John, thank you for persuing this. I do not believe I like their response, but, of course, that does not matter if I like it or not. I live in an area of four seasons, so I guess I will not be purchasing any more tires from them based on that information.
Tom
Weāve got 4 seasons in AZ but since they include āhotā, ātoo hotā and āmuch too hotā I will stick with the Vreds and endure the occasional road-trip to cooler climes.
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So my nearly new Vreds are trash from being stored in an un-heated space. Canāt win 
Based on my experience and reading of performance tires, Iād offer these classification of summer tire sensitivity to cold:
-
most sensitive - shouldnāt even be stored in cold temperatures (letās say below 0Ā°C) because the tread compound itself will deteriorate irreversibly in the cold. Race and extreme track/performance tires can be found here.
-
Donāt operate (roll or load the tire) in cold temps. The tread compound can crack. The tire can be stored and wonāt break down, but has to be brought back up to a suitable temperature before it can be used. Very high/extreme performance street tires can be found in this category.
-
Ineffective in cold temps. These tires arenāt damaged by cold temperature, but their compounds become ineffective and offer poor, possibly unsafe performance in the cold. Most other summer tires are here.
I suspected that the secret to the Vredestein Sprint Classicsā magical qualities was due to some sort of sticky tread compound. It makes sense - most classics donāt get a lot of miles, so if tread life had to be sacrificed, it wouldnāt be a major issue for most. The classics market doesnāt usually drive their cars in the cold, so why not make the tire much better in the conditions it will most likely face?
The only question remains are these category 1, 2 or 3? I suspect somewhere between category 2 and 3. I donāt recall hearing these warnings 10 years or so ago when these tires really began to become well known.
Dave
With a tread wear rating of 160 you know itās formulated for grip as opposed to long life. Thatās on the really low side of the ratings for tires of all kinds.
I wish someone would make a tire like this in our size. Unfortunately I guess the market is
too small to justify the capital layout.
The source info, from manufactures and auto makers has been cited.
Nick
.I had a left front tire CARCASS fail completely, instantly while driving the Jaguar at 45 mph on a narrow two lane road in rolling hills and pines, violent shaking and a sudden swerve into road centerā¦I was able to stop. 3/4 of the tread had come offā¦the rest still attachedā¦and had flapped around and round destroying the front fender. I was lucky. No head on crash, no off the road into a deep culvert or trees. $4,000 of repair. This failure was on a premier brand sports car tire, lots of tread, but was DOT date code old. The failure was due to age, and \ dried out internal tread to carcass glues. I just replaced nice looking, low mileage tires on two cars due to DOT manufacture date.
Nick
I did not attempt to portray my classifications as source fact. Iām unaware of any sort of standard regarding āsummerā tires and temperature durability, thus I created them (as I wrote) to indicate there are different levels durability. I could have written it as straight prose but I like classifying thingsā¦ 
From what people on this thread are indicating, we still donāt really know what ācategoryā the Vredesteins fall under, because the manufacturer has not been precise or very comprehensive describing it. Can they be stored in low temps?
I know what Tire Rack said - I pointed this out weeks ago in another similar thread. But Tire Rack gives this generic warning for many tires, and more, Vredestein (to my knowledge) has not yet backed up this very specific recommendation from Tire Rack, instead offering a much more generic warning. This is one factor keeping this topic alive.
The carcass contains rubber compounds to the best of my knowledge.When summer tires deteriorate from cold, I suspect itās due to the rubber decaying rather than the fabric/synthetic cords forming the binding of the carcass. Thus, perhaps I should have said ārubber compoundsā instead of tread, but the net effect is the same - tire breakdown.
Dave
See post 27 and 37 above.
The tread compound used in āsummer tiresā is different from that used in all season and now tires. And different rubber compounds are used in the same tire because different parts of the tire need to behave in different ways.
Three different articles on the critical factor, the Glass Transition Temperature.
How old was the tire, Nick?
Coincidently, I have an ancient set of 5 Michelin 205/70/15ās on my original rusty old OE spoked wheels. So old thereās no date code that I can find. Tires look like new. Still wonder why I am saving them! The wheels could be blasted and painted as the hubs are like new. But with new Daytonsā¦aināt likely thatāll ever happen.
now on car are Pirelli P4ā¦mf date Jan 2018., still 205-70-15. on MWS wires. 6inch rims, Vred may have a new tire out,.,.the Quatracā¦in some sizesā¦an all season tire. Michelin has a nice tire,. Nick
Though I think it will be 112 mph if using tubes.
What seems to be lacking in this dialogue is hard evidence that any summer tire has failed catastrophically in cold weather because of the nature of its composition. Beyond theoretical studies, can anyone find and post a link to any actual news item on summer tire failures in winter? Not talking about loss of traction accidents - those definitely happen - but sudden, catastrophic failures not caused by cold temperature underinflation but because of material embrittlement.
Iām not advocating the use of summer tires in winter - though many if not most of the drivers around these parts do just that - but propose that it is necessary to examine facts and assess attendant risk before reaching a conclusion.
My Vreds have now gone through four winters in storage with zero indication of checking or cracking or loss of flexibility. I also drive the car - hardtop on - from early spring (late March) into late fall (late November) when temps are near freezing and can detect no discernible change in handling, though most of the time Iām driving at speeds below 100 km/h.
Whereās the evidence?
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Good point Nick. I recall a professor who said āWithout data, itās just another opinionā.
Iāve not seen any warnings from manufacturers about sudden catastrophic failure. Everything Iāve see relates to cracking of the tread compound and chipping of the tread blocks. Iād guess that continued use with that kind of damage could eventually lead to tire failure.
Web site with pictures of the kind of potential damage that could occur.
and interesting discussion in a Camaro forum.
https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345631&page=2
Somebody, somewhere, will want them for āPeriod correctness.ā
Paul, from the trailer to concour judgingā¦I donāt do that.
Maybe I could put the old rusties on, hire some pigeonsā¦.instant barn find.
Maybe get to meet Carini !
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I just put on 205 Vreds on my S1 coupe, took off 8 year old Pirelliās, what a difference in handling and ride. And the Vredās look correct, most others have too square a profile from sidewall to tread for me. Like the period look and the handling of Vredās. In AZ, so no temp issues.
John
I read this thread with interest as I live in Vermont. Iām not likely to be driving in bitter cold as the car will surely be in storage by then - but this video is from a tour I took with my 7 year old son as copilot up and over smugglerās notch (one of the most beautiful drives in the world imo). Note the snow at the roads edge.
I am in Vermont August and September. If I ever get the Jag to the point I can trust it on a long drive i would love to meet up with any JL listers for a drive. I like 17 from Bristol to Sugar Bush. Smuggs is great drive.
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