Winter tyre conundrum
Discussion
I changed over to my winter tyres on Wednesday as I have for the last 6 years of Vantage ownership. Problem is that in cool (less than 7 degrees), damp conditions the rears in particular have nowhere near as much grip as the Michelin PS4S that came off the car. The winters are now 8 years old and are over half way through their tread (3-4mm remaining) but I was surprised how much worse they were than the Michelins. Now we know the Michelins are superb and I'm sure the winters will be better in ice/snow but how often will I drive the car in those conditions?
So the question is should I:
1) Buy new rear winters or
2) Change tack completely and forget the idea of winters, use the PS4S's most of the year and put some Cup 2's or Cup 2R's on my other rims for track use.
Has anyone else noticed this with their winters compared to better tyres than the Bridgestones?
Has anyone else used Cup 2's or Cup 2R's on their Vantage and how were they? I know the OEM tyre for the GT8 were Cup 2's. How do GT8 users find them and can you tell me what the tyre sizes are on GT8 please?
So the question is should I:
1) Buy new rear winters or
2) Change tack completely and forget the idea of winters, use the PS4S's most of the year and put some Cup 2's or Cup 2R's on my other rims for track use.
Has anyone else noticed this with their winters compared to better tyres than the Bridgestones?
Has anyone else used Cup 2's or Cup 2R's on their Vantage and how were they? I know the OEM tyre for the GT8 were Cup 2's. How do GT8 users find them and can you tell me what the tyre sizes are on GT8 please?
Get new winters all round. 8 years is too old.
As you have alluded to in your post, the temperature is the factor that should matter (discounting the obvious need for changing tires if there is snow or ice). Below 7 degrees C you'll find fresh cold weather tires have better traction than summer ones - just don't expect summer levels of grip in those temperatures, even with the correct tire compound.
As for Cup2's I have run them on my V12VS since new; my original Corsas are still sitting unused as I was unimpressed with this tire on my earlier V12V. My car is used for fun drives in the 3 warmer seasons and hardly ever sees rain. The Cup2's provide excellent grip on the road with the added benefit of being able to go straight from the road to the track. Ride comfort is probably not as good as with a more road biased tire, but not having used one ever on my car, this is just a guess. I've encountered serious rain a couple of times with the Cup2's and they are quite manageable in the wet, if you watch your speed, but I'm not sure I'd want to use them on a daily driver.
As you have alluded to in your post, the temperature is the factor that should matter (discounting the obvious need for changing tires if there is snow or ice). Below 7 degrees C you'll find fresh cold weather tires have better traction than summer ones - just don't expect summer levels of grip in those temperatures, even with the correct tire compound.
As for Cup2's I have run them on my V12VS since new; my original Corsas are still sitting unused as I was unimpressed with this tire on my earlier V12V. My car is used for fun drives in the 3 warmer seasons and hardly ever sees rain. The Cup2's provide excellent grip on the road with the added benefit of being able to go straight from the road to the track. Ride comfort is probably not as good as with a more road biased tire, but not having used one ever on my car, this is just a guess. I've encountered serious rain a couple of times with the Cup2's and they are quite manageable in the wet, if you watch your speed, but I'm not sure I'd want to use them on a daily driver.
Thanks for your input Quench.
I was thinking it was the age because they've been fine until this year and now they are just suddenly losing traction on acceleration in a very non-progressive way which is slightly challenging. A bit like Corsas do in cold damp conditions.
However, I suspect my PS4S's are now fine for me over winter as the car is not used as a daily driver so I'm tempted by a set of Cup 2's as a summer/track treat.
I was thinking it was the age because they've been fine until this year and now they are just suddenly losing traction on acceleration in a very non-progressive way which is slightly challenging. A bit like Corsas do in cold damp conditions.
However, I suspect my PS4S's are now fine for me over winter as the car is not used as a daily driver so I'm tempted by a set of Cup 2's as a summer/track treat.
V8V Pete said:
Yes, Sottozeros Martin. I suspect they’ve just gone old and hard but it’s made me wonder if I don’t need them anymore.
Doh. I didn't see the 8 years old bit. They'll be mostly shot. 5 years is a good point to say goodbye to tyres. I was told by my motorcycle instructor that the compounds generally degrade after the 5 year mark and every 4 years he changes his tyres regardless of mileage.Obviously bikes are different, in terms of tyre safety and performance, but for a sports car, we are not far off.
alscar said:
Pete ,tyres on the GT8 are (F) 255/35/19 on 9.5 rim and (R) 295/30/19 on 10.5 rim.
Fwiw I had the same tyres on my GT3 and currently also on my Exige ,and no complaints on any although all are only largely summer/dry day cars.
Thanks. Odd that GT8 has same size tyres as V12V but different width rims which I think are 9 inch front and 11 inch rear on V12V. Can anyone confirm this?Fwiw I had the same tyres on my GT3 and currently also on my Exige ,and no complaints on any although all are only largely summer/dry day cars.
Pete, I can confirm that my Sottozeros provide more grip than the PS4s on wet and cold Swiss roads. The PS4s will happily spin up with a healthy stab on the loud pedal and I personally would not trust them for aggressive cornering in these kind of conditions, as being wrapped in electric fencing and parked next to a cow is not how I want to finish a drive.
I have been more than happy with the Sottos, even venturing into the ice and snow of the mountains. They have a progressive feel and never just let go, maybe down to my caution, but reassuring none the less. I suspect your old Sottos have gone off the boil and depending how cold & icy the roads you travel get, maybe a new set would be wise, however if it`s just wet and a few degrees above zero I think the PS4s would do the job.
I have been more than happy with the Sottos, even venturing into the ice and snow of the mountains. They have a progressive feel and never just let go, maybe down to my caution, but reassuring none the less. I suspect your old Sottos have gone off the boil and depending how cold & icy the roads you travel get, maybe a new set would be wise, however if it`s just wet and a few degrees above zero I think the PS4s would do the job.
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