I may be driving to NYC for Christmas. However I have summer tires. I expect it to be typical NYC Christmas weather in the 30's & maybe some rain...no snow I hope. I would not attempt it with snow on the ground.
I can't swap out my tires, so how unsafe is this? If it's really going to be a problem I'll try to make other plans.
The cars ESP is really good

Thanks

 

I have a summer and winter set I swap between. I just swapped to the winter set last weekend.

Most summer tires are not rated for use below 42F. You can drive on them below that temperature, but performance will obviously drop off. I wouldn't say it's inherently dangerous, as long as the roads are dry.

But if there is any precipitation at all, especially ice and snow, the summer tires will be like driving on completely bald tires with bleach poured all over them. This is when it becomes very dangerous.

So as for your plans, if you can see the forecast calls for dry weather, albeit cold, you can get away with driving on summer tires while up there for the time being. Obviously, I would drive much more cautiously, slower, and leave a farther distance between yourself and the car in front of you. But if there is any precipitation on the ground currently or in the forecast, I highly recommend not attempting the drive.

Oh and since you are also RWD, that exacerbates the issue even further.

EDIT: Do you have any hookups with rental car agencies or are apart of any special member programs? You can find a good deal on a rental car (say Fusion Titanium) for a long weekend for around $150. I would say looking into this is definitely worth it, as well as the uptick in gas mileage.

 

I would rent a car. With a freak winter storm you are stranded.

I am about to put up the Focus for the Winter and only drive the BMW.

 

Last time I had summer tires it was like driving on glass below 40 degrees even if the road was dry, that was on a RWD car too, I personally wouldn't recommend it. No traction control though, not sure how much it would help if you can't grip, it would just be cutting a lot of throttle.

 

Once temps drop below 40 my summer tires feel very greasy. In rain, with those temps, it definitely steps out of line very quickly if you aren't careful. ESP is only effective if your tires actually can achieve traction at some point. Outside of snow and ice you can do it, but I would drive very cautiously. Keep braking distances and cornering speeds in check.

I just swapped over to my winter setup 2 weeks ago and the difference is night and day in the cold temps.

If you can swing it, I'd try to rent a car. If not, good luck and plan on staying an extra day if you see snow in the weather reports.

 

Buy some all weathers used off the net instead of compromising. If snow does come down you are in big trouble. There's no sugar coating the fact that low surface temps will not allow your tires to grip and you won't be able to stop or even corner safely.

I say don't risk it since its usually in that bad situation or moment when you realize that you're in trouble. No getting around it then.

Now keep in mind I am in the snowbelt. Here it is really really important we have decent tires. Even though the roads are taken care of for the most part, the all weathers' barely do the job. Use your best judgement but know that its the difference between stopping safely or writing off your car depending on the conditions.

Black ice would be the issue. I've had the TC flash wildly at 60 MPH in 6th when the roads looked wet but were all iced up. Scariest moment ever.

 

I drove for 9 years in CT winters with two different RWD cars and never used snow tires. You just have to be a seasoned New Englander and pick your lines, specifically the ones the snow plow is leaving with sand and salt. Oh wait, that's right, I crashed one of them on black ice.

 

Did you use all season or summer tires? At least all season tires don't turn rock hard in freezing temps.

 

On my TL, my M5, and my 335, I've run summer tires year-round. Now, that's not all that impressive given I live in Phoenix. But, we do have several days a year where the temperature is in the 30's or below and I've never had a problem. I'm probably a bit more cautious, especially if it's been raining, but I've not run into any issues where I felt like the performance of the tire was degraded to the point of concern.

Snow/ice would be a different animal all together. I won't take my car up North (Flagstaff, for example) this time of year. We have the Honda Pilot for that kind of travel.

 

x3 on renting a car.

 

Im getting extra set with winter tires. Everytime its below 40 deg and wet I get no traction. Its safety you dont want shit to happen to you then invest some money. The only all season tires I would recommend are DWS

 

Summer tires always. I never said I always got where I wanted to go on them. There were many, many times I had to park at the bottom of our street and walk home because it was a pretty steep hill haha.

 

255-45-20's don't make even used all seasons cheap. Renting is out as it's needs to be for 7 days & that's well above $400 + the gas. If I flew I need to rent a car at JFK or Newark & that's $500+ the cost of the airline tickets which would be $450-$500.
Driving will be $500 with the gas maybe less.
I may not do it at all...I wouldn't be driving around munch when there though. Basically I need to get there & then get back.

 

You should be fine. If anything just drive a little slower than you normally would if the ground is wet up there.

 

You will be fine just as long as you dont run into any snow or ice. I typically try to get to around thanksgiving time with my summers just to reduce the wear on my snows. It drops down into the teens at night on occasion and temps sometimes struggle to get above freezing. It wont be dangerous to drive on them, but dont expect to get traction to win any drag races.

 

The unknown is the snow. I have dedicated Summer tires as well as snows. My plan was to swap them last weekend, but never got to it. Drove to and from work this week with not too much of an issue. Was in the 20s on the way into work and they definitely acquire a bologna skin characteristic. Starting in my garage helps, but you do need to be careful.
Once last year we got an odd snow squal at work and I had difficultly getting out of the parking lot.
There is a reason they are called Summer tires. You can push the envelope with cold temps, but colds temps with rain or snow is not a good idea at all.

 

What kind of vehicle are we talking about here? That could make a huge difference.

 

There are season specific tires!?!?!?


Summer year round here.

 

look on craigslist or the lx forums and see if anyone is sell a set of stockers with all seasons on them...should be able to get that for around $400...then sell them when you get back.

 

OP''s avatar is a Chrysler 300........

 

Considering the distance and weather this time of year on the east coast I'd say driving on Summer tires for this trip is more unsafe than driving on all weather radials (but you know this already). The question is, how bad would you feel if you (God forbid) had an accident knowing that you should have rented a car for optimal safety?

There are other factors here. Continuous driving might keep your tires hot enough to be safe enough in wet conditions. Not optimal, but safe enough. If you exercise caution, like

• Check you tire pressures before leaving
• Maintaining the appropriate distance between you and the car in front of you, relative to the speed you are traveling
• Accelerate smoothly
• Reducing your speed where you can
• Don't speed
• Drive with both hands on the wheel
• Try to avoid abrupt lane changes and braking

You should be fine. All in all, if you're going to do the trip in your car just exercise an abundance of caution. It won't be the most dangerous thing you've done in your life. Also, once you're in NY, if you can park your and ride with someone else during your stay that'd be good.

 

That is the idea. I won't really need the car while there. The tires are fairly new & have good tread. They also do have an aggressive tread. Ironically they do have M+S on the side wall. But they are summer tires from what BFG says.
Gforce sport comp 2's.

 

I drove on Toyo T1-R and T1-S in the snow in Michigan.

I drive on Bridgestone RE-050 all the time in Tennessee. There is no snow here, but it does get cold.

In either case, nothing you can't control with cautious driving, even though it does get a little loose.

 

<---------- This guy right here.


Winter tires are for the weak and untalented.

 

is it the base model or the SRT8 model? rwd, or awd?

 

Search is your friend - https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/fuzzys-300srt8-thread-833167/

You've been here long enough to know better.

 

OP probably has the worst possible vehicle types for winter conditions:
heavy + insane HP + large wheels. RWD would be icing on the cake. I wouldnt take it anywhere near snow without good all season or winter tires.

rental+

 

Agreed.

 

I drive in Buffalo and yes of course, we get snow . . . Regardless, if you are in NYC, on the tires you have on your car, assuming they are not ultra-high performance summer only tires, you will be fine. Don't sweat it, just take it easy and maybe drive your car manually by starting out in D2 instead of D1 and remembering this simple thing if you have to brake: "Stomp, Stay and Steer." That is let the ABS do its thing by stomping on the pedal, staying on the pedal (don't modulate!) and steering the car. You'll be fine bro, don't sweat it. You've been driving a long time, you'll be ok.

 

I'm still driving my MINI with my summers on (Pilot Super Sport - Max Performance Summer rated tire). Little to no difference in handling so far. I hold off as long as possible before putting my OEM Wheels/A/S tires back on. You will be able to drive in freezing temps with summer tires, you don't have to worry about it. Sure some traction is lost, but definitely not to a point where you'll feel like you're driving on ice. As long as it's wet or dry, and not icy or snowy, you'll be fine. Just don't drive it like you stole it and expect the handling to be the same, and I definitely wouldn't even think about driving it in the snow, though I know some people that do, surprisingly

 

I suggest renting a car , You can rent a car in South Florida but get it as a one way rental that way they wont charge you per mile . Then when you get to your destination return it and make another reservation for a one way rental. It would be cheaper. This is with Enterpise .

 

I suggest looking at hotwire.com for a rental. Should be around $200.

 

Rentals might be cheap at other times of the year...peek Christmas in sunny warm south Florida is not 1 of them.... And I'm looking at a full 7 days....I looked. Not going to happen....
I'm trying to get some cheap all seasons & sell them after I get back.
Thanks for all the suggestions & advise.

 

Some of you are acting like once the temps hit 30 the summer tires will be like driving on ice and it will be dangerous. The only time it will be dangerous is if it snows or there is ice on the road. Beyond that the tires will drive just fine. Yes they wont grip as good as they would if it was 70 deg, but they wont just loose traction on a dry road as if you hit ice if you are driving normal.

 

Fly in to JFK/LGA, take subway/taxi.

If you drive in, do you have a place to park? Drop the SRT off at my house and take the train into the city. I'll take good care of it

 

No way that's the worst combo. A lightweight RWD car is much, much worse than a heavy RWD car. Weight is your friend in snow. And insane HP? It might have a lot of HP but it's still a very civil car for everyday driving, plus Fuzzy has a tranny mod that would actually allow him to manage the power delivery better by starting out in 2nd gear vs 1st if it did snow.

Fuzzy, I have BF Comps, 245/45/20s, and it's was a high of 32 here yesterday. Drove into Nashville with zero noticeable difference in tire performance or feel. You'll be totally fine. Just take it slow and if it snows, worse case you might have to extend your stay long enough for the plows to clear the roads.

 

^This & that \/

 

Let's say one week out of Christmas the forecast calls for snow.

What do you do now? You've waited until the last minute to make a decision.

I don't think it's a good plan and you could very easily be screwed at the last minute. Or even worse, you could be stuck in a place you don't want to be and potentially be in a dangerous situation.

Why gamble on your safety?

Tires lose traction, not loose.

 

I pretty much do the same thing as stated here with my F. For when I go on my yearly ski trips and when I go home to visit family in PA I have a set of full winter tires on a seperate set of wheels which I put on the car. Typically it isn't cold enough for me to need to run them all winter in NC but this year might be an exception possibly.


I have though driven through light snow with full summer performance tires once when there was some early snow in October in VA and it is not something I would recommend.

 

And lets say one week out of Christmas the forecast calls for clear skies.

What do you do now with the money you spent on tires you dont need?

Why waste money when you potentially dont need to. Watch the extended forecast. If its looking like its going to be white when you have to travel Tire Rack is just a internet search and 2 days for tires away.



Oh and sorry, next time ill proof read a little closer to make sure i type everything correctly, don't want to lose anyone with an incorrectly typed word.