[SammyinMA]

Hey guys,

I am looking to order a 2014 JGC SRT later this year. I had not planned to track or off-road the car, as it will be my daily driver, so I was planning to get it with the all-season tires. A buddy (who drives a 300 SRT8) recommended instead ordering it with the 3-season Pirellis and getting a dedicated set of snow tires for the winter, as he didn't seem to think the standard tires would be good enough in the New England winter.

Those of you with SRTs, what do you recommend. Would it be wise to try driving the JGC SRT in the winter on the standard all season rubber?

Mike

 

[akimball]

i honestly think that all seasons would be fine. but i have also never driven anything powerful like the srt8 in the winter.
and you honestly might get better answers for this question in the wk2 wheel and tire section. those guys dont seem to like to leave that area. if you would like this moved to there just let me know!

 

[Scottina06]

Black Ops just posted he has some vreds available in a winter tire in 295-40-20. Drop them a PM.

 

[GenevaSRT8]

Hey guys,

I am looking to order a 2014 JGC SRT later this year. I had not planned to track or off-road the car, as it will be my daily driver, so I was planning to get it with the all-season tires. A buddy (who drives a 300 SRT8) recommended instead ordering it with the 3-season Pirellis and getting a dedicated set of snow tires for the winter, as he didn't seem to think the standard tires would be good enough in the New England winter.

Those of you with SRTs, what do you recommend. Would it be wise to try driving the JGC SRT in the winter on the standard all season rubber?

Mike

Well, it's a question many ask themselves. Do you want a tire that is a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, or a dedicated summer tire that will perform better than the all-season in fair weather / warm temperature, and a dedicated winter tire that will perform better in cold weather and on the snow?

It's a matter of cost vs. performance. Personally, the improved braking performance of the dedicated tires and the peace of mind that the winter tires allow when the snow starts falling tilt the balance heavily in favor of dedicated 3-season and winter tires (and winters in Geneva are most likely not as snowy as in New England).

Eventually, the thinking is that when you paid good dollar on a brand new, modern technology performance truck, in my opinion it's a bit of a shame trying to save a grand or so on the piece of equipment that will connect it to the road...

 

[MikeBoom]

A mere Overland guy here, but I'd definitely plan on winter tires. My opinion--not worth a lot, I know--is that you're better off with a combo of all seasons and winter tires. Here's my thinking:

I've owned some pretty fast cars--a 911, a Mustang GT, an STi, etc.--and in a northern climate there's a very narrow window of time during which high performance tires are not compromised. They're generally great in warm, dry conditions, but on days when temperatures drop into the forties, they become hard and lose grip. On a cool, wet day, they're a disaster.

Because our transitional seasons in northern Illinois can see wide variations in weather, apart from maybe May to August, there will be times when driving on summer tires can be less than optimal. I think you'd find the same thing in New England.

Conversely, in winter you'll find true snow and ice tires make a world of difference. I actually found my Overland a little squirrelly in snow, until I mounted Blizzaks. They made a huge difference...it turned into an unstoppable beast once they were mounted. Whether you go with all seasons or summer tires, I highly recommend dedicated winter tires. You won't regret the choice.

 

[mangoe]

You can get by with all season tires on a 4 wheel drive vehicle in severe winter weather,if you were driving a rear wheel or maybe a front wheel drive I would recommend winter tires.Especially with such a sophisticated 4 wheel drive system where you can change the torque split from 60% 40% torque split in auto mode to 50% 50% split in snow mode, plus esp which send traction to the wheel that has the most grip.

 

[barho]

I had an 06 GCSRT and drove through two winters here in the Philly area. The 06 most certainly was nowhere near as good as as the 14 will be with the ability to turn a knob and change shift points, etc.

All I did was disable traction control in the heavy stuff and it did fantastic in the snow. Sure, the snows will help with traction and stopping, but if you live in NE you should already know how to drive in snow and realize that you allow several car lengths between you and the next guy.

Go with all seasons and save the coin. JMO

 

[SRT8BLK]

i have all seasons but ended up purchasing scorpion ice and snow and didn't have one regret. it is my daily driver. i figure if i get in an accident, i don't want to regret not buying snow tires after the fact.....

 

[Chris02stNg]

Granted I don't have an SRT yet... But my wife has an A5 with super low profile all seasons and 4 wheel drive, and that is just fine in the snow. The problem with that car is more about ground clearance. I live in mass too, so I know what kind of weather you are concerned about. In the end, if you just want to get home from work in a blizzard, I bet the regular stock all seasons will be more than fine, but if you want the ultimate in traction and don't mind spending the extra $, then snows certainly would do the trick.

Again, I don't have a jeep currently, so take this for what it's worth.

 

[SammyinMA]

Thank you very much for all the responses. There were valid points for both sides of the argument, and I actually agreed with all of them.

For now, I think I might stick with the all-seasons when I do place an order, and can always snag a set of snows later, if needed. It sounds like with the 4 wheel-drive system they offer (managing torque, shift points, etc.) it should be pretty capable stock, especially since my focus will be just getting through falling snow (like Chris02stNg mentions), rather than taking it up to Killington ski resort.

Mike

 

[PeteK]

Thank you very much for all the responses. There were valid points for both sides of the argument, and I actually agreed with all of them.

For now, I think I might stick with the all-seasons when I do place an order, and can always snag a set of snows later, if needed. It sounds like with the 4 wheel-drive system they offer (managing torque, shift points, etc.) it should be pretty capable stock, especially since my focus will be just getting through falling snow (like Chris02stNg mentions), rather than taking it up to Killington ski resort.

Mike

4 wheel drive won't help you stop.

dedicated snow tires blow away all seasons in temps 40 and under. It's like buying your second set of tires early, they last years.

 

[hntrgthrs]

I can't stress enough how good snow tires are in the winter. The AWD SRT with snow tires is going to only be stopped by the height of the snow at that point.

I will be putting winter tires on my '14.

 

[PeteK]

I can't stress enough how good snow tires are in the winter. The AWD SRT with snow tires is going to only be stopped by the height of the snow at that point.

I will be putting winter tires on my '14.

agree 100% the difference is night/day.

Look at it like this, your just buying a 2nd set of tires early... since you only run them half the year. Your summer tires will last that much longer.

 

[TRKHWK]

Used to run all seasons but after getting a set of dedicated snows 5 years ago, would never go back to all seasons.

https://youtu.be/2LJXNWY4ESY

 

[xJoshxx]

Used to run all seasons but after getting a set of dedicated snows 5 years ago, would never go back to all seasons.

https://youtu.be/2LJXNWY4ESY

X2 snow tires kinda ruin the fun as the control is 100% still there and no butt pucker events

if i had a chose an all season it would be conti dws06's hands down.

 

[PeteK]

X2 snow tires kinda ruin the fun as the control is 100% still there and no butt pucker events

if i had a chose an all season it would be conti dws06's hands down.

disagree
snow tires are more fun as the vehicle is much more predictable. I can easily swing out the back end while the front tires dig in. I know how the car will respond much better than running all seasons.

 

[MaineSRT]

Some advice from a fellow New Englander (Maine, to be exact):

Bought our '16 GC SRT in January this year (wife's daily driver). As luck would have it, we had about a week of beautiful weather, no snow on the ground. Then the sh!t hit the fan like it usually does.

The summer Pirellis were like ice-on-ice in the snow - totally unusable. We're talking hit the gas, wait a minute, then MAYBE move. Stopping was worse! I ordered a wheel/tire package from Tire Rack with some Scorpion winters on the wheels, and that alone prevented the wife from trading the SRT back in!

So, if you don't want to slide into something/someone and mess up your pretty SRT (or worse, SOMEONE), get some winter shoes and enjoy driving it in our lovely New England winters.

Hey guys,

I am looking to order a 2014 JGC SRT later this year. I had not planned to track or off-road the car, as it will be my daily driver, so I was planning to get it with the all-season tires. A buddy (who drives a 300 SRT8) recommended instead ordering it with the 3-season Pirellis and getting a dedicated set of snow tires for the winter, as he didn't seem to think the standard tires would be good enough in the New England winter.

Those of you with SRTs, what do you recommend. Would it be wise to try driving the JGC SRT in the winter on the standard all season rubber?

Mike