Too soon for winter tyres...?

gilbert_and_sullivan

andygb wrote: »

Everyone knows that you should treat new tyres with respect for the first 20 miles or so, just to get rid of the mould release agent on the surface, but as for the first 100 or even 200 miles, the jury is out, because many people think that it is just the driver adapting to the different feel and grip.

Can't speak for anyone else, only my own experiences of tyres.

Most normal tyres do need a scrubbing or bedding in period before they start to give their best, ranging from 100 to 200 for most car tyres, 2000 for big 4x4 tyres and around 5000 miles for some premium truck tyres but not so long for others, and yes i'm serious at 5000 miles or around 3 weeks to a month for a one driver truck, most uncomfortable sensation when you have either a brand new vehicle or worse a full new set on the drive axle.

I've bought 2 full sets of winter tyres, one set for my car needed around 500 miles before grip perfected, the different make on my 4x4 needed no bedding in at all full grip from the moment of fitting.

I don't buy junk, this is not the difference between ditchfinders and proper tyres.

marlot

proactive wrote: »

wot do you do after winter then take them off and put normal ones on and just store the winter ones in your house til next year?

Yep! Alloy wheels with decent summer tyres on for most of the year. Steel wheels with winter tyres for Nov-Feb.

jetplane

After much research I've just ordered all season tyres from Germany to be delivered and fitted by a local garage. We have relatives there and it is compulsory to use winter tyres or be fined. However after offsetting the cost and storage of two sets of tyres for each car I decided to go for hankook optimo 4S which only just pipped vredestein quatrec.

I've ordered them now because last year winter tyres just sold out so quick and then prices got silly with increased demand.

Shimrod

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

To answer Harveybobbles very good question, i imagine many people have bought winter rubber for the first time this year, so it makes sense to get them bedded in before the temperature plummets.

I've had my winter tyres on for about three weeks now. Nothing to do with bedding them in but economics. I had to replace my rear tyres in August, and my front tyres were due at the beginning of October. I didn't want to pay out for two summer tyres, and then again for 4 winter tyres a few weeks later.

I can definitely feel the difference in car handling when the temp has been 16 degrees and the few cold mornings we've had so far. There is much less grip at the warmer temperature.

proactive

marlot wrote: »

Yep! Alloy wheels with decent summer tyres on for most of the year. Steel wheels with winter tyres for Nov-Feb.

didn't think of that i wonder how many years the winter tyres can be used for then can you get three or four winters out of them?

mikey72

proactive wrote: »

didn't think of that i wonder how many years the winter tyres can be used for then can you get three or four winters out of them?

Mine look nearly new after one year, so if I get 15 to 20,000 miles out of front tyres normally, I'd say I'm good for at least 3 years, maybe 4.

proactive

wild i never knew about winter tyres before this thread maybe the government will make them mandatory to bring us in line with other european countries

vaio

Stating the bleeding obvious but it depends on when you change them, run them to 1.6mm and they'll last longer than if you change them at the recommended 3 or 4mm.

I wouldn't start a winter with winter tyres down below 4mm so if they are at this level come spring I tend to leave them on into the summer rather than taking them off.

I'm pretty sure my current Bridgestone winters have two wear bars, one at the normal 1.6mm and another at the 3.5/4mm recommended change level for winters which might explain why ebay (other auction sites are available) has lots of second hand winters imported from Europe at the 3.5/4mm level

marlot

vaio wrote: »

...which might explain why ebay (other auction sites are available) has lots of second hand winters imported from Europe at the 3.5/4mm level

Oh yes. We Brits are good at buying scrap from other countries!

neilmcl

vaio wrote: »

Stating the bleeding obvious but it depends on when you change them, run them to 1.6mm and they'll last longer than if you change them at the recommended 3 or 4mm.

I wouldn't start a winter with winter tyres down below 4mm so if they are at this level come spring I tend to leave them on into the summer rather than taking them off.

I'm pretty sure my current Bridgestone winters have two wear bars, one at the normal 1.6mm and another at the 3.5/4mm recommended change level for winters which might explain why ebay (other auction sites are available) has lots of second hand winters imported from Europe at the 3.5/4mm level

+1, Winters are not that effective once the sips have worn away, and this tends to be below the 5mm mark.