LexusIvy07

I'm rounding 25k miles and starting to look at tire options to change out the original stock bridgestone turanza summer performance tires and am wondering if people recommend a winter tire/summer performance tire rotation or if anyone has a good reco for all seasons?

coldsoda

two sets of tires are more $ up front, but equal out over time and pay for themselves in convenience - just swapping the set when its time. you won't be buying new tires anytime soon if you have a seat for each season.

A dedicated tire for summer and dedicated for winter will ALWAYS be safer and perform better than an "all-season". If you have the means, go for dedicated sets. you wont go back once you drive a winter on dedicated winter tires. I drove between Chicago and Columbus, OH a few times during the winter and never cared about weather because I had dedicated tires. Never had an issue even in the middle of nowhere with a few inches of snow coming down.

computerwi

Welcome to the forums @LexusIvy07.

Given Illinois is pretty close to the Great Lakes, I imagine your climate must be pretty wet with lots of rain and heavy slushy snow. If you don't get freezing temperatures too often, you could probably stick with an all-season to save a few bucks. There is some inconvenience and minor costs associated with two sets of tires (storage, extra balancing, TPMS programming), but as @coldsoda says, you will get more life out of both sets.

dashmer

All season tires are really 3 season tires in northern climates. In more southern climates where winters have occasional light snow and temperatures mostly stay above freezing, you can get away with all seasons. If you are in a northern state, I would spend the money and get some decent winters.

crazych42

I'm in the same situation, but since I am in SE VA and we get snow perhaps 3-4 times a year in Jan/Feb, I'm leaning towards all seasons. Though I did drive with summer tires on all of last year and only got caught in the snow one time. Needless to say I don't want to do that again. I'm looking at Michelin Pilot sport A/S and Continental extremecontact DWS 06 ultra high performance all seasons. I'd hate to lose the summer tire grip, but I can't compromise on safety.

I agree with those that say a dedicated set for folks that live in northern climates and see lots of snow and days with temps below freezing is the way to go.

Taideee

I use all seasons in seattle on my audi and they work fine.
Not sure myself if I should go with Allseason or dedicated

ExSrAaron

If you can afford it, I'd recommend winter and summer tires over all seasons. Dedicated winter tires are so good in the snowy-icy conditions that it makes you wonder why you waited so long to get them. If you have a long commute or lots of stop/go traffic then I'd recommend them even more so. Level 2 "snow emergency" here in Ohio is no problem with winter tires. Winter tires are normally louder and softer but it's not too bad for only 3-5 months. However, my daily driver ILX does very well in the snow with all-seasons (but not quite winter tire well).

It comes down to what your daily commute is like and how you drive your car in the summer. All-seasons are just C to B performance all-year around, while winter and summer tires are B+ to A+ in their respected seasons.

LexusIvy07

Thanks for all the great advice from everyone! I'm from a far NW suburb of Chicago in the Fox River Valley. We tend to get a lot of snow (much more than the city) and it's significantly more hilly than the rest of the CHicago metro area. I'm thinking I will definitely go for dedicated winter tires. Any suggestions on good winter tires? I'm not concerned about storage, I have the space.