[Grandsport]

I go to Lowes every Sunday morning,no snow so I took the StingRay.I loaded her up (that is another story lol) and I was on my way home.Made the turn on US 30 like a thousand times before and before I knew it the car started to go out of control just like I was on ice,and I was sideways almost hitting a truck.An inexperienced driver would have had an accident.And yes the temperature was 18*,I guess you can't drive on the factory tires in cold weather!Holy crap that was close!

 

[CruznCorvette]

Back in early spring a guy driving a Viper on cold tires missed a curve and slammed into a tree and was killed.

 

[jsvette]

I go to Lowes every Sunday morning,no snow so I took the StingRay.I loaded her up (that is another story lol) and I was on my way home.Made the turn on US 30 like a thousand times before and before I knew it the car started to go out of control just like I was on ice,and I was sideways almost hitting a truck.An inexperienced driver would have had an accident.And yes the temperature was 18*,I guess you can't drive on the factory tires in cold weather!Holy crap that was close!

Glad you are fine Gary. A good message for all with OEM tires- forget driving with them if it is below the mid 30s, and if you absolutely have to do it with your drive mode set to Weather. They just do not have the traction at those temperatures and almost anything will set them loose.

 

[zimm888]

traction control on? is this normal? haven't had something with this much power yet, my current car only has 335hp to the wheel.

 

[SeeMy7]

Wow! I just ordered from Kerbeck in Atlantic City and am told to expect Jan-Feb delivery. I'll pay special attention to the weather channel when coming home to Greensburg, PA. $2k discount on 3LT arctic white, blk interior, 7 spd, black stinger stripe, chrome wheels with red calipers, dual mode exhaust. Thanks for posting!!!

 

[Lipstic]

That is scary! We do not have many days in the 30's here but we do have them, and I think she will stay in the garage on those days as I do not have the years of experience of driving a corvette that Gary has. One more reason I am keeping the 2005 Infiniti FX for cold days.

 

[Dasyatis]

Yep. Summer tires. Need to be real easy on them the in the cold, even if its dry out. Doesn't the TPMS have a tire temp indication?

 

[RichmondC7]

Hey, in about two weeks I will have a set of 4 C7 (std size 18" and 19") wheels for sale. If you live in cold country and can use wheels for winter tires, send me a PM.

 

[jsvette]

Yep. Summer tires. Need to be real easy on them the in the cold, even if its dry out. Doesn't the TPMS have a tire temp indication?

Actually there are several tire temp indicators: the actual current temperature shown for each tire; the performance tire read of cold, warm or hot; and the low tire pressure warning. Bottom line, these tires are not meant to be driven when the temps are below the mid thirties (the manual actually says 40 degrees). You are just asking for trouble. If your high ambient temperature in the mid thirties, leave the car in the garage. If you have 'morning' temperature in the mid thirties that is going to rise quickly with the sun, then perhaps you could gingerly drive until your tire temp comes up, but keep in mind they have very poor traction when that cold. That means you will have more difficulty stopping, and a very high probability of them breaking loose with little or no warning. Why risk it.

 

[mjw930]

They are serious about the low temp warning on these tires, regardless what some who say it's not a problem want to post. For those in cold climates something like these would be on my short list.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoModel=Corvette Coupe&autoModClar=Stingray

OR

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoModel=Corvette Coupe&autoModClar=Stingray

 

[Jride]

They are serious about the low temp warning on these tires, regardless what some who say it's not a problem want to post. For those in cold climates something like these would be on my short list.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoModel=Corvette Coupe&autoModClar=Stingray

OR

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...autoModel=Corvette Coupe&autoModClar=Stingray

Got the All Season Z51 spec (19's and 20's) installed...you'll be safer with them..only caveat they're not run flats... but since I have the OEM spec'd Z51's they will only be on the car for a short while...trust me they make a difference. VIN 1313....2LT Blk w/Kalahari int...blk wheels and calipers

 

[Grandsport]

On my to-do list tomorrow.I was going to drive her in the snow to but she is way too pretty.But I still want to drive her on cold sunny days like today.

 

[redwhtconv]

I'm glad there was a qualified driver behind the wheel of that vette. This confirms that I made a good decision when I cancelled the Museum Delivery. I would have been driving my new converible through the North Carolina mountins in December. Its been in the 30's all day and there predicting a further drop in temperature. Deler has predicted delivery in less than 3 weeks.

 

[Grandsport]

Guess my years of auto cross paid off

 

[Kalimino]

I drove mine the other day when it was 22• outside and couldn't believe the difference. Anything above half throttle in first and second gear was just scary. At first I thought I was hitting wet spots in the road until I looked at my temp gauge.....oh yea! It also seemed I had a lot more tire hopping when turning sharp than when tires are warm. Anyone else experience this?


Sent from my iPhone using Corvette Stingray Forum

 

[jsvette]

I drove mine the other day when it was 22• outside and couldn't believe the difference. Anything above half throttle in first and second gear was just scary. At first I thought I was hitting wet spots in the road until I looked at my temp gauge.....oh yea! It also seemed I had a lot more tire hopping when turning sharp than when tires are warm. Anyone else experience this?


Sent from my iPhone using Corvette Stingray Forum

Did you try putting it into Weather Mode?

 

[Kalimino]

I ordered my car with Sport and Track modes only. J/K I didn't think to try that.


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[Snorman]

I'll be back up in New Jersey on Tuesday, but the weather is supposed to be crummy. I'll have the car out the week after Thanksgiving and will be curious to see the cold-weather performance of the OEM Michelins.
S.

 

[locoracer83]

Actually there are several tire temp indicators: the actual current temperature shown for each tire; the performance tire read of cold, warm or hot; and the low tire pressure warning. Bottom line, these tires are not meant to be driven when the temps are below the mid thirties (the manual actually says 40 degrees). You are just asking for trouble. If your high ambient temperature in the mid thirties, leave the car in the garage. If you have 'morning' temperature in the mid thirties that is going to rise quickly with the sun, then perhaps you could gingerly drive until your tire temp comes up, but keep in mind they have very poor traction when that cold. That means you will have more difficulty stopping, and a very high probability of them breaking loose with little or no warning. Why risk it.

Sobering report by Grandsport; glad to hear all ended well. I don't live too far away from his neck of the woods, but I had snow on the ground and I kept my C7 in the warm garage today. I have been confused by this subject (summer tires) from the get go. I am by no means an engineer, but the C7 owner's manual talks about what seems to be ambient air temp (40 degrees) visa-vie tire performance. In my experience asphalt (my driveway as an example) absorbs sunlight and heats up from the moment the sun hits it. The concrete street in front of my house does as well. The snow melted on my driveway and it was never warmer than 32 today. So, why isn't this temperature vs. summer tire performance "issue" more a matter of the temperature of the road surface? Tires warm up with use, but it seems to my (banker's) mind that the base line should be the road surface temp, not the ambient temp. Whenever I pull out of the garage the gauge cluster will reflect a warm tire temp. Note: With this C7, I drive it like a grandma if its cold outside. I never gave it a second thought with my C6 Z06 or any Corvette before that one.

 

[Fdxpilot]

Sobering report by Grandsport; glad to hear all ended well. I don't live too far away from his neck of the woods, but I had snow on the ground and I kept my C7 in the warm garage today. I have been confused by this subject (summer tires) from the get go. I am by no means an engineer, but the C7 owner's manual talks about what seems to be ambient air temp (40 degrees) visa-vie tire performance. In my experience asphalt (my driveway as an example) absorbs sunlight and heats up from the moment the sun hits it. The concrete street in front of my house does as well. The snow melted on my driveway and it was never warmer than 32 today. So, why isn't this temperature vs. summer tire performance "issue" more a matter of the temperature of the road surface? Tires warm up with use, but it seems to my (banker's) mind that the base line should be the road surface temp, not the ambient temp. Whenever I pull out of the garage the gauge cluster will reflect a warm tire temp. Note: With this C7, I drive it like a grandma if its cold outside. I never gave it a second thought with my C6 Z06 or any Corvette before that one.

Probably, very few people have the ability to measure the surface temperature of their street, and of course every other surface you will run into during the course of your journey. Therefore, the owners manual gives you a nice round ambient air temp to deal with. The same 40 deg warning is in the C6 owner's manual. While I don't know what the surface temp in my cul de sac is, I readily admit the giant Michelin Pilot Sport tires on my 427 Convertible get pretty squirrelly under 40 F. I imagine our C7 will act the same.