Winter Tyres II

red_eye

meg00 wrote: »

I have just returned from Kwikfit. I had my Skoda Fabia booked in for a winter service, and to put the 2 winter tyres on. I have now been informed that it is their policy to only replace all 4 wheels with winter tyres.
I was originally told (last winter) that the tyres only needed to be fitted to the 'drive wheels'.
Can anyone offer advice please?

you should replace all four but you dont have to. up to you if you want to swap ends round corners and roundabouts and park your car over helpless kids and old people

AdrianC

red_eye wrote: »

you should replace all four but you dont have to. up to you if you want to swap ends round corners and roundabouts and park your car over helpless kids and old people

And nuns. Don't forget the nuns. Carrying baskets of kittens.

red_eye

AdrianC wrote: »

And nuns. Don't forget the nuns. Carrying baskets of kittens.

Noooo how did I forget the nuns

Stooby2

It does amaze me that everyone veiws winter tyres in terms of driven wheels, when braking is equally important. Putting two tyres on the driven axle only, will leave you with quite an imbalance and, jokes about nuns & kittens aside, cause some potentially dangerous braking problems.

AdrianC

Stooby2 wrote: »

jokes about nuns & kittens aside

NEVER joke about nuns & kittens...

Lum

If you're going to do two, just drive carefully. Most of your braking and all of your steering (unless you drive a Zil or something) is done by the front wheels so put them on those two and be aware of the potential for the car to swap ends if you corner it like a plonker.

If Sh*t-Fit won't swap them for you, find somewhere else. Plenty of small independent places will do it for you cash in hand. I just use the one closest to my self storage place to reduce the round trip time. 20 quid cash to take all 4 off the car, balance the new ones and put them on.

GolfBravo

2 years ago we had only 2 winter tyres fitted to my wife's car (C5), now it has 4.

No problem with only 2 front winter tyres on a FWD car as long as you remember to drive to the conditions - you just drive slowly like with summer tyres, the main difference is superb grip when braking and accelerating.

Prior to the 2 front winter tyres only the car was fitted with Michelin Primacy HP - great summer tyre, but absolutely useless in winter (very hard compound). 2 front winter tyres simply transformed the car.

Do I feel any difference between 2 and 4 winter tyres? Not really, but I drive my cars extra carefully in winter, and never had to test them in emergency situations.

neilmcl

OP, who is your insurer? I think you may find that although they may not require you to let them know you've put winter tyres on they may well take a dim view of you not putting all 4 on.

Rolandtheroadie

It's came up a couple of times about insurers having issues with only fitting 2, but would it be any different to driving in a summer downpour some July morning with 2mm of tread on the fronts and 6mm on the rears? (or vice versa).

No matter what tyres you have on your car, drive to the conditions.

colino

I think people are getting a bit diverted by the insurers view. If the winter tyres are a prescribed fitment, they will not care as long as it's an axle paired fitting. What I do want to hear about though are those that have carefully slung on winter tyres and had a puncture and had to fit their manufacturer supplied, bicycle-width, smooth, spacesaver in the depths of winter.