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Sep 1, 2013 | 09:56 AM

#11

Norm Peterson

6th Gear Member

Joined: Feb 2007

Posts: 7,635

From: state of confusion

Quote:

Originally Posted by hootie_john

So what's the "harm" in actually running a summer tire in the winter? It gets cold here and does sometimes snow. My car is my DD. Is it just that there isn't as much grip due to the summer compound of the tire, or can it actually damage the tire driving it in the cold?

With most of the "older" ultra-high and max-performance tires the risk was that the tires don't have nearly as much grip below 45°F or so as they do above 70°F. The newer extreme performance tires and most all competition tires also have some risk of the tread itself cracking.

The "ultra-high performance", "max-performance", and "extreme performance" descriptions are Tire Rack's.

Competition tires include drag radials and R-compound tires (typically, these are rated 100 and lower for treadwear).

Norm