First winter in Sacramento and needing tires

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
820
Location
Sacramento CA
Hello fellow BITOG members !

I have an Audi a4 with quattro in need of new tires -all 4

I just moved to California and I was thinking I could run summer tires year round-

A set of cooper Zion Summers vs. all seasons is about $125 cheaper-

Would I be wise to spend the extra on the All seasons or will it not make much difference?


FYI I moved here from Pittsburgh PA back in late april!
 
Last edited:
Summer tires in the snow, not me. I owned a new 84 Quattro and it drove great in light snow but after hitting heavy show and patches of ice I broke down and purchased some snow tires and rims. Never again will I put off snow tires if they are needed. Cheep health insurance.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Summer tires in the snow, not me.

Well, annual snowfall for Sacramento is somewhere around 0. OP did not mention whether he'll be driving up to the mountains during winter or not.

I agree that summer tires in the snow are a no no.
 
Summer tires don't do well in the cold either, it's not just a snow thing, it's a compound/temp thing. I would get good all seasons. The Continental DWS, for example, does well for performance and still works well in light snow.

BTW, as I type this, I am staying at the Sheraton on J Street in Sacramento.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Would I be wise to spend the extra on the All seasons or will it not make much difference?

What are the treadwear warranties on the tires you're considering? Typically, an all-season tire will last longer. Typically, a summer tire will offer better grip. What's more important to you? What are your buying criteria? Is price the only thing you care about?
 
Yea, snow tires can help. I reme!Ber my first experience driving in snow. I was 18 at the time and moved up to Missouri. Being from the south iv only seen snow once or twice and even then it melted the moment it hit the ground.

Well, first snow of the year came. I was fully ready. Just drive slow and take the path everyone else is. Long story short I went right threw a red light and on to the median. Wasn't the funniest experience ever. But I got better with time.
 
I think you could get by.

I would try it knowing that the tires might not be as grippy as you would like for a few months and see how it goes. Just remember to tread carefully on the damp coldest days.
 
Welcome to Sacramento Astro14 !

Be sure to check out local restaurants- Nearly everything is locally grown. -Clever marketing calls it Farm to Fork...
but I digress

Its unlikely I will be in the mountains, though I suppose can never rule out the possibility of traveling outside of the valley during the winter months.

Its looking like a vote for all seasons
 
Get all-seasons ESPECIALLY if it will make you take a trip to the mountains in the winter! CA has beautiful mountains all year round to enjoy...
 
What are these snow tires you speak of? Also what is this "snow" thing people refer to in relation to tires?

You should be fine with some sort of all seasons.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Would I be wise to spend the extra on the All seasons or will it not make much difference?

What are the treadwear warranties on the tires you're considering? Typically, an all-season tire will last longer. Typically, a summer tire will offer better grip. What's more important to you? What are your buying criteria? Is price the only thing you care about?


I would ENJOY the grip of summer tires basically 90% of the time here in the Valley-
I was just thinking all seasons might be like buying a 4x4 truck when you should have bought a car.
 
I grew up in Sacramento. You will not need snow tires, but it does get down to the low 30s in the winter months.

While you may get by with summer tires, a set of all-seasons may be better suited to the temperature range.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
I was just thinking all seasons might be like buying a 4x4 truck when you should have bought a car.

There are some high performance all-seasons out there. Example: the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. So technically, it can give you something very close to summer tire performance, yet still be manageable in near freezing temps and light snow. Granted, they're not cheap.

If it was me living out there, the only reason I'd run all-seasons would be to get longer treadlife. If treadlife was not a concern, I'd just run summer tires.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Summer tires don't do well in the cold either, it's not just a snow thing, it's a compound/temp thing.


I agree but with with only 2 months of the year actually below the typical recommended change over temperature, I would be willing to try it. I keep my AS on until the temp is consistently below 7C with no snow. Those are however all seasons.

I will admit they can get a bit slippery when it's really cold and you are trying to have some fun. Nothing that can't be avoided if you are aware (i.e. don't play in the corners at 1C before you put the winter tires on).
 
I spent a few months working in the Sac area including winter. Occasionally it would get in the low 30s or even high 20s. Some gas stations sold ice scrapers, and I did find ice on my windows a few times. There can be "black ice" because it's closer to the freeze/thaw temperature. The biggest issue would be grip can just disappear when it gets that cold because the tread gets rock hard with summer tires.

If this is your only car, you might look into a higher performance all-season like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. It's been great for me. You're also going to be close to Tahoe, and an A4 Quattro is a pretty good choice to take there with decent tires.
 
I think Nokian makes a summer tire that still has acceptable grip in colder weather but doesn't have any capability in the snow. The Nokian Zline.
 
I was looking at the General G-Max
Says its ok in light snow
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I think Nokian makes a summer tire that still has acceptable grip in colder weather but doesn't have any capability in the snow. The Nokian Zline.

There was a guy who used to post here, and the wet-weather grip of tires was almost his single-minded reason for posting. He kept on insisting that the ideal tire for most vehicles (short of snow) was this almost mythical "three season" tire that would stay pliable in colder temps and which he claimed would shed water to supposedly improve wet grip. Even though it was pointed out to him that all the modern (and not so modern) research indicated that bonding to water was an aid with wet grip (because of hydrostatic properties of water) he kept on insisting that these tire he touted were better in wet weather because of this property that he couldn't seem to prove beyond mere conjecture.

The zLine is specifically designed with a high amount of silica. They claim that it makes for a compound that is both flexible and durable. However, silica by its very nature adheres to water, so the hydrophilic nature also helps improve wet traction, although this appears to be secondary.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top