max90034

I only got ~12K on my 2008 IS-f. When car had 3-4K I did some 0-60, etc runs and normally (manual, Sport On and tracking control Off) I was able to lose traction briefly first when I floor it from dead stop and then again during 1-2 shift. I did not try anything like this for the last few thousand miles.

Yesterday, I floor it from stop and wheels were spinning through entire 1st gear. Since then I played a bit more and I found that I am losing tracking anytime I floor from slow rolling at 1st gear, from dead stop even without switching tracking control Off, etc, etc.

Obviously “cold” (45-50) weather in San Diego contributes to this. Still it breaks traction much easier than last winter. I am wondering if it is because my tires are not so new anymore (but all the thread is still visible and the road was perfectly dry) or it takes that long to finally break-in the car.

MicaISF

your tires are aging. it's natural for the tire rubber to degrade due to heat cycles, UV and mechanical stress. mine tires do the same thing. cold weather and road surface can decrease traction also. these tires don't perform until they heat up sufficiently.

ming15237

iTrader: (3)

heat in the tires and temp outside is your BIG problem, much more so than tire age is. remember in the dry a bald tire akes better contact with the road than a tire with lots of tread does.

infinus

Tire pressure can have something to do with it too, if your tires are overinflated you have less contact patch with the road. Also the road surface, recent rains can bring oils and things like that making even dry surfaces more slick. Cold plays against you in two ways. 1. your tires grip less cold, and 2. your car makes more power with colder intake temps. On my way home I floored it from a roll and easily spun the wheels.

MicaISF

good point, i definitely would check this first.

ming15237

iTrader: (3)

Arrgggg, Thanks I really forgot the obvious, and am a little embarrassed to be honest. OP, Infinus is right about tire pressure, set it to factory settings. One thing is sure though , I posted some time ago these tires turn into bricks when they are cold and can be QUITE dangerous when the temps drop! A sudden and unexpected loss of traction is NEVER a good thing!

max90034

Checked tire pressure. It is 34.5 and 35 in rear tires, so I actually have to bump it a bit.

I would also think that not so new tires should perform as well as newer ones on dry surface. So, I guess it is a combination of colder weather (but I could not break tires that easy last winter) and "sudden performance jump" . Anyway, car drives really nice.

flipside909

Yeah unfortunately the cold weather a toll on tire pressures. My TPMS light came on the other night while I was driving. As soon as I stopped and checked the pressures, it was down to 31 PSI all around. I'm at 31K on my original factory Michelin PS2's. The rears need to be changed in a couple thousand miles, but so far so good!