Bill B 1

Hmmmmmm..... I have heard if the tires are too cold, under 40 deg then don't move the car or tire damage will occur (cracks). I can pretty much guarantee these cars will be delivered in sub 40 deg weather. What is the truck driver going to do, wait till the temp goes up to drop the car?? Not likely, this means that a bunch of cars delivered in the northern climates will need new tires before they can be sold??

harlold

Uh, no.

The issue is the rubber will be hard, causing them to not have as much grip when you drive.

If you aren't hot ******* it, you'll be fine.

gthal

I don't think the tires are as safe (traction) below 40 but you aren't going to crack them

Some tires (AD-08) have warnings about storing the tires in freezing temps and it causing issues with the rubber but I have not read this about the PSS tires. Lots of people drive their max performance tires in close to freezing weather without the tire cracking ... it may not be the safest thing in the world to do but you aren't going to ruin the tire IMO.

lgodom

I know on the ZL1 Camaro, which comes with Goodyear Eagle F2 Supercar tires that Goodyear has a warning that driving them below 40 deg F can cause cracking. It's not like they are going to shatter if you drive it at that temp, but as you get down below 30 the potential for sidewall splits increases. At least one owner reported sidewall cracks on Camaro5.com at temps below 30.

Many owners ironically have switched to Michelin Pilot tires, which don't have the warning and have noted improvements in ride, tire wear, and handling. So, I was glad to see the switch to Michelin over Goodyear on the C7. I no longer own my ZL1, but my greatest fear in the colder temps below 50 wasn't the sidewall splits, but the serious lack of traction which could have been a problem in an emergency maneuver.

LIVetteFan

I did not find anything in the owners manual about 'damage' to the tire if used below any certain temp, so unless it's written on the tire itself (can any Z51 owner verify), or i missed it, it should fall under the tire warranty if it happens.

michaelinmech

I believe from reading previous posts that:

The ZL1 Camaro DID come with a below 40 degrees tire use warning, and that some tires did indeed crack. Use below 40 degrees voids the warranty and is ill advised.

The C7 Corvette DOES NOT come with a below 40 degrees tire use warning, that anyone has discovered or reported so far. While warranty appears to remain in place for use in freezing weather, Maximum Performance Summer Tires DO NOT offer truly beneficial traction in snow, ice or frozen road conditions.

RandomTask

GM released the following info on what happens if you drive your corvette when its below 40*. . .

gthal

jackhall99

As others have posted, this tale is so false!

The summer performance tires will not hook-up in cold temps, but you can drive on them safely in cold temps, even down to zero or less. Snow is another issue.

Bill B 1

I couldn't find anything in the owners manual either. Nor is it mentioned in the "2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray New Model Features Bulletin" that Ken Fitchner posted awhile back. It was actually Ken that mentioned this issue a few days ago when I was at his dealerships C7 open house. I believe he mentioned this was brought up at the dealer training he attended. He stated the tire temp monitor will show "tires frozen warning" and not to move the car if this warning comes up.

-CM-

Stay tuned for my exclusive, in-depth report of what it's like to drive the C7 with the Z51 tires through extreme weather, in temps well below 40 (and in serious snow.) I'll probably post it tomorrow, because the 6-hour drive that took 10 hours wore me out.

jackhall99

I'll be waiting. I don't think snow and the C7 standard tires are going to like each other.

Drive safe amigo.

Jim Barker

I was surprised to learn you would not get as much wear at those low temp either

Bill B 1

I thought about you this morning, picking up your car today.....wondered if you would have weather issues......Sounds like you did.

-CM-

Big time, but I'm worn out, so I'' write it up tomorrow. The short of it is that the car is amazing in weather mode, and the tires will get you through.

RC000E

Cracking would occur if the tire were in very cold temperatures, and used in an "extreme" manner. I've seen chunking happen pretty rapidly at drift events when we started early in the morning and the tires/tarmac were cold. It seems that inducing high stresses in cold temps, without first bringing the tire temp up slowly to begin with, can cause the stress cracks/chunking we saw. Simply driving the car in a normal manner though, I'd think it'd have to be damn cold.

Pisswilly

That's one of many reasons I didn't buy the ZL1.

Bill B 1

Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound!!

billbunton

The ZL1 (Goodyear Supercar tires) warning was loss of traction below 40F. They warned not to move the car, or tire cracking could occur, below 20F. I still drove mine down to about freezing, though I was _very_ light on the throttle :-)

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