[EMZWEI]

I live in Maine and I am flying to MD Saturday to pick up my M2 and its just my luck that there is going to be extreme cold weather all next week and up to 10 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday in that area. I have relatives we are staying with from Saturday until Tuesday in the DC area and I can park the car in their driveway until Tuesday after the snow passes which is when we leave and head to North Carolina to visit friends before driving back to Maine the following week.

My concern is the tires! They are summer performance tires, Yokohama sport V107. I will absolutely not drive it in the snow at all. However I am concerned about the weather the rest of the week being sunny but below freezing all week long when we drive to NC. I was reading about these extreme performance summer tires the manufacturer says that they shouldn’t be driven at or below freezing temps. It’s my understanding that they become very hard and have very little grip and are dangerous. It also can damage the tire.

Am I over thinking everything and will be OK or are my concerns valid?

Before its suggested that I buy snow tires, I already have them at home for when I get back to Maine.

*UPDATE*

Made it to Maryland and picked up the car and made it to my relatives in DC. I was able to park the car in their garage throughout the snow storm this past Sunday/Monday. We left DC on Wednesday with icy side roads that were kind of tricky and then hit the highway without incident and drove the 600+ miles back to Maine. All highway driving. I took it easy in the below freezing temps until I was able to see the limits of the P-Zeros and see how grippy or lack of grippy-ness they had. Luckily once the tires got warm from friction they seems to have excellent grip on the dry cold tar.

This morning I swapped over to the summer tires, added some mud flaps and got the car ready for driving for the remainder of the winter. Pictures below.

In case anyone wants the specs on the wheels/tires they are OZ Racing Hyper GT HLT 19x9.5 square with 275/35/17 Vredstein Wintrack Pro, all from Tire Rack. I added 10mm spacers in front and 15mm spacers in the rear. Zero rubbing and stock ride hight.

[M2M3M3]

As long as you don't drive in snow and don't drive like an idiot, you will be fine. Will the tires have slightly less traction? Yes. But they will still have more than most other cars on the road and the M2 has tons of computer nannies to control any issues.

Turn on the seat heaters and enjoy the drive!

[kraken]

I wouldn't chance it, couple hour drive yea..... but not on a long trip like that.

[apez]

I am not sure I would chance it personally, but I did want to call out that (in my understanding) it isn't road or exterior temp that matters, but the tire temps.

So if you can garage it overnight once you hit the road you may be able to keep temps up if roads are dry.

[IanH]

Ice on the road is your main and most pressing concern. Its gonna be pretty dry from Tuesday into the foreseeable future.

As long as you are staying on well salted and traveled 95 basically the whole way, I wouldn't worry too much.

[M_Power Rob]

Agreed...I would not make that trip with the forecast/winter climate on the summer tires.

Its not just the snow/ice but with the forecast frigid temps, there will be grip/performance issues with the summer tires.

I know its a fair distance but maybe price out having it hauled there by carrier.

[gondolafanclub]

if you arent driving in snow or ice I would say dont worry about it, I can tell my pilot supersports are rock hard and break loose easy very easy in mdm but without TC turned off in any way the car's traction control keeps you from having any issues even if you goose the gas

obviously, don't drive like a maniac (breaking-in notwithstanding), but otherwise I'd think you'll be fine.


I absolutely wouldnt take it out in any snow or ice lol

[M_Power Rob]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

if you arent driving in snow or ice I would say dont worry about it, I can tell my pilot supersports are rock hard and break loose easy very easy in mdm but without TC turned off in any way the car's traction control keeps you from having any issues even if you goose the gas

obviously, don't drive like a maniac (breaking-in notwithstanding), but otherwise I'd think you'll be fine.


I absolutely wouldnt take it out in any snow or ice lol

It helps but absolutely does not prevent (and that isvreally in proper temos for summer tires). With the forcast Actic blast (assuming roads are dry), car can still kick out.

I would add, assuming the drive will be in highways, you will need to keep up speed and with any potential 🚚, you want to have sure grip under you.

[Scrutineer]

I feel the angst and cast my vote with those that suggest looking into a hauler.

As you’ve correctly gathered, snow and ice are easy non-starters, but it’s more than that. With the forecast temps you would be driving on hockey pucks. They’ll move the car, yes, but stopping will be an adventure, at best.

One thing I’ve always wondered is whether - assuming clear roads - once you get the tires up to temperature (above around 40F) they would be fine. I suspect they would be, but once off the expressway, you might find yourself weaving like Lando Norris behind a safety car to keep the temps up.

That said, which is just speculation anyway, I wouldn’t chance it. That car is beautiful and if I were in your shoes I’d open your wallet and make sure it gets home safely.

[IanH]

Why are the florida folks commenting on winter driving?

[DrewNewM2]

Ship your winter tires to the dealer or order a new set shipped there and have them mount for when you pick up. May be out of time for shipping though. I’m in NY and on my summers but don’t take it out unless it’s mid 40s at least and no precipitation. Chances are you will be OK but even a dusting of snow or ice/freezing rain on your trip and you will be risking it

[IanH]

Originally Posted by DrewNewM2

Ship your winter tires to the dealer or order a new set shipped there and have them mount for when you pick up. May be out of time for shipping though. I’m in NY and on my summers but don’t take it out unless it’s mid 40s at least and no precipitation. Chances are you will be OK but even a dusting of snow or ice/freezing rain on your trip and you will be risking it

I agree this would be best, expensive but a good solution.

Can probably get the tires there by tuesday, swap em at the dealer before the drive.

[EMZWEI]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

if you arent driving in snow or ice I would say dont worry about it, I can tell my pilot supersports are rock hard and break loose easy very easy in mdm but without TC turned off in any way the car's traction control keeps you from having any issues even if you goose the gas

obviously, don't drive like a maniac (breaking-in notwithstanding), but otherwise I'd think you'll be fine.


I absolutely wouldnt take it out in any snow or ice lol

With the situation at hand (entire trip planned with flights and several hotel stops and arrangements with family and friends) I’m pretty much going to be making the trip. So, I’m heeding your warnings about driving like a maniac (I like the left lane) and I will be taking it nice and slow. I’m going to camp in the right lane and go the posted speed limit or whatever the conditions allow as long as there is zero ice/snow/freezing rain.

[EMZWEI]

Originally Posted by DrewNewM2

Ship your winter tires to the dealer or order a new set shipped there and have them mount for when you pick up. May be out of time for shipping though. I’m in NY and on my summers but don’t take it out unless it’s mid 40s at least and no precipitation. Chances are you will be OK but even a dusting of snow or ice/freezing rain on your trip and you will be risking it

Thought of that but it’s too late and they are on wheels and I’ve unpacked them. I think that the plan atm will be to drive on the roads as long as they are dry, get a feel for the limits and drive accordingly. Any snow/slush/ice and I’m sleeping in the car in a Walmart parking lot (well,maybe a hotel).

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by EMZWEI

I live in Maine and I am flying to MD Saturday to pick up my M2 and its just my luck that there is going to be extreme cold weather all next week and up to 10 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday in that area. I have relatives we are staying with from Saturday until Tuesday in the DC area and I can park the car in their driveway until Tuesday after the snow passes which is when we leave and head to North Carolina to visit friends before driving back to Maine the following week.

My concern is the tires! They are summer performance tires, Yokohama sport V107. I will absolutely not drive it in the snow at all. However I am concerned about the weather the rest of the week being sunny but below freezing all week long when we drive to NC. I was reading about these extreme performance summer tires the manufacturer says that they shouldn’t be driven at or below freezing temps. It’s my understanding that they become very hard and have very little grip and are dangerous. It also can damage the tire.

Am I over thinking everything and will be OK or are my concerns valid?

Before its suggested that I buy snow tires, I already have them at home for when I get back to Maine.

Your concerns are valid.

While I drove sports cars on high performance tires in the winter, even in the snow, and avoided anything terrible, my advice is don't push your luck.

Even if you manage to avoid snow in the areas you'll be driving black ice/frost on the pavement and bridges is a real danger.

[EMZWEI]

Originally Posted by RockCrusher

Your concerns are valid.

While I drove sports cars on high performance tires in the winter, even in the snow, and avoided anything terrible, my advice is don't push your luck.

Even if you manage to avoid snow in the areas you'll be driving black ice/frost on the pavement and bridges is a real danger.

This is true about the overpasses and bridges and slight road frost and I hadn’t considered that (would have entered my mind once behind the wheel though if I encountered those situations) I am a very experienced snow driver and I think that is what makes me so paranoid about driving on the wrong tires in those conditions as I know how important the correct tires mean. Heck, I currently run studded Nokians on my 4Runner and Model Y.

[DrewNewM2]

Originally Posted by EMZWEI

Thought of that but it’s too late and they are on wheels and I’ve unpacked them. I think that the plan atm will be to drive on the roads as long as they are dry, get a feel for the limits and drive accordingly. Any snow/slush/ice and I’m sleeping in the car in a Walmart parking lot (well,maybe a hotel).

Rent a truck or SUV one way and drive down with the wheels and tires? Not sure how far north in Maine you are. Otherwise just wing it!

And congrats on the new M!

[giphlag]

Hey there. I just went through this myself. Picked up the car in South Carolina from the Performance Center on 12/4/24 and drove it back to Boston. Happened to be a cold front that week as well and I was quite worried about tires.

Like yourself I was quite torn about what to do, going as far as researching tire shops down there to put on winter or all-season tires, but they would have taken up the entire trunk which wasn't feasible with my friends and my luggage in tow.

Long story short. Waiting for my new car to arrive in SC, I did some road testing up here in Boston with my old car and noticed that summer tires heat up quite nicely and stay in the 60s at highway speeds. I ended up making the decision to just go for it as the weather was looking dry and it was mostly highway driving. Trip ended up going really well and I was actually impressed with the traction of the summer tires in the cold weather.

Enjoy dein em zwei

[two_three_two]

it's probably fine provided you drive defensively the whole time and maintain proper follow distances. whether "probably fine" is an acceptable risk parameter for your new M is up to you. good luck

[curtdragon]

That sucks. I had two scares with my BRZ. Can't remember if it was turbo at the time but I drove up to MA in April and it decided to snow while I was there. I think I still had on my snow tires so it was OK but way more snow than I expected at that time of year.

The other time I had summer tires on because the weather was better. On the way home it decided to dip below freezing and light snow.

I made it home fine just took it way lower than the speed limit.

Just drive well under the speed limit and be wary of snow. Stick to daylight so you can see any ice.

[M_Power Rob]

Originally Posted by IanH

Why are the florida folks commenting on winter driving?

I lived outside of Philadelphia for 18 years so I know about winter driving. More importantly, its being knowledgeable on the limits of tire types/compounds and climate as well as current weather outlook (doesn't take a rocket scientist nor someone who lives in a cold winter climate for that)...

[curtdragon]

PS this will let you plan a bit better next time order tires to be delivered to whereever you're staying down there