Wincer94

Aren't summer tires better in the rain than most all season tires? For sure it handles better when it's dry. I'm in Los Angeles area and don't really go where it snows and was thinking of getting one of the top 3 Ultra High Performance Summer tires on Tirerack.com when it's time for me to replace my original set, I have about 30K on my OE Bridgestone tires.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...er=19#allTitle

Btw, that Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is just a rebadged Bridgestone RE003 that was, or maybe still is, available outside North America.

mrminsky

Summer tires do better in hot summer conditions when it comes to performance. The issue with summer tires is when it gets cold (not necessarily snow), they are pretty useless and can even be dangerous. They also do not last very long. High Performance All seasons such as the Michelin or the Continentals will give you similar performance unless of course, you are tracking the car. There is a trade-off for sure. But having the original Bridgestones ($400 per tire) only lasting about 20K miles was not something I wanted. The Indy 500 tire is very popular due to the great performance AND great price.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

No summer tires are designed for max dry road traction & handling. It's all about the "Rubber to void" ratio.

Msmarvel

Thoughts on All Season vs Summer- In Texas An All Season tire will give you a tire that performs a mid level across all seasons but doesn’t give you the maximum performance that your car is capable of. The tire is okay across wet weather, summer months and gives you a freeze point that is lower than a Summer tire but not as low as a Winter tire. Since the tire is harder than a Summer tire it generally has a higher mileage warranty.



A Summer tire is designed to give you a high traction point that can match your vehicle’s performance design. The tire has a soft compound and can actually out perform an All Season Tire in the rain. Since it has a softer rubber compound it freezes a higher temperature than an All Season tire and a generally lower mileage warranty.



The long an short is that it comes down to performance. I don’t mean quick lane changes, and fast take off’s (although it can enhance it!) but a noticeable difference in cornering (slow and fast), stopping distances and general response time.

Now that being said I’m looking at either Michelin Pilot sport AS 3 plus (45k)
or Continental Sport (30k)
which one is all season vs summer

reading some of these threads I see some people sized up from 235/40/19 and 265/35/19

Are their more options to moving up to 245 & 275?

thanks

mrminsky

I have had my Conti DW06s for four months after having the original $$$$ Sport Bridgestones and I can honestly say that for the majority of us driving these GS350, this is one of those subjects where everyone pretty much overthinks this. Unless you are really tracking your car, these high-performance all-seasons is really the way to go especially in you live in places where the temperature tends to drop into the 40's or below. I honestly can not tell any performance drops on a day to day driving. Everything I was able to do with my previous tire, I am able to do with these. The two key differences to me are the overall ride quality and the ability to handle the crappy weather we have been having in Atlanta. The tires should last a little longer and the overall price was lower than what I would have paid with the original Bridgestones. I also went with the 245/275 and I would never go back to the OEM size.

Msmarvel

Thanks for this, so now the question is Summer vs All Season - i have read that All-season tires perform well in warm weather, but they may offer less grip than summer tires, sacrificing some steering, braking, and cornering capabilities. This trade off is necessary for all-season tires to be able to provide acceptable performance in light winter conditions and provide longer tread life-i mean taking a corner at 45mph is fun, so with the all season i wonder if that is still possible. I know I am not a nascar driver, but I like to make sure i can still take on the performance my car desires.

BMGS

iTrader: (1)

You are probably right but I fell in love with the Michelin PS4S due to such great experiences with them. They were the only street tires that gave me traction on my previous ride, a 575hp 300SRT8. When I saw the lower prices on a smaller tire for the Lexus versus the 305 and 315 sizes I was using, I jumped on it right away and don't regret it. Maybe a PS4S is overkill for the Lexus but they still provide amazing steering feel, feedback and grip in the wet and dry. It works for South Florida where it rarely drops below 50.

I think they are also some of the best looking tires if you are into that:



When you change tires sizes that are not the OEM overall diameter, how are you adjusting the speedometer on these cars? Or are you just sticking within a close enough threshold that a few mph doesn't bother you?