So, I'm planning on driving from Raleigh, NC to Pittsburgh, PA in a week or so. Currently I need to replace my rear wheels. I'm on AP2 stock Bridgestones. So, would it be safe to drive to PA on new rears and pretty new fronts? I would park the car once I got there assuming there is any kind of snow or ice and not drive it again until I was making the commute back to NC.

My other option is to park the S outside and rent a car for the trip, which could get rather expensive.

Thanks...

 

If your rears are shot I would not drive it up here if there is snow around.

 

No, definitely not going anywhere with shot rears. I'm replacing the rears before going anywhere. Just wondering if it's advisable to drive to a potential snow land on summer tires (which would brand new in the rear and almost new in the front).

 

Don't even think about it. You really want dedicated winter tires for the snow, even all-seasons are a bit sketchy. Summer tires, FORGET it.

 

Ditto

 

the OEM re50s will loose traction on cold dry pavement if they are not up to temp. Snow would be a bad choice.

Having said that. I have driven an S breifly in the in snow. I just put 4 car batteries in the trunk to weigh it down and it was fine. and i drove like grandma.

 

I'd bite the bullet and rent for the trip. Driving with summer tires in winter in a hilly place like Pittsburgh is not a good idea.

 

is there even snow on the ground there? surely the roads are clear at the moment. have you looked at the 7 or 10 day forecast?

i drive to and from upstate new york every thanksgiving and Christmas, and have run into snow twice now in the PA mountains. it was NOT fun at all. the whole "bridges may freeze before the ground does" signs really didn't apply to me until i started driving an S2000. there wasn't even any real snow on the ground, just maybe 1/2 inch of slushy mixed rain on the ground.

i would go around very mild turns on bridges and the car would start to slide out, and i'm talking just coasting, not applying gas or brakes. this was on 3 month old RE050s with like 90% tread. they are awful on snow. i had to drive like 45 in a 65 for at least an hour, until the elevation fell and i was back to ~35-40 degree conditions with no slush on the ground.

yes, i made it fine, but again, i've been driving in upstate new york winters for 10 years now. it snows ~100 inches a year in rochester, and i learned how to drive in that stuff.

if you go and there's snow in the forecast, be prepared to drive slower than your grandma. seriously, the car will not hold traction around even the most harmless turns, i kid you not. if there is more than an inch of snow on the ground and it's sticking and hasn't been plowed yet, do not drive the S2000 at all unless you have winter tires on.

 

Thanks for the advice folks. Looks like I'm probably gonna be flying instead of driving the S.

 

i would say you could definitely drive your S2000 up there if there is no snow on the ground. take a look at the forecast and if it's pretty clear, then i would probably drive to save some money. even if it's cold (30-40 degrees F), you can get by on the RE050 if you drive conservatively and don't push it around dangerous turns and stuff. just be reasonable and you'll be safe.