Stock Tires and Winter Weather
 

So temps have started to dip in the 50s here in the the DMV and it won't be long before we're in the 40s and then 30s. We don't get a whole lot of snow here, but when we do, the roads are awful for days.

Realistically speaking, can the stock summer tires handle cold temps and rain...at least for one winter? No doubt the Bridgestones aren't the best even in dry warm weather, but it hurts to think I have to replace them with only 1,500 miles. They're practically new. I'd love a set of Michelin Pilots, who wouldn't, but I also don't want to throw away $1,300 right now. I have summer tires on my Z4 and I know better not to drive them in the winter, but then again I never drive that car in cold temps.

How many of you have ridden them in cold weather and in heavy rain? Is it feasible?

Personally, what I did was the following:

- Avoid driving in sub-freezing temps.
- If below 40, make sure the sun has been up for a few hours to warm up the pavement. In other words, no early-morning driving if temps are below 40.

With those rules, I didn't have any issues last winter on my stock Bridgestones. If you can't do that, I can't say whether the tires will hold up. But, even so, the grip level noticeably falls off around 40-50 degrees.

if its below 35 ish and wet, i would not drive the car on stock tires. you could get a set of dedicated winters. thats what i did for mine. i usually slap them on around the end of oct

I drove mine in cold, wet weather for a few years and it was fine. No snow, though. Take it slow, you'll be alright. My drive to work is short, but I get the "icy roads" warning every morning. I drove my C7 on Pilot Super Sports (even more "summer" than the PS4s) and was fine on those too.

The stock tires are not great, but if you drive responsibly I think you'll be fine.

Snow is a big No. Don't try it at all. Cold temps and rain. it can do it, I've done it but any standing water might become a butt-puckering moment for you so avoid the puddles. I live in Texas, if it snows I'll drive the wife's IS 350 which has Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+ All-Season Performance tires instead. Won't risk a Maximum performance tire in the snow.

I think it comes down to a combination of the tire and driving style. I have more confidence in my corvette's super sports (275 and 335) than I do in these bridgestones. Like 95bat mentioned, I, too, have driven a C7 on the pilot SS's in the cold. I've driven them in the rain at VIR and in November as well without issues. I just had to dial back my aggressive cornering. However, I have never driven them in the cold and wet, or on ice or snow. I'm in SE VA, so I understand the roads being awful for days after it snows. We shut down about a day for every inch of snow, and I avoid driving during those times because of all the asshats down here that don't understand stopping distance and why it is a good idea to clean the snow off the car before you go driving on the interstate.

Years ago, I drove my GTO on Yokohama AO48's, which are street/track tires with a TW of 60, in cold and wet condition at VIR in March and again in November and they were much better than expected. I think it was because their deep and wide tread grooves evacuated water faster. I even drove on those tires at a November Autox with the ocean being driven across the course by high winds and had no problem.
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Thanks everyone for the input. Makes me feel better about keeping them on the car for local winter driving. I do make a couple of trips to Pittsburgh and the highway gets super windy and usually wet from rain or melting snow. Going 75+ MPH on those tires and in those conditions I'm assuming is a terrible idea. Just need to bribe my wife in letting me use her car instead for those trips.

Yeah I am fortunate that my wife and I both work from home, so... if I really need to go somewhere while it is icy or super cold, I can just borrow the X3. :D

Last winter, I drove mine a couple of times when the temperature was -7 C (19F). Was sunny out, middle of the day. Was fine, no issues, but not advisable. Have never driven in the snow, and would not with the Bridgestones. Except for those couple of occasions, I would usually take the car out when it was above the freezing mark. Traction was brutal, but if the pavement was dry, had no problem. I'm going to replace the Bridgestones with MIchelin PS A/S 4 - the all season tires, so that they can still handle sub-freezing temperatures, and in the event of unexpected light snow fall, I can still manage to maneuver my way back home. I'd love to put the PS 4S summer tires, but I'm concerned of rubber damage once the temperature drops below 7C (45F)

Yeah, that's what the X3 is for :thumbup: . I'm going to put Michelin Crossclimate 2's on my wife's 330, so that, along with all-wheel drive, should be good to go for winter driving. The IS500 stays in hibernation for those nasty winter days.
If I lived on the southern shore of Lake Ontario or Lake Erie, and I had to absolutely drive the IS500 in the winter, then I would definitely put dedicated snow tires on the car. Out of nowhere, lake effect snow can just bombard you, and it can very quickly become dangerous situation. Can't tell you how many times I've seen Buffalo, NY snowed over, while we are all bright, sunny and dry a mere 50 miles north of there in Toronto.

Off topic, but... IS 500 + X3 seems to be a common combo. :D

I personally love our X3. It drives really well and gets 28 MPG on average, which is great for a 4000-pound bread box. And the fact that it is a CUV means I can take it places I wouldn't want to take the IS. It makes sense. Before, we had a 330i, which was basically the same kind of vehicle as the IS... Kinda silly compared to our current setup.

Been through three winters on stock tires. Definitely don’t use on ice or snow but otherwise completely fine. And I live in a place where everyday gets well below freezing for 4-5 months.

That being said, I did just put on Pirelli P Zero AS+ 3s as OEMs were wearing down. New tires are all seasons and overall they’re even better performance tires than the OEM summer tires.

I’m in Maryland and ended up keeping the stock Bridgestones on to see how they’d do last winter. They aren’t the greatest in the cold but I did not feel unsafe at any time. With snow coming down I didn’t even try to drive but the is500 isn’t my only car. These tires suck in the rain regardless but if it’s in the pinch I think you will be fine.

I really [really] wanted to avoid a $1+k expense but there was no way around it. I just ordered a set of the Michelin PS4s. I've been noticing the stock tires breaking traction almost all the time now when the temps dropped below 40F here, even with the smallest amount of acceleration. Yesterday with rain, the tires scared the crap out of me accelerating while turning - twice almost fishtailing with minimal acceleration. I've actually brought out my Z4 from winter hibernation (also rear-drive but with all-season high-perf tires) to drive until the tires arrive. I know some of you have had no issues driving on the stock summer tires in the winter, and I'm sure I can do it, but it's not worth the risk at all, especially as temps continue to drop.

God…no. The Bridgestones are crap on a hot bright sunshiny day, introduce cold and/or rain and it’s a white knuckle moment for sure! In general, most Summers have issues below 45 degrees.

To clarify, did you buy Summer or all seasons? I couldn’t tell if ‘PS4s’ as written was the possessive, plural ‘all-seasons’, or Summer with a lowercase ‘s’.