Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: D189379
..............I drove on them last night after about 6-7 days of snowing. The temps over the past week have been around -20, and the roads are a mixture of loose snow, packed snow, and ice.
The tires have done a lot worse than I had hoped for................
Continental advises that you not use their all-season tires at temperatures below 45F. They want you to use winter tires instead.
Here is what Joerg Burfien, the VP of R&D at Continental says about this:
"............Our studies suggest that winter tires should be mounted at the first signs of cooling air below 45°F, not just at the first snowfall.......................
But below 45°F, the harder tread compounds of these all-season tires become increasingly stiff and brittle, a condition that worsens as temperatures decline.
The hardness of these tires at lower temperatures means they no longer conform to the surface of the road. This leads directly to reduced grip on the road and a much-reduced overall performance – mileage, braking distances, cornering, handling, etc. – ranging from 20% to 25%. In fact, stopping distances can double if you are not using a winter tire as temperatures decline.
..........Additionally, even in those areas that don’t see dozens of inches of snow each year, winter tires outperform all-season treads in wet traction and braking..............
.........Slush-covered roads pose a dangerous situation for standard all-season tires, but the softer compounds and added gripping edges of winter patterns deliver greater driving reliability.............
http://www.tirereview.com/Article/78010/help_customers_know_when_to_change_over_to_winter_tires.aspx
That seems odd. Why put the snow rating on them?
"Hello Continental customer, please buy our Dry Wet Snow tire, but don't use them when it gets cold enough to snow because they are dangerous."
What a joke.
Originally Posted By: D189379
..............I drove on them last night after about 6-7 days of snowing. The temps over the past week have been around -20, and the roads are a mixture of loose snow, packed snow, and ice.
The tires have done a lot worse than I had hoped for................
Continental advises that you not use their all-season tires at temperatures below 45F. They want you to use winter tires instead.
Here is what Joerg Burfien, the VP of R&D at Continental says about this:
"............Our studies suggest that winter tires should be mounted at the first signs of cooling air below 45°F, not just at the first snowfall.......................
But below 45°F, the harder tread compounds of these all-season tires become increasingly stiff and brittle, a condition that worsens as temperatures decline.
The hardness of these tires at lower temperatures means they no longer conform to the surface of the road. This leads directly to reduced grip on the road and a much-reduced overall performance – mileage, braking distances, cornering, handling, etc. – ranging from 20% to 25%. In fact, stopping distances can double if you are not using a winter tire as temperatures decline.
..........Additionally, even in those areas that don’t see dozens of inches of snow each year, winter tires outperform all-season treads in wet traction and braking..............
.........Slush-covered roads pose a dangerous situation for standard all-season tires, but the softer compounds and added gripping edges of winter patterns deliver greater driving reliability.............
http://www.tirereview.com/Article/78010/help_customers_know_when_to_change_over_to_winter_tires.aspx
That seems odd. Why put the snow rating on them?
"Hello Continental customer, please buy our Dry Wet Snow tire, but don't use them when it gets cold enough to snow because they are dangerous."
What a joke.
