md_guy

A couple months ago, I replaced my OEM tires with a set of Dunlop SP Sport 5000M runflats , after finding them on TireRack in 245/40/18. Tire Rack has them classified as ultra-high performance all season, and I figured the runflat technology wasn't a bad compromise considering my lack of a spare.

Today, we had our first snowfall of the season. It wasn't epecially heavy - I'd say we got about 2". Much to my surprise, when I went to drive home from work on my new "all-season" tires, I found that their performance on snow is about on a par with summer tires. Fortunately, the roads were clear by the time I was on them, so I was in control while in traffic. On the parking lots though, it was all I could to not to lose control completely. At first I thought it was because I'm used to front-wheel drive cars, but no matter how gently I drove, I simply couldn't keep traction with these tires! I could feel the rear tires losing grip almost immediately upon touching the gas, and making slight turns at crawling speed caused the fronts to go. If the parking space next to mine hadn't been empty, I would have hit the car there trying to pull into my space.

Needless to say, I'm not happy right now. These tires cost me $1000, plus another $100 to have them mounted, and now I have to go buy another set (probably Pirelli PZero Nero A&S) to replace them and deal with selling these so as not to be out the complete $1000. Anyway, I just wanted to give a heads-up to anybody looking for all-season tires to handle light snow - DO NOT BUY DUNLOP SP 5000M RUNFLATS!

BlueRenesis82

are you surprised? you got what u paid for, ultra high "performance" all season tires. All the posts about tires have stated that all season don't work all that much better in snow. I doubt they are bad tires, but you may have been unrealisitic about their abilities. Plus the fact that 2/3 of the reviews on tirerack and not good ones, that maybe should have showed you that these maybe weren't the best tires.

murix

It is an easy problem to fix. Move to Cali.

BlueRenesis82

or buy SNOW tires. just an idea

Boilermaker

I have Continental ContiExtremeContact (245/40/18) all seasons and they are great in snow and ice. Here in Indiana we have any where from 2 to 12 inches and I haven't had a problem other than the RX8s lack of ground clearance. :D If you were looking for another set of All Seasons, I highly recommend the Continentals.

md_guy

I've been driving on all-season tires in DC-area winters for 15 years; I know what to expect from them in the snow. I drove my last car, a Mitsu Eclipse, on its stock Eagle RS-As through 4-5" snow on multiple occasions, and never lost control as long as I was driving sensibly. This is completely different - these Dunlops have ALMOST NO traction on 1-2" of snow.

md_guy

Thanks, Boilermaker. When I bought the Dunlops, it was between them, the ContiExtreme Contacts and the Pirelli PZero Neros. The Pirellis were on backorder at the time, and I chose to go with runflats over the Continentals. Since I already narrowed it down, it'll probably be either the Continentals or the Pirellis this time. I'm leaning towards the Pirellis based on TireRack ratings, but I haven't made up my mind yet. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out how to get to work the rest of the week and deal with the next batch of snow we're expecting over the weekend

rabinabo

Hey md, I just moved to Annapolis last week, and I barely made the switch in time from stock to the Pirellis (on Tuesday night). Anyways, I would really recommend them. The only time that I had some slipping & sliding (not too much really) was in my apartment complex parking lot that wasn't shoveled that extensively.

I also haven't had any snow driving experience in 7 years, so as I get used it again, these tires shouldn't give me any problems.

BlueFrenzy

You spent about the same amount for all seasons as you would have for a pair of snow tires. You have a set of perfectly good summer tires, so why not a good set of snow tires? Even if you use the stock rims and swap tires out, it still better than going halfway with all seasons.

All the jerks in SUV's probably run on all seasons and I see them in the ditch all the time. Half the time I'm honking at people who can't stop properly in the snow and I wouldn't be surprised if every single one of them had all seaons.

Joel Ramsey

I agree with Boilermaker. The Continental has a very high snow traction rating for an all-season tire. I also live in Indiana and regularly drive to Michigan for work. I almost bought a set of Conti's but I bought a set of Pirelli 240 Snowsports(Tire Rack $800)and I am extremely pleased with their performance. I have driven thru several strong snow storms this year already and I am very impressed. It's a great snow tire without looking like one or sounding like one. Mount the winter tires on your OEM wheels and get a set of cool wheels for the summer.

fredw1

Some of us choose not to buy snow tires since we are at a latitude where snow is on the roads maybe 5-10 days a year. One solution is not right for everyone. For me, it was not worth the trouble of changing tires twice a year so I could be prepared for 5 or 10 days of driving 5-10 miles on snow-covered roads. If I lived in Canada or New England, I'd probably buy snow tires. In Cincinnati (and DC as well, as I recall), the average daytime highs are above 32 degrees, even in January. These are seasonal averages, and obviously we have lower temps on some days and at night. We just had 2 weeks of 50-degree weather after Christmas. I have not used snow tires in the 27 years I've lived here, and have not felt that my safety was ever endangered. In addition, I have a 4WD Tacoma if things get really bad.

I just posted a message in the thread on the P Zero Nero M&S, and my disappointment with these in lightly and unpacked snow. Much worse than RE910 all-seasons on my FWD Civic and the Ft70s on my old '90 Corolla (which could plow through six inches of snow on unplowed roads). I did not feel nearly as safe in the 8 with these tires, driving the same cautious way I have for more than 30 years. Part of this may be due to the fact that this is my first RWD car in 15 years. That said, I had higher expectations based upon others' experiences with these tires. Maybe I'll try the Continental all-seasons for my next set.

md_guy

Yeah, what fredw1 said We have snow on the roads a few days a year on average here. If I lived in northern Michigan or Canada, I wouldn't dream of using anything but snow tires through the winter, but considering the climate here, good all-seasons are fine. As I said above, I never used anything but all-seasons on the other cars I've owned, and I never had a problem driving through snowstorms with them.

Anyway, I didn't mean to fuel yet another snow tires vs. all-seasons debate. I just wanted to make sure people are aware that these so-called "all-season" Dunlops are worthless in the snow.

Dinhx8

i here ya md guy- Im in Arlington and it was a tough decision- i did go with snow tires- Pirelli Winter Sports- i will say this *may* be the tire you are looking for, i.e.-handles and keeps cars integrety on dry and warm weather (i had em on when we hit the high 60s a few weeks back), and really impressive on the snow (had no problems this past week). The Blizzak Lm-2s are even better on the snow, but they give up a little bit of dry traction, based on reviews. So on the second go round with your tires, you may want to consider a winter tire- but one not designed for Canadian winters but more moderate, like the Pirellis. I recommend them.....anyhow, good luck and stay safe....

loco4rx8

I understand your feelings, as I live in Virginia and we get about the same amount of snow. I went with snow tires because I live an hour from work and I figured there'd be some times when I'd be stuck having to drive home after the snow had been falling for a while. I also have a very long, hilly gravel driveway which is hard to get out of when it snows. I don't regret my decision at all. Though it is slightly inconvenient to change the tires twice a year, I'd rather do that than end up in the ditch because my tires wouldn't work in a couple inches of snow.

EandGWZ

We have a foot here and my Blizzak's are performing nicely.

md_guy

Just to add closure to the thread, I ended up going with the ContiExtreme Contacts, which I had mounted today. While most of our recent snow melted off yesterday and today, I have a dead-end section of road in my neighborhood that doesn't get plowed, and it still had a good 2" on it, so I gave it a quick spin to see how the Continentals perform. No contest - these tires are excellent in the snow for an Ultra-High-Performance A/S. While the Dunlops would lose grip almost immediately on an inch or less, and slight turns at <5MPH would cause an uncontrollable front-end skid, the Continentals had minimal slippage even with fairly vigorous (for snow driving) swerves from side to side at 10MPH. Don't get me wrong - I could feel them slip as I swerved, but they regained grip quickly and I had no trouble stopping and starting. I obviously haven't had a chance to get a proper feel for the limits of the Continentals or to evaluate their dry traction, but based on my quick test, the difference from the Dunlops in the snow is like night and day.

Thanks again for the feedback and recommendations, guys.

Boilermaker

Hey Md_guy,

I wanted to go with the Pirelli tires as well, but since they were out of stock, I went with the Conti's. The only suggestion that I have about the Conti's is give them 500 miles or so to wear in. I was displeased with handling until I got a few miles on them. Compared to the stock dunlops I had, I would say they are comparable. The main difference that I noticed is that the sidewalls on the Conti's are much softer, and it takes a little getting use to when pushing the car hard. But I guess there had to be some trade off between performance and all season tires. I have about 4000 miles on mine and they show no signs of wear. Overall I am very pleased with the tires.

Boilermaker