[JohnReese]

Hi guys, just preordered a BRZ and this will be my first new car. I recently moved to Chicago and am just wondering if I need winter tires to survive the winter. I will be daily driving the BRZ since it is my only car.

 

[Kushkaki]

You will definitely need winter tires. A good set of winter tires and some weight in the trunk and you should be golden

 

[GR86 Samurai]

Hi guys, just preordered a BRZ and this will be my first new car. I recently moved to Chicago and am just wondering if I need winter tires to survive the winter. I will be daily driving the BRZ since it is my only car.

Honestly I kept my revs below 2,200 rpm no matter what gear I was in.

 

[LanceLane174]

You literally can't drive on these summer tires below 40 degrees or you will ruin them and have nearly zero traction whether there is wetness on the ground or not.

I already bought AS pilot sport 4 tires and changing out the minute I get the car. Then I'm going to decide if I will keep those for all year or just winter. But I'm not driving it during snow. If you are, them you need actual snow tires like soto zeros. All seasons are really only good for the cold weather and not the actual snow.

 

[Midnightsky]

I second what LanceLane174 said, for winter the biggest difference is literally just the compound when it dips below freezing temperatures. This is why they designed winter tires in the first place, so you didn't have to drive around on chains in the winter. Tread pattern comes into play more when it's really thick deep snow, and also on ice. But first and foremost the compound of the tire is what will give you the best chance at surviving cold winter driving conditions. Also as mentioned, you will want some extra weight in the rear. One of the Ice Driving instructors up here installed a weighted bar off the rear bumper on his FRS, I think using the tow hooks? It made a big difference. Not sure what Im going to do, sandbags perhaps, maybe with a good set of coilovers one could adjust the rear suspension to better deal with it and not need the extra weight? Not too sure on that one.

 

[Ritter]

An old trick for snow driving is to gently start in 2nd gear to avoid breaking the tires loose. Maybe this car can start in third without too much clutch wear?

 

[Ritter]

You literally can't drive on these summer tires below 40 degrees or you will ruin them and have nearly zero traction whether there is wetness on the ground or not.

I already bought AS pilot sport 4 tires and changing out the minute I get the car. Then I'm going to decide if I will keep those for all year or just winter. But I'm not driving it during snow. If you are, them you need actual snow tires like soto zeros. All seasons are really only good for the cold weather and not the actual snow.

Interesting info re: driving on summer tires below 40 °F / 4.5 °C; I wasn't aware of that. So the Pilot Sport 4 comes in both summer and all-season flavors? I wasn't aware of that either!

This is why I love these owner forums!

Good reference.

 

[apex]

Hi guys, just preordered a BRZ and this will be my first new car. I recently moved to Chicago and am just wondering if I need winter tires to survive the winter. I will be daily driving the BRZ since it is my only car.

Welcome to the forum.

You will need winter tires. The difference is night and day!
Have you started shopping around for a winter wheel and tire setup already?

 

[JohnReese]

Welcome to the forum.

You will need winter tires. The difference is night and day!
Have you started shopping around for a winter wheel and tire setup already?

Thanks! I haven't yet. I am relatively new to cars so I am not sure which tires should I get. There are a thousand different kinds of winter tires on the market and they all look the same to me. I have seen other people's posts and it seems like I should also get a smaller "wheel" as well? I mean the inner steel part not the rubber part. (Sorry if this sounds stupid; I have no clues )

 

[Ritter]

Thanks! I haven't yet. I am relatively new to cars so I am not sure which tires should I get. There are a thousand different kinds of winter tires on the market and they all look the same to me. I have seen other people's posts and it seems like I should also get a smaller "wheel" as well? I mean the inner steel part not the rubber part. (Sorry if this sounds stupid; I have no clues )

Tirerack.com has a lot of consumer education material about tires for different purposes and driving conditions.
For example:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=PPW&sortValue=10&lowToHigh=Y&openCat=Wet

https://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125&affiliate=TX3

 

[TRU-BOOST]

You literally can't drive on these summer tires below 40 degrees or you will ruin them and have nearly zero traction whether there is wetness on the ground or not.

I already bought AS pilot sport 4 tires and changing out the minute I get the car. Then I'm going to decide if I will keep those for all year or just winter. But I'm not driving it during snow. If you are, them you need actual snow tires like soto zeros. All seasons are really only good for the cold weather and not the actual snow.

Not really. I drive "summer only" tires in the cold in Chicago all the time. The cold temps do take them out of their comfort zone, but they do fine. Just dont do any big monster burnouts or drift corners. The compound gets harder and brittle in the cold, but with normal driving its fine. Just NO SNOW. Then you need winter tires for sure, but I just use another car, lol.

 

[JohnReese]

Tirerack.com has a lot of consumer education material about tires for different purposes and driving conditions.
For example:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=PPW&sortValue=10&lowToHigh=Y&openCat=Wet

https://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125&affiliate=TX3

Thank you! Looks like I will need new rims as well? There aren't many 18 inches winter tires.

 

[TRU-BOOST]

Thank you! Looks like I will need new rims as well? There aren't many 18 inches winter tires.

If you want to look good and have winter usability 17s work. Best results will be on 16s though. I cant say for sure they fit the 2022s, but they did fit all non Brembo equipped 1st gens.

 

[SebiStr99]

Another great resource for tires is https://www.tyrereviews.com/ and their Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/tyrereviews .
They recently did a winter tyre buying guide with a lot of useful info and comparisons. Highly recommend checking them out

 

[Ritter]

Not really. I drive "summer only" tires in the cold in Chicago all the time. The cold temps do take them out of their comfort zone, but they do fine. Just dont do any big monster burnouts or drift corners. The compound gets harder and brittle in the cold, but with normal driving its fine. Just NO SNOW. Then you need winter tires for sure, but I just use another car, lol.

I was kind of wondering about that. If the tires were so fragile in cold temps, and for example a Limited with the summer tires was sold in a place where it was already sub-freezing, what would they do, deliver the car to your garage on a flatbed? Seems from a purely practical standpoint that the tires would have to at least function in cold weather on dry pavement without self-destructing.

Tire Rack does raise a bit of scare, though...maybe to encourage a second set of winter tires?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=273

 

[Ritter]

If you want to look good and have winter usability 17s work. Best results will be on 16s though. I cant say for sure they fit the 2022s, but they did fit all non Brembo equipped 1st gens.

What kind of advantages come with 16s vs 17s for winter? Mainly more sidewall?

 

[LanceLane174]

I was kind of wondering about that. If the tires were so fragile in cold temps, and for example a Limited with the summer tires was sold in a place where it was already sub-freezing, what would they do, deliver the car to your garage on a flatbed? Seems from a purely practical standpoint that the tires would have to at least function in cold weather on dry pavement without self-destructing.

Tire Rack does raise a bit of scare, though...maybe to encourage a second set of winter tires?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=273

You will quickly destroy summer tires driving them in cold temperatures. You will quickly destroy your car driving them on snow.

You have been warned. If you listen to that other guy, it's on you.

 

[TRU-BOOST]

What kind of advantages come with 16s vs 17s for winter? Mainly more sidewall?

Yeah. The more sidewall the better for winter tires. Narrower is best as well. The dealer wont make any special arrangements most likely due to the tires. I am well aware of what the tires say and the rating, but I have had no problems with summer only tires in cold temps as long as its dry and no hooning is involved. But I have the option of driving my other cars, so I dont bother with winter tires. If I expect snow I drive my taurus SHO.

 

[LanceLane174]

If you drive summer tires below 40 degrees, you are going to eventually ruin them. They break down quickly in cold temps. You are supposed to store them when it gets cold. Good luck.

 

[TRU-BOOST]

So I have to ask myself what were these engineers and\or marketing people thinking. At some point there was a room full of people that decided "lets put the heated seats to use in the cold weather on the same trim that comes with the tires not to be used in the cold weather" REALLY? I would rather have ventilated seats personally. My warm ass can warm up a seat pretty quickly, but there is nothing better than leaving a long shift in the summer and hoping into a car that can blow some cool air on your sweaty undercarriage. LOL