Driving on stock Bridgestones in the Winter?

[McLilySladentine]

Does anyone use their Bridgestone's in the Winter. I am trying to decide if I need Winter tires. I will be driving only a few times a month. No snow/ice, but it will be in the 30's. Will I be fine? Or does anyone have recommendations for a cheap, decent winter tire?

 

[Swank]

If you don't live in a place that snows ever you will be fine. Just remember that below 40 the tires have a lot less grip so take it easy. Mine were fine in the cold but a complete no go for snow.

 

[CanadianGuy]

In sub 40 the are much easier to break traction on acceleration, cornering and braking. You can obviously control acceleration and cornering. Emergency stop no so much at time. I have driven them below 40 for a week or two but if there is any frost on the road (ice or snow) do not.

 

[ChristianW]

My personal experience is that the OEM summer tires are worthless in the cold/snow/ice. My first winter with the car we got a very light dusting of snow, it was a little below 30 degrees and I when i went around my first corner (maybe a little fast) the car did a full 180 on me faster than i could blink and I was then facing the other way lol. I was going slow so no damage done but I did go buy winter tires and rims the following day lol.

My suggestion is to try it out carefully and see how the OEM tires handle your winter. The tires I run are 185/60/R15 on Steelies I paid around $400 for everything so not too expensive and now my Fiesta is pretty much a snow plow on bad days and never gets stuck!

 

[frankiefiesta]

I got my car last year in February and where I live in New Jersey we can get freezing temps and snow/ice into April. I did notice the tires sucked in those conditions but I managed through those few months. I don't drive my car every day but needless to say I will be investing in some winter or at least good all season tires very soon

 

[lonelysuperstar]

All Seasons, summer tires are just that, summer. Traction is very limited in the cold. I tried to get by with mine the first year and learned quickly that they were not going to cut it.

 

[MyGoKart]

I only got 3,700 miles out of the front stock Bridgestones. So I had a hard time justifying swaping out the rears which were at about 70%. SO I bought some cheap all seasons for the front axle. Worst idea ever for fast driving in the dry however it was interesting the few times I drove in the damp. The rear had much more grip then the front in the dry however in the wet is was a night and day difference. I wouldn't want to do any wet weather let alone icy driving on the stock Potenzas.

 

[Old Guy]

You should be alright on summer tires in NC. Try not to drive aggressively when it is cold out. It was 34F when I left the house this morning and I did not notice a difference.

 

[BrokenSVT]

No. Just no.

 

[Schoolz]

If it doesn't ever snow you will be fine. I live in CT so I bought winter tires and steel rims.

 

[Joker328]

No. Just no.

I feel like there is a story there that you need to share.

 

[BeansNCornbread]

In NC you are probably fine with AS. Definitely not the summers in winter though. I have Michelin Primacy Alpine PA3 and they are just ok on ice, good in snow, and the best winter tire I've had for dry. Really a glorified AS.

 

[Sil3nt611]

I'll be driving on them starting this winter. But I live in Texas. If it gets real cold I'll take it easy. When it does snow for the few days out of the year I will be staying home more than likely anyway since everything shuts down for snow,

 

[dyn085]

Summer tires in NC with 2" of ground clearance-

The only place I couldn't overcome was my own driveway-

It's not the safest but drive very defensively, reduce your speed, and be very light with the accelerator/brake and you should be fine. With that being said, if you end up in a ditch/accident you'll already know why.

 

[GAbOS]

Summer tires in NC with 2" of ground clearance

The only place I couldn't overcome was my own driveway

It's not the safest but drive very defensively, reduce your speed, and be very light with the accelerator/brake and you should be fine. With that being said, if you end up in a ditch/accident you'll already know why.

Summer tires ride like rocks when the temps drops below 40f. They lump, the break lose every chance they get and are an overall pain in the ass and unsafe. The OE tires that are too high a grip for Auto-X tire modifier alone should say something. Add that with the OE super grabby brakes and you have the perfect mix for an insurance companies bottom line.

The tire is the only thing that connects you to the road; any condition. Pay closer attention to it.

It's been a rule of thumb in my area that if your driveway defeats you in winter, you are running the wrong setup.

 

[BrokenSVT]

I feel like there is a story there that you need to share.

It's a pretty short one. Summer tires + snow/cold simply don't mix. We had a freak snow storm and I got stuck on a very long grade with a tall curb median, so no turning around. Had to call a tow truck.

 

[dyn085]

Summer tires ride like rocks when the temps drops below 40f. They lump, the break lose every chance they get and are an overall pain in the ass and unsafe. The OE tires that are too high a grip for Auto-X tire modifier alone should say something. Add that with the OE super grabby brakes and you have the perfect mix for an insurance companies bottom line.

The tire is the only thing that connects you to the road; any condition. Pay closer attention to it.

It's been a rule of thumb in my area that if your driveway defeats you in winter, you are running the wrong setup.

Lol, that's a horrible rule of thumb because you're saying that if my driveway was flat then I would have been on the right setup, which was running summer tires in two inches of snow.

Nobody is arguing whether snow tires are safer in snow but, depending on where people live, they are not necessarily a reasonable purchase. I haven't had anything but summer tires on my cars since 2012 and there is no reasonable need for me to swap. Tire choice, just like any other component, will depend a lot more on the users environment and experience than a simple blanket-statement regarding a small and ridiculously-short (for most people) section of pavement.

And tires don't just start breaking loose everywhere simply because it's colder. Traction is admittedly worse but, just like every other safety-related discussion, people seem to not want to realize that a person is driving. A car set up 'perfectly' can still be wrecked by an amateur whereas an imperfect setup can still be piloted safely by a professional. Just because you can't get there as fast doesn't mean you can't get there safely.

 

[PhoenixM3]

In Europe, you can get away with driving any tire year round, but if you're in an accident in the winter and your car is equipped with summer tires you're given a fine at the very least. In a multi-car accident, you bear the burden of fault.

 

[GAbOS]

Lol, that's a horrible rule of thumb because you're saying that if my driveway was flat then I would have been on the right setup, which was running summer tires in two inches of snow.

Nobody is arguing whether snow tires are safer in snow but, depending on where people live, they are not necessarily a reasonable purchase. I haven't had anything but summer tires on my cars since 2012 and there is no reasonable need for me to swap. Tire choice, just like any other component, will depend a lot more on the users environment and experience than a simple blanket-statement regarding a small and ridiculously-short (for most people) section of pavement.

And tires don't just start breaking loose everywhere simply because it's colder. Traction is admittedly worse but, just like every other safety-related discussion, people seem to not want to realize that a person is driving. A car set up 'perfectly' can still be wrecked by an amateur whereas an imperfect setup can still be piloted safely by a professional. Just because you can't get there as fast doesn't mean you can't get there safely.

It makes perfect sense. As i stated; "..in my area".

When the snow trucks are out, they don't do most side streets let alone driveways. In my area, "snow days" aren't a thing. I had to emergency brake a few times one season on A/S and it sold me. Both times I was double my usual distance plus some and was put into that situation due to an incident in front of me, out of my control.

OT: If you have "Snow Days" then think before you get in the car. Otherwise, your ego will be paying for my new car. The OE tires are shit below 40F snow or other wise. They are like rocks.

 

[dyn085]

It makes perfect sense. As i stated; "..in my area".

When the snow trucks are out, they don't do most side streets let alone driveways. In my area, "snow days" aren't a thing. I had to emergency brake a few times one season on A/S and it sold me. Both times I was double my usual distance plus some and was put into that situation due to an incident in front of me, out of my control.

OT: If you have "Snow Days" then think before you get in the car. Otherwise, your ego will be paying for my new car. The OE tires are shit below 40F snow or other wise. They are like rocks.

It's not really OT considering the fact that the OP already stated there would be no snow. Most people would be surprised to learn that summer tires have better cold/dry and cold/wet traction than all-seasons and yes, that's below 40 degrees. The data is out there.