THE LARGEST BMW 2-SERIES FORUM ON THE PLANET
2Addicts
2Addicts
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Wheels and Tires -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack Comparison of Tyre Grip on Dry, Wet and Icy Surfaces

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      11-27-2021, 01:21 PM   #1
aerobod
Car Geek
aerobod's Avatar
3578
Rep
3,555
Posts

Drives: Caterham R500, M2-G87, Macan S
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary

iTrader: (0)

Comparison of Tyre Grip on Dry, Wet and Icy Surfaces

I thought as it is the time of year to swap tyres for winter use that it would be good to understand the limitations of different tyre types. I took any of the full test results that Tire Rack has for different classes of Michelin tyres and rated the dry, wet and ice braking performance relative to the best in class of the tyres tested.

The braking performance was chosen as the best comparitor due to having less variables relative to test vehicle, driver, etc. Due to the variability of grip between different types of snow due to crystal structure and temperature, it wasn't included, but Tire Rack do the ice braking testing on an indoor ice rink, so the grip should be fairly consistent for the ice braking tests.
Attached Images
 
Appreciate 3
PeterWT251.00
E46ZHP254.00
dradernh4179.00
      11-27-2021, 01:53 PM   #2
PeterWT
Lieutenant
PeterWT's Avatar
United_States
251
Rep
558
Posts

Drives: '17 M240i, AT, BSM
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Florida, USA

iTrader: (0)

Nice to see that the A/S 4 compares favorably to both the A/S 3+ AND the PS4S.
__________________
My 2017 M240i: MHD, xHP, Modded OE Intake, AA GESi 400 CPSI Cat DP, Dinan Mid-pipe, M Performance LSD & Rear Diffuser, BMS Exhaust Tips, Apex EC-7 Wheels, M-Tech Front Lip, iND Painted Mirror Caps, Smoked Reflectors
Appreciate 0
      11-27-2021, 02:11 PM   #3
aerobod
Car Geek
aerobod's Avatar
3578
Rep
3,555
Posts

Drives: Caterham R500, M2-G87, Macan S
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterWT View Post
Nice to see that the A/S 4 compares favorably to both the A/S 3+ AND the PS4S.
They are pretty good for dry locations, best choice if you have a lot of rain, but not very good for even a small amount of ice, true 3-season tyres.

The best all round tyre that is the only one that can really be called "all season" if you do want grip in the winter is the performance winter Michelin PA4, being best for wet locations and OK for dry roads. The tread wear will be high, though, going by a couple of friends who have run the comparable Pirelli Sottozero 3 tyre year round (even at autocross).

Really the gap between running a summer or UHP all-season tyre combined with a winter tyre for snow and ice conditions is vast compared with running an all-season or all weather tyre in snow and ice and keeping them on all year around.
Appreciate 0
      11-27-2021, 02:21 PM   #4
PeterWT
Lieutenant
PeterWT's Avatar
United_States
251
Rep
558
Posts

Drives: '17 M240i, AT, BSM
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Florida, USA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by aerobod View Post
They are pretty good for dry locations, best choice if you have a lot of rain, but not very good for even a small amount of ice, true 3-season tyres.

The best all round tyre that is the only one that can really be called "all season" if you do want grip in the winter is the performance winter Michelin PA4, being best for wet locations and OK for dry roads. The tread wear will be high, though, going by a couple of friends who have run the comparable Pirelli Sottozero 3 tyre year round (even at autocross).

Really the gap between running a summer or UHP all-season tyre combined with a winter tyre for snow and ice conditions is vast compared with running an all-season or all weather tyre in snow and ice and keeping them on all year around.
Living in Florida, my reasons for using the Michelin A/S instead of the PS4S is to avoid the <40F constraint, get better tread life and get 'close' to the same dry performance. So, the A/S fits my requirements perfectly.
__________________
My 2017 M240i: MHD, xHP, Modded OE Intake, AA GESi 400 CPSI Cat DP, Dinan Mid-pipe, M Performance LSD & Rear Diffuser, BMS Exhaust Tips, Apex EC-7 Wheels, M-Tech Front Lip, iND Painted Mirror Caps, Smoked Reflectors
Appreciate 0
      11-27-2021, 07:32 PM   #5
60_Driver
Private First Class
60_Driver's Avatar
United_States
59
Rep
188
Posts

Drives: 2016 M235i 6mt vert
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: NH

iTrader: (0)

I went with a set of A/S 4 tires on my rwd m235i last month. I don’t plan to drive the car much at all in the winter to avoid the salty NH roads. I wanted a tire that can handle cold fall & spring morning temps and a little rain if we get stuck in it. No complaints at all so far.
Appreciate 0
      11-27-2021, 11:24 PM   #6
aerobod
Car Geek
aerobod's Avatar
3578
Rep
3,555
Posts

Drives: Caterham R500, M2-G87, Macan S
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary

iTrader: (0)

With the Michelin X-Ice Snow tyres taking 31.7 feet to stop on ice from 12 mph and the A/S3+ taking 61.0 feet from the same speed, that means the X-Ice can stop with an average g-force of 0.152 and the A/S3+ 0.079. This correlates to being able to descend an 8.6 degree icy slope with the X-Ice but only a 4.5 degree slope with the A/S3, before sliding out of control. This goes up slightly to 5.1 degrees with the A/S4.
Appreciate 0
      11-29-2021, 12:50 PM   #7
VAcurler
Private First Class
116
Rep
144
Posts

Drives: 21 F23 M240i MT + 09 e90 328i
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Colorado

iTrader: (0)

I put X-Ice Snow on my e90 last winter and was the best winter tire I ever had on that car. I was able to drive decently on Georgetown lake in Denver at the annual event pretty well and really only got sideways on purpose. Glad to see the Pilot Alpin 4 compared to it as that seems like a better choice for Denver (depending on price) although going to a Cross Climate 2 seems like a good year round tire too.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:06 PM.




2addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST