Summer tires vs performance all seasons (no winter driving)

[clyde]

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by John V

I really hated the LTX AT/2s that were on my Silverado. Those things wore quickly and didn't seem to have good grip in any situation. Probably that had more to do with them being all-terrain tires, which seem to generally suck. I put some Conti TerrainContact H/Ts on the Ram about 20,000 miles ago based on Tire Rack test results. They've been fine. Excellent in the rain, slow wearing, and quiet.

Yes. Avoid AT tires unless you actually need them is another truck lesson that I learned.

[FC]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

Yes. Avoid AT tires unless you actually need them is another truck lesson that I learned.

That's not my experience. I like my Michelins plenty and they were better than the A/S Michelins (non LTX) that came with it. But I got them because I wanted to skew towards a better winter tire that I could use all year.

On the LR4, the OEM Continental 4X4 Contacts were replaced with Continental TerrainContact A/T tires and they have been a revelation in comparison. A better tire in every respect. They are meant to be on-road tires with some A/T capabilities. 2.5 years and 10k miles later they are MUCH better as far as the ride, and still at least as quiet on the highway. They give up a little precision on initial turn-in, but easily worth the trade. They are also quite competent in snow, but I have Hakkas for the deep winter, so they don't get used in snow often. The LR4 is the last vehicle I swap winter tires on in case crazy Boston weather gives us a 70F day after a snow day in late fall.

[lip277]

My tires have always been the all-season/highway tread version... and pretty quiet. They are on the Escalade and very quiet (P rated versions)... Who knows about LT's on the F250 LOL.

My brother in CA had to be a 'he man' so he always had aggressive AT versions of whatever truck tires he was running... and his truck howled like a banshee at speed.... But that suited him just fine. He just turned his stereo up to 11.

[Jeff_DML]

BFG K02 with E-load rating are not noisy on my 4runner to me. Doesn't seem much louder then the crappy AS that came on it.

I do hear other trucks and suv with other tires howling but assumed those were more mud terrains.

[FC]

Originally Posted by Jeff_DML

I do hear other trucks and suv with other tires howling but assumed those were more mud terrains.

Most likely. But even some AT tires are more aggressive than others.

[3LOU5]

I only require 3 things on an A/T tire:

1) Decent traction in all 4 seasons, especially in deep snow,

2) Good off-road/boat ramp capabilities, and

3) Durability and long life/mileage

IMHO, BFG A/T KO2s meet and even exceed my requirements.

Could they be quieter on the highway ?? Perhaps, but it's for my beater, and I really don't care. That is simply fixed by easily turning up the volume on my radio. In fact, I think it's part of the driving experience because it's a BEATER after all.

To be honest, I don't think the noise level is THAT obnoxiously loud really. And the fact that they're cheaper than the Michelins is just icing on the cake.

[3LOU5]

And people who install M/T tires on a truck that spends 99.98% of the time on pavement just for the look are pretty dumb because the noise level can be extremely annoyingly LOUD and M/T tires don't last that long on the street compared to other types of tires.

[FC]

Long overdue update: I never got winter tires. In part because I've been very busy and sort of forgot, in part because I wanted to see how the GTI fared on all seasons, and in part because I wanted to use up these all season tires.

The result of the experiment is mixed. Yes, I got through it, but that is not an honest assessment. I did use the LR4 when weather was questionable and have the luxury of staying home most of the time things are really bad. That would support all-seasons. However, twice in the last couple of weeks the GTI started to go sideways on dry weather in the cold (teens). This is while having fun (but not super-aggressive) on off ramps. But the latest one happened at 50MPH+. The good news is that it was very progressive and easy to get it back in line, but I do not care for a car that had such troubles without being really pushed.

Sure, maybe I should not go so fast, maybe it's the FWD thing, etc. But maybe I should just get better tires. I'd like to think that while not an expert, having had all sorts of cars for 20 years, I can tell when the tires are giving up sooner than they ought to. The only other times I've felt that way were with the low-friction POS tires on the eGolf (shit grip all year round and horrific in cold weather - wet or dry), and using the OEM all-season contis that came with the LR4 during the first winter (terrible on ice and snow).

These GTI all-seasons are adequate in the summer, but not good enough in the winter.

So while it's been fun, I will get winter tires next season. And when these all-seasons die, I will replace them with summer tires. I've never had cars where my tires where a limiting factor to fun, safety, etc., so why start now.

[Josh (PA)]

Originally Posted by FC

Long overdue update: I never got winter tires. In part because I've been very busy and sort of forgot, in part because I wanted to see how the GTI fared on all seasons, and in part because I wanted to use up these all season tires.

The result of the experiment is mixed. Yes, I got through it, but that is not an honest assessment. I did use the LR4 when weather was questionable and have the luxury of staying home most of the time things are really bad. That would support all-seasons. However, twice in the last couple of weeks the GTI started to go sideways on dry weather in the cold (teens). This is while having fun (but not super-aggressive) on off ramps. But the latest one happened at 50MPH+. The good news is that it was very progressive and easy to get it back in line, but I do not care for a car that had such troubles without being really pushed.

Sure, maybe I should not go so fast, maybe it's the FWD thing, etc. But maybe I should just get better tires. I'd like to think that while not an expert, having had all sorts of cars for 20 years, I can tell when the tires are giving up sooner than they ought to. The only other times I've felt that way were with the low-friction POS tires on the eGolf (shit grip all year round and horrific in cold weather - wet or dry), and using the OEM all-season contis that came with the LR4 during the first winter (terrible on ice and snow).

These GTI all-seasons are adequate in the summer, but not good enough in the winter.

So while it's been fun, I will get winter tires next season. And when these all-seasons die, I will replace them with summer tires. I've never had cars where my tires where a limiting factor to fun, safety, etc., so why start now.

I didn't re-read the whole thread but are your current all seasons pirelli c7s? If so they suck all the time. Had then on the Merc wagon and they were awful. Not commenting on your plan - Summer + winters is the best tire option, but your experience wouldn't have been as dramatic with contis dws