What tire setup for driving all year in Michigan?

[MattScopes]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to pick up a new set of wheels soon, and I’m torn on what tire setup I should run on my stock GT.

I live in the Metro Detroit area and commute ~45 mins to work four days a week, driving my Mustang year round. During the summer, I really enjoy the acceleration and straight line performance of the car, but curvy roads are pretty limited where I am. We had a fairly rough winter this year, and there were quite a few mornings where driving on the stock all seasons felt sketchy with ice and snow.

I have a few setups in mind and would love some opinions. I am also curious what others in similar climates are running.

My thoughts:

My first idea was to run winter tires such as Blizzaks on the stock wheels and summer tires like ECS02 on a new set. My concern is that Michigan weather can swing from 70 and sunny one day to 30 and snowing the next. I would hate to get caught in cold or snowy weather on summers during those transitional periods. I have also read that running winter tires in warm temperatures can wear them out quickly. Since I drive closer to the city, the roads are usually plowed relatively fast.

Another option would be running UHP all seasons like DWS06 for most of the year, then switching to summers such as ECS02 during peak summer months.

My last idea is to run DWS06 for most of the year and swap on a pair of NT555R2 drag radials in the rear during peak summer months.

My questions:

How much of a hassle are the transitional periods between winter and summer tires, especially in Southeast Michigan?

How much better or worse would a UHP all season like the DWS06 perform in snow and ice, as well as hot and dry conditions, compared to the stock ProContact RX all seasons?

Is having both DWS06 and ECS02 worth it for mostly straight line street performance on a stock Mustang, or are they too similar to justify owning both?

Would a stock NA GT benefit from a street legal drag radial like the NT555R2 compared to a UHP summer such as the ECS02 for street use? How much improvement would I realistically see in straight line traction, and how much handling would I give up in corners?

I’m well aware that I’m almost certainly overthinking all of this, but I just want to make the most informed decision I can before dropping all this money on wheels and tires.

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[robvas]

You don't want or need a drag radial for daily use on a NA GT

I wouldn't drive my Mustang in the snow/salt, but if you insist I would do a ECS/PS4 on aftermarket wheels in summer and a snow tire on stock wheels in the winter.

You don't want a max performance summer tire in the winter or even when it gets much below 60. They get slippery quick.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

Snow and ice?

Wow.

I would want a tire that is designed to drive in those sort of conditions, if I really had to drive my mustang in those sort of conditions.

 

[MattScopes]

Snow and ice?

Wow.

I would want a tire that is designed to drive in those sort of conditions, if I really had to drive my mustang in those sort of conditions.

Yea I know it’s not ideal, but life happens and now I have a job where I have to commute to work rather than being able to work from home.

But yea I was thinking about having separate summers and winters at first. Then I started second guessing myself thinking that I would only be driving in these harsh conditions maybe 5 times out of the year, and the rest would just be in the dry and wet. But maybe you’re right and that extra traction in those harsh conditions is worth losing just a little in good weather conditions, where I would probably have sufficient grip either way in the latter scenario.

 

[DannyJ7]

I'm near Lansing and have an EB. I use the stock rims for blizzaks for winter and got General Tire AS07 on my 19x10 variant heliums for summer. They are technically a UHP all season, but roads suck in MI and we get considerable rain etc. 10/10 recommend this set up. Winter tires make the Mustang controllable in winter.

 

[exm]

I would just go for DWS06 and call it a day.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

I'm up in Gratiot County. I'm running a staggered setup with Nitto triple 5s during the warm season, and I've got a square set up of 20 x 9s with Vredestein 255/35/20 snows I'm driving on right now.

Between the snows, slippery mode, and just common sense (easy on the throttle, brake gently and early, etc) I've had absolutely NPs getting around all winter so far! VERY pleased with the Vredesteins; though I've used Blizzaks, and General Arctics plenty with great results in years past.

Pirelli, Michelin, and Continental all make excellent snows as well.

Remember; the reverse of what @robvas said is also true. You'll melt dedicated snows off your wheels at more than 45 F. The rubber compound/s are formulated to stay soft in cold temps and wear VERY quickly in warmer temps.

Good luck with whatever you go with!

 

[JimC]

First, you don't want a set of drag radial on the car for a daily driver in SE Michigan. That can be a real problem on a 45 minute commute in a rain storm.

I drive my Mustang year round, always have. On my 2024 GT I have a set of winter wheels and tires and summer wheels and tires. I swap to the winter set in November then back to the summer set in late April every year. So far it hasn't been a problem at all.

I tried out a set of Michelin UHP all season tires when I had puncture on July 4 weekend and of course no one carries the summer tire in stock. I hated them - they were horrible, vague handling on the highway, felt like they were wandering all over. Thankfully Discount Tire has a 30 day trial period and ordered Continental summer performance tires to replace them for me.

I used to commute daily between Howell and Northville but starting in January I work most days from home or from my office in Brighton so not on the road as much. For many years I commuted from Port Huron to downtown Detroit.

 

[Sig Oris]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to pick up a new set of wheels soon, and I’m torn on what tire setup I should run on my stock GT.

I live in the Metro Detroit area and commute ~45 mins to work four days a week, driving my Mustang year round. During the summer, I really enjoy the acceleration and straight line performance of the car, but curvy roads are pretty limited where I am. We had a fairly rough winter this year, and there were quite a few mornings where driving on the stock all seasons felt sketchy with ice and snow.

I have a few setups in mind and would love some opinions. I am also curious what others in similar climates are running.

My thoughts:

My first idea was to run winter tires such as Blizzaks on the stock wheels and summer tires like ECS02 on a new set. My concern is that Michigan weather can swing from 70 and sunny one day to 30 and snowing the next. I would hate to get caught in cold or snowy weather on summers during those transitional periods. I have also read that running winter tires in warm temperatures can wear them out quickly. Since I drive closer to the city, the roads are usually plowed relatively fast.

Another option would be running UHP all seasons like DWS06 for most of the year, then switching to summers such as ECS02 during peak summer months.

My last idea is to run DWS06 for most of the year and swap on a pair of NT555R2 drag radials in the rear during peak summer months.

My questions:

How much of a hassle are the transitional periods between winter and summer tires, especially in Southeast Michigan?

How much better or worse would a UHP all season like the DWS06 perform in snow and ice, as well as hot and dry conditions, compared to the stock ProContact RX all seasons?

Is having both DWS06 and ECS02 worth it for mostly straight line street performance on a stock Mustang, or are they too similar to justify owning both?

Would a stock NA GT benefit from a street legal drag radial like the NT555R2 compared to a UHP summer such as the ECS02 for street use? How much improvement would I realistically see in straight line traction, and how much handling would I give up in corners?

I’m well aware that I’m almost certainly overthinking all of this, but I just want to make the most informed decision I can before dropping all this money on wheels and tires.

We get our fair share of snow. Best practice is snows on on four locations and as tall and narrow as possible. Tire Rack is great resource.

 

[ohioguy]

Just down the road from you in Ohio...I have Snows (stock wheels) for the winter (Zero Problem in these nasty storms this year) and will be running Conti DWS on larger wheels for the summer. I bought my car to be a daily and have no issue driving it in all conditions. 7500 miles in 3 months.

 

[GooberDH]

They won't be as good as snow tires but for colder months you can try an all-weather tire. They're basically all-seasons but with 3PMSF certification. If I were in the market I'd probably go with Michelin CrossClimate 2. I rock PS4S until it's consistently below 45F, then I switch to Blizzak 6.

 

[MattScopes]

Thanks all for the replies. I think my main problem is that I’ve never experienced anything other than all seasons, and mediocre ones at that. Based on most of the replies, I think the plan for right now is to put ECS02/PS4S on the new wheels I plan to buy and Blizzaks 6s on the OEM wheels. This will at least give me a good idea of what each type of tire is like, and then I can adjust if needed.

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