a really trivial amount of snow, and summer tires. The sheer absence of traction blew my mind - his car was 2WD, but I don't think AWD would have made any real difference. That convinced me to remove my summer tires a month or so earlier than before, and put them on a month or so later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Which Blizzaks do you have? LM or WS? Krzys PS Next time you plan doing something like this buy winter performance tires or all seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC5.2 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 For just cruising on the highway, you'll be OK on the summers. If anything they'll improve fuel economy in colder weather. It's not like you are one-lapping the trip where you NEED the all-out performance of a summer-only tire. You are just going on a road trip. The biggest thing to remember, is that stopping distances will be longer than you might be used to in optimum conditions. I'd suggest not using the snows. You'll be wasting money in tires, and money in gas, for something unnecessary unless it's snowing. When I was younger, I foolishly ran RE070's in the winter. They were fine unless I was pushing the car. They were worthless in the dusting of snow we got before I put the RE92's back on, though. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/proper-flip-key-interesti-159894.html"]Flip Key Development Thread[/URL] "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." - E. Hubbard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Which Blizzaks do you have? LM or WS? Krzys PS Next time you plan doing something like this buy winter performance tires or all seasons. Blizzak WS70. How will "winter performance tires" help "doing something like this"? Are they more resistant to wear at higher temperatures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Winter performance are H and V rated and by definition handle heat better than Q or R rated tires. They are still not optimal for southern part of the trip but safer in warm weather than summer tires in cold with chance of snow. Nokian sells WR G2 as all weather tire and it is similar to winter performance tires (at least it gets tested against them in European tests). Winter performance will be worse than summer on dry and wet but good enough for road trip. But you do not have this problem as you bought winter studless tires that suck on dry and wet and suck even more in warm temperature. They shine on ice and snow. Could you rent a car to drive there? It probably does not make sense to buy 3rd set of all seasons just for this trip. Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovcoursitsilver Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 ...Could you rent a car to drive there? It probably does not make sense to buy 3rd set of all seasons just for this trip. Krzys Not gonna rent a car; if it came to that, there's always my wife's RAV 4 with all season tires on its summer wheels but it sucks on the Interstate. There is another option I just remembered; the new summer tires are not mounted on my summer wheels yet. The original RE92s that I took off the car in November still have over 5/32" tread and are showing no sign of cracking on the sidewalls. They were manufactured in October, 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 ...I planning a 1,800 mile trip (in my 2005 Legacy GT) from the frozen Canadian North to Florida around the end of March, returning in mid-April. ... If I were you I would have taken RAV4 on all seasons. WS70 - suck is warm and wet, wear fast on dry, even more in warm. DW - dangerous in any frozen/freezing precipitation RE92 - 8 year old <-- you should have sold them a few years ago here or on craigs list. May be safe but are you sure you want to drive on them from Montreal to Florida and back (at least not in summer heat) - my 2nd choice. Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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