Can I get away with my Dunlop 8000Es for a NYC winter? (More)
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Can I get away with my Dunlop 8000Es for a NYC winter? (More)
I don't expect to do a lot of driving this winter (very occasional weekend drives upstate or to Boston) but I am aware of the fact that SP 8000Es are to be avoided in winter conditions. But are they really that bad if you drive conservatively and stay away from driving in snow? I'm hesitant to incur the expense and inconvenience -- I have no garage or place to store tires -- of getting snows (or, more likely, SP 5000s) when my 8000Es still have a reasonable amount of life left. (I think the previous owner may have put some new ones on, since the car already has 28,000 miles on it, which is when SP 8000Es should be just about done.) But if the consensus is that there is absolutely, positively no way anyone should drive on 8000Es in a NYC winter, then I will suck it up and get myself some all seasons. Thanks for any advice.
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If you DON'T get snows, you may incur extra expense and inconvenience.
It's only ~$550 for 4 snows, steel wheels, and wheel covers from tirerack.com A small investment to avoid wrecking your beautiful car.
Don't take the risk.
Don't take the risk.
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SP8000 are poor even if there is no snow, and relatively expensive vs snow tires
Even on cold dry roads, the rubber is not designed for cold temperatures so the road holding abilities of the SP8000 will be poor.
Also, most snow tires are quite cheap in comparison to sport summer tires so by switching, you will be wearing down a cheaper tire which will pay for itself in the long run.
If you truly have no place to store your summer tires, you may consider selling them or scrapping them and getting all seasons. Otherwise, a summer set and a winter set is the way to go.
Also, most snow tires are quite cheap in comparison to sport summer tires so by switching, you will be wearing down a cheaper tire which will pay for itself in the long run.
If you truly have no place to store your summer tires, you may consider selling them or scrapping them and getting all seasons. Otherwise, a summer set and a winter set is the way to go.
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Shorter answer: yes, long answer: no!
Both of the other posters are right.
Given the fact that you have no place to store them, I can understand the inconvenience. Given the weather we've had, you should have no problem since it doesn't appear as though we will ever see snow (gripe!).
Now, if we do encounter foul weather, most of NYC's roads get amazingly slick when wet, nevermind frozen precip. Coupled with the fact that high performance tread compounds literally begin to freeze below 40 degrees, you may find yourself in a pickle.
Do yourself a favor...at the first sign of snow, take your car out to an empty safe area, and test the limits of the Dunlops in the snow. At the very least, you'll be prepared for what these tires can NOT do for you. With that understanding, you'll drive appropriately. That doesn't mean you'll be safe...because you'll have substantially less control when you need to avoid the other idiots on the road. Your best bet would be to leave the car parked if it snows. They'll have the roads clear in a day anyway.
I live down by Philly...same weather, only I go out regardless of the weather. I can deal with slowing down to compensate for my tires, but that doesn't help me when I need to avoid someone else who is NOT driving appropriately...hence I've got the snows.
Given the fact that you have no place to store them, I can understand the inconvenience. Given the weather we've had, you should have no problem since it doesn't appear as though we will ever see snow (gripe!).
Now, if we do encounter foul weather, most of NYC's roads get amazingly slick when wet, nevermind frozen precip. Coupled with the fact that high performance tread compounds literally begin to freeze below 40 degrees, you may find yourself in a pickle.
Do yourself a favor...at the first sign of snow, take your car out to an empty safe area, and test the limits of the Dunlops in the snow. At the very least, you'll be prepared for what these tires can NOT do for you. With that understanding, you'll drive appropriately. That doesn't mean you'll be safe...because you'll have substantially less control when you need to avoid the other idiots on the road. Your best bet would be to leave the car parked if it snows. They'll have the roads clear in a day anyway.
I live down by Philly...same weather, only I go out regardless of the weather. I can deal with slowing down to compensate for my tires, but that doesn't help me when I need to avoid someone else who is NOT driving appropriately...hence I've got the snows.
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One more question . . .(long)
Thanks for the advice; I am leaning toward getting a set of 205/55/16 SP 5000s, and I'd be more inclined to do so if I thought my current tires were almost done anyway. Other than waiting for the treadware indicator, is there a good way to tell how many miles you have left on SP 8000Es? My car, which I bought used, has 28,000 miles on it, and I can't tell if the tires are the originals or replacements. I'd be a little surprised if they were replacements just because SP 8000Es are hard to find. If they are the originals, they shouldn't have much life left in them -- my understanding is that these tires generally start to die right around 25,000 miles. But they look pretty good, and there's no sign of the treadware indicator. Is there any easy way to tell (a) if they are indeed a new set of 8000Es and (b) how many miles are left? How deep should the grooves be?
Thanks again for the advice.
Thanks again for the advice.
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Recommendation: Get extra set of snow wheels and tires.
If you think about it, you're not really spending more money. If you are worried about dry performance due to snows, take a look at Blizzak LM-22, Dunlop M2s, and the Pirelli Snows. They all have pretty good dry handling and will wear longer than any of the multicell snow tires. You aren't really spending much more money, since your tires theoretically will last longer. You have the winter tires/wheels on, then there's the summers are stored nicely and not being worn, and vice versa.
As far as determining how much tread life you have remaining (not necessarily miles), you could wait for the indicator. You can also measure tread depth and estimate.. As far as miles left, it all depends on how you drive.
As far as determining how much tread life you have remaining (not necessarily miles), you could wait for the indicator. You can also measure tread depth and estimate.. As far as miles left, it all depends on how you drive.
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I could not climb a 10 degree incline with my Potenza SO-2's...
on a road with only 1" of snow and ice. Yup, on a quattro. It was embarrassing too. My braking distance was tripled compared with my snow tires. High performance summer tires are scary on snow and ice.
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My 2¢ from NW Jersey...
I encounter similar snow conditions here. Last year I had a downright scary experience with the SP8000s on icy hardpack snow.
This year, my wife drives the Avant with the kids in it. So I got Blizzaks on steel wheels. (Supposed to snow tonight, too.)
I say, beg, borrow, steal a place to store your OEM alloys and SP8000s for the winter and slap some snows on.
BTW, if all you have to store is tires, you should get the smallest available space at Manhattan Mini-Storage for a few months.
This year, my wife drives the Avant with the kids in it. So I got Blizzaks on steel wheels. (Supposed to snow tonight, too.)
I say, beg, borrow, steal a place to store your OEM alloys and SP8000s for the winter and slap some snows on.
BTW, if all you have to store is tires, you should get the smallest available space at Manhattan Mini-Storage for a few months.
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Thanks Hibiscus Boy. I bit the bullet and ordered SP 5000s
The consensus has been that it's just not worth the risk to run SP 8000Es in winter. Since I already have 28,000 miles on them I figured I might as well replace them with all seasons. Hope winter doesn't trash my alloys . .
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