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Old 11-08-2018, 03:26 PM   #1
rumatt
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Snow tires on heavy, high HP cars.

I'm thinking of putting all-seasons (Conti DWS 06?) on the Tesla for winter.

1. I will drive the truck any time I expect the weather to be nasty. The Tesla might still see snow but it'll be a rare event.

2. I'm worried a 4000lb+ car with 400+ HP will chew through snow tires in no time.

3. It's AWD so I'm not too worried about getting stuck


Does anyone have experience with #2? Am I concerned over nothing?

In other news, despite all the tire reviews available, it's shockingly difficult to find comparative reviews of tires across categories: Ex: how does a Conti DWS 06 All-Season compare to a Michelin X-Ice3? I've never owned a DWS 06, but it has to be less awful on dry pavement, right? Rolling resistance also matters now that I'm range challenged.

I did really like the Pirelli Sottozero 3's or whatever they were called though. I'm toying with the idea of them, but am still skeptical.
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Old 11-08-2018, 03:46 PM   #2
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I've been running DWS on my e46 and X5 for a year + now. Nothing but positive feedback for the use cases they take on. The e46 gets Hakkas on it in the dead of winter, but runs the contis into late nov/early december. The x5 runs the contis all winter long.
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Old 11-08-2018, 03:54 PM   #3
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Good to know, thanks!

DWS has a reputation for being decent in snow. Does your experience match that?
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Old 11-08-2018, 04:58 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
Good to know, thanks!

DWS has a reputation for being decent in snow. Does your experience match that?
They are (when new) usable on my E46 M3 in the snow. Not winters, but usable. TireRack tested the DWS as about 70% of the Bridgestone performance snow that was current at the time.

In my testing, a new DWS is about equivalent to a half worn Dunlop M3.
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Old 11-08-2018, 06:19 PM   #5
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Thanks Nick. And in the drive the DWS are better than the snows, right? Do you recommend them for a fair-weather winter car?
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Old 11-08-2018, 06:21 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by rumatt View Post
Thanks Nick. And in the drive the DWS are better than the snows, right? Do you recommend them for a fair-weather winter car?
They are gooshy, but quiet, great in the wet, and have okayish dry traction. I’ve got a winter set on my E90 right now. They have more straight line traction in cool weather than Michelin PSS. Not quite as much cornering grip.
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Old 11-08-2018, 06:24 PM   #7
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I have had no problems with Hakkas on my e70 (400hp) and F15 (450hp) x5s. They both weigh over 2 tons as well. You know how I drive...

EDIT: not sure I would get hakkas on the Tesla, but they are so fantastic on the X5.
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Old 11-08-2018, 08:18 PM   #8
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I say no, but that's me.. It's not like you're going to run the DWS year round. If you have the awesome michelins for summer or 3-seasons, get winters for winter.

I've had the predecessor of the DWS on a Subaru and yes, it did ok to Whiteface trips in whiteout conditions. But the e39 rwd on snow tires felt better (we took two cars on one trip back in 2007). Neither were particularly high power cars either. But when they let go, the DWS or A/S will tend towards white knuckle as opposed to more progressive slip of the winter.

If you are worried about #2, wear, go for H or V rated winter tires, e.g. Dunlop winter sports, wear slowly or the blizzak LM series. And drive easy on dry. I've not had a problem with wear.
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Old 11-08-2018, 08:23 PM   #9
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The 535i is 4000 lbs, not as high hp as the Model3 (used to be 300 now up to 340ish?). But the torque hits early and the car loses grip even with snows. I can't imagine it with A/S's.

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Old 11-09-2018, 07:55 AM   #10
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Maybe spec XL versions of whatever tire you choose? Extra benefit of getting stiffer sidewalls. For performance snows, we have always been happy with Bridgestone LM series when in Maryland. Also Michelin Pilot Alpins.
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