Northeast US Winter Plan — Looking for Opinions

[MikeMT]

I'm interested in hearing perspectives about my plan to daily my Emira this winter here in southeastern Pennsylvania. I just got my 2025 Emira V6 this past week. I have searched this forum and have seen some good and helpful insights (thanks to those of you who have posted and also who answered my DMs), but wanted to ask for any additional opinions on my situation.

The main questions I have are about winter vs. all season tires; and if I go with winter tires if I should consider the expense of a second wheel set for them? Seems like I should in order to avoid the process and potential wear/rim damage from having tires mounted on the existing rims twice per year. I found a local place that can store my tires/wheels in a climate controlled place (I don't have room to store them at home).

The car will be garaged in the winter, especially during snow or very bad weather (we have a 1 car garage). I can work from home on bad weather days or when the roads are covered in salt. We have a second car that is all wheel drive but it's used by my partner on most days so it's not a dedicated option for my own daily use.

When I have owned other sports cars in the past, I put all seasons on them and that was that. But I'm hesitant to lose the grip and precision of the summer tires that are currently on the car (Goodyear F1s) during the better weather.

So, I guess my questions are this:

• Anyone put all seasons on (Continentals, maybe the new Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons?) - do you feel much of a difference in performance?
• If I opt for winter tires, is it a bad move to have them mounted on my existing wheels each season vs. getting a dedicated set of wheels for winter?
• If you live in an area with snow and cold temps, what's your winter tire strategy? (I'd also be interested in your winter washing and undercarriage care due to salt.)

Thanks.

 

[LiftOffThenUSpin]

Spent many, many years in Boston. 911, GT4, Evora GT, 718 Spyder, Audi R8, Emira and numerous other fun toys. All driven year round. All with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All Season tires all year.

Disclaimer: I do not track my cars on the daily tire I mentioned above. I would have a dedicated track set with sticky 200tw tires or better.

Do I lose ultimate levels of grip going to the P4AS tire? Of course! Maybe 10-20% or even 30% ultimate grip over a P4S or equivalent.

But here’s what I gain… better grip in the rain. Ability to freely use in any temperature in the dry. Ability to withstand a dusting or tiny bit of snow. 40k miles of tread life. But… most importantly… today’s cars are so expertly engineered for ultimate grip at the limits that, when playing at 60-70% of the limit, they just aren’t playful enough. That slight reduction in ultimate grip actually allows the car to rotate better in the warm, dry times. My GT4, for example, became more playful, more lively and, ultimately, more enjoyable with the all seasons. Don’t go with just any all seasons. Make sure to use a true performance-oriented all season tire like the Michelin P4AS or Continental DWS06+ and run that sucker all year for 40k miles!!

 

[MikeMT]

Thanks, LiftOffThenUSpin. This is incredibly helpful. I’ve had the Continental DWS06+ in the past on another car and was very happy with them. I think this is the best way to go because then I can drive the Emira pretty much whenever I want. Appreciate your perspective. M

 

[LiftOffThenUSpin]

Absolutely! In the northeast, rain is a reality every single day, even in the middle of summer. Having that extra confidence to know I can withstand rain meant that I used my cars on more days even when the chance of rain was looming. With stickier rubber, I found myself electing to not enjoy my fun cars when a little wetness was in the forecast. Life is too short to take the boring car on rainy days. Give me the tires I can use everyday!

 

[efbleft]

Grew up in western PA, college in Buffalo, and live a mile up in So Cal, so just went through 2 winters (where we can have feet of snow here) with an Evora. First winter was on Yokohamas all-season. They were fine, for cold, cleared winter roads. But I bought a second set of wheels and mounted Bridgestone Blizzaks to them, which is what I ran on a Mustang GT in Buffalo and PA. Did not find an occasion that second winter where I was apprehensive at all. No real reason to worry with the alls-seasons for these cars when you "know" the weather. For me, heading to or fro the coast, it was more about what might happen unexpectedly or along the way. And in that case, I'd always rather the winters. Then you don't have to worry if you are ahead of the plows, or as much about unexpected ice, etc. And being able to swap tires in your own garage anytime you want is a huge plus.
*as an aside, if anyone wants a set of wheels (18/19) for an Evora with less than 500 miles on wheels/blizzaks, let me know (onto an Emira now).

 

[scc.131.fe]

I've had my Emira for two winters in the NE (Sport + Goodyears). Tires have been fine at low temps for regular driving on dry roads up to about 6/10 (spirited but never trusting too much in grip). I just avoid wet roads or salty roads (because I can).

I have used DSW06 before on a front V8, rear drive car (i.e. light rear end) and they were excellent in the winter weather, light snow or rain, but I never tested them in icy conditions.

If I was going to put winter tires in the Lotus for the sake of safety and confidence, I would invest in separate wheels and get my Hakkapeliitta on!

And for the sake of the motor, no short drives:

 

[ffre92]

I live in NY, have cup2 on my emira, keep it outside. I’m debating just putting it in a high end storage facility for the winter vs switching to all season so I can drive it further into the season. I have a cayman on Michelin AS4 as a winter car. The AS4 definitely drives less sharp compared to MP4S. The lotus feels so perfect on its current setup I feel it will be a shame if I lose any of its sharpness with the tire swap. I won’t be driving in snow since I’m not willing to drive through automated car wash for the undercarriage wash (unlike the cayman). Because of this one option is to just go to Goodyear eagle f1 so I don’t have to worry about wet and rain, but still keep it parked for deep cold or snow.