I've had my car for a little over a year. I drive a lot and I drive hard. My stock Perreli's are shot. Especially since the arrival of cold weather: there's salt on the road and my tires are hard as a rock -- I don't grip for ****. You know how it feels when your tires break traction on snow or rain? Well, that's how my tires are on this dry, cold tarmac if I try and blast off (only a Stage2).

So here's the Dilema:
Should I buy a set of Perreli PZero M+S which have a pretty high rating as an All-Season Tire? My concern being that I won't get the best performance this coming Spring/Summer when I can try my Stage 2 out on some locals (no one has come out to play recently).

Or...

Suffer through the winter and just suck up not being able to fully experience my Stage 2 and buy some High Performance tires this Spring and max out the performance of the Stage2?

**If you chose the second option: I'm also curious which tires are the best out there (not what you have, but what you've researched and would recommend).**

 

A lot depends on how bad your winters usually are. Do you usually get a lot of snow? I mean if your winters arent that bad, than I would BFG KDW's or Falken Azenis tires in the spring.

 

I'm in Pennsylvania, it's hit or miss. We could get 2 inches all season (we got 3 the other day), or have a random blizzard.

 

True, sounds a lot like Jersey weather haha. I'd wait it out, if the winter is really bad, then I'm sure you wouldn't be driving the Cobalt much anyways.

 

Yeah, and even in the snow, she does alright if I go slow enough.

 

I think you should get a set of snow tires on some cheap rims from the tirerack, and then get performance tires for the summer. Bald pirellis in the winter sound like trouble.

 

I actually have the P-Zero Neros. They outhandle the Rossos wet, dry, and in every which way imagineable. I've driven a road course on both - Neros win hands down. Makes absolutely NO sense what so ever, they have a higher treadwear rating (400 vs 200) so they should be harder and have less grip. Not true at all. I love mine.

That being said, I don't run them year-round. I still run winters just because of the landscape where I live. 90% of my winter consists of attempting to get up steep hills that are unplowed, and absolutely covered in snow and ice, so I don't have first-hand experience with them in snow or ice.

Whatever you do, DO NOT drive on the Rossos.

 

i vote neither. got winter wheels. bald stock pirellis in the snow is a disaster waiting to happen. if you drive, something most likely WILL go wrong. someone stops short, cuts your off, blows a stop sign etc., and you can't stop in time. Or, you can't go out in the snow.

also, buying high performance summer tires, you'll be in the same situation next year. they will suck in the winter. my high performance summer tires suck without snow, when it's cold. i was braking the tires loose at 70mph, thought my clutch went out a few times. no, it was the tires spinning. and that was in completely dry roads. i wouldn't even consider trying that with a few inches of snow on the groun.

 

On a side note, last January we had a fairly icy storm and my P-Zero Nero M+S tires didn't fare too well.

 

Some all season performance tires are up there with summer only tires. check out places like tire rack and read up on reviews. Sometimes you will even find that a much cheaper tire performs better than a higher end one

 

all season tires are not snow tires, if you get alot of snow, get snow tires... but dont run it hard or spin them over 100mph because they are not rated for that... get snow tires for winter then summer tires for summer... then you can save your snows for next year

 

That exactly what's happening to me. Maybe I will buy some winters and then buy some more in the summer.

Question for everyone:
Any suggestions on some good winter tires? Some that will handle well in the snow but also give good grip when the roads are dry but the air is cold (we're getting temps in the 20's already).

 

i sell winterforce m+s' at my shop and everyone loves them and they can be studded for ice
my suggestion is buy a set of 16 inch steelies and put 4 of these^^^^ on, thy are priced pretty cheap too...

 

I got all season Pirellis on 17s for the winter and got Pzero Neros for the summer on my stock 18s. It seamed to help with a lot of issues encluding pot holes that would have destroyed my 18s. I paid 800 for my winter tires and rims.

 

i have dunlop m3's, and am VERY impressed. last week when we had snow and ice storms, they performded well above my expectations, which were pretty high. take a look for my reviews. drove on ice, it feld like the ground was dry. it was raining ice, so it was slick as hell. a guy in my complex was being pulled through the lot by his dog like it was on skis, so that gives you an idea of conditions.

 

Some snow tires are rated for over 100mph, some aren't. Mine are rated to 136mph. But either way you shouldn't be driving/spinning the wheels that fast in the snow and ice. Unless you REALLY want to spend more quality time with a ditch........

Dunlop WinterSport M3 tires. LOVE em. Absolutely love em. Great in snow and some ice (if it's a sheet of ice, pretty much studded are the only way you'll be getting anywhere). Dry handling is out of this world, ditto with rain. Little noisy, but most snow tires are. Other than that they REALLY hug the road.

 

yea, my snow tires are rated to like 130 or something

 

Ok, other thing I see I'm gonna have to throw in here is that I don't have a ton of money to spend. So, buying different size wheels and stuff is out. I am just looking at tires.

That said, those of you who have been recommeding tires, what did the prices look like. I just found a set of Perelli Winter 240 Sottozero's on Tire Rack for 156 each and they look pretty bad ass. Less would be awesome though.

 

Winterforce aren't too bad. Look at the cost of tires only, then look at the difference in price if you bought them in 16". Steelies I think are down to $45/each? You might be money ahead or break even to go with dedicated winter rims.

 

very true, yeah, i'm looking on TireRack right now. I can get a package of 16's for only 6-hundred something. Deff considering it. I figure i'll just spend the money and save in the long run. Get 16's with steelies for the winter and get some good performing summer tires come spring.

 

my advice dont buy too expensive of a tire if u drive hard then its just wasting money i learned that the hard way.. I have the falken azenis rt 615 now and they were awesome for the first thousand miles, but I also have a heavy foot and they are gone already. I have been through 4 sets of tires already im gettin the nitto 555's. whatever u do dont buy a soft tire... I would recommend the nitto neogens or the 555's they are both a good nonexpensive tire

 

the winterforce i sell for about 55$ a peice times 4= 220$
190 for steelies
at most 450 for the set
156 for 18inch = 624$ plus mount/dismount, balance and stems
you will pay less and wont be using your 18s in the winter
plus easy to swap out next winter and no mount/dismount and balance fees

 

That's what I do. This is my third winter with winter tires, and they'll last me 1-2 more winters. I'm on my 2nd summer with my summer tires, they should also last at least one if not 2 more summers. Still spending a lot of money with two sets, but at least the purchases are spread out a lot (and I dont' have to buy wheels anymore).