Winter tire plan - Pacific Northwest

[SpeedWagon]

(I also posted this on Reddit r/Taycan)

So I bought a Taycan 4 Cross Turismo at the end of October and it came with summer tires on the 20-inch Taycan Turbo S Aero Design wheels (https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/sku9j120ttae.html) and the car and tires only have 700 miles on them so plenty of lifespan remaining.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, where the weather doesn’t really go below 30 except maybe 1-2 weeks a year (including now). I would love some suggestions on best route to go:
1- pay to swap just tires and keep single wheelset (I do really like the look of these wheels and the aero fill ins don’t bother me because of the polished metal vs black contrast) - least expensive up front but more cost per year
1b) buy all season tires and just be done. Least hassle but likely a compromise in both seasons?
2- buy a new wheelset that includes winter tires such as 20" Taycan Turbo S Aero Design in black (high gloss) for $6500 plus tax and shipping: https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/sku9j0gtswws.html - I am not sure if the all black will look worse with the aero fill ins due to the lack of contrast
3- buy a new summer wheelset (hear me out ) so I can upgrade to 21” as my summer wheelset - 21-inch Cross Turismo Design for $8k (https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/sku9j021ctm.html), then my current wheelset becomes my winter set, plus I waste my 20” summer tires and buy a new set of 20” winter tires. However this brings some great variety cosmetically. I do like the comfort of the 20”s,
And have also heard the 21”s are much easier to curb.

Wild cards:
A) don’t plan to take it skiing and in true snow very often but don’t want to be constrained.
B) I do have a winter “beater” Subaru so I could technically just not drive the Taycan when the temps are low but that feels ridiculous so not really an option for the mid term.
C) worthwhile buying a wheelset off of eBay? Much much less, but obviously more hassle and authenticity risk.
D) I don’t have a strong appetite for non-Porsche wheelsets but I’m not against this
E) have read that the non-aero wheel sets decrease range by 5% or so. Not worried about this.
F) have read that aero wheelsets may collect snow during winter. I won’t be in actual snow often enough to worry, more about the low temps.

I know this is a multifaceted question since it blends cost, convenience, and cosmetics but wanted to get some opinions on winter strategies for a not very cold winter season and also on how folks like the 21”s if they have them, especially if they also have had 20”s.

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[arijaycomet]

IMO the 20" setup on the Taycan is the sweet spot. Here in Ohio, we have a lot of pot holes from the freezing temps. I would not want 21s for winter, so that limited me. But the ride quality of the 20s blends better with the car's chassis dynamics. Unless you're in a warm climate with smooth roads, my personal take is 20s is the way to go.

With that said, I'm also a "set it and forget it" kind of person. Unless you are doing track days or seriously swift back road driving, a good A/S tire would work wonders where you are located. I recently started a new thread about the A/S tires I acquired to replace my outgoing ContiRX. Though where you are located those RX tires would be more than ample if you dont often go below freezing or have decent snowfall.

I'd say these days a good A/S tire (like the ones in my thread) would not compromise much or anything for most folks driving style in warm weather, while still offering a tire that can be used below freezing and in light snow or winter months. That'd be my two cents -- cheapest option, retains existing wheels, etc.

 

[philbur]

I run 19s on winters. But we ski a lot. Car does amazing

 

[PanameraFrank]

I'm here for you! I live in Seattle, my Taycan 4S was on 20" summer/winter swap (Pirello Scorpion winter, Sport 4s Summer) and my Turbo S has 21" all season.

I just bought a set of the Turbo Aero wheels to put on my Turbo S. Will be running Pirelli Scorpion winters and either Sport 4s or P Zero summers.

All season tires suck, these Goodyear Eagles are hot garbage. 21s look cool but they suck.

Go 20" summer/winter swap and be happy in life. Modern non-studded winter tires work perfectly well in 40-55 degree rain, AT LEAST as good as all seasons.

All season tires work fine until that moment when they don't and you total your car. There's a reason most non-US countries require winter tires to even enter mountain areas during winter.

 

[Jonathan S.]

CC2 FTW!

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Another PNWer here; like Phil, I ski a lot and went to a dedicated wheelset for the winter. 19” OE taken (…) off a new car, with Goodyear all-seasons. They did ok at Stevens over last week’s storms, but I did have a moment going downhill on a patch of ice. As soon as these wear out (I’ll do my best to accelerate that), they will get replaced with proper winters.

My summer setup is 20” with the original Conti all-seasons; their time is nearly up (~16k miles), and will probably be replaced with Conti again.

If you don’t envision going into the mountains regularly, a single wheelset with something like the OE Conti would make sense to me. A colleague is running Michelins CrossClimate year round - he skis a lot, and doesn’t mind any edge of performance he might be losing in the summer. (So that’s another option, I think this is what @arijaycomet is considering.)

Lastly, I have not observed any issues with the 19” aero wheels in the snow; granted, we haven’t had much of the slush that could be a problem. So far it’s been either no snow or cold, dry powder.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Procontact RX I can personally say are terrible in the rain.

The Goodyears Porsche uses are rated way worse:

Cross climate is top of the heap for TOURING ALL SEASON TIRES

Personally, none of these for my use in Oregon comes close to the Pilot Sport All Season 4. Better in the dry and better in the wet than anything listed above. The MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport All Season 4 is the longest-lasting Ultra-High Performance all-season tire among leading competitors, quoting from Michelin. Notice Ultra-High Performance vs Touring.
For the 5 days of a year of snow a year we get, I drive the Audi with Nokian R5s.

 

[arijaycomet]

@WasserGKuehlt -- you are 100% correct that I was suggesting a single tire that could be the one-and-done option. But if you get any sizable amount of snow, then a season specific setup is always the way to go. You interpreted my message properly

@Vercingetorix are you talking about 20" options though? Last I looked the only non-summer specific Michelin tires available for the 20" staggered Taycan setup are the CrossClimate2 tires. Which are also noted as a good tire by many forum members. But the UHP A/S Pilot Sport 4 is not available-- to my knowledge (but I could be wrong? are there different 20" variations beyond the 245/45-20 + 285/40-20 that I've had only 2x of my 3x Taycan?)

 

[Vercingetorix]

@WasserGKuehlt -- you are 100% correct that I was suggesting a single tire that could be the one-and-done option. But if you get any sizable amount of snow, then a season specific setup is always the way to go. You interpreted my message properly

@Vercingetorix are you talking about 20" options though? Last I looked the only non-summer specific Michelin tires available for the 20" staggered Taycan setup are the CrossClimate2 tires. Which are also noted as a good tire by many forum members. But the UHP A/S Pilot Sport 4 is not available-- to my knowledge (but I could be wrong? are there different 20" variations beyond the 245/45-20 + 285/40-20 that I've had only 2x of my 3x Taycan?)

I run 275/40/20 in the rear, they are a little stretched. CrossClimate 2 has a B in wet weather braking vs AA for the Pilot Sport. I know Michelin says it’s a locked tire and the test doesn’t really reflect ABS braking but still…..

I really want to see somebody run the Falken though.

 

[JAGMAN]

A winter tire on a dry 30 degree road will perform worse than a summer tire on a 30 degree road. Trust me on this…I have 3 cars, all with dedicated summer/winter setups. All three require much more restraint with their winter tires on a dry sunny day with temps 25 degrees or warmer.

You have a difficult use case and will get lots of opinions. Most of those opinions will focus on how truly awful a summer tire is on snow. They are right. What is misunderstood is the grip available on a cold dry road.

Your first wildcard is the difficult one. “You don’t want to be constrained from taking the Taycan skiing.”

My recommendations are:
1) Two sets: 1 summer, & 1 all-season w/3 peak symbol.
2) One set: 1 all-season w 3 peak symbol.

My observation is based on the following 1) Taycan w/ 21” Conti Pro RX all season (summer setup), 20” Pirelli Scorpion Winter (winter), 911 with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (summer), and Pirelli SottoZero (winter), and Cayenne w/Bridgestone HP Sport (Summer), and Michelin Pilot Alpin (winter).

All three of these winter tires are winter performance tires, which should yield the best dry road performance vice the best snow performance. They’re good in snow, good in wet, but still only marginal in dry.

 

[TDinDC]

I went with these winters: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 on 21" Porsche rims. Not Porsche approved but from a Porsche approved brand/line and on oem 21” rims. https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...xchange-rates-for-winter-rim-tire-sets.12796/

I’m big fan of dedicated winter and dedicated summer rim/tire sets

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

A winter tire on a dry 30 degree road will perform worse than a summer tire on a 30 degree road. Trust me on this…I have 3 cars, all with dedicated summer/winter setups. All three require much more restraint with their winter tires on a dry sunny day with temps 25 degrees or warmer.

You have a difficult use case and will get lots of opinions. Most of those opinions will focus on how truly awful a summer tire is on snow. They are right. What is misunderstood is the grip available on a cold dry road.

Your first wildcard is the difficult one. “You don’t want to be constrained from taking the Taycan skiing.”

My recommendations are:
1) Two sets: 1 summer, & 1 all-season w/3 peak symbol.
2) One set: 1 all-season w 3 peak symbol.

My observation is based on the following 1) Taycan w/ 21” Conti Pro RX all season (summer setup), 20” Pirelli Scorpion Winter (winter), 911 with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (summer), and Pirelli SottoZero (winter), and Cayenne w/Bridgestone HP Sport (Summer), and Michelin Pilot Alpin (winter).

All three of these winter tires are winter performance tires, which should yield the best dry road performance vice the best snow performance. They’re good in snow, good in wet, but still only marginal in dry.

I’ve been running dedicated setups for all my cars for the past ~15 years; I have to say that, while I agree with your post, I am skeptical that a summer tire can outdo a winter on anything below freezing. (Assuming you meant *F and not Celsius.) IME summer tires are basically wooden below 5C/37-ishF and have consequently given up on them. My preferred non-winter tire is the Conti ExtremeContact DWS (in various incarnations, for various vehicles). YMMV, obviously.

 

[JAGMAN]

My post was referencing degrees F. My comments are based on the “warmer” winter temps in the >25 degrees F. Whereas if you live in the frozen Tundra of normal 0 degree F for weeks or months on end, you need winter rubber.

 

[RAHRCR]

Where you live is perfect for A/S tires. Some believe that they are terrible but the good ones work very well in moderate climates like yours.

 

[SpeedWagon]

Thanks all! Great input. I decided to pay for winter/summer tire-only swap, and having Pirelli P Zero Winters (NF0) installed tomorrow on my existing 20” rims. (They also gave me the option of Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance NF0). Will report back after a few weeks.

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