Taking delivery of my FL5! ...But it's really stinking cold, is it safe to drive home?

[tacthecat]

I've driven in minus temperatures ...

London, England (where minus is below 32 F rarely) or London, Ontario (where it's often below 0 F)? You'll destroy PS4s if driven cold below 20 F; otherwise you'll just wreck the vehicle or kill yourself - none are good outcomes.

Sponsored

 

[22Si]

Do you really think you're gonna fly off a cliff or go straight into a ditch right when you leave the dealership parking lot on summer tires in the winter? If the roads are clear. Take it easy and slow. You'll get to your destination.

Bro you're in Texas. You guys freak the fck out over 0.2 inches of snow and end up in ditches and off cliffs and buy up all the bread

Ultimately the op has gotten enough answers from all sides he needs to make a decision stand behind it now.

 

[Phenom3030]

Risks of Cold Weather Use
• Compound Cracking: Unlike a standard flat spot, compound cracking is a structural failure of the rubber itself. It is not covered by warranty because it is considered improper use.
• Severe Grip Loss: Even on dry pavement, summer tires in the 30s can feel like "plastic pucks," drastically increasing your braking distance and reducing cornering grip.
• Tire Shattering: In extreme sub-zero cases, the rubber can become so brittle that it can actually chip or shatter upon impact with road debris.

From Google Gemini.

 

[MoodySara]

I posted a link to this earlier, but it appears that most people don't click on embedded links in posts.

Here's the linked article from Tire Rack.

Can I Drive Summer Performance Tires In Cold Temperatures?

Can you? Or, should you? The simple answer is — no you shouldn't. Summer performance tires are simply not designed for near- or below-freezing temperatures. Here's a quick explanation of why.

Summer performance tires feature tread rubber compounds engineered to provide traction in warm to hot temperatures only. As temperatures drop into the 40s, a summer performance tire's tread compound changes from a pliable elastic to an inflexible plastic, drastically reducing traction capabilities. The tire industry calls this process the "glass transition." And, without traction, your vehicle will have a hard time staying on the road!

In fact, should summer performance tires even be exposed to near- or below-freezing temperatures, tread compound cracking or tread block chipping can occur. Once a tire has been damaged in this way, it will need to be replaced. And, as both types of damage only occur as the result of improper use or storage, they will not typically be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

Summer tires lose grip in the cold. Stay safe and ready with all-season or winter tires built for the conditions.

So, to recap — don't drive summer tires in the cold! Save yourself the headache of an accident or damaged tires, and transition to All-Season or dedicated Winter tires in the Fall - before cold weather hits.

 

[SKINNIE]

Bro you're in Texas. You guys freak the fck out over 0.2 inches of snow and end up in ditches and off cliffs and buy up all the bread

Ultimately the op has gotten enough answers from all sides he needs to make a decision stand behind it now.

We don’t get snow. We get nothing but ice. Lol

 

[scottjua]

Bro you're in Texas. You guys freak the fck out over 0.2 inches of snow and end up in ditches and off cliffs and buy up all the bread

Ultimately the op has gotten enough answers from all sides he needs to make a decision stand behind it now.

Truth.. it was 5 days of it this week.

 

[Spart]

This thread is bizarre to me.

Well yeah, that's because you don't get a real winter where you live.

The day OP posted this, the low in Minneapolis was -21°F. That's actual temperature, not a "feels like" or wind chill or whatever. The high Friday was -9°F.

The record low cold in Raleigh is -9°F and that was 41 years ago.

If you live in Raleigh you don't even have a frame of reference for this.

If you somehow DO have a frame of reference for this, you should know better than to mock people giving life-saving advice.

The damage you do to these tires in extreme cold could rear it's head when it's 100°F out and you're flying down the freeway. Cracks turn into blowouts.

 

[sich_withit]

I’m from northern VA and just moved to Raleigh, so that’s a fair point. I will also admit that I should have looked into the current weather there a little more.

But aren’t these cars shipped to dealers on open trailers? Where is the car sitting right now?

I agree it’s not recommended and this is all correct technical advice, I just don’t think it’s practical advise based on what he asked.

He could ask the dealership to take delivery on a day next week above 20-25 degrees. Ask them to store it inside prior to picking it up or at least the night before. Drive it like a grandma keeping it under 3k and keep extra following distance. 30 miles and put it in his garage.

I just don’t believe doing that would cause long term issues. Is there some risk? Yes, but there’s also risk in loading and unloading from a flat bed

 

[Spart]

Drive it like a grandma keeping it under 3k and keep extra following distance. 30 miles and put it in his garage.

I just don’t believe doing that would cause long term issues.

This is straight from the TireRack.com page for the PS4S:

Note: Tires exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.

Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Max Performance Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. Compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.

The damage caused by cold weather use of a PS4S is visible if you're lucky, but could be internal to the sidewall and invisible. But the important thing to keep in mind is, as TireRack says, the damage is irreversible. It could lead to a blowout years down the road.

Relatedly, part of the reason cars are mandated to have TPMS systems (beyond fuel economy considerations) is that driving on underinflated tires will also cause sidewall damage because of too much heat. The numbers vary depending on who you ask, but TPMS saves somewhere in the hundreds of lives per year, and has reduced crashes by the thousands per year.

You're allowed to believe whatever you want. And you're allowed to be wrong. Unfortunately so, because if I had it my way, giving out life-threatening advice on this forum would be a bannable offense.

 

[Major Ram]

@JustAddBeer , curious to know how did your FL5 get home!

 

[JustAddBeer]

@JustAddBeer , curious to know how did your FL5 get home!

I gingerly drove her home, with highway driving, on day that was hovering around 20F with no issue. The roads were dry and clear besides small patches of snow in shadows. Over all, very glad I didn't spend hundreds of dollars getting it taken on a flatbed as that cheddar is going to PPF, ceramic coating, and tint.

My advice, if the distance is short and the roads are dry, you'll be fine

 

[Spart]

My advice, if the distance is short and the roads are dry, you'll be fine

Awful advice.

It's not the distance.

If you drive 5 miles or 100 miles, that first few miles are going to be what warms up the tires.

Before the tires get warm is when the damage occurs.

 

[JustAddBeer]

Awful advice.

It's not the distance.

If you drive 5 miles or 100 miles, that first few miles are going to be what warms up the tires.

Before the tires get warm is when the damage occurs.

Do you think it was sitting on the lot before I drove it home or a show room floor? hmm...

 

[optronix]

ITT: Horse is led to water.

 

[Phenom3030]

Asking the driver if he drove in 30* and below temps.

Kinda crazy to see the tire separate from just a pothole. Unless he kept driving on it for miles.

I’ve hit potholes and the worst I ever got was a flat tire, haven’t had a tire separate like that.

Btw, I’m Jon in this.