Continental Extreme Contact Sport - n/a below 45 degrees F

OK? There isn't a company in the world that will not err on the side of caution. Is this supposed to be news to us? Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

_ said:

 Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

Really?

EvanB said:

_ said:

 Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

Really?

I drove Star Specs in slush because I didn't have a choice. I didn't die.

In reply to jharry3 :

I'm confused by your question. It seems they say not to drive in the tire under 45. I can say I've also driven R888s in below freezing temps to the track, also didn't die. 

But this is Ultimately up to you.

Thanks lawyers.

EvanB said:

_ said:

 Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

Really?

Of course, but shaved into slicks, on a RWD convertible with an open diff and the roof down during a blizzard, and without working heat. And they do "just fine" in 3 feet of snow and glaze ice.

Because everyone in winter tire discussions is the awesomest magical driver in the world and you need to get off their lawn with your talk of "winter tires" and silly things like that, lol...

z31maniac said:

EvanB said:

_ said:

 Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

Really?

I drove Star Specs in slush because I didn't have a choice. I didn't die.

There is a difference between doing it because you have to and recommending to just drive year round on them. That doesn't really answer the question of what temperatures will damage the tires. 

One thing, running my Blizzaks for 4/5 months make my expensive summer tires last longer.

I tried driving down the driveway in 8" of snow on my Continental DWSs today. Got stuck. Tomorrow I'll put on the Michelin Ice-Xs.

Below 45 they don't have good grip. Below 20 and they'll be permanently damaged by being driven on. It's in the warranty info on the tire, but I can't tell you specifically where. I read it when researching tires and ended up with these on my MR2.

In reply to dculberson :

Thank you! A thousand internet points for a succinct and complete answer with authoritative source cited!

I just drove to an autocross in 28* weather and ran the event ~40* on my ECS's because they're the best tool for that job.  And this isn't the first time.  I can't think of anything better for cold/dry grip, that won't chunk apart because it's a snow tire.

If we are talking about a warranty or track performance, then This all makes sense. But if we are just talking about driving around in

**NON BLIZZARD CONDITIONS**

then these are fine. Not great. Not ideal. Not snow tires. Not studs. But just fine. 

I would like to see data for this, but I suspect this was like negative something F, not 40, 30, or even 20F. 

Still, the point remains that if you are somewhere where its going to regularly be below 20F, you probably want a different tire for the winter.

red_stapler said:

z31maniac said:

EvanB said:

_ said:

 Many of us here drive on 200 treadwear tires all year long, even in the snow.

Really?

I drove Star Specs in slush because I didn't have a choice. I didn't die.

I drove star specs in 6 inches of snow and didn't die or get stuck. In an E36 no less.

I've experienced this problem with high performance tires on my car - the few times I drove it in cold weather, they were very slippery on dry pavement.  I wouldn't do it as a regular thing.

I've got the Extrecontact Sports on my E38.  They're fine down to the mid to low 30s even on wet pavement.  A little less grippy and don't feel quite as good, but they're not sketchy at all and still have more grip at 35* than my snow tires.  I haven't tried them below freezing though.  

Well TIL that you can actually damage a tire by driving on it at low temperatures.  I always assumed the temp range was only performance related.  I run Contis on my M3 and it does occasionally get that cold here (like this morning.)  

I've never observed any issues after cold weather use, other than feeling flat-spotted for several miles in the mornings.

My understanding when I bought my ECS is that not only do they not have the same grip in cold temps, but driving on them in cold weather breaks down the material in the tire carcass faster thus creating an unsafe tire - what dculberson said.  They have a 30k mile warranty that won't be honored if you drive below recommended temps.  Mine are in the basement until spring temps since I noticed flat spotting when I first had them installed last March.

In weather cold enough where the rubber gets too hard, yes, you can get cracking and other damage.  I've never seen a tire be damaged from it without showing visible cracking and tearing in the tread though.  

As far as flat spotting, I haven't had any issues with it in cooler weather leading up to the snow tire switch.  However, I've found mine do sometimes flat spot a bit after longer drives on warm days (where they get more warm and flexible and then cool down while sitting).  

Whatever tire the super hot Corvettes and Camaros came with for the last few years will actually break driving them off the transport truck and into the shop when its -20 degrees, apparently.  Michelins, maybe.

-20 is a while different story than 20 or even 0.  I never want to live there.