I dint know EZ. Yes, It's surely true that winter tires would be much better to have but i think it's a real overexageration to worry too much about having the summer tires in the winter. I drive totally differently in the winter and don't at all push the car in the cold. The tires work fine. I leave more stopping space.
Who says they don't work? The tire manufacturers who are trying to sell winter tires? And what exactly is the loss in a 65mph to zero stop on a highway in a major city with treated roads and warmth from the friction from traffic? I doubt too much. Still stops faster than most regular cars on the road.
I'll concede that you won't necessarily notice it if you're (a) driving on a perfectly dry road, and (b) you're taking it easy.
However, it's definitely not the tire industry just trying to pull the wool over your eyes. You can search on the term "glass transition temperature" to understand the details - I know you're the kind of guy who will read up on it! In short, it's a staple of engineering around plastics, rubbers, polymers, etc. I'm not a chemical engineer, but my layman's understanding is that it describes the point (temperature) at which the compound transitions between "rigid" and "flexible" states based largely upon changes in molecular behavior at that transition point.
The glass transition temperature ("Tg") is higher in stiffer compounds (as noted in the excerpt below), meaning it transitions to this more rigid (glass like) state at a higher temperature than softer, more flexible counterparts. Again, I'm not a chemical engineer, or a tire professional, but this would seem to make sense in the context of summer tire compounds, given that these tires are intentionally made of stiffer compounds that offer lower rolling resistance and better performance in higher temperatures.
Are you going to immediately fly off the road when the temperature reaches 40F degrees? Clearly not. But the tire is clearly not optimized for these temperatures, and the chemistry here would seem to indicate it'll only get worse the lower the temperature goes. Will you notice it? Maybe most prominently during the warm-up period, and then it may seemingly "go away." But you also live in Chicago, so you're going to be dealing with temperatures well below the recommended cut-off of 40F degrees.
I'll leave you with a scenario here to ponder. You're traveling down the highway at 65 or 70mph and need to emergency brake. It's 5F degrees out. You end up rear-ending the car in front of you. Was it due to compromised stopping distance of your summer tires, or was it simply an unavoidable situation even in the best of summer conditions? Your opinion on it probably doesn't matter. Your insurance adjuster comes out to inspect your totaled R8 and notes... ah, you were driving on ultra high performance summer tires in the dead of a Chicago winter. Coverage denied. Why? Well, you were negligent, knowingly operating the vehicle with tires that the manufacturer states are only for summer use. This was a "preventable accident."
Sounds silly? Places like Quebec have apparently institutionalized this - you're at fault if riding on summer tires in the winter (Dec 15 - Mar 15). Moreover, insurance companies can deny a claim on the grounds that it was an "avoidable" or "preventable" accident. A Traveler's Insurance "Guide for determining motor vehicle accident preventability" seemingly quotes the National Safety Council (NSC) definition on preventable accidents as: "a preventable collision is a collision in which the driver failed to do everything reasonable to avoid it." A pretty broad definition that leaves plenty of room to point to your negligent choice of tires as the culprit... especially useful if it helps avoid a six figure claim.
And hey, the guy you hit, he's seeing dollar signs - you were in a fancy supercar, and he's now complaining of back pains. Never mind his chronic back issues, he's found a meal ticket for the surgery he couldn't afford up until now!
Or... what if the person you hit died? Insurance has walked away from you, and you're staring at a lawsuit from the grieving family. Now you've got to prove your bad choice of tires had nothing to do with it... despite an entire industry that says otherwise.
Sure, that's all worst case scenario stuff, and you could easily argue none of it will come to pass. None of it LIKELY would, statistically speaking, again I'll concede. But, that's an expensive gamble... one that could cost a pretty penny.
You may also find this helpful - a Chicago area law firm's take on "at fault" injury based upon bad tires and negligence. While they don't speak to improper equipment (maybe not enough people choosing to drive around on summer tires in Chicago winters??), the general concepts should apply here. You may need their number - don't lose it!
If you or a member of your family has been seriously injured in a car accident, call Schwartz Injury Law at 708-226-9000. Free consults.
www.schwartzinjurylaw.com
