Winter car tyres

[porter_jamie]

missus has cross climates on tje volvo year round. it's a right ballache getting them swapped or even storing some spare rims if you go full winters so this is a good compromise. they are very good and are better than summer and winters for the majority of the weather we get in the uk (ie not that hot, not really cold, a lot of the time its damp and wet). I take comfort in the fact that if she has to do an emergency stop she has the best chance of avoiding a prang.
I'm my experience, most people who say that winters are not necessary have not actually tried them. I have full winters on the bus as we live in a cul de sac with a steep hill to get out and if I dont get to work I dont get paid. the amount of grip you get when it is snowy is remarkable. why you wouldn't want lots of grip is beyond me. you can go out on a race bike in the pissing rain on slicks, and I have, but youd be much better off with wets.

if you fit chinese fukudieyoungs your opinion is invalid:)

[Claude]

Proper winter tyres (during a proper winter) are awesome. It’s amazing the grip you get. Driven on many a snowboard holiday.

In this country it depends where you are and the roads you drive. A couple of years ago I was debating going full winters I had a 4x4 (std tyres were rubbish) and I’d seen what my mates could do with his, up snowy climbs I wouldn’t have tried walking.
But in the end I didn’t bother and the temp never dropped below 7 degrees, kinda the tipping point for winter tyres to come into their own.
Cross climates did look to be an excellent compromise.
I’m considering a set for Mrs C’s 1.5 petrol xtrail.
Std tyres are again rubbish. It’ll wheelspin in the dry with its pesky little petrol blower.

[Mr. Dazzle]

It does matter quite a lot where you live. I'm in Southern England....the roads are generally flat, generally busy and as a result generally we'll gritted. As above, when it gets even remotely bad the problem is other traffic anyway.

The last time we had vaguely proper snow I drove my RWD car home in snow/compacted snow/slush and it took me 2.5hrs to do what is normally a 45min journey. The car coped pretty well, although it did get its brakes rather hot (it brakes each wheel individually to keep it all square). However I couldn't have gone any faster simply cause it was nose to tail traffic at 15-20mph (on 60 limit roads) the whole way.

[millemille]

Yep, both the missus Smart fortwo and my van go on winters as soon as we get a couple of consecutive frosts and stay on until the temperature is consistently above 6 degrees, usually around Easter time.

They are brilliant. I popped over to the Sainsbury's Matlock one Sunday morning in winter a couple of years ago in the Smart, cold and over cast on the way over and while I was shopping it started snowing. Hard. There was a couple of inches settled by the time I set off home.

It was tres, tres amusing to drive up Cromford hill without a care in the world while Evoque's and Jukes and the like were unable to move, just sitting there spinning.

[Mussels]

It does matter quite a lot where you live. I'm in Southern England....the roads are generally flat, generally busy and as a result generally we'll gritted. As above, when it gets even remotely bad the problem is other traffic anyway.

The last time we had vaguely proper snow I drove my RWD car home in snow/compacted snow/slush and it took me 2.5hrs to do what is normally a 45min journey. The car coped pretty well, although it did get its brakes rather hot (it brakes each wheel individually to keep it all square). However I couldn't have gone any faster simply cause it was nose to tail traffic at 15-20mph (on 60 limit roads) the whole way.

That's why I'm not bothering now, if we get a decent amount of snow other cars and the weather turn it to ice and winter tyres won't work on that anyway, I'll just stay at home for a couple of days. When I drove to work on country lanes I did bother and the difference was obvious. Now I can work from home I'm unlikely to get stuck in my southeastern town but have some plastic snow chains in the boot just in case it gets that bad.

[The Martian]

I don't want more grip, I look forward to the winter months when tail out fun is done at lower speeds and with less wear on the tyres

[Skub]

I don't want more grip, I look forward to the winter months when tail out fun is done at lower speeds and with less wear on the tyres

Slip wears tyres faster than grip!

[The Martian]

I don't want more grip, I look forward to the winter months when tail out fun is done at lower speeds and with less wear on the tyres

Slip wears tyres faster than grip!

But slip on slippy wears slower than slip on grippy

[Yorick]

I don't want more grip, I look forward to the winter months when tail out fun is done at lower speeds and with less wear on the tyres

Slip wears tyres faster than grip!

But slip on slippy wears slower than slip on grippy

Slippy groovy :ugeek:

[Newey]

Brigestone Blizzacks for me, full on winter studless tyre cos it will 100% snow and ice up here and yes you can notice the difference between all seasons and snow tyres, they will be going on next week.

[Mussels]

For anyone thinking of getting a set of studs I wouldn't bother. I looked into getting some when I had AT tyres on a Jeep, you need to put the studs in when the tyre is new otherwise they tend to fall out and your can't use them all the time as they damage the road like chains do.
The best tyre I found on ice were Continental tyres with what looked like crushed glass buried in the rubber, I only used them on the pushbike but they were great across sheet ice and felt as good as riding with full studs.

[Kneerly Down]

Studded tyres are, I believe, illegal to use on UK roads.

[The Afterburner]

The Michelin Pilot Sports on my car seem fine all year round, and given that you don't live in the artic waste that is East Anglia in winter, I think you'll be okay on normal tyres.

East Anglia in winter . In North Yorks we call that the tropics