There are many factors that might look like lost of traction at lower temperatures. Colder air give your car more power, most of the available tires, in the corvette sizes, are high performance and are more like a summer tire then a 4 seasons tire so they will need to warm up a bit and the asphalt isn't hot enough to warm them up.
 
No question the OEM tires lose traction once the ambient temperature drops below about 15C and get progressively worse the colder it gets. That is a known function of all high performance summer tires. Everything you see written about that class of tires cautions owners about their cold temperature performance even the manual talks about it. I drive one with an M7 transmission and you can give yourself a good jolt of adrenalin if you do a quick aggressive shift from 1st to 2nd on those cool mornings when you first start out. I find the tires reach a comfortable operating temperature after about 10 minutes of spritely driving but I would not recommend any heroics on highway ramps or sharp turns if the ambient temperature is below 10C even if the tires have had a warm up drive. Even at Spring Mountain in 90F weather they get you to do a warm up lap or two if the car has not been running the track for the past hour or so. One could always put on all season performance tires to broaden the temperature range a bit.
 
No question the OEM tires lose traction once the ambient temperature drops below about 15C and get progressively worse the colder it gets. That is a known function of all high performance summer tires. Everything you see written about that class of tires cautions owners about their cold temperature performance even the manual talks about it. I drive one with an M7 transmission and you can give yourself a good jolt of adrenalin if you do a quick aggressive shift from 1st to 2nd on those cool mornings when you first start out. I find the tires reach a comfortable operating temperature after about 10 minutes of spritely driving but I would not recommend any heroics on highway ramps or sharp turns if the ambient temperature is below 10C even if the tires have had a warm up drive. Even at Spring Mountain in 90F weather they get you to do a warm up lap or two if the car has not been running the track for the past hour or so. One could always put on all season performance tires to broaden the temperature range a bit.
Your right on the money sometimes just touching the gas .Well i guess with 650 pony cold morning those ponys want to go.
 
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Am I the only one that finds it ironic that high performance tires don't last very long because the rubber compound is so soft, yet when the temperatures get low, they become as hard as hockey pucks? Outside of treads, shouldn't they be softer than normal tires all the time making them great cold weather tires? :rofl:
 
Michelin Consumer Care [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: November 12, 2017 7:40 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Thank you for contacting Michelin regarding case number:13010756


11/12/2017

Hello James,

Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.


In regards to the email you sent stating:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I store my car for approx. 4 mth in my garage -attached to my house. Do I need to do anything to the tires other than make sure they are properly inflated? It is my understanding that tires now a days do not need to be off the concrete to prevent flat spots. I have been storing cars over the winter for 20 years and have never had a problem with my tires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I will be happy to assist you with your question regarding storage, James. What we recommend for tire storage is if the tires are not used for a prolonged period of time, remove the tires (mounted on their wheels) and reduce their pressure to half their normal value to store. Store tires in a clean, dry area, away from direct sunlight and above 0°C (32°F) in accordance with the information provided by Michelin in technical documentation or their website.Do Not use, store or handle the tires at ambient temperatures below -10°C (14°F). Under these conditions the tire components can degrade, resulting in reduced performance, and at low temperatures can lead to cracks in the tire compound and hence reduce potential in use.Never use a tire with cracks, breaks or damage to the sidewall or tread. I hope this was helpful!

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.
 
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Michelin Consumer Care [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: November 12, 2017 7:40 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Thank you for contacting Michelin regarding case number:13010756


11/12/2017

Hello James,

Thank you for your email. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.


In regards to the email you sent stating:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I store my car for approx. 4 mth in my garage -attached to my house. Do I need to do anything to the tires other than make sure they are properly inflated? It is my understanding that tires now a days do not need to be off the concrete to prevent flat spots. I have been storing cars over the winter for 20 years and have never had a problem with my tires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I will be happy to assist you with your question regarding storage, James. What we recommend for tire storage is if the tires are not used for a prolonged period of time, remove the tires (mounted on their wheels) and reduce their pressure to half their normal value to store. Store tires in a clean, dry area, away from direct sunlight and above 0°C (32°F) in accordance with the information provided by Michelin in technical documentation or their website.Do Not use, store or handle the tires at ambient temperatures below -10°C (14°F). Under these conditions the tire components can degrade, resulting in reduced performance, and at low temperatures can lead to cracks in the tire compound and hence reduce potential in use.Never use a tire with cracks, breaks or damage to the sidewall or tread. I hope this was helpful!

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin.


Well that’s news to me. Looks like I’m screwed as I do not have a spare set of rims. Or I guess the car could sit on stands all winter with no wheels. PITA.
Thanks for posting James. Should start a good debate. :Biggrin:
 
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