Winter Tyres 2013/2014 Thread

Ultrasonic

AdrianC wrote: »

Only anecdotal, but ^ as I said up there, I found a noticable increase in grip below about 5degC, even on dry tarmac...

I don't think there is any argument that winter tyres have better grip in the cold that summer tyres. What I'm interested in is by how much. It's that sort of data I'd want to be considering when deciding if I could justify the expense of different tyres in winter.

Like the majority of people living in England, I have never bothered with winter tyres, and have also never had a problem having done so. But I do choose 'summer' tyres with safety in mind, so I'm not totally averse to this sort of consideration.

AdrianC

Ultrasonic wrote: »

This is an interesting comparison for anyone considering all season tyres:

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Summer-VS-Winter-tyres-Warm-weather-performance.htm

There's a few things they don't measure in there, but which I found to be big differences between the summers and winters. The Vredes I had were considerably less "refined" than the summers (Mich or Conti), both in terms of road noise and harshness - and consistently returned a couple of mpg less.

Iceweasel

Ultrasonic wrote: »

I don't think there is any argument that winter tyres have better grip in the cold that summer tyres. What I'm interested in is by how much. It's that sort of data I'd want to be considering when deciding if I could justify the expense of different tyres in winter.

I saw this bit - that makes the expense worth it for me.

'During the snow test, the summer tyre had less than 50% of the grip.'

GolfBravo

Ultrasonic wrote: »

I think you misunderstood what I was after

Obviously!

Ultrasonic

ventureuk wrote: »

https://www.youtube.crom/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=elP_34ltdWI#t=178

Watch from 3 mins for wet road tests.

Thanks. Although I wish they gave us details of the tyres. E.g. when does a C rated winter tyre stop quicker than an A rated summer tyre? Presumably these are summer temp. ratings but this must still be a factor.

Ultrasonic

Iceweasel wrote: »

I saw this bit - that makes the expense worth it for me.

'During the snow test, the summer tyre had less than 50% of the grip.'

How significant that is depends how often and how fast someone expects to drive on snow...

NeverEnough

Vredestein Wintracs have been my choice over the past 6 years or so, before most tyre places in the UK even considered keeping winter tyre stock. I have driven thousands of miles in that time, only needed a single change of tyres and have found the wear pretty good even when left on all year round. They have doubled in price over the past few years since winter tyres suddenly became "known" in the UK though and are often out of stock at discounted tyre places like Camskill. Tyremen have usually offered the best prices and very fast delivery. Performance in icy, snowy, freezing conditions has been superb, excellent roadholding.

I also have a VW Caravelle which needs load rated tyres not ordinary car tyres (although many van owners use non load rated tyres and alloys but thats another story!) and found Continental Vanco Winters last summer on offer at Camskill, also very reliable delivery and the tyres are on all year - mo excessive wear noted despite using the van for long commutes. Have performed impeccably in snow and ice over the past few years.

Gloomendoom

NeverEnough wrote: »

Vredestein Wintracs have been my choice over the past 6 years or so, before most tyre places in the UK even considered keeping winter tyre stock.

Performance in icy, snowy, freezing conditions has been superb, excellent roadholding.

Agree. My wife's SUV is shod with Wintrac Xtremes when the temperature drops.

Richard53

After a couple of scares last winter on half-worn Michelin Primacies (just like the OP), and with all four now being down to 2mm and marginal, I decided to go for a full set of winter tyres for now, and decided whether to keep them on or run two sets in the Spring. I've only had them on a week, and no snow or ice so far, but here is a first impression:

Ford Mondeo Mk3 estate, 205x85x16. I got Goodyear Ultragrip 8, £380 for 4, delivered and fitted (blackcircles.com). Immediately felt much better than the worn tyres I had just taken off, but that's no surprise. No noticeable increase in road noise, and ride is no harsher than with the Michelins. First drive in the wet, temp around 8-9 degrees, seemed much more secure on corners.

Blackcircles were nice to deal with, and made me use a local fitter that I wouldn't have considered otherwise. Just a couple of guys working out of an old unit, but they changed the tyres by hand and used a torque wrench to refit the wheels. No rattle gun I will check the torque after a few miles, but at least I won't have to get a 6 ft pole on an impact socket to loosen them first! The whole experience was quite pleasant. (Edited to add: they are also willing to store the winter tyres and swap over for free in the Spring and Autumn, as long as I had bought the summer tyres there as well. Seems like a good deal.)

So far, so good. We've been promised some severe weather in November, so I will probably garage the bike and use the car. I don't bounce as well as I used to. Will report back when I have seen how they fare in snow and really cold weather. Also, I have measured the tread depth when new so I can see how they wear, and I am keeping an eye on mpg. On present (limited) experience, I would have no problem with keeping them on all year round.

Lum

I'm just going to post the same thing I do in this thread every year. Both our cars run Nokian WR-G2s for the winter. They're an older tyre now, still being used because they haven't worn out yet.

One car is 4WD, one is RWD, both perform admirably in the snow.

Cost is about half the price of what I pay for summer tyres and they're on cheap ebay wheels, so I am actually saving money by keeping the wear off my more expensive tyres and avoiding the risk to the nice alloys I run for the other 9 months of the year.

With them on, I can drive out of this, forwards, without clearing anything other than the glass. More importantly braking and steering are much better in cold, snow and/or ice.



Full length review: here