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[moveswiftly]

So i had my bridgestone blizzak lm60's mounted / balanced yesterday running a size 225/40/18. Today I did a 0-60 run and I've noticed that my car is noticable slower when accelerating, for example DSC kicks in a lot more. I was driving in 6th gear today, downshifted into fourth and floored it and for a few seconds the car would barely gain any speed, with DSC kicking in intermittently. however, when dsc / dtc are completely switched off acceleration is a lot better. Also the car doesn't feel as stiff as it was with a 225/245 rsetup compared to 225/225. Why is DSC kicking in so much? Too Much power for the small 225 rear wheels? The compound of the rubber?
Thanks in advance.

[BrokenVert]

The lack of 20 mm of tire does make a difference, yes. But it is more about the tire compound. Winter tire compounds typically loose grip when compared to summers. Its almost an entirely different car with winter. Also Blizzaks are not the sportiest winter tires out there.

If you are that concerned with winter performance, like I was, buy a set of Pirelli 240 Sottozeros when your blizzaks wear out. These are what I run and they are basically the PS2s of the winter.

These tires with a 225/255 setup actually have better grip than the Stock Bridgestones IMO, and they are fantastic in all weather conditions.

[mineo77]

did you mount to your existing rims or did you get new ones?

[moveswiftly]

yup I used my stock 18" wheels, If i bend one in the winter or crack a wheel, I'll just get a replacement one. DIdn't feel the need to get a separate set of winter wheels!
The reason i got blizzaks is because I do a lot of driving in the snow sometimes, my commute to college is 20 miles each way and we get a decent amount of snow in NJ in the winter, though our roads are very well plowed IMO. Oh well guess i'll have to wait till the spring to get my old 0-60 times back :/
or i can just get a jb3 :P and juice up my power now haha

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

yup I used my stock 18" wheels, If i bend one in the winter or crack a wheel, I'll just get a replacement one. DIdn't feel the need to get a separate set of winter wheels!
The reason i got blizzaks is because I do a lot of driving in the snow sometimes, my commute to college is 20 miles each way and we get a decent amount of snow in NJ in the winter, though our roads are very well plowed IMO. Oh well guess i'll have to wait till the spring to get my old 0-60 times back :/
or i can just get a jb3 :P and juice up my power now haha

I live in NY and our winters can be bad from time to time too. Ive personally driven my 1er in the snow on several occasions. Its not that bad with good shoes.

[JBW]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

So i had my bridgestone blizzak lm60's mounted / balanced yesterday...

"Yesterday" is a key word here IMO. They need 300+ miles to get rid of the mold lubricant alone! And, they also have a ton of "tread squirm" on them as well! Once the treads wear a bit and the rubber is sans lubricant they WILL perform better. Also, remember that they are meant for COLD temps!

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

So i had my bridgestone blizzak lm60's mounted / balanced yesterday running a size 225/40/18. Today I did a 0-60 run and I've noticed that my car is noticable slower when accelerating, for example DSC kicks in a lot more. I was driving in 6th gear today, downshifted into fourth and floored it and for a few seconds the car would barely gain any speed, with DSC kicking in intermittently. however, when dsc / dtc are completely switched off acceleration is a lot better. Also the car doesn't feel as stiff as it was with a 225/245 rsetup compared to 225/225. Why is DSC kicking in so much? Too Much power for the small 225 rear wheels? The compound of the rubber?
Thanks in advance.

What brand and type of tire are you running, before the winter tires?
The LM60 RFT in 225/40/18 weighs 28lbs, non RFT weighs 24lbs.
4lbs of unsprung weight per corner is significant to performance.

Heavier tire/wheel setups will lower overall performance in every area; accel, braking, handling, mpg, etc...

It seems the biggest issue here is that you are running "winter" tires and it's not winter. Temps are not where winter tires like to be. Above freezing winter tire compounds are soft and will adversely affect overall performance. The tread will squirm and make handling mushy, soft, un-crisp.

Overall, a winter tire is not for performance in the sport sense. It is a performance tire in relation to giving snow condition performance, meaning it's made to grip in the snow for accel and decel.
If the roads are dry and the temps warm, winter tires don't live well in those conditions.

This is the reason why I can't get with snow/winter tires in areas where snow doesn't sit on the ground very long, like in areas such as; Chicago metro and suburbs, NY metro and suburbs, etc...
I like winter/snow tires in areas like the upper part of Michigan or Wisconsin or Minnesota, West Virginia, etc..., places where you'll find lots of snow and cold temps where the roads are not plowed, but left to build up a snow pack, which actually helps GIVE better traction.
In those areas winter/snow tires make sense and are very effective.

In my area, Chicago/NW Indiana, we get our share of snow, but it doesn't sit on the roads very long at all as it gets plowed quickly and salt is used liberally. The major road condition in winter around here is wet and cold.
That's why prefer the highest performance all season tire that rates well for wet and light snow. That way I get great performance on dry or damp roads in cold temps, which is majority of the time in winter.
All seasons handle the cold temps well, and they give a nice quiet ride.
They perform very much like they do in the summer, but being an all season compound, they have much of their warm performance even in cold temps. I don't have to deal with loud tread noise on dry or wet, cold roads, or with mushy steering and handling.
Braking is more compromised to be sure, however, one has to respect the weather and the road conditions and adjust your driving to the conditions.
I don't expect high grip and short braking distances when the roads are wet, or snowy, and the temps are way below freezing. Luckily, those road conditions are for only a few days in total for the whole winter.