Winter tyres

Gloomendoom

Joe_Horner wrote: »

It may appear to suggest that but, as my previous post links to, the ABI have obtained clarification from most insurers and the vast majority (66 out of 77) have said categorically, in writing, that they don't need to be informed.

Four of the other 11 also don't need to be informed as long as you're keeping to the manufacturer's size specs.

But should I tell my insurer if I switch to any tyre with a different compound or tread pattern to those originally fitted?

neilmcl

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Currently most insurers don't need to be notified. The ABI have a PDF list available of those who do and don't. It originally published a year or two ago and was updated in Sept 2014 as more insurers stopped requiring notice.

Note that it's only valid until Sept 2015 so you need to check each year in case yours changes:

https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Products/Motor-insurance/Winter-tyres

There are plenty on the list who don't need notifying at all, below are the current ones who do need notifying (or may do depending on any conditions attached):

• Acromas: No provided they meet the manufacturer's specifications
• eCar: yes
• Enterprise: No unless they're a different size to standard
• ESure: No unless you have or are fitting alloy wheels
• First Alternative: No unless you have or are fitting alloy wheels
• KGM / Canopius: No provided they're fitted to the manufacturer's instructions
• Octagon: No provided they match either the original or "optional extra" size for the car
• Sainsburys underwritten by Esure: No unless you have or are fitting alloy wheels
• Sheila's wheels: No unless you have or are fitting alloy wheels
• Southern Rock: Yes
• Swiftcover: Yes

Any insurers not on the published list need to be contacted individually to check.


An interesting point from that is that it suggests that those (the majority) who don't require notification at all also wouldn't need notification for a simple change of size of "normal" tyres either - if they don't want to be notified that you're using a non-standard winter tyre they could hardly claim to need notification if you use a similar non-standard summer one!

Beat you to it - see post #59

Joe_Horner

neilmcl wrote: »

Beat you to it - see post #59

I know, but I copied the relevant bits over as well because too many people are too lazy to follow links for themselves

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

Joe_Horner wrote: »

That's a very dangerous assumption to not make - as I said, no rubber's going to save you if you hit black ice.

But that is a misquote - nowhere did I suggest that those that have winter tyres assume that they can then drive as normal, the assumption I was clearly talking about was that winter grip had to be accepted and there was no solution, though I quite agree that winter tyres don't put things back to summer conditions but there are conditions that summer tyres simply cannot cope with that winter tyres can. In Germany, if you used summer tyres and slowed up traffic driving to their capabilities, you can be fined.

It doesn't need black ice scenarios to come up with massively extended braking distances.

My analogy would be shoes - plenty of people go out in ordinary shoes in winter and fall, but they at least know that they could have changed into proper winter boots, whereas in the car world people have never heard of proper winter boots. Even in boots, you don't walk on sheet ice and necessarily expect to stay upright, but you don't then decide not to bother with boots for all the other times.

londonTiger

JP08 wrote: »

This may be a silly question, but is that 8 deg C air temp, road temp or tyre temp ?

it would be air temp calibrated to the corrosponding road temp. The road is much cooler than the air in the cold, and much hotter than the air in the hot days. But we measure temperature of air not the road surface so it'd easier for end users to get the changeover right.

I'm a massive proponent of chaging over. I change to winters ever day at 7pm when it goes below 8 degrees. Then change to summers 11AM the next day when it climbs above 8 degrees. NOT.

stick to all seasons, sure winter performance is poor. But you're not colin mcrae just be aware of your shortcomings and drive with appropriate gap. Personally have had a near miss because of poor braking distance caused by inappropriate tyres.

Joe_Horner

Gloomendoom wrote: »

But should I tell my insurer if I switch to any tyre with a different compound or tread pattern to those originally fitted?

Simple answer, no.

Requiring you to do that (apart from the practicalities of compounds changing / tread patterns becoming obsolete and so on) would be an excessively restrictive contract condition.

It could even be seen (indirectly) as an anti-competetive practice by effectively forcing you to use particular brands. How long do you think the tyre industry would put up with saying "our tyres are really really good but may increase your insurance premiums"?

Given that all tyres on sale in the UK meet the same legal requirements for road safety there'd also be absolutely no technically justifiable reason to enforce it.

Joe_Horner

londonTiger wrote: »

I'm a massive proponent of chaging over. I change to winters ever day at 7pm when it goes below 8 degrees. Then change to summers 11AM the next day when it climbs above 8 degrees.

Wow! Now that's serious dedication to the local kittehs! :beer:

Personally, I'm thinking of starting a campaign to make slicks road legal or, preferably, required, on warm, dry, days because anything with tread is a compromise in those conditions and those 4 patches of rubber are, after all, the only thing keeping you on the road!

Gloomendoom

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Simple answer, no.

Requiring you to do that (apart from the practicalities of compounds changing / tread patterns becoming obsolete and so on) would be an excessively restrictive contract condition.

It could even be seen (indirectly) as an anti-competetive practice by effectively forcing you to use particular brands. How long do you think the tyre industry would put up with saying "our tyres are really really good but may increase your insurance premiums"?

Given that all tyres on sale in the UK meet the same legal requirements for road safety there'd also be absolutely no technically justifiable reason to enforce it.

In that case why on earth does anybody consider it necessary to inform their insurers that they have fitted winter tyres? The only difference between summer, winter and all season tyres is the rubber compound and the tread pattern.

force_ten

Richard53 wrote: »

But a winter tyre is not the same as a standard tyre.

what does a standard tyre look like?

My winter tyres are exactly the same size, width and profile as my summer tyres the only difference is the tyres have a different type of tread pattern, my car came out of the factory with bridgestone tyres but is now running goodyears but you would never inform your insurance that you have changed brands so why bother informing them that you are fitting winter pattern tyres

Joe_Horner

Partly because some people are paranoid about telling their insurers if they sneeze on the steering wheel, and partly because some insurers like to use things like sneezing on the steering wheel ("non-standard trim and you didn't tell us, sir?) to try and avoid claims.

Rather than taking the logical step of simply changing insurers to a more reasonable one (see the list posted earlier for some to avoid on this issue!) people seem to try and find ways to justify why their insurers are being reasonable by doing this.