Yes, tires are very sensitive to temperature. They carry the race tires in refrigerated trailers anymore to preserve the quality for races. In addition to cracking, tires turn brown when they start to age. Almost makes the use of tire shine necessary to keep them from drying out.
My mercedes 240d had a cold start procedure for extreme conditions. Pull out the cold start advance, twist the high idle knob all the way clockwise.Turn key and wait 20 second. Press accelerator to the floor and hold it and the starter for 30 seconds. If it didnt catch repeat.
They also recommended adding a few gallons of gas-o-line to the diesel tank too or use a blend of kerosene in the colder climates.