I live in Atlanta and we're going to have our first hard freeze of the year tonight and tomorrow. It will be dry, but I was wondering if I am risking tire damage by taking the car out in these sub-freezing temps. I will of course drive very carefully as I realize that traction is reduced when these tires get cold, but will they crack?
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MYP with P Zeros - Going down to 25 degrees tonight.
- Thread starter Canefan456
- Start date
kirbo20
Member
The compounds in these tires will have decreased performance, such as lateral and braking traction, at temperatures below 45° F (7°C) or when driving on snow or ice. In addition, they can lose flexibility and may develop random surface cracks at very cold temperatures
Rod C H
Member
I've lived in Minnesota 60 + years in temps as low as -40 F and never had a tire crack, Now, they would develop flat spots on the bottom and would thump, thump until they warmed in 10 miles....kind of like driving on square tires. 
kirbo20
Member
I've lived in Minnesota 60 + years in temps as low as -40 F and never had a tire crack, Now, they would develop flat spots on the bottom and would thump, thump until they warmed in 10 miles....kind of like driving on square tires.
Were these experiences on summer performance tires or all season?
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
Do not drive on summer tires under 40 degrees. Period. You may not get the tires sticky enough (needs heat) to properly grip the road for cornering. You are risking a lot. If you hit ice or snow or wet leaves you are asking for trouble.
These tires should be stored above 45 degrees to avoid possible damage. Cross your fingers you don't have any issues in this single night of low temps, but I would inspect the tires well to see if you notice any cracks to them and maybe have a professional check them if you get a few cold nights like this. Don't drive on them in the cold, they're not designed for that and will have a wildly different traction level..
Clark_Kent
Member
You'll be fine. I drove my MYP all week in Atlanta, no issues. There's a lot of terrible advice on this forum with respect to driving in suboptimal conditions with ultra high performance summer tires. Problem is, most of the folks on this forum have never owned a high performance vehicle shod in ultra high performance summer tires.
That disclaimer comes from the manufacturer of the tires, most of us aren’t just making crap up.
This is straight from TireRack's description for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tire page:
Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.
Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Max Performance Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. Compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...wall=Blackwall&partnum=445YR8PS4SXL&tab=Sizes
Not only can the car not be driven in the cold temps, but the tires must be allowed to thaw for 24 hours after the cold temps.
If the owner gets into a wreck or cracks his $350/each tires, do you think the manufacturer or lawyers will be bound by your "expert advice?" This is like giving the recommendation for driving with slicks in the rain.
“mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle”
I don’t even think they’re supposed to be mounted on wheels and supporting the weight of the vehicle in freezing conditions.
Still can't believe there is no other option for tires. I was all set to buy the MYP without the PUP.. had it spec'd with Induction rims but thought I'd go test drive it before I pull the trigger. Three days later, the option to refuse the PUP was gone, forcing me into the Ubers. Never occurred to me to check tire options. Never would have bought the car had I known. Would have gone with the LR.
I am still surprised that no one is offering an all season in the OEM 21" sizing---this is what is keeping me from purchasing a MYP. I want to run stock sizing on the 21" but with a high performance all season tire. Something like a Continental ExtremeContact DWS06; these work great on my Audi S4 for the occasional snow/ice we get in Kansas City, and the regular temps at/below 20F. I keep hearing that Michelin will be offering such an option, but still not seeing it.......has anybody seen any ultra high performance all seasons offered by any other manufacturer in the OEM 21" sizing?
pl8dlikafiddle
Member
What that applies to is the tires cannot be physically mounted on the wheel in those conditions. Meaning the “act” of mounting/installing the tires.
The installer must bring the tires up to temp before installing.
Clark_Kent
Member
Why are you posting useless information for Michelin tires? The MYP has Pirelli tires. Also, do you live in Atlanta?! Not sure how you're providing counsel on what folks should or should not do for a place you don't live. Temps dropped for a relatively short period of time. It's 52° outside right now.
And, for the record, these compounds don't magically crack in this climate. It simply doesn't get cold enough and the temperatures are not below 40° for a sustained period of time.
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Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
All-Season tires are mediocre in all situations. I realize one tire for all scenarios would be nice, but you bought a performance car which should have summer tires and snow tires, respectively. I get it, you don't get as much snow as other parts of the country, but don't ruin your summer/spring/fall driving with all-seasons.
There is an “or” in there. After the “or” it mentions supporting the vehicle, rolling the vehicle, or driving it. Obviously all three of those options would be with tires mounted on wheels. I literally think the weight of the vehicle (and probably) how that deforms the contact patch could be enough to still do damage to them in prolonged freezing temperatures. Maybe storing them in low temperatures is ok but having them support the weight of the vehicle in those conditions could not be ok.
Not sure how all-seasons would ruin the driving during warmer months. I always get a chuckle at the wanna-be Nascar drivers on here who act like they could really extract the full capabilities of these cars on their morning commute to work. Look, Tesla should 100% have offered the option to go with 19s or 20s on the MYP. They did in fact offer this for the first 3 or 4 months but then inexplicably did away with that option. That would have been okay if there were more tire options for the wheel that they forced everyone to go with. I would say that most that buy the MYP are like me in that they bought because they love the straight line acceleration and the ability to blow away almost every other car out there. Very few bought this car to take to the track.
Exactly why I 'want' to buy one, but haven't done so yet. I do completely understand that I am sacrificing some level of performance moving away from a 'summer' only performance tire, but its a tradeoff I am willing to make (if I could, in this case)--At the moment, the only tradeoff option I have is to simply not buy the car!
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
All-Seasons underperform Summer tires and Snow tires in each respective season. All-Season and All-Weather tires are a compromise.
Under perform how? What tangible difference will I experience driving on an UHP All-Season tire in the Fall, Spring, or Summer? Not talking about the track, I'm saying in typical urban driving which is what most people are doing with this "Performance" car.
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