at what cold temp is it unsafe to drive a mark iv with perf tires on a dry road?

[PeteMeindl]

Hi guys,
I tried to search the forum for an answer to this but didn't find one. I know this is a pretty basic performance tire question but, now that we are getting into the winter, I was wondering at what temperature does it become unsafe to drive a mark iv that's equipped with the standard perf tires from ffr (mickey thompson street comp in my case) on dry roads. I've read that around 40 degrees or so the rubber loses a lot of its grip and thus that might be a good mark at which to stop driving. What do you guys think? Thank you for your help!
Happy holidays to everyone.
Pete

[steno]

I guess it would depend on your driving habits! I’ve driven on road trips in my roadster at freezing temps! That being said, at sustained highway speeds the tires get warmed up a bit and I’m not playing around. But your mileage may vary.

[Hoooper]

555 G2s will be a lot better at cold temps than those MTs, or the highest performance summer tires like the Nt-01, R888R, or RivalS

[wareaglescott]

In genreal I have heard below 50 for summer performance tires. I cant speak for your specific tires. I rarely drive my roadster below 50 but do feel like I notice less traction when I do.

[Mike N]

Unless your tires came with a specific warning on use temperature, like the NT-01's do, you can drive all year round. However grip definitely drops as the road surface and tire temperatures go down. I have also found that if you happen to loose grip on cold performance tires you are unlikely to recover without spinning or hitting something. I've done both. If road surface temperatures are below 50F I tend to drive like it's wet with smooth and easy application of the gas and brakes. I've regularly driven when temps have been below freezing but have been extremely careful.

[GTBradley]

I have the triple fives, Pete and can tell you that driving in the cold on dry roads under normal conditions is fine, but what I don’t know is how the tires perform under emergency scenarios and that would be the big one. Judging from the traction I do get at low temps, I think just keeping extra distance would provide enough safety margin. But, you could swap out to all seasons and then be in good shape with unexpected snow or rain too.

[Jim1855]

www.tirerack.com has info on this. Most of the performance summer tires (not all-seasons) have temperature warnings. It's not always about traction but this certainly depreciates as the tires get colder. There are also issues with internal damage, micro-cracking of the compounds or tearing.
Jim

[TMartinLVNV]

Hi guys,
I tried to search the forum for an answer to this but didn't find one. I know this is a pretty basic performance tire question but, now that we are getting into the winter, I was wondering at what temperature does it become unsafe to drive a mark iv that's equipped with the standard perf tires from ffr (mickey thompson street comp in my case) on dry roads. I've read that around 40 degrees or so the rubber loses a lot of its grip and thus that might be a good mark at which to stop driving. What do you guys think? Thank you for your help!
Happy holidays to everyone.
Pete

I have these same tires. They are not the super soft competition tires that many others have. They are just fine to drive in colder conditions. Generally, the ones with the UTQG of 100-000 are the ones you really have to be worried about. Yours are 300. IOW, they don't harden up in normal temperature ranges.

[rich grsc]

-14 on Thursdays, -12 the rest of the week

[TMartinLVNV]

-14 on Thursdays, -12 the rest of the week

Rich, what about leap year?

[Kmcallahan]

-14 on Thursdays, -12 the rest of the week

Damn!! That is cold!������

[Erik W. Treves]

50 seems to about right - I did on occasion drive my mark 1 in the snow though...

[rich grsc]

Rich, what about leap year?
I rotate the air in the tires in a leap year, so temps don't matter.

[PeteMeindl]

Thanks a lot, guys! That's very helpful. I appreciate it!

[BEAR-AvHistory]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138978&d=1607574726

Car is perfectly safe in the snow because it will not move under its own power. Found that the tires start to go away at 40 but as long as you are not aggressive you can drive at lower temperatures. My guide is if its too cold for me its too cold for the car which is normally a 365 day a year driver.

Cold weather equipment, tonneau cover for the car. baseball hat, hoody, USAF style B2 leather jacket, Nomex gloves. Can always run with just a regular sweatshirt under the jacket if I wear:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138979&d=1607576427

[GoDadGo]

Living in the Deep South puts me in a position where the temps barely dip into the 30's so I've run Nitto 555's on former my daily driver for many years.
With that said, these 300 TW tires gripped well but you will feel them fall off every 10-degree drop once you get in the 50-degree range. (F)
As long as the roads were dry, I never had issues; however, I always allotted longer stopping distances especially down in the 30's.
My feeling is that your Mickeys would act similarly as the temps start to fall, but you'll figure things out quickly.
If you want an All-Season second set of tires, then look at the COOPER ZEON RS3-G1.
Also, Cooper is the parent company of the Mickey Thompson Specialty Tire Group.
Baby Go-Dad has them on his Camaro and they're really good all-around tire.

My Beloved C4 Former Daily Driver:
https://youtu.be/svZX2BMSDEs

[BrewCityCobra]

www.tirerack.com has info on this. Most of the performance summer tires (not all-seasons) have temperature warnings. It's not always about traction but this certainly depreciates as the tires get colder. There are also issues with internal damage, micro-cracking of the compounds or tearing.
Jim

I was going to emphasize out this second point as well. Don't only need to be careful with grip loss, but also damaging the tires themselves as some of the stickier rubber doesn't like bending when it gets cold (at least that is what I'm told).

[NAZ]

For something as important as tires, I suggest you go to the manufacturer for the real info you're looking for: https://www.mickeythompsontires.com/ I've contacted them a couple of times in reference to my M/T wrinkle wall drag slicks and their tire experts are very helpful.

[GoDadGo]

-14 on Thursdays, -12 the rest of the week

That's Insanely Cold!

Stay Warm, Assuming You Can!

[Papa]

That's Insanely Cold!

Stay Warm, Assuming You Can!

Heck, that still okay for shorts in Colorado. It's got to be at least -20 before the long pants are required.

This isn't an uncommon image in Colorado:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=139017&d=1607652054

[Vegasjack]

Why would anyone intentionally live in those conditions? lol

[rich grsc]

I can usually put on enough clothes to be comfortable, but I can't take off enough to keep cool when it's over 100.
And, you don't want see, when I try.:eek:

[PeteMeindl]

For something as important as tires, I suggest you go to the manufacturer for the real info you're looking for: https://www.mickeythompsontires.com/ I've contacted them a couple of times in reference to my M/T wrinkle wall drag slicks and their tire experts are very helpful.

Yeah, that's a good idea, NAZ. I did call MT and the tech was helpful. He said, for the Street Comp tires, that they didn't have a temperature at which they said absolutely don't drive. But he said, as a rule of thumb, if it's in the 40's or below that the tires are going to be pretty slick and you may not want to be out on the road.

[Mike N]

Warning sticker from an NT-01
139019

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Warning sticker from an NT-01
139019

Run NT01's 275 & 315 X17"

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazine.com-vbulletin/850x779/80-275s_ec0c9a640de515747e408a45f387e0f53a2d0f16.jpg

January is the coldest month of the year in North Carolina, with the average low temperatures dropping to 20°F (-6.7°C) in the western mountains.

Raleigh in January is 30° with 7 days of rain.

[Fixit]

Why would anyone intentionally live in those conditions?

Keeps the riff-raff out... (hardy har har says the guy from Minneapolis!)

[NiceGuyEddie]

Making this more complicated, my carburated car likes cold, dry air more than the Nitto NT-05 tires hate cold pavement. I drove it this morning and it was 40ºF. There is a kick-in-the-pants difference in responsiveness of the engine compared to a 80º day.

I am always extra careful in the first 10 miles or so. The good news is here in LaLa Land it can be very cool in the winter, but the sun is still pretty strong so the pavement probably warm.

[NC Cobra]

I also have the Street Comps on my car; but based on your tag line showing a TKO transmission I’m guessing you are putting down a bit more torque than my 306 SBF. That having been said, here in NC I drive the car year round as we typically have some sunny days in any given month. I would agree with the advice given here so far and add two points. 1) While its reasonably easy to modulate throttle inputs be extra careful not to lift in the corners. The resulting shift in the cars balance can have un intended consequences that will happen quicker than you can imagine. 2) Tire pressure is very important as temperatures drop. Dropping a few lbs in cold temps will really help traction. Found that out last month when I picked the car up from my mechanic and discovered that he aired the tires up to 32 lbs without my knowing. Got lucky as I had a smooth run out; but it spun faster than I’ve ever experienced with no advanced warning and only very moderate throttle at the time. Bottom line, enjoy your car; but with an extra level of fore thought and caution in colder temps.

[NAZ]

Rule of Thumb: if it's cold enough you need a jacket, slow down and leave extra room for stopping. Modified rule of thumb for PHX, SoCal, SoTX and SoFL, if you have to wear a winter parka, gloves, and a scarf slow down and leave extra room for stopping. I know y'all think it's cold when the mercury drops below 65F but the tires are still warm enough to grip. :o