Hi all,

In the next number of months I expect to replace the (original) Potenzas on my RC350-F with another set of tires, hopefully ones that will run quieter than what's on there now. Many people have recommended Michelin tires to me, but when I look at these tires (Pilot Sport or Super Sport 4S) on the Michelin website there are cautions about these tires and freezing/sub-freezing temperatures. Where I live it's often in the twenties in the morning and sometimes even single digits and I often park outdoors. Can anyone provide any guidance around this? Is this just Michelin being overly cautious?

 

Not only Michelin brand, Generally all summer tire rubber compound starts getting hard at around 6 deg. C. You'll be better off with two set of tires/rims. For summer and winter driving. Performance tires rubber is softer, so it'll harden more when temp. drops.

 

One of the biggest differences between summer and winter tires is the nature of the rubber compound. Summer tires are soft in warm weather in order to cling to the pavement; they also get harder as the temperature goes lower, and a hard tire does not grab the snow. Because they are soft in the summer heat, summer (or performance) tires wear out fairly quickly, in proportion to the handling qualities. High performance tires will make your car corner like a cat on Velcro, but your tread life will be very short. Winter tires are compounded so they stay soft in the cold to flex with the pavement and grip the snow. They run fine in the summer as well, except that they are so soft in that kind of heat that they wear down the tread very, very quickly. "All Season" tires are a compromise. As mentioned above, the best way is to have a set of each on their own wheels, for a quick change, as changing tires on and off just four wheels is a great inconvenience, and who has that kind of time!
That's about all I know about tires.

 

I have never owned both, winter & summer tires until I bought the RC. However, it is one of the best upgrades I have ever bought. Mother nature can be a ***** on wheels. all-wheel-drive plus snow tires ... very very nice. I got some Pirelli snow tires & with rims mounted from Tire Rack. UPS rolled them off their truck and into my garage. I paid $ 1,604 for 4 of them and have never regretted my purchase.

 

I've decided to go with four GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 ASYMMETRIC ALL-SEASON tires after reading many, many reviews and comments and consulting some local tire guys. Thanks everyone for your input!

 

If your RC is AWD, then going with all season tires is an excellent choice. I think an AWD car would only need snow tires when dealing with lots of heavy snow.

 

I have used Michelin for many years.

In particular the all seasons tires from Michelin. Their latest version is the Pilot Sport A/S Plus 3. EXCELLENT tires.. I bought them online at https://www.discounttiredirect.com/

 

Had these installed today. Much quieter, good road feel with far less bother from tar strips and minor road imperfections. Very satisfied!

 

Michelin tires seem to be a good choice all around and many users on the forums recommend them. I own a set of All-Seasons and Summer tires (both michelin) and there is certainly a big difference in different temperatures. I also feel these are the quietest/comfy tires I've ever used. Wish they were cheaper tho!

 

I agree. My favorites are either MIchelin or Continental. At 4 corners tires make ~couple square inch contact with the pavement when one drives a car at crusing speed.
Driver's life depend a lot on those 4 tires. I just can't understand after purchasing a vehicle costing 10s of thousands of $$$ some folks try to skimp on tires. I just wait 4 for 3 sale at my favorite tire shop. I don't buy tires from dealer. After all Michelin is biggest tire maker in the world.

 

I start searching for tires a couple of months before really needing them. Here are some of the specifics of how what I do for the most savings...

1. Discount tire will match any online tire price from a business.
2. Discount tire will add the shipping cost to the set of tires price.
3. Holiday weekend sales online (labor day, memorial day, 4th of july, etc) will often offer free shipping on a set of 4 tires.
4. Quite often you can get a $70-100 discount for buying 4 tires from the mfg
5. Discount will offer a $30 discount for opening an account with them.

My last set of tires I bought for our jetta were $122 ea at Discount tire. I found them online for 88 ea and no shipping costs. I got $70 off for the set of 4 and $30 for opening an account with discount. saved myself over $200.

 

Although I'm in Tampa it occasionally get below freezing here. When its cold out I switch the dash so I can see tire pressure, until pressures begin to go up a few psi I take it easy and don't do anything overly aggressive.

You could always press the 'snow' button and put it in eco mode to minimize aggressiveness.