markbsl

Got a set of these from the tire rack for my 03 (May of 03 Stutgart) SL500. We had a big snowstorm that put a solid 6 inches of snow on interstate 5. I did about 50 miles where you could not see the road at all, just a wide white path with lots of spun out cars to the side and in the median.

The Pilot Sport all season tires handled it flawlessly. I mean they were incredible. I could not believe how slick the tamped down snow was when I got out of the car. My SL just steamed ahead, I passed slow moving cars. I did drive very carefully of course, slow and deliberate, typical snow driving.

I just want to say these tires delivered on their promise - over delivered - that they have decent snow traction. For people in heavy snow areas they probably need a full blown snow tire. But I had one other experience in the snow and they were flawless then too. When I got to Whistler BC for some snow boarding I tried to make the car spin out. It was very hard to do.

I love these tires.

JackStraw

I have Michelin Pilot Sports on my '05 SL600. My first (and last) test of the car in the snow this past weekend was enlightening. I expected the car to give me some problems in the snow, but I didn't expect the traction to be as bad as it was. I will check to see if I have all season tires, if so, I am not impressed. It will remain in the garage.

markbsl

The regular Pilot Sport has no snow traction. The All Seasons have 7.5, there is no snow capability at all with the regular Pilot Sport. That is why I had to take the perfectly fine tires with 10K miles on them and replace them with the All Season variant of the same tires.

JackStraw

I see. Thanks. Any downside that you have noticed (comfort, noise, handling etc.) since you made the switch? Also, what is the speed rating of the all-seasons? My original equipment tires are Y-rated, though I am sure I will not be testing their limits!

Luke@tirerack

Jack ..... your car comes with Pilot Sport summer performance tires did you think it would actually be drivable in the snow?

and the Pilot SPort A/S is also "Y" rated but, does offer significantly lower performance and grip than the "summer" variant

JackStraw

Actually, I had expected to be back in the garage before the snow came, but the storm came an hour earlier than expected.

I did not expect the car to drive particularly well in the snow, but yes, I did expect it to be drivable (with appropriate caution). The car also performed unexpectedly poorly in a heavy rainstorm back in December.

Seems to me that cars sold in the northeast should come standard with all-season tires.

You refer to performance as being significantly lower than the summer variant. I assume you are referring to handling. What about quiet and comfort? Any differences? I may be able to live with a reduction in performance.

Luke@tirerack

why are your summer tires so, bad in the snow or a cold December rain is pretty easy to understand.
it is all about a phenomonon known as plasticization .... where rubber starts to harden because of the temperature. This process also makes tires harder over time due to the amount of heat cycles the tire is subjected to.

The plasticization point of summer tires varies. Some tires experience this performance drop off in an extremely sharp fashion and some are a little more gradual ... but all off them start the plasticization process at about 45 degrees

You should be able to use your current summer tires as long as you steer clear of winter rain [45F] or any type of freezing precipitation and adjust your driving style based on ambient temperatures and the amount of grip which is a good deal lower when it's cold.

A tire designed to reduce or eliminate the effects of plasticization will out perform a summer tire when the temp is below 40 degrees 99 times out of 100

if you choose to you can break alot of laws in your lifetime .... just not the laws of physics