As some of you may know I purchased a 07 Type S 6mt with only 4,900 miles on it a few months ago. This particular TL came from the factory with the HPT option so it still has the original Bridgestone summer tires on it which are literally like new even after all these years.
I originally wanted to get a somewhat cheap daily driver like an 02-04 Grand Cherokee WJ and park the low mileage Type S during winter. But after thinking about it more and more thats just stupid I guess. Even though this is a rare find, its still just a TL and driving it in some snow wont hurt it nor will raking up the miles.
So since as of now I plan to drive this Type S year round, we do get snow here in the Chicago area and I wanted to get some input on what I should do for tires. The OEM Bridgestone's are in new condition so I would hate to remove perfectly good (although old) tires. Would you guys recommend getting a new high quality all season tire and be done with it, or purchase a set of winter wheels/tires? The last option is to leave it as is and see how things go with the Bridgestones. Has anyone tried driving in snow with those tires or is it a bad idea? The only reason I mentioned that is because the last few winters here have been extremely mild. Infact, I think I drove in a coating of snow ONCE last year and didnt have to use my ice scraper a single time.
So here are the options:
-Leave as is and hope its a mild winter and the Bridgestone's do ok.
-Purchase a full set of winter wheels/tires. Maybe OEM replicas or something.
-Remove the like new condition Bridgestone's and put on a high quality all season tire.


Thanks for any recommendations

 

Go for the winters/rims. You may regret the (see how it goes ). People will say the run all seasons and do fine... In fact thats crap. They are 3 seasons .. Not all. Up here if you run all seasons and are in an accident in the snow... You are charged, at fault or not.

 

Get a didicated set of winter tires. You can always mount them on the oem wheels and store the bridgestones.

 

Well that wasn't really what I wanted because I'm not gonna go swapping tires on my oem wheels each season. It's either go with a high quality all season tire for permanent year round use, or a full extra set of wheels/tires for winter.
One reason I'm leaning towards a full extra set is because the originals are perfect new and factory balanced condition and as weird as it sounds I kind of like some things in original condition.
All season tires have been just fine around here so specific winter tires aren't really necessary on a FWD, atleast with the minimal amounts of snow we get.
Thanks for the input.

 

keep in mind even though you may not get a lot of snow for "mild" winter...cold weather and summer tires rarely mix. the rubber will not be as responsive as an all season or winter tire set up.

my friend slid out in his AWD Subie on his summer tires in 30 degree weather and a light dusting. he actually hit a small tree which landed his car in the body shop. or we can use justn as an example of having too much fun on summer tires in 40 degree weather in houston taking a turn too hard and the car went into a curb...again landing his car into the body shop.

i would just get a dedicated set of winter tires/wheels. or get a 4WD beater.

 

Yeah it's probably going to be one of those options. I'm not new to winter driving though by any means as I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life and have owned plenty of RWD cars as well which were used in the winter. On previous Type S's those did just fine on the oem michelins.

 

I run winter tires on my TL Type S replicas ($500) from Tobacco Road (eBay). You can get 4x Orange Electronics TPMS sensors for $100 on eBay as well. The rims are great but are a little darker than the OEM Type S rims.

Jon

 

Replicas and blizzacks !awesome winter tire....
Will last you for many seasons. Worth the investment if your keeping the S

 

If you have a set of summers you should consider getting a set of winters on rims. You have summer tires for the warm season and winters for cold season. All season work but the rubber compound starts to harden around 5 degrees celsius and the lower the temperature the less traction you will have. So if it hits -5 degrees your not getting much traction on them. Winter tires are designed with softer rubber compound and the tire tread spreads and for maximum traction for snow conditions. And winter tires are made for wet conditions. So better handling and stopping during fall/winter months, and softer summer tires for the spring/summer months.

 

I have dedicated snows (Blizzaks) on my OEM Type-S rims and dedicated Summer tires (SuperSports) on my 8.5" A-Specs. I can tell you, as others have mentioned, when the temps drop the Summer rubber definitely looses it grip.
Look on CL and see if you can find some cheap snows. I'm on my second set - have never purchased new.

 

Yeah I have heard those are a tad darker than the OEM's, but if anything I thought that would look pretty cool. Do you happen to have any pictures of your car with the repro's on?

Thanks,
James

 

As noted by others your best bet is going to be with a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. I will post a tech thread and make a sticky. Hopefully it will help you make a decision. Otherwise, please feel free to contact me with any specific questions. In addition to being in sales at Tire Rack, I am one of the test drivers and have significant first hand experience.

 

I am in KC and I know you get more snow than we do. I had dedicated snow tires on a previous vehicle and it was night and day difference in the snow/ice. However just like you, I have always gotten by just fine with good All-Season tires most years. My vote is if the bank account allows for it, get dedicated winter tires.

Also, do NOT try to drive in winter with those Summer tires. I was late one year swapping my summer tires off of a prior car and the temps dropped below 40 and it felt like I had hard plastic tires. The ride was horrible and the tires just slid everywhere even on dry pavement.

 

Ok thanks for that info I was looking for first hand experience with stickier summer tires in winter/cold season. Im kinda sorta back looking for a cheap winter vehicle, but if I change my mind on that it sounds like either way I will definately be putting these Bridgestones down to sleep for a few months.

Thanks for all the info guys.

James

 

garage that queen and buy a beater

 

Please dont do that to this thing lol and buy a beater!! Although its "just a TL" you dont want to risk getting into an accident and ruining this super low milage S. Also you have to think about it, not everyone is as cautious (with respect to finances) and switches out their summer tires for winter tires so your running the chances of someone else hitting you. Plus not letting it see any snow is the only way to keep that paint spotless, trust me I know! My 08 TLS has never seen rain or snow and it looks just like the day I drove it off the showroom floor...

 

^was your TLS pepsi blue when you drove it off the showroom floor? lol

 

Well guys you act like I have never driven in the winter before. I have been driving since the mid 90's, have never been involved in an accident (knock on wood), and have never had any close calls in the winter. I have also been driving my cars through winter and the paint never being the same really isn't true. They clean up just as nice in the spring time.
Now, with all that said it sounds like a couple of you will be happy to hear I have been looking for a second vehicle again so it may not see the winter afterall. I will keep you guys posted.
Either way no matter what route I take, the Type S will come out in spring looking brand new again. Trust me, I'm anal when it comes to stuff like that. Heck, I wash my cars in the garage in the winter anyway haha

 

My dilemma has been resolved. Today I purchased a relatively inexpensive 2002 Grand Cherokee Overland. So now the Type S can keep its factory original tires in place and never see snow/salt as well as keep the mileage somewhat low. The main factors that made me decide on that was there has been so many instances that an SUV would have come in handy for either me or my wife. We can never take our bikes out anywhere because I have the Type S and she has an Accord. And this solves my winter driving issue with the Type S.
Thanks everyone for the input.

James

 

Nice pick up. I used to work with a guy who drove a Porsche and an Infinity. He and his wife bought a house with a really long driveway and had gotten stuck at home a couple of times because of snow. I asked if he was finally going to get someone to plow his driveway and his response - "Naw, I bought a new Jeep this weekend."

 

dang, another car to your stable! halfway through reading your post I thought you were going to say you bought another TL lol. Sometimes I wish I got to experience what real snow weather feels like. Having lived in socal for most of my life, I've never experienced live snow or temps under 20 degrees

 

It's definitely an experience for all involved. The driver's who have never or rarely experience snowy conditions and those of us that experience it every year.
I was in GA a number of years ago and they were getting 2" of the white and slushy stuff. I had a 15 mile drive - schools was canceled, folks were driving off the road and crashing all over. Entertaining and scary all at the same time.

 

^^^problem with places that see only bits of snow...(my area)...mix of drivers, and no infrastructure to handle it. A dusting to two inches here will shut things down. A blizzard like the ones we had in 09-10 ie snowmaggedon...shuts the whole area down for days. It's not so much you driving on the road it's the other people you have to worry about. Snow is fine as long as it doesn't visit me.

 

I hear you. Infrastructure is a BIG part. Up here in New England we have tons of plows, sanders and salt. That definitely makes a difference.
And for me personally, I have dedicated snows and a short commute -

 

That's a perfect solution. Although we are using our TL in the winter somewhat, we use our SUV on the bad weather days and the TL on the good.

 

 

x

edit: wiped this post out as once I actually posted it I saw you bought the cherokee.

 

pics?