Winter tyres?

adon30

I have had winter tyres fitted on my car for two seasons now and can not begin to describe how much safer the car is.
This year we also bought some for the other car. 205/55R16 Continentals for £365 from Kwik-fit (of all places). These are probably the same as stated at the beginning of the thread. The Michelins that were on the car for warmer weather use were £78 each. So comparison wise the price isn’t much different.
For any of my cars I would never buy a cheap tyre. Why? You might ask. Well the test results speak for themselves. Less traction and cornering ability and they also take up to 10 meters longer to stop a car than decent quality tyres.
This was a test performed by Autocar:
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/uk/en/continental/automobile/themes/press_services/autocar_tyre_test_en.html
There are plenty of other tests out there. The winter tyre tests also show that the cheap versions do not offer much wet weather grip. They might be ok in the snow. But last time I looked the UK had more wet days than snow days.

As for winter tyres, again why buy the cheapest. Surely you want the ones that are going to be best. For the sake of £10 - 20 a tyre (On a 16” more on the larger sizes) is it really worth it. These are the only things that contact with the road. People who run 4 different brands and then run them to the limit just haven’t got a clue. They are endangering every other road user and pedestrian out there. It is about time the law was changed to a 2mm minimum tread anyway. But even this does not provide much improvement.

I don't see winter tyres as an extra cost at all. The way I see it I would still be doing 4000 miles on some sort of tyres from Dec to March anyway. So I just happen to be doing it on a tyre that is suited for the conditions.

Kilty_2

Unfortunately everyone seems to be buying the cheapest ones because all that was available to me was premiums :rotfl:

More than happy with them though

adon30

Kilty wrote: »

Unfortunately everyone seems to be buying the cheapest ones because all that was available to me was premiums :rotfl:

More than happy with them though

If you ended up buying the contis (like us) they came 3rd in this test
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-AMS-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

Also they are one of the best wet winter tyres (due to directional tread) which is greatly suited to the uk.

Anyone who wants something a little cheaper I have seen Semperits on ebay at a good price. Avoid the Infinitys though, my experience of them was awful.

kevanf1

PsiDOC wrote: »

Hi all. Do you think my tyres will be ok for use in snow?



Thanks.
Psi

Erm, actually no. Those treads will soon clog up with snow and you'll end up with the equivalent of slicks.

Snow tyres actually have a lot of very thin grooves and the rubber compound is extremely soft in order to squeeze the snow out of those grooves. Those tyres you have look more like mud terrains which will be quite hard compound to 'dig' into mud off road.

I wouldn't personally waste my money on 'snow' tyres. They are the same as any other on our sort of slippery roads where we get a lot of black ice. If you really want grip then you need proper studded tyres that will bite into the snow.

I believe the hype about 'winter tyres' is coming more from the tyre manufacturers hoping to get even more money out of us drivers than any safety related organisations recommending them.

alastairq

As for winter tyres, again why buy the cheapest. Surely you want the ones that are going to be best. For the sake of £10 - 20 a tyre (On a 16” more on the larger sizes) is it really worth it. These are the only things that contact with the road. People who run 4 different brands and then run them to the limit just haven’t got a clue. They are endangering every other road user and pedestrian out there. It is about time the law was changed to a 2mm minimum tread anyway. But even this does not provide much improvement.

well, actually, yes, I do have a clue..a very professional clue at that.

However, that's by the by.

My current car is running 4 different tyres...4 different tread patterns.

I haven't visited any ditches whatsoever, even if my tyres are 'chinese ditch-finders'....

I have never run out of braking distance.....leastwise, not in recent years....

But then, since I always drive 'within the law'..as should every good driver.....I don't ever 'push my luck' with regards to required tyre performance.

During the course of the recent bad weather...as a rural dweller with a long, cross-country commute, I have never yet had 'problems' with lack of grip, steering or braking....and I live on the East side of the country, which has been hard-hit this year.

My car is a 'basic' model, of some age....mechanically fine 'n dandy...

but it doesn't run 'low' profile tyres or wide wheels....it does't have power steering..[nor ABS or any other electronic aids]....so maybe because , as the driver, I have more 'communication' with what is happening with the car, than would be the case if I were driving a modern, more 'insulated' machine, I have been able to drive within the limits of the car and conditions.

Having felt obliged to render assistance to those in front of me, once they've lost the plot, I have noted that quite a large number were fitted out with 'winter' tyres.......

So I must conclude, the greatest contribution a driver can make when driving in such adverse weather conditions,is appropriate driver skill!

There is some concern within the world of 'driving standards' that drivers place an unconscious reliance upon technology to 'keep them safe'....

I have had proper winter [snow] tyres on cars in the past....the last set being some incredibly good value remoulds from the now-defunct Colway company...labelled as 'thermal' tyres [ie effective below 7 degreesC]...they actually lasted all-year round..before being changed out with 4mm of tread left, after more than 30,000 miles.

However, with the last set, neither did the country see much snow over a 3 year period.......

maybe I should get some more, then the snow will go away for another 3 years....?

Vredestein seem to be one of the better winter tyre makers these days.......

Lum

adon30 wrote: »

If you ended up buying the contis (like us) they came 3rd in this test
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-AMS-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

Also they are one of the best wet winter tyres (due to directional tread) which is greatly suited to the uk.

Best dry score and second best wet score.

The Nokian's I bought got a better wet score and almost as good a dry score, but not so great on snow, but that's ok because that's what chains are for.

Thanks for validating my purchase, even if the total score in that test puts them 10th.

Shame they didn't test on ice

tenuissent

"I believe the hype about 'winter tyres' is coming more from the tyre manufacturers hoping to get even more money out of us drivers than any safety related organisations recommending them."

I have been using winter tyres for years because I've done a lot of winter driving in Germany where insurance doesn't work unless you change to winter tyres from a certain date - and they are about to become legally compulsory as well.

I didn't really believe in them until I got a ferry back to Dover after a freak snow fall and found the town in chaos with jack-knifed lorries and sliding cars blocking the road out of Dover. I was able to drive round obstructions and leave Dover by a different route with no difficulty, purely because of these tyres, which were not very common then in UK.

mikey72

I bought the Nokians based on their performance in slush.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2010-Auto-Express-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

adon30

kevanf1 wrote: »

I wouldn't personally waste my money on 'snow' tyres. They are the same as any other on our sort of slippery roads where we get a lot of black ice. If you really want grip then you need proper studded tyres that will bite into the snow.

Studded tyres are actually classed as Scandinavian winter tyres. The ones that are usually seen in this country are central European winter tyres. As for one being better than the other there really isn’t much difference. In fact the top tyre in snow related tests was a Continental TS830P which outperformed the studded tyres.

However if snow did get that bad then chains or Snow socks would be a much better alternative as even winter tyres wouldn’t cope.

I can agree with what was said above that driver capabilities also has a big involvement in how well people can cope in these conditions. But the right equipment goes a long way to helping also. It also helps you stop when the unexpected happens, like a small child stepping into the road. I am much happier knowing that I will be able to stop (ABS coincidently is optimized for winter conditions and winter tyres) and keep others safe rather than carrying on for many metres even when I am driving 'within the law'.

kevanf1

tenuissent wrote: »

"I believe the hype about 'winter tyres' is coming more from the tyre manufacturers hoping to get even more money out of us drivers than any safety related organisations recommending them."

I have been using winter tyres for years because I've done a lot of winter driving in Germany where insurance doesn't work unless you change to winter tyres from a certain date - and they are about to become legally compulsory as well.

I didn't really believe in them until I got a ferry back to Dover after a freak snow fall and found the town in chaos with jack-knifed lorries and sliding cars blocking the road out of Dover. I was able to drive round obstructions and leave Dover by a different route with no difficulty, purely because of these tyres, which were not very common then in UK.

Hi tenuissent

I'm not doubting the effectiveness of the tyres but I do feel that we are being pushed into buying them over here by the likes of Pirelli (who I have heard are lobbying government to have them made compulsory) and Goodyear. Our snow falls tend to last a few days after which we get either ice over the top or layers of partially thawed and refrozen snow (ice again). Snow tyres are only really good in snow where they do excel. If we had blanket covering of snow that lasted for 4 weeks+ then snow tyres would make more sense. We just do not get snow in the same manner as other European countries, ask any skier. We are a much damper country and this promotes the changing of snow into ice much quicker than the places where snow remains snow in the powdery soft substance that we all love

I think a lot of the problems we have in this country in the winter is more down to the low profile, sports style tyres that more and more cars have fitted as standard. That coupled with ever increasingly poorer driving standards. That last is not aimed at readers here by the way.