Lousy tread life, past the first season terrible in the rain, mediocre grip, and horrible flat spotting....

Stick to Bridgstone / Yokohama / Kumho and you should be good.

"Summer" tires can be the best performers in the wet, and very capable of outperforming all-season tires in wet conditions. There are many warm climates where it rains, though Southern California isn't one of them. 

Many summer tires have tread patterns optimized to channel water away. The reasons summer tires aren't recommended in the winter is because 1) a high void tread pattern good for channeling water is bad for snow traction and 2) often summer tires are made with compounds that harden in cold temperatures, reducing their grip. Some of the more extreme performance summer tires supposedly are damaged if stored in cold conditions.

If you will never drive in snow, I would unquestionably buy a good summer tire with good wet-weather capabilities. If you're not autocrossing or tracking the car, get summer tires that aren't temperature sensitive, and carry chains if you have any fear of being caught in a snow situation...

Thanks Guys, it's a 92 190E that needs shoes.

Of course with most of my purchases, it comes down to $ so why I asked the question. I quit driving like I'm setting the land speed record a long time ago so I guess I'll go with all season for longevity.

I've always wondered about this so I'm know "edumigicated" on the subject. 

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Given that you are in SoCal stick with summer tires, they will stand the summer heat better and pay you back with much shorter stopping distances.....important when the I-5 comes to sudden standstill from 75mph....

Check out the tire rack for comparison tests....very informative

Quick, What is this daily driver?

Your seasons are not that drastic. I would look for a street tire for the model vehicle you have with an overall rating. All season may be good. look at mileage average for the tire and your typical driving mode (highway, in city, etc).

 If you have a reasonalbe amount of experience of driving in wet weather, buying specific tires for this is not necessary.

"All Season" tires usually will last longer and have less rolling resistance - allowing better fuel economy. They also have tread mileage warranties - ranging from 30K to 80K miles depending on brand/model. The higher the mileage warranty, the harder the rubber compound. The harder compounds will sometimes start losing traction later in the tread life - just are not sticky enough and slip easily in wet or dry conditions.

Choice depends on your desires and driving style/needs.

Also, the sticky "Summer" tires will often have a higher price.

In southern Kalifornia unless you're riding on slicks, I would be more worried about all the other folks that have completely forgotten how to drive in the wet.

But I really believe the whole point of the thread is to diss all of us in the great frozen north....
Fall is a fleeting season. Soon we'll all be covered in the white stuff...... and salt lot's and lot's of salt... and then even more salt.
Did I mention that they salt the roads around here??

I wonder how many tens of thousands of miles I have driven in rain or snow with "regular" tires. Once upon a time, there was just regular/summer tires, and luggy snow-tires for northern folks in winter. In Socal, I would think summer tires would be fine

On my daily driver, does it really make a difference for Southern California driving? If I shoudl buy summer tires, does that mean that I am going to totally loose all traction in the rain?

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 Got Parts? Need Parts?
"I'm Looking For A Small British Car Running Project"
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