Michelin ps4s in winter?

[Fraser87]

Feel like my Dunlops could be coming to the end of their life cycle. Always planned to jump over to a full set of ps4s but with it being winter should I go for a Michelin Alpin first? These are naturally rather pricey. More than the ps4s in fact as I look at them today. Just don't know if our relatively up and down winters here in the UK negate winter tyres. It can snow one day and be a balmy ten degrees the next for example. Essentially what I'm asking is does anyone have experience with the ps4s in colder conditions? Of course I woke expect the winters to out perform in the snow but I'm thinking more just cold wet frosty roads.

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[NotSoSimple]

All 'winter' tyres outperform 'summer' tyres in conditions below 7 degrees C - more so when ice/sleet or snow are involved.

Compounds are softer and there is more movement in the tread to generate heat which increases traction.

Summer tyres go hard and give less grip as they cant generate heat in the cold.

Once the ambient temp drops below 14 degree C then winter tyres can be used but lag behind summer tyres in the wet and dry braking - its only when it gets closer to zero that the performance increases.

Have a set of winters and a set of summers - winter tyres are not just for snow and i think UK drivers would benefit from that approach as a rule (even if the wallet might not!)

 

[KXL]

Anyone tried GY Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 / Michelin Crossclimate + or Nokian Weatherproof?

 

[eltawater]

I have crossclimate+ on my cupra and they've been great so far. Just waiting for the snow this weekend to really stretch them

 

[KXL]

I have crossclimate+ on my cupra and they've been great so far. Just waiting for the snow this weekend to really stretch them

Do they grip well? I know they were good for most 'normal' cars, but curious to hear how they are on Cupra...

I guess when it snows or gets cold and wet when others need to tip toe around in their summer tyres, you just go right through as per normal..

 

[eltawater]

Grips fine, I have no qualms about putting the power down in the same way as I did with the continentals.

Will hopefully find out about the snow next week

 

[Fraser87]

Appreciate the feed back and I don't know if this is just something that's a typically Scottish/Brittish thing but more often than not here it's wet in the winter. It's kind of like an unwinnable situation to tell me winter tyres work best below a certain temperature but arent great when it's wet. To be honest already forking out 600 ish for ps4s plus another 800 for Michelin alpines and at least 500 for another set of alloys to put them on is just not something I can open my wallet up to when they are a perishable item. Never mind finding the space to keep four spare wheels when they might only be of any real benefit to me one month out of 12. All I really wanna know is have any of you driven your ps4s over the winter months and not suffered fiery death as a consequence?

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[Shaady]

I used to run my old car on Super Sports all winter and whilst it got me through it wasnt all plain sailing

They got me through rain, slush and snow, though you will have to be miles more careful than if you were on winter tyres of course, and uphill is always a struggle, especially if you have to stop and try to start again in snow or ice

It is most definitely doable though, I dont think many people change them over (not in the south east anyway)

 

[AndrewJB]

Have always run "summer" tyres through the winter on all my cars, always been Michelin Supersports

420bhp MK3 LC
370bhp MK2 LCR
230bhp MK" FR TDI

 

[Deleted member 103408]

^^^^^+1 but it does depend on where in the UK you live or in Europe for that matter

 

[AndrewJB]

Milton Keynes doesn't get snow haha they were the famous last words of a colleague of mine.

woke up at 5am to go work and found it quite thick, because I was up early no gritters etc had been out. MK2 LCR with LSD was a handfull in thick snow but still got me there.

 

[MIKEDAVIDN]

I have not tried my Michelin 4s in snow but looking at the tread pattern they won’t be good, they have very few cross treads that will dig into the snow.
My winter tyres are Dunlop winter sport 5’s, these are great in the snow plus in the dry if the front wheels get wheel spin the car the tyres just spin and don’t bounce like the summer tyres do, probably because it’s softer rubber.

 

[salsajoe]

Do they grip well? I know they were good for most 'normal' cars, but curious to hear how they are on Cupra...

I guess when it snows or gets cold and wet when others need to tip toe around in their summer tyres, you just go right through as per normal..

Research has shown that for the same production vehicle available in 2WD and 4WD, the 2WD vehicle on winter tyres performs better in cold/snow than a 4WD on summer tyres.

 

[SteA]

Up until about 1-2 years ago I always ran a set of winters and a set of summers. I gave up after that point as high performance summer tyres were performing better at lower temperatures and I had a lot more grip overall using just summers. Re PS4S on my Cupra, grip has been excellent down to zero degrees (wet / icy) and although clearly not a winter tyre, they have been as good as any summer tyre in heavy snow (pretty awful) and much better than the Goodyear Assymetricals on the S3. A bit late, but I've just ordered some snow socks for snow not that they would make any difference today as the snow looks too deep for anything without lots of clearance...

 

[eltawater]

Just been checking the crossclimate+ tyres for the first time in the safety of our local village car park. Snow has accumulated to about four inches so it proved to be a useful exercise to familiarise myself with how they handle.

They perform pretty well with no major issues apart from reverse can be a bit slippy on compacted snow / ice. I think that's just due to the tread pattern on them.

https://youtu.be/BqXje0DPjhY

 

[AndrewJB]

Drove home at 6am in 3-4 inches of snow. averaged 6-7mph haha but got there.

 

[KXL]

I have crossclimate+ on my cupra and they've been great so far. Just waiting for the snow this weekend to really stretch them

How was the heavily anticipated snow to test them on?

I had a run out on Sun on Bridgestone RE050A tyres in the snow. Wohoo, first time I can get wheelspin when the light turns green with a 110PS engine, with only light throttle. After that I just wait for DSG to creep forward and when it downshifts to D2, i accelerate

 

[eltawater]

How was the heavily anticipated snow to test them on?

I had a run out on Sun on Bridgestone RE050A tyres in the snow. Wohoo, first time I can get wheelspin when the light turns green with a 110PS engine, with only light throttle. After that I just wait for DSG to creep forward and when it downshifts to D2, i accelerate

See video above also been out in the slush and the frozen housing estates this morning, absolutely fine with no worries at all.

 

[KXL]

Ahaha...good one..I think the pattern on the Crossclimates means not so good at reversing? Royal mail trucks didn't fancy going in snow?
I hear now all emergency vehicles (including boiler repair companies etc) now run Cross climates on their fleet.

 

[eltawater]

It was a Sunday, no postal deliveries for parcels

Yeah I think the arrow pattern on them put them at a disadvantage in reverse as there was a little bit of slip.