Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I have a crackpot theory.
Braking generates a lot of friction, more so than going around a corner. You want hard tread blocks for straight line braking hot or cold.
But you want the tread surface to be just soft to provide enough grip regardless of the temperature.
While the summer tires might feel slippery during hard cornering on a cold road, the tread surface heats up very quick
during a very quick stop as the tread surface heats up near instantly to provide maximum grip.
The winter tires are too soft on cold dry pavement during max brake applications and lose friction, plus the flexible tread blocks
and less surface area equates for a longer stopping distance.
Well you did say 'crackpot'.
I don't see the tread heating up that much more or faster on cold pavement on a 3 second stop than if I were pushing it thru a long corner. It's more what we all agree about soft pliable winter compounds (Blizzak) being too soft like a gum eraser to be able to generate as high braking / cornering loads on cold DRY pavement compared to even hockey puck summer compounds. But on cold wet pavement I'd say winters will have more predictable handling than slick summers. So if your winter is mid Atlantic medium or such I'd go for an A/S compromise if you can't stand being gentle on the winters. Performance winters may be less of an issue, but hard driving will still wear them out fast.