[g_lev]

My winter wheels and tires are arriving from Tire Rack today. I've never had a set of winter tires before, preferring to rely on all-seasons, or simply not driving the summer-tire sports cars in the cold.

When is the right time to make the switch?

I have the 20" staggered setup on there with the performance summer tires. Should I wait until the temperatures are consistently cold all day?

[Em2]

I generally do mine late Oct and Late April (or first week of May) in Ontario. Kind of avoids the rush. Most mornings now are around 5-10c. The switchover time is supposed to be 7c.


Edit - That'd would also be dependent on whether I had AS or summer performance tires. Summer tires I'd be inclined to switch earlier as they have zero grip if there's any frost on the ground that you can't really see in the early mornings.

[SO8]

I actually want it to get colder in the UK ... so I can get my winters on. It is, as usual, just raining a lot and I expect to have to wait until January for crisp mornings. Sooner would be nice ... but the fact I have bought winters means we will get no snow in the south ... as usual .

[BMWZ4]

Just booked my 2 vehicles today for Oct 31st. Usually no later than the first week of November, that's when the temps seem to start falling below 7c

[g_lev]

In my case I am not worried about a rush at the shop. I am fully capable of doing that myself and saving the time and hassle.

I am just trying to figure out how "safe" it is to drive on summer tires when the temperatures fall below their "limit" but don't really stay that way all the time.

Looks like I'll just wait until early November and swap them out then

[dmicah]

Originally Posted by g_lev

I have the 20" staggered setup on there with the performance summer tires. Should I wait until the temperatures are consistently cold all day?

If your temps are starting to dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you don't want to be on summers. You should plan your date prior to the time you expect that to be the case in Philly.

[TX3M]

Originally Posted by g_lev

In my case I am not worried about a rush at the shop. I am fully capable of doing that myself and saving the time and hassle.

I am just trying to figure out how "safe" it is to drive on summer tires when the temperatures fall below their "limit" but don't really stay that way all the time.

Looks like I'll just wait until early November and swap them out then

How "safe" it is depends on who you ask. Some will tell you they run summer tires even when it's cold with no problem. Others will tell you NEVER run summer tires in the cold, it's not safe.

My opinion is, why take a chance? Just put them on as soon as the temps get below the recommended temp for summer tires. There's nothing wrong with putting your winters on a little early or taking them off a little late. These are not race cars on a track. Better safe than sorry.

[g_lev]

Originally Posted by dmicah

If your temps are starting to dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you don't want to be on summers. You should plan your date prior to the time you expect that to be the case in Philly.

Looks like we will be in the 40s in the mornings over the next week, but still 60s during the day.

I do plan to take a trip to my place in far upstate NY before the end of the month and it's already snowing there, so I'll be putting them on before that trip.

[ColoM40i]

Originally Posted by g_lev

Looks like we will be in the 40s in the mornings over the next week, but still 60s during the day.

I do plan to take a trip to my place in far upstate NY before the end of the month and it's already snowing there, so I'll be putting them on before that trip.

Nothing to do with summer/winter tires but...why is it called upstate NY versus
northern NY? Is there downstate NY (southern NY) ?

[garz747]

Anytime the ambient temp gets below 7c (45F) performance tires basically turn into hockey pucks. All seasons are okay when brand new and full tread depth but year two begins a downhill trend. Although I had zero problems with the stock all season 19 inchers, my package is waiting for me this friday-19 x 8.5 satin black BMW replica wheels and Pirelli Ice Zero 235 55 19s. Canucks need winter tires! - so many monkeys here in southern Ontario drive around with their bald tires spinning at 5000rpm, unable to stop, turn or make it up the smallest incline.

[AlmondJayRoM3]

The internet will have you believe that anything over 55F will cause your winter tires to melt away and anything below 45F and your summer tires will by sliding all over the place.

If temperatures average below 45, switch to winters. If you have a few days of higher temp, don’t sweat it. Your tires will be fine. Heck I drove around Los Angeles for a couple weeks with with temps in the mid to high 70s on blizzak LM32s on my M3 because I didn’t take my summer tires with me on my road trip. They were fine with the exception of being slightly squirmy on the hottest parts of the day.

Likewise, if the temp dips into the 30s you can still drive on summers and survive just fine. Just be cautious until the tires warmup. I just wouldn’t make it a habit of driving around in performance summer tires because some compounds can get damaged from being brittle.

If I had to choose between winter tires in warmer weather or summer tires in cold weather, I would go winters all the way. They’re cheaper and the performance drop isn’t as extreme.

[Ravenous666]

As we are having the first mornings around 40 and not more than 55 during day, I'll swap my wifes M240ix this weekend and the X3 next. Usually Late October till April is a good timeframe and the winter tires usually last longer than my summer tires due to less driving in winter time.

[g_lev]

Originally Posted by ColoM40i

Nothing to do with summer/winter tires but...why is it called upstate NY versus
northern NY? Is there downstate NY (southern NY) ?

New York State people call it that because that's what non-New York people think it's called I guess. If I were to refer to it to other NY people I call it the "North Country" which is it's official "region" designation by the state (My place is in Lake Placid).

Then there is the perpetual fight of NY City people calling everything north of, say Yonkers, "Upstate", which the rest of us NY State people find absurd

[deladude]

Your best bet is to decide based on the manufacturer recommendations for the tire you use. For Pilot Sport 4s tires they say:

Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.

Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Max Performance Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. Compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.

I swap mine when temps start hitting mid 30s at night just to be safe.

[SteveX3M40i]

Hi,
I fitted winters to my BMW123d back in 2010 when this was my daily car then.
It was the first time I had ever used winters and they were just amazing.
They were much more comfortable ride than the runflats that they replaced and their grip in ice and snow was amazing.
In fact I even kept them on once the weather warmed up - out of interest and they stayed on the car for nearly 18 months - I only put the original runflats back on when I sold the car.
They worked fine in British winter and summer weather - and were much cheaper than the run flats!
Cheers
Steve

[dkreidel]

Snow in our local mountains the last few days, snow level forecast down to 3,000 and temps in the mid 20's by this weekend. My staggered 20" Pirelli P Zero A/S + are coming off tomorrow, and the square 19" Nokian Hakkas are going on

[mreg376]

Originally Posted by g_lev

New York State people call it that because that's what non-New York people think it's called I guess. If I were to refer to it to other NY people I call it the "North Country" which is it's official "region" designation by the state (My place is in Lake Placid).

Then there is the perpetual fight of NY City people calling everything north of, say Yonkers, "Upstate", which the rest of us NY State people find absurd

That is absolutely accurate. :-)

[Tchgrif]

im in pittsburgh so very similar weather to the OP, i switch mine right around thanksgiving and switch back on april 15th tax day. we rarely have snow before then and when it does its gone in a couple hours.

[spta97]

Originally Posted by g_lev

New York State people call it that because that's what non-New York people think it's called I guess. If I were to refer to it to other NY people I call it the "North Country" which is it's official "region" designation by the state (My place is in Lake Placid).

Then there is the perpetual fight of NY City people calling everything north of, say Yonkers, "Upstate", which the rest of us NY State people find absurd

To add, the economics (and politics) are vastly different between the two. Below is a political map indicating what a lot of people in the state consider "Upstate" (red).

NY would be a great place to live for gun owners and people who prefer less government rules if most of the decisions were not made in the blue zone.

OP - Once temps are consistently in the 40s, I would make sure your winters are installed.

In "downstate" NY, I plan to put mine on in November.