[Devon]

I am very seriously considering swapping out the OEMs for Michelin Pilot A/S4s so I don't have to deal with the hassle of twice-yearly tire changes, I have no place to store them,
and I don't trust garages/dealerships offering winter storage - if they don't use heated storage, I assume the summer rubber can crack or otherwise be degraded. Rims could get scratched if they don't properly bag the wheels. And if they pile them 40 deep maybe the rubber can get permanently warped?

Although there is the occasional snowfall here in winter, I can avoid driving when it's on the roads, so ultimate grip in snow/ice isn't critical, making dry weather performance the key priority. The only issue is how much of the handling capability and road feel of the Z am I going to lose out on. A slight reduction in ultimate grip relative to the OEM rubber (say 7%) I can live with but if A/S tires screw up the handling characteristics or communicativeness of the car that is a different matter. Anyone here with experience in going to A/S all year on a performance car that came with summer tires, I'd be interested to hear their story.

 

[Rusty]

I am very seriously considering swapping out the OEMs for Michelin Pilot A/S4s so I don't have to deal with the hassle of twice-yearly tire changes, I have no place to store them,
and I don't trust garages/dealerships offering winter storage - if they don't use heated storage, I assume the summer rubber can crack or otherwise be degraded. Rims could get scratched if they don't properly bag the wheels. And if they pile them 40 deep maybe the rubber can get permanently warped?

Although there is the occasional snowfall here in winter, I can avoid driving when it's on the roads, so ultimate grip in snow/ice isn't critical, making dry weather performance the key priority. The only issue is how much of the handling capability and road feel of the Z am I going to lose out on. A slight reduction in ultimate grip relative to the OEM rubber (say 7%) I can live with but if A/S tires screw up the handling characteristics or communicativeness of the car that is a different matter. Anyone here with experience in going to A/S all year on a performance car that came with summer tires, I'd be interested to hear their story.

If you're going Michelin Pilot A/S4s that's pretty top notch stuff as far as all seasons go. I don't think you're going to miss much for grip compared to summer tires. Given how much snow I get It's necessary that I have winter tires and do the yearly switch.

 

[MCN1SMO]

ive got them on my SENTRA NISMO and my brother has them on his 2018 mustang GT if you arnt doing autocross or track you wont notice a difference as that is very capable AS tire

 

[St00k]

For me the big difference is that winter tires perform better when it's cold. Not just in snow.

So while those Michelins will give you pretty equal performance in the summer and the dry, they still won't give you maximum grip in the winter. And I'd rather not risk my car, especially a RWD sports car, on all-seasons in the winter.

Do you get an insurance discount where you live for running winter tires? If so, that can cover a lot of the cost.

 

[Devon]

For me the big difference is that winter tires perform better when it's cold. Not just in snow.

So while those Michelins will give you pretty equal performance in the summer and the dry, they still won't give you maximum grip in the winter. And I'd rather not risk my car, especially a RWD sports car, on all-seasons in the winter.

Do you get an insurance discount where you live for running winter tires? If so, that can cover a lot of the cost.

Great question, I will have to check when I price out Z insurance (which I am hoping doesn't scare me away from the car altogether, I'm paying <$1k a year now).

I don't do much driving in the dead of winter regardless of road conditions. And I imagine on wet roads A/Ss will be pretty good, maybe even better than summer tires.

 

[takemorepills]

I live near Canada. I run Continental DWS06 on my Q60 AWD. When we had Subarus we ran the older Continental DWS on those. It is a great tire for places that get lots of cold, slimy wet roads and the DWS work extremely well in snow. With AWD the car is phenomenal. I have driven the DWS tires in CA and AZ during the summer and they are fine in the summer also. However, in southern states you'd be better served by summer tires.

My co-worker runs DWS06 on his G35 Coupe, and he says they are very good in the Seattle area weather. His car is the only RWD car I am personally familiar with DWS on, and he loves them. They are less expensive than most tires too.

 

[zenki]

Great question, I will have to check when I price out Z insurance (which I am hoping doesn't scare me away from the car altogether, I'm paying <$1k a year now).

I don't do much driving in the dead of winter regardless of road conditions. And I imagine on wet roads A/Ss will be pretty good, maybe even better than summer tires.

$1k a year is pretty good. What are you driving currently?
Are the road near you salted and cleared of snow often enough? If so and you mostly stick to them, then A/S might be the way to go.

 

[Devon]

$1k a year is pretty good. What are you driving currently?
Are the road near you salted and cleared of snow often enough? If so and you mostly stick to them, then A/S might be the way to go.

I only have liability on the car which keeps my rate down, also low mileage, only about 60k km total on an older fwd compact.

What I'm hoping is that A/S tires won't change the handling balance or character of the Z (specifically the ease of controlling power-on oversteer) but just lower the limits a bit. If using them makes oversteer more uncontrollable, that is out.

 

[St00k]

I live near Canada. I run Continental DWS06 on my Q60 AWD. When we had Subarus we ran the older Continental DWS on those. It is a great tire for places that get lots of cold, slimy wet roads and the DWS work extremely well in snow. With AWD the car is phenomenal. I have driven the DWS tires in CA and AZ during the summer and they are fine in the summer also. However, in southern states you'd be better served by summer tires.

My co-worker runs DWS06 on his G35 Coupe, and he says they are very good in the Seattle area weather. His car is the only RWD car I am personally familiar with DWS on, and he loves them. They are less expensive than most tires too.

How long have you had the DWSes?

My understanding is that as they wear they reduce grip. First in snow/cold, then in wet. So at the end they're really only good in the dry.

I'd be curious to see if you'd had them for a while and noticed any drop-off in wet grip.

 

[takemorepills]

How long have you had the DWSes?

My understanding is that as they wear they reduce grip. First in snow/cold, then in wet. So at the end they're really only good in the dry.

I'd be curious to see if you'd had them for a while and noticed any drop-off in wet grip.

I'm pretty sure all cold-weather type tires become noticeably less effective as they wear.

The DWS have the letters "D W S" molded into the tread at several spots. "D" is deepest, "W" is less deep, and "S" is the least deep molded letter.

As the tires wear, "S" will wear away indicating they are no longer ideal for snow.

As the tires continue to wear, "W" will wear away indicating they are no longer ideal for wet conditions.

Lastly, "D" will wear away, which is just like tread bars on a regular tire, they should be replaced at that point.

My wife's last car, that we put decent miles on, had DWS tires on it. We drove that car all over the west coast. At 30K miles the "S" indicator began to wear, and one tire failed (massive outer edge wear) due to a worn out suspension component. We fixed the suspension and replaced the 1 tire. That car was a Subaru, and it seriously felt as capable as ever with 30K miles on the DWS's with a worn "S".

I have 295 rear and 255 front DWS on my Q60 AWD. They have about 28K miles on them. Still performing excellently, haven't noticed any issues.

I like how I was able to find such wide version for my Q60, they look like normal A/S tires and perform great in the summer.
But, in the winter, my Q60 is a beast. It is so safe at speed, cornering and most importantly, braking, that I love driving in the winter. Of course, with DWS and AWD I can still accelerate pretty hard in winter conditions.

BTW you reminded me, I need to go check my DWS wear indicators. After 28K miles I have not sensed any degradation in grip in the winter, and because of that I rarely even look at the wear indicators, so I don't know if the "S" is still bold, or if it is fading.