Tires on new Camaros cracking due to very cold weather

[IndyIan]

And the PS4S still has the same temperature limitation that Bill is railing against, as do the optional OE Pirelli tires on my Jeep.

You would never know that from anything on the canadian website though... Both warranty booklets they link to on the 4S say nothing of cold temperature limitations. I guess the guy at tire shop is supposed to tell you at some point? Seems like its a key piece of information to put on the sidewall perhaps!

 

[IndyIan]

That's why they are an option. They were an option on my Jeep, one I went with, already having a full set of winter tires available and mounted on rims. I also went with the optional upgraded brakes with 2-piece rotors.

No, they don't have long-term durability, no high performance tire does. The PSS's on my M5 wore faster than an all season, but had incredible traction in both the wet and dry. Like these tires, if you were to drive on them below their rated temperature, Michelin indicated that cracking would not be covered, just like with my current Pirelli tires, as I noted earlier in the thread.

You don't need to store them inside, you just can't flex them. Mine sit in my garage and fair just fine.

Clearly, you are not a driving enthusiast, and that's fine, but there are plenty of extremely windy back roads where you can get the tires nice and warm and really push the car without grossly exceeding the speed limit for the road. When I used to drive up to Rosseau regularly, the WIndermere road was one of these. There are many others.

Again, all ultra-high performance summer tires are at risk of cracking if used below 40F, as the information from both Pirelli and Michelin I shared indicates. And no, no all season approaches the performance level of something like the PSS or the current PS4S.

*snip of the material that's basically just a reiteration of the above*

Because with Joe Average's driving skill, it's quite unlikely that a dedicated R-compound tire with even shorter life is going to help on the track. Swapping out a set of PSS's or PS4S's every couple of years, and being able to drive to the track, do some lapping, drive home, and not have to deal with changing the tires and dealing with tires that last half as long again, has appeal.

R-comps help alright, I think almost anyone would drop lap time with them vs a street tire, especially if you have some bad driving habits. Usually they just allow more overheating and more slip angle before they really really give up. You can make more mistakes, and have them save you with less loss of lap time than street tires.
The 1 wheel peel in my fwd open diff autocross weapons was way easier to manage with R-comps, as a bit of spin up still gave decent pull, and the tire wasn't overheating as much. With street tires they don't like spinning much or big slip angles as they overheat the surface more easily, and the tread squirm adds a bit of heat too.
On the street though, R-comps would be a bit spooky and not all that fun on most roads, too much variation in grip and feel with temperature, much like race brakes I guess. Noisy as well.
For almost everyone, a good summer street tire would be better on the street, and on the track the racier tires feel better IMO, probably cheaper too in the long run.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Low temperature use potentially causing the tires to crack is the trade-off for a higher performance tire - it's well known (by most) and documented by every tire manufacturer that makes such tires. Anyone not liking that trade-off and not wanting to use them as designed shouldn't use them. Simple as that.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

You would never know that from anything on the canadian website though... Both warranty booklets they link to on the 4S say nothing of cold temperature limitations. I guess the guy at tire shop is supposed to tell you at some point? Seems like its a key piece of information to put on the sidewall perhaps!

It's... It's a summer tire...

 

[OVERKILL]

R-comps help alright, I think almost anyone would drop lap time with them vs a street tire, especially if you have some bad driving habits. Usually they just allow more overheating and more slip angle before they really really give up. You can make more mistakes, and have them save you with less loss of lap time than street tires.
The 1 wheel peel in my fwd open diff autocross weapons was way easier to manage with R-comps, as a bit of spin up still gave decent pull, and the tire wasn't overheating as much. With street tires they don't like spinning much or big slip angles as they overheat the surface more easily, and the tread squirm adds a bit of heat too.
On the street though, R-comps would be a bit spooky and not all that fun on most roads, too much variation in grip and feel with temperature, much like race brakes I guess. Noisy as well.
For almost everyone, a good summer street tire would be better on the street, and on the track the racier tires feel better IMO, probably cheaper too in the long run.

I'm thinking more the difference between the PSS and the Sport Cup for example. I recall guys driving both on the M5 didn't see much of a difference; certainly not enough to justify the faster wear and lack of streetability. I expect you'd notice the same with your one-wheel-peel between those two tires.

I drove around on drag radials for a while with my Mustang "spooky" doesn't begin to describe how they were when it got wet out, lol.

 

[IndyIan]

It's... It's a summer tire...

Yep, lots of summer cars and tires get stored in unheated garages, and leaving a car on these tires, or picking up a loose tire and dropping it would crack them. Many years ago, when I was young, one of the young autocross guys learned the hard way that you can't leave these on the car over winter even just sitting there, his were cracked around the contact patch as he had done some work on the car, just jacking it up. I had no idea either that they could crack like that, I had bought a used set too but had left them in my basement for the winter just by luck.

 

[TiGeo]

The tire manufacturer only tells you this can happen...haha...so they aren't lying after all!

 

[TiGeo]

Meanwhile base C8s come with...

Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 Tires Review: Year-Round Convenience Meets Summer Performance! - CorvetteForum

Drivings All-Season 4 Michelins makes it easy to see why GM made them the official tire for the base C8 Corvette. Terrific handling, grip, and braking.

www.corvetteforum.com

 

[krzyss]

Meanwhile base Camaros come with all season tires too.
Where is news?

Krzyś

 

[TiGeo]

Meanwhile base Camaros come with all season tires too.
Where is news?

Krzyś

The news is that a car like a C8 even in base trim is more than fine on PS4 AS tires apparently and a base Camaro and a base C8 Vette aren't even close in terms of comparison.