2 or 4 Winter Tyres

pwllbwdr

Fine. You choose your tyres based on average temperatures. I'll choose mine based on the possible extremes. I'd rather have safety in the cold stuff.

C_Crawford

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

Why not properly read what I wrote?

A premium tyre like Michelin ES perform outstandingly well in the wet, dry, cold etc in all tests that are performed to rate a tyre.

A winter tyre only differs due to their compound which only comes into effect at -7 and below.

Considering the coldest December for 100 years has just passed where the average temp for the month wasn't even -1 then what I originally stated is true.

One is better off buying premium tyres, even for the winter, than buying specifically winter tyres in the UK.

I beg to differ, sorry.
I have been using Michelin Pilot Primacy's since I bought my car (07 TDCI focus) just over 3 years ago and have covered 62k since then.
I love these tyres and would recomend them to anyone, expensive but good wearing and excellent in the wet.
However... as soon as the temps drop below 9c they really don't work very well. In snow or slush they are hopeless and last year I found myself sliding down my hill outside my house in a mixture of compacted snow and slush towards a busy main road. (Narrowly avoiding parked cars as I went) Luckily the bottom of the hill was gritted and clear!

Also the delivery of power in my TDCI in the winter also causes problems, pulling away from junctions, entering and exiting roundabouts in cold weather was intertaining to say the least.
The turbo gives all its torque at 1750rpm, so if you touch this whilst pulling away you will either wheelspin and go nowhere and exiting roundabouts makes you understeer across the road.

This is to do with 1st being very low and second being a big Jump if you change too soon. You end up sitting praying for boost on a busy road or roundabout, then of course you get it and wheelspin all the power away. I became a Dad in August and this is what prompted me to look into winter tyres and do lots of reading and video watching as I now have a wee boy on board. So after lots of research I now have 4 x Goodyear Ultragrip 7+ tyres fitted and wow the difference is night and day.

I used to think that winter tyres was a waste of money, but I am a convert. They are expensive but I now won't need to buy tyres for 3 years now I have a set of Summer and winter so the cost over the 3 years will be very similar. The guys at work laughed at me when I told them I had them fitted and the cost, well they laughed until it snowed the other week and I had to run some of them home from work as they couldn'y get out the work car park :-)

PS: On the handling side of things they do feel different and are not as responsive as the Michelins but this was expected due to the softer compound.

skiddlydiddly

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

Why not properly read what I wrote?

A premium tyre like Michelin ES perform outstandingly well in the wet, dry, cold etc in all tests that are performed to rate a tyre.

A winter tyre only differs due to their compound which only comes into effect at -7 and below.

Considering the coldest December for 100 years has just passed where the average temp for the month wasn't even -1 then what I originally stated is true.

One is better off buying premium tyres, even for the winter, than buying specifically winter tyres in the UK.

Its +7 degrees C, not -7 degrees so they are useful from autumn on really.

C_Crawford

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

Its +7 degrees C, not -7 degrees so they are useful from autumn on really.

I have found it to be 9c and under and not the 7c and under that others talk of, I'm sure the manufacturers also say 7c not -7 though.

skiddlydiddly

I don't think its been above 7c since I had mine fitted so I cannot comment .

C_Crawford

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

I don't think its been above 7c since I had mine fitted so I cannot comment .

Was 9c in Paisley for a short time on the 31st of Jan, this is why I know about grip Levels at this temp.
Since then it's been a high of 4c and there is more snow coming supposedly.

flyingscotno1

Well I switched to Nokian all-seasons before the bad weather began. I know they get the reputation as 'crap at everything' but I've been fairly happy with them.

I don't have the space to store winter tyres so they have been good for me, nice amount of grip in cold and snow and seem fairly decent in the warmer milder conditions. I've certainly been impressed by them- far better than the summer tyres all year were. I want the grip in snow and ice and I'll cope with limited hooning potential in summer- I have a hatchback not a sports car.

mikey72

flyingscotno1 wrote: »

Well I switched to Nokian all-seasons before the bad weather began. I know they get the reputation as 'crap at everything' but I've been fairly happy with them.

I don't have the space to store winter tyres so they have been good for me, nice amount of grip in cold and snow and seem fairly decent in the warmer milder conditions. I've certainly been impressed by them- far better than the summer tyres all year were. I want the grip in snow and ice and I'll cope with limited hooning potential in summer- I have a hatchback not a sports car.

Which tyre is it?

Ian_W

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

Why not properly read what I wrote?
I think he did - you were wrong on the insurance point and wrong that the ES would give as good grip as a pukka winter tyre.
A premium tyre like Michelin ES perform outstandingly well in the wet, dry, cold etc in all tests that are performed to rate a tyre.
The reviewers on this site don't think so - Mitch ES rating v Mitch ALPIN A4. No difference?
A winter tyre only differs due to their compound which only comes into effect at -7 and below.
Apart from the wrong info about temps many have tread designed to self clean snow out of of them.
Considering the coldest December for 100 years has just passed where the average temp for the month wasn't even -1 then what I originally stated is true.
Only if you can't tell the difference between below 7c and MINUS 7c!! Most of the UK has long spells of average temps below 7c from November to March, winter tyres are not less effective above that temp but summer tyres are MUCH less effective below it.
One is better off buying premium tyres, even for the winter, than buying specifically winter tyres in the UK.
One would be better off having a read of THIS,THIS or THIS and similar articles before opening one's mouth and putting one's foot so spectacularly in it!!

Last winter I had a 4wd vehicle w/o winter tyres and got around OK (just) in some pretty poor conditions. This year in similar conditions I'm driving a 2wd vehicle and original spec PREMIUM brand tyres are well rated for everything except snow. For this reason I invested in winter tyres and the grip, braking & cornering is much more assured than I had last year with 4wd.

I'm a convert and if you weigh it up - the only extra cost is the wheels. the tyres are just an earlier cost as the two sets together will last as long as, well, two sets! - it needn't be an overly expensive option.

As for the OPs question, fitting 2 doesn't feel as if it should be a good idea but I'll leave it for others to argue it out

C_Crawford

Ian_W wrote: »

Last winter I had a 4wd vehicle w/o winter tyres and got around OK (just) in some pretty poor conditions. This year in similar conditions I'm driving a 2wd vehicle and original spec PREMIUM brand tyres are well rated for everything except snow. For this reason I invested in winter tyres and the grip, braking & cornering is much more assured than I had last year with 4wd.

I'm a convert and if you weigh it up - the only extra cost is the wheels. the tyres are just an earlier cost as the two sets together will last as long as, well, two sets! - it needn't be an overly expensive option.

As for the OPs question, fitting 2 doesn't feel as if it should be a good idea but I'll leave it for others to argue it out

Well said, the 2 Vs 4 winter tyres will rage on forever I guess and it's all down to your own personal driving ability I feel.
I coped fine and actually quite enjoyed a wee bit of lift off oversteer. Would I let my partner and 5 month old baby Drive the car like this? Absolutely no way, I underestimated the grip levels at the front and I am not shy to admitting this and for this reason I am so glad I now have 4 Winter tyres on my Focus rather than 2. My only worry now is all the people with summer tyres still driving like idiots and hitting me or my partner in the cold/snowy conditions. If anything I have become a very very defensive driver this winter.