No, those tires do not offer sufficient grip under 45 degrees F, and in the 30s they can become somewhat dangerous with significantly increased stopping distances.

You can swap in All Seasons but be aware that the performance offered by All Season rubber will be much lower than the OEM tires. If you want the best of both worlds, you should do what most of us do -- swap tires seasonally.

 

Thanks for getting back to me. When you say the performance offered by All Season rubber will be much lower than OEM tires, can you suggest some specifics. For example, let's say I'm driving the car on a day when the temperature is in the 70's or 80's. What difference would I experience with All Seasons vs. the Dunlops. I'm new to summer sport tires and the WRX.

 

I've been through the same quandary. The Dunlaps were I think the worst tires I've used that were billed as performance tires, especially for everyday use. They had good grip in the dry but actually squeaked when i drove over newly painted road lines. They also had a brutal ride. I live in the northeast where we get lots of rain and the Dunlaps were slightly scary. So after 500 miles I sold them and replaced them with Continental DWS 06 Plus. Awesome in the rain and subjectively just as good in the dry. Who among us can tell the difference between 95 lateral acceleration and 99? I agree with @zax that if you want highly specialized tires for track use or snow use buy them with another set of wheels. I just put on Cooper snows and I'm waiting for the first snowfall. If you go to the track buy Hoosier slicks and get 1.1 g lateral.

 

I used dws tires for years. There is zero comparison between summer performance tires, winter tires, and the Dws. They also squeek on fresh painted or sealed pavement. If your tires don't there is an issue.

For the op. I think they will do suitably but i would opt for the Michelin as4 as they do better all around than the Dws and will handle down to 30 fine.

 

Thanks for your response. I purchased the WRX for four wheel drive, the design and size of the car, and for a level of performance not available with most sedans. This said, I need this car for all seasons, so all season radials seem to be the logical choice. No snow in Vegas. We're in the 30's temperature wise. Lower temperatures are rare. No interested in track driving. I need a more comfortable ride. Yes, the Dunlops are pretty brutal. I'll look into the Continentals you mentioned above. I'm looking at Michelin Pilot Sport AS4. They're available at Costco for around $214 a tire. Don't have room in my garage to stash tires. I'll have to bite the bullet on some performance, whatever 'some' means. Probably more than you want to read. Thanks again!

 

So you're recommending the Michelins. Didn't read your full note! KWE

 

The DWS tires do not squeak as I've driven them over 4000 miles since installing. I had the Michelin Pilots on my Focus ST and they were great in the dry. Hydroplane city in the wet.

 

I take your opinion with a grain of salt for a few reasons.

Squealing while turning on new pavement, sealed pavement or paint is because of friction. When the tires break a little they squeak. You expect me to believe that you somehow have found a magical set of tires that

1. Have zero friction to the ground

Or

2. Have the ability to infinitely change the rpm dynamically across the tire while turning to handle the Ackerman principle.

Those are your options.

You also expect me to disregard the flagrant majority in favor of you. Nope.

I've had Dws on multiple vehicles even multiple drivetrain types with my bmw and my Subarus. The tires are alright. They squeal as they should but they fall behind the Michelin performance all seasons across the board.

 

I think there are two concepts of tire noise. Sure if I go around a corner on sealed pavement I get tire squeal. If I corner hard there may be tire squeal. What I'm referring to is the squeak-squeak driving down an interstate crossing over painted lines with virtually zero side load. It was so loud my wife said what was that! In fact my dash cam even picked in up on audio. I took the same trip the following week (sick relative) after I bought the DWS tire. Nothing heard in the same situation.
I had the same Conti DWS tires on my former car a 2016 Mustang (a real handful in the snow) and they were better than the factory Goodyear Eagles in snow and only a little worse than my Michelin X-Ice snows. A fact that might be of interest to @syntax4.

 

Any opinions on bridgestone - potenza re980as?

 

I recently purchased a 2021 WRX Limited. It comes with the tires on the title line. I live in Las Vegas. The temperture goes into the 30's during the winter. Reviews of these tires indicate they're optimally suited for warm/hot weather and dry pavement. Ride quality seems to be harsh, harsher than when I test drove the car at the dealership. We've taken a nose drive temperature-wise recently. Three questions:

1. Does cold weather increase my discomfort in driving this car or is it my imagination?
2. Is my safety at stake when it rains? I don't intend to drive this car in snow currently.
3. Would it make sense to swap these tires out for all season radials? If so, what all season radials would you recommend?

Thanks!

The Continental DWS 06 Plus setup I have on my rex has served me well so far! Since I'm in NYC and the roads are absolutely abusive to cars, I went with a slightly taller aspect ratio (225/50/r17) to help with comfort and protection of my new rims. They give you a lot of confidence in bad conditions.

 

Thank you! I've narrowed my choice to the Continentals or the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 AS. Costco is running a special on the Michelins. Price may be the deciding factor.