Chains or winter tyres?

VR4

Agree with all those who rate winter tyres. I have them on my VR4 (4 wheel drive estate car) and the difference is amazing. i used to have an RX8 (silly rear wheel drive car) and they transformed that car too. Truly phenomenal. You'd be hard pressed to not notice a difference immediately. They help you in cold conditions (below 7C I think), on snow and even ice. I like. Don't go out to especially get snow tyres though - there is a difference! Winter tyres are the best all-round option for me. As pointed out above, it's not too bad to simply change your wheels and doesn't hurt to put steel wheels on for part of the year if you can't find cheap alloys. Also, go for the smallest wheel you can because the tyres will be much cheaper - I had them on 18" alloys on the RX8 and the tyre prices were pretty scary.

AdrianHi

RE: Winter tyres and the real cost

For anyone concerned with the cost of winter tyres here are some costs I have found in the last few days.
On ebay I have found someone selling a set of used alloy wheels for my car, identical size and style to the ones I have. These wheels have winter tyres on them with about 4mm of tread left judging by the picture. Last bid I saw on them was at £430, they could have sold for a little more.
Elsewhere I have seen a second hand set of identical wheels with part worn summer tyres for sale with a trader for £150. Decent new winter tyres for my car can be had for under £100 each.
Total outlay £550 with a possible resale value of £430 = £120 + tyre fitting costs is roughly the real cost in the long run.
Not much really and I've heard it said winter tyres wear slower than summer tyres when used in winter (sub 7DegC) conditions. They do wear a lot faster in summer though.