Michelin Pilot AS4's, doable for winter if you can pick your battles??

[baege]

Hey all

looking for opinions experiences on whether the AS4's can cut it for the winter if you don't have to commute.

would be going on a mid engine Rwd car

don't have a commute and don't really have to drive if conditions aren't favourable.

but at the same time would want to feel free enough that if they are calling for anything less than 2 inches of snow I would feel comfortable going out.

I know a proper dedicated set of winter tires and rims would be better but in my experience even those don't get you full confidence in a RWD powerful car in the winter and I still avoided going out in anything above 2 inches of snow.

so I am debating, can I get by on the AS4's?

[freakystyly]

Doable, yes. Skip the crappy weather until plows come around.

It's those random times you're stuck on a steep hill at a red light and the snow has been coming down wet and heavy, you'll wish otherwise tho.

[BlkGS]

There's a big difference between "2 inches of snow" and "snowed but plowed clean"

Snowed but plowed clean, you're probably fine. 2 inches of snow on the ground, you're probably stuck inside.

[pbonsalb]

AS4 are not snow rated all seasons. Some all seasons have the snowflake designation. On an AWD car, you would be fine — the last 2 winters in NH, I have run AS4 on my F90 M5. I have winters, summers and all seasons all on rims for the car and have not bothered to put the snows on the last 2 years.

On all the RWD cars I have run in the winter in NH, I have used snow tires. Usually I put snows on the stock wheels and buy lighter and wider aftermarket wheels for summer use or I buy a used set of stock wheels for winter use, sometimes going down 1” in diameter if smaller will clear the brakes.

[baege]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

AS4 are not snow rated all seasons. Some all seasons have the snowflake designation. On an AWD car, you would be fine — the last 2 winters in NH, I have run AS4 on my F90 M5. I have winters, summers and all seasons all on rims for the car and have not bothered to put the snows on the last 2 years.

On all the RWD cars I have run in the winter in NH, I have used snow tires. Usually I put snows on the stock wheels and buy lighter and wider aftermarket wheels for summer use or I buy a used set of stock wheels for winter use, sometimes going down 1” in diameter if smaller will clear the brakes.

doesn't seem to be anything better than the AS4 in the snow in the applicable sizes which include a 305/30R20 rear

based on this review:

the michelins seem to be the best...

[Alfisti]

Have you considered an all weather tyre rather than all season? Specifically the Michelin Cross Climate or Conti multimegaweather thingy?

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by baege

doesn't seem to be anything better than the AS4 in the snow in the applicable sizes which include a 305/30R20 rear

based on this review:

the michelins seem to be the best...

305/30/20 is wide and stiff, which are not a great combination for snow. Try them out and if you are not happy buy snow wheels or don’t drive in the snow. I find that roads are clear many days in winter. I don’t like snow tires because dry road handling suffers, but they can be necessary if you must drive in snow.

[Alfisti]

Honestly Toronto roads are ploughed and we may get serious snow once every 5 years.

[RM7]

Yeah, Toronto isn't all that far north, sun will come out and melt stuff, surface of the road, etc. You will get a lot of nasty weather from the plains above, ice storms, snow storms, etc., but waiting it out it should get better pretty fast and I doubt there's be a huge issue here. Driving on packed snow should be a rarity. If you do foresee driving on a lot of packed snow and fallen snow, you'll need a pretty aggressive snow tire. You might experience some of those slushy conditions where basically everything but an AT and hardcore snow tire hydroplanes in the slush. Not much you can do there.

If going with a 2nd wheelset though, an aggressive winter tire could be a good idea, doesn't need to be as wide as stock (which will be cheaper) and can run like Nov-March or something.

[pbonsalb]

The OP did not provide his location or required tire size in his original post. I can only speak to my experiences in PA and NH in the New England region of the US, which are southeast of Toronto, but I maybe Toronto winters are milder.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by baege

Hey all

looking for opinions experiences on whether the AS4's can cut it for the winter if you don't have to commute.

would be going on a mid engine Rwd car

don't have a commute and don't really have to drive if conditions aren't favourable.

but at the same time would want to feel free enough that if they are calling for anything less than 2 inches of snow I would feel comfortable going out.

I know a proper dedicated set of winter tires and rims would be better but in my experience even those don't get you full confidence in a RWD powerful car in the winter and I still avoided going out in anything above 2 inches of snow.

so I am debating, can I get by on the AS4's?

Owned a Boxster when I lived east of KC MO. That's mid engine rear wheel drive car of course. Drove it in the snow with it fitted with Pirelli high performance tires and a time or two with Michelin high performance tires. Didn't make it a habit but got caught out a couple of times.

I managed but a time or two it was white knuckle time.

AS4's are all season tires. I'm not a fan of all season tires though they are popular. Years ago all season were referred to as *no* season tires.

I note you live in Toronto. My advice would be to if you are going to drive your Cayman S (I had a 2008 Cayman S, too) in bad weather -- snow -- I'd advise you to get a set of wheels and fit proper snow tires on them.

I had Michelin all season tires on my 2002 VW Golf TDi. Which I bought just 2 months after buying my Boxster in January 2002. I bought the VW because I got caught in the snow with only my Boxster. The tires on the VW were ok and I got complacent only to darn near lose the car on a turn on a frontage road along side I40 in William AZ one snowy day.

Before I could get a set of wheels/snow tires I ended up in CA with no snow in the winter and darn little rain.

Two pics of the Boxster in two different snow storms. That 2nd pic is it parked on the hotel parking lot in Willams the same hotel parking I had driven out of in my Golf (on another trip through there) and almost lost the VW.

No pic of the Cayman S in the snow. I owned it when I lived in northern CA.

Turbo pic take at Boreal Mountain parking lot very near to Donner Ridge.

My M2 with its Michelin high performance tires will sit out the snow.