2 or 4 Winter Tyres

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

derrick wrote: »

Only "needed" for driving wheels.

Don't forget to inform you insurance as you are "modernising/changing" vehicle spec.


.

Wrong on both counts, and stupidly dangerous advice on the first.

SHIPSHAPE

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

Wrong on both counts, and stupidly dangerous advice on the first.

You're wrong too on the insurance point.

I can speak from experience because my insurer informed me had I just gone ahead with having winter tyres put on my car without informing them prior then insurance would have been invalid as it would be classed as changing spec.

Back to the OP, a premium tyre such as Michelin Energy Saver scores as good as what winter tyres are specifically for.

Markyt

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

I can speak from experience because my insurer informed me had I just gone ahead with having winter tyres put on my car without informing them prior then insurance would have been invalid as it would be classed as changing spec.

your insurance company is wrong and has misinformed you - so says the Association of British Insurers. Putting winter tyres on a car is NOT a modification.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11969958

vaio

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

You're wrong too on the insurance point.

I can speak from experience because my insurer informed me had I just gone ahead with having winter tyres put on my car without informing them prior then insurance would have been invalid as it would be classed as changing spec.......

Assuming the tyres were suitable for the car then maybe you should refer them to the recent ABI pronouncement on the subject?

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

......Back to the OP, a premium tyre such as Michelin Energy Saver scores as good as what winter tyres are specifically for.

Energy Saving and winter tyre levels of grip? If anyone could make single tyre that had both then they would corner the market

mikey72

My Michelin Energy E3B are nothing like my Nokians.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

You're wrong too on the insurance point.

I can speak from experience because my insurer informed me had I just gone ahead with having winter tyres put on my car without informing them prior then insurance would have been invalid as it would be classed as changing spec.

Back to the OP, a premium tyre such as Michelin Energy Saver scores as good as what winter tyres are specifically for.

Your insurer didn't know what they were on about. In truth, your insurer was some lackey in a call centre who didn't understand what a winter tyre is. I'd love to see an insurance company try and use this excuse to get out of paying, in a courtroom. It'd never happen.

tripled

You only have two snow socks on the driving wheels as they are to get you out of trouble when you are stuck. If you were to do longer distance driving on snow, you should get 4 chains and/or winter tyres (snow socks would wear). Chains are probably a bit overkill in England/Wales though. Apparently winter tyres also perform better below 8 deg C than summer tyres, even when the road isn't icy.

This video will explain why you should have four winter tyres. It compares braking in snowy conditions, then demonstrates the effects of only having the tyres on the front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdtAm7RsTmE

I don't actually have winter tyres on, but that's because I can't afford four at the moment (although I could stretch to two) so I have gone for a pair of snow socks instead.

bigjl

vaio wrote: »

Do your ambulances only need them on the driven wheels or are your bosses ignoring your advice and fitting them all round?

Please do stop quoting small parts of other peoples posts out of context, it is a bit boring.

You don't need to have winter tyres all round on a front drive car, though best practice is to have them all round.

This is a thread about a minimum expenditure on winter tyres, if you are a competent driver, lack of accidents doesn't mean you are competent in all circumstances, then you can have just the driven wheels with winter tyres on, you will have better traction, but no, it won't make your family car into a WRC car.

As you will see I have posted elsewhere that I didn't use the snowsocks, preferring to use just the standard tyres, though there would be a traction benefit to having the snowsocks fitted, I didn't want them and never got stuck in 8 hours of driving on ungritted roads anyway, mainly because of the additional hassle of having to take them off when back on main roads that had less snow on them.


As this is moneysavingexpert forum not pedanticimmaturechild forum I have answered the question asked.

If you have the money then it is obvious that the "best practice" option is a complete set of matched tyres.

If you are financially constrained then putting them on the front of a FWD car is a reasonable compromise.

What opinion do you have apart from wanting to turn the thread into a slagging match because some people might not agree with your opinion on this or some other thread.

bigjl

mikey72 wrote: »

That will work in London, where you don't have any decent hills, but once gravity overcomes friction, then there's no way you're going to move. 2 Winter tyres are definately better then none then.

Oh, I don't know about that, there are some pretty severe gradients in and around Highgate.

My point with the snowsocks was to illustrate that putting them on the driven wheels to assist with traction is acceptable and accepted by the LAS insurers and would have been run past the MetPol aswell.

Though winter tyres are almost certainly better than snowsocks, the same principle applies, better traction on the driven wheels of a FWD car doesn't make it unsafe.

I still think the main issue with driving in snow is when the car slows or stops, as when you try to put the power down there isn't enough traction, I was always taught to judge speed in such a way as not to have to stop in snow or ice, but just try to keep moving at a constant pace.

One thing I found in my Mondeo (130bhp) in comparison to my wifes Clio(68bhp) was that the Mondeo's torque caused the vehicle to lose traction very easily, the less meaty Clio had no such issues.

RWD is hilarious in the snow and ice, any loss of traction and the rear heads towards the edge of the road or with any gradient.

If it came down to it I think a RWD car would really benefit from a full set of winter tyres, though we had few problems with the RWD Sprinter and LDV Ambulances, though admittedly a few of the "young-uns" stacked more than a few Sprinters, but always through understeering, the LDV's had no ABS and I don't know of any that where crashed, but this may be down to the ABS, anybody remember when ABS first came out in the Audi's, a big deal was made of the fact that you could turn it off, as after trials in some Scandanavian countries it was found that as the car came to a halt, say less than 10 or 15 mph a locked wheel would actuall slow a car faster than one with ABS trying to sort out the lock of grip.

Then again I was taught to cadence brake in such situations, mainly due to no cars having ABS when I learned to drive, I still keep thinking about getting another Austin A40, that car really honed my driving skills, at a safe and slow speed aswell, I have seen one featured in a mag with a Ford V6 engine in it, wibble..............

Petal_3

Hi there

Wasn't sure which Winter tyres thread to post this on but as this seems to be fairly current, I have opted for this one. I'm looking for a set of 4 Winter tyres for my VW Eos. My drive at home is on a reasonably long incline with a bend and our road is uphill with sweeping bends and my current tyres just can't make it in the snow. Earlier this year I got stuck trying to get up the road and even with male assistance "do you want me to do it for you?"....budging the car was a no go! Anyhow, my tyre spec is 235 40 R18 95Y. Any ideas as to best place / prices for Winter tyres at the mo? Called my local Costo to get an idea and was quoted £283 each for Michelins....Ouch! I'm planning to drive with them until the Spring and then change back. Any help/advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks
~X~