Winter Tyres

eslick

http://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/winter-tyre-safety

see here, just look at the breaking difference in ice and I would take the extra 11 meters

"Air temperature is a crucial factor in a tyre's ability to perform. When the temperature drops below 7°C, the tread compound in normal tyres begins to harden, providing less grip"

k9387

grizzly1911 wrote: »

Keep on spending guys just think of the Chancellor raking in all those 20%s.

I will say it again - you are not wasting money - you still cover the same number of miles, just that they are spead over two sets of tyres which are then changed less often. The £/mm of tyre tread is still constant.

grizzly1911

k9387 wrote: »

I will say it again - you are not wasting money - you still cover the same number of miles, just that they are spead over two sets of tyres which are then changed less often. The £/mm of tyre tread is still constant.

Providing you keep the car long enough and fully use them and you can move on your second set of wheels when you do change.


And I guess the cash in hand tyre change jobs, will eventually get paid out by the fitters in VAT & Duty somewhere.

I fully accept that they may have benefits at the margins of tolerance but if you drive within safe limits they are probably small in the whole scheme of things.

Interesting Continental advert popped up this year for Winter tyres not seen that before.

Weird_Nev

People really should try them before making up their minds.
I've driven quite a few cars on winter tyres, including taking a Nokian Shod BMW 330d - not the easiest car in bad conditions - to an alpine ski resort when 4x4's were sliding off the road. The difference in performance is night and day. From slithery, uncontrollable ,unsafe and downright dangerous to sure footed, planted, almost 'dry summer road' levels of grip.

I think it breaks down like this:
If you rely on your car for safety or wellbeing through winter, winter tyres could be considered necessary.
If you have alternative travel options or don't rely on your car, then you can ignore them.

But don't say 'you're wasting your money' until you've had first hand exprience of them.

Cash-Strapped.T32

Ok, this pic is a re-post of one I posted in another (bike) thread, but this was me just getting up the driveway last year (Derbyshire, so hardly the Arctic), I had similar fun the year before, and the one before that - 3yrs in a row makes something of a trend for me.



I post the pic to back up those who think winter tyres are a good idea in the weather we've had during recent years; Nothing worse than being behind some potato-car like a micra or corsa who can't make it up a hill in snow or ice/slush, so everyone in a row all has to stop & get stranded in turn.
Well, being behind one that starts to slide backwards is probably worse but you get my drift..

(And if this looks like fun to you imagine what the 40mi round trip to & from work every day was like )

Lum

Here's another one



Really reckon you'll get down that dip and up the hill ahead on summer tyres.

Another nice dip here too...



These are pics from the return journey, couldn't take pics on the outgoing, when there were no tyre tracks to drive in, as the amount of snow being flung upwards by my front bumper was too much for the camera to see though.

flyingscotno1

Another good vid-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahMDAr0ksM&feature=feedlik

Actually, I bought all-seasons with the snowflake,and they are great for what I do.

marlot

flyingscotno1 wrote: »

Actually, I bought all-seasons with the snowflake,and they are great for what I do.

That's what I do too

missile

SHIPSHAPE wrote: »

Believe it or not, the average temp for last winter was only -1.

I gather winter tyres are not even useful until at -7 or the like.

And how often do we have severe weather like last year anyway?

3 times in the last 50?

I had mid range tyres fitted during the whole of last winter and I got about without a hitch, even on icy roads, one has to adjust their driving to conditions.

If winter tyres were that useful then they would be mandatory, however, we live in the UK, not Lapland.

Load of cobblers.

Winter tyres give a marked improvement in stopping distance @ +7C and below.

Even in nany state Britain, condoms are not mandatory and there is no law against jumping out of an aeroplane without a parachute.

mikey72

missile wrote: »

Winter tyres give a marked improvement in stopping distance @ +7C and below.

Even in nany state Britain, condoms are not mandatory and there is no law against jumping out of an aeroplane without a parachute.

But like driving a car you can't control, if you land on me, I won't be happy.
I'm just about to put my winter tyres back on, and order a set for my wife's car.