Poll/opinion: Summer tires vs all season

I've looked at both summer and all-season tires, but want to hear what people who have had MINI's for years in the PNW run on their cars?

Note that I plan on having a dedicated set of winter tires for next winter, primarily use my car as a daily driver, and would like a bit of longevity with my performance if possible.

So, summer or all season?

 

I've tried a few and settled on:

   Summer = Dunlop Direza Star Spec

   Winter = Dunlop Winter Sports

 

For me - the most important criteria was turn-in response. The run-flats are exceptional here, but you obviously sacrifice with a more harsh ride and road noise. I started with some Yokahama S Drives, which I did not care for because of the softer side-wall (I could feel the split-second delay from turn-in to response - especially coming off the run-flats). After further research I went with the Star Specs which were rated the best at the time for steering response (Tire Rack has GREAT information from user reviews & surveys). The other thing about the Star Spec is they are so darn reasonable in terms of price!!! You can buy 2 1/2 for the price of a signle run-flat! They are also incredibly sticky; make absolutely no noise at the limit; and when they do give - it is just a slight transition from full traction to slight slip (no abrupt 'edge' where a good percentage of traction dissappears). And - they were way better than I expected in the rain. Cold - they don't like.

 

Since I purchased the tires - I believe the Yokahama Advan Neova now takes the top spot for turn-in response; but they are a bit more expensive and give up a bit of confidence in the wet.

 

Winter is another story ... you definitely need to rank what is most important then look for a corrosponding tire. For me - I was willing to sacrifice some snow traction ability for dry pavement performance. (Yes - it rains/snows around here... but sometimes we actually DO have dry roads in the winter :) I have been quite pleased with the Winter Sports. Granted - I have not stressed them in the snow (I have an X5d for that); but the confidence in a good wet-traction tire with temps below 45deg has been great. They are still tossable (I was amused the first time I hit the limits though - and heard them squeal ... I was so used to the quite transition of the Star Specs :)

 

Hope this helps,

 

Greg

If you want performance, you need to have two different sets. It's most economical to mount them on different wheels; that way you can change them whenever you want without having them remounted every time (which can't be good for the tires or wheels either). 

 

Just replaced my run flats & went with the Conti DWS. I'll use these all year round except for the track. Seem pretty good, quiet, good traction in the wet, haven't had them in snow, dry conditions seem good (don't really push the car on the street), rated pretty high by Tire Rack and price was good.

 

If you have winter wheels & tires, I'd go for a full out Performance tire for summer and the Dunlops would be a good choice.

 

Cheers!