Cheap 4x4

PsiDOC

andy8442 wrote: »

We wonder why the world grinds to a halt when 2" of snow falls in London, and we moan, and the rest of europe just laughs.

Isn't that the truth.
If the only justification for a 4x4 is just to get you through the 1 week of snow that may fall then look at a cheap 4x4 car and put snow tyres on.

Psi

vax2002

I gave a police x5 a tow up the hill here a few winters ago when I had the Renault rx4, to say he was stuck fast was an understatement and boy was he grateful, again winter tyres turn any 4x4 in to just about a rescue vehicle.

Lagopus

When I lived in upper Swaledale I had a Fiesta with mud and snow tyres on, it was pretty good, skinny wheels and lots of grip - used to struggle still on 1:3 slopes though!

I think I'll go for winter tyres but you'll have my OH to answer to if she gets stuck!

Flearoy

Was thinking about getting some winter tyres for my car, but thought better of it. Unless the people in front of me get winter tyres too I'll still be stuck!

Lum

Flearoy wrote: »

Was thinking about getting some winter tyres for my car, but thought better of it. Unless the people in front of me get winter tyres too I'll still be stuck!

That's true for any measure you might take to improve your performance on snow, such as buying a 4x4.

Strider590

Flearoy wrote: »

Was thinking about getting some winter tyres for my car, but thought better of it. Unless the people in front of me get winter tyres too I'll still be stuck!

Unless they're all queued up in lane 1 and lane 2 is untouched snow. But even then im betting some d*ck will strand themselves in the fresh snow JUST to stop you "queue jumping".

gadgeteer_2

Another vote for winter tyres. Last year our BMW was utterly useless as soon as we had more than 1mm of snow. We have 3 BMW's on my street and we were all completely snookered.

Then I went on holiday to Latvia where we hired a normal car with winter tyres and OMG what a difference. I was utterly amazed at how much snow i could drive through.

The other alternative are some autosocks. It doesn't seem very good value for money to get a 4x4 just for the few days in the Uk where we get snow.

Kilty_2

Winter tyres are awesome - I'm currently trying to track down a cheap set of wheels

fivetide

Flearoy wrote: »

Was thinking about getting some winter tyres for my car, but thought better of it. Unless the people in front of me get winter tyres too I'll still be stuck!

That was the only reason I didn't head out some days. Me - rear drive Merc, normal tyres no problem. Majority of the poulation? Stuck.

Even passed someone on a hill into a housing estate. He was about halfway up and having waited for him to move decided to just go for it.

Motored past him and the wheels were spinning away with the engine revving. Drove back down 10 mins later, hadn't moved an inch and still spinning wheels.

5t.

Flearoy

fivetide wrote: »

That was the only reason I didn't head out some days. Me - rear drive Merc, normal tyres no problem. Majority of the poulation? Stuck.

Even passed someone on a hill into a housing estate. He was about halfway up and having waited for him to move decided to just go for it.

Motored past him and the wheels were spinning away with the engine revving. Drove back down 10 mins later, hadn't moved an inch and still spinning wheels.

5t.

Agree! A few winters ago I'd recently had four of my usual brand of tyre (Goodyear Eagle NCT5) fitted to my old Mondeo before the first snow fell. The tread was very deep, being new, and this alone seemed to be enough for me to get better traction than most on snow, especially fairly soft, new snow. I appreciate that a softer compound winter tyre might also have given more grip on sub-zero but ice and snow free roads than a regular tyre, but for me, the new Goodyears were actually good enough. I lived much nearer to work at the time, but lived in a hilly town and had to use minor roads to get to work.

I now commute nearly 40 miles along a mix of dual carriageway, rural but major single carriageways and through towns, all heavily used roads (A50, A500, A34 if anyone knows them!) and to be honest, the roads go to pot if a truck breaks down in summer, so in the snow I might well be working from home, winter tyres or not. I don't have any hills to deal with as such now either. Think I'll leave the winter tyres this year (skint anyway) despite the advantages they have, and make sure I take my winter walking gear instead!