Winter tyres on alloys or steels

Gloomendoom

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

Personally I'd like to keep the same width. I know a narrowed tyre will cut through snow better.

So do I. In theory narrow tyres are better on snow... but how much time is actually spent driving on snow?

I've kept the bog standard size and load/speed rating, just on a cold weather biased tyre.

Dieselman

An alternative is to try all season tyres and do as the name says leave them on all year round, they offer 40% better grip over the summer tyre in the snow and can give you the grip you need.

I have been using them now for the past 3 years just this week fitted my new continentals i bought in the summer when prices were so low.

No need for extra wheel and different tyre sizes keep with what you have.:D

Iceweasel

Dieselman wrote: »

An alternative is to try all season tyres and do as the name says leave them on all year round, they offer 40% better grip over the summer tyre in the snow and can give you the grip you need.

I have been using them now for the past 3 years just this week fitted my new continentals i bought in the summer when prices were so low.

No need for extra wheel and different tyre sizes keep with what you have.:D

That would work if you really can have only one set of wheels due to space or cost.

As long as you accept that they are a compromise and drive accordingly that's fine.

You also need to be aware that they are not acceptable / legal in several countries on a European journey in Winter - perhaps on a skiing trip for example.

They do check - I've had a spot-check in an autobahn services. The consequences of not having winter tyres in a situation where they are a legal requirement would wipe out any savings.

Gloomendoom

Some all-season tyres are acceptable. You need to check that they have the appropriate markings on the sidewall.

M+S seems to be the minimum acceptable. I had no problems while driving in the French and Spanish Pyrenees in winter with tyres marked M+S

Winter Tyres: EU Laws & Legislation
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chrisfreelander54

thankyou for all your replies.

Im the end I have decided to stick with my alloys and wrap them in nokian wr a3 rubber az the reviews and ratings for these are excellent.

I did concider having steels but would have worked out close to £500, where as buying just the rubber inc delivery worked out at £311.60, plus the additional cost of £6 per corner for fitting.

Chris.

waynedance

I have just bought some all season Vredestein Quatrac 3 which have all the legal markings for driving in other countries.

They get good reviews and I did not want tbe hassle or two sets of wheels.

Gloomendoom

The Quatrac 3 are good all round tyres and would probably be my choice. Unfortunately, the size range is limited so I can't use them on my car.

Iceweasel

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Some all-season tyres are acceptable. You need to check that they have the appropriate markings on the sidewall.

M+S seems to be the minimum acceptable. I had no problems while driving in the French and Spanish Pyrenees in winter with tyres marked M+S

Winter Tyres: EU Laws & Legislation
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That's a good link - but like several others it's not complete - it misses some countries that folks might be travelling to for winter sports holidays for example.

Slovenia and Croatia, (both in the EU) along with Bosnia have excellent ski resorts and all three require winter tyres.

Here's another info source - still incomplete though:

http://conti-central.co.uk/winter-tyres/winter-driving-laws-across-western-europe/

Best advice would be to check very carefully if you're going to any country not listed - don't assume it's like the UK where anything goes.

Gloomendoom

Iceweasel wrote: »

That's a good link - but like several others it's not complete - it misses some countries that folks might be travelling to for winter sports holidays for example.

Slovenia and Croatia, (both in the EU) along with Bosnia have excellent ski resorts and all three require winter tyres.

It's all as vague as hell. What determines what tyre is a winter tyre, for example?

Apparently, Slovenia is happy as long as winter tyres are fitted or there are chains in the boot.

From 15 November to 15 March and, beyond these dates, during winter weather conditions (e.g. during snowfalls, black ice, etc.) Slovene law requires all vehicles to be equipped with snow tires or have snow chains in car boot. The minimum tyre tread depth must be 3 mm. Vehicles over 3.5 t must have winter tyres at least on the driving wheels or summer tyres on all four wheels + snow chains in car boot. This regulation also applies to vehicles with foreign registration plates but only during winter weather conditions (e.g. during snowfalls, black ice, etc.)

http://www.slovenia.si/live-and-work/useful/driving/

Iceweasel

Gloomendoom wrote: »

It's all as vague as hell. What determines what tyre is a winter tyre, for example?

Apparently, Slovenia is happy as long as winter tyres are fitted or there are chains in the boot.

Yeah - clear as mud. Each country has it's own rules.

But I think the determining factor for a winter tyre is the sidewall markings rather than the appearance of the tread.

M+S or the 'Mountain & Snowflake' pictogram are pretty well understood everywhere.