Winter Tyres ??

AdrianC

bigjl wrote: »

Probably one of those things where people have different ideas of what it is depending on where they grew up or indeed when they grew up.

See also: Fog lights for a week after a very mild haze brings visibility down to about 300m+...

bigjl

AdrianC wrote: »

See also: Fog lights for a week after a very mild haze brings visibility down to about 300m+...

I thought they had amended the Highway Code since the 80's....

gord115

Quote by Turbadiesle; "I managed to get to work every day and remember trundling past an a4 quattro with summer tyres on who was bogged down in the snow. I used to get funny looks from so many 4x4 owners who would wonder why their bmws and audi q7's were struggling (20inch sport alloys with summer tyres)."

A couple of years ago I read a test in a car magazine where 2 Skoda Yetis were tested in the snow.

They were identical except one was a 4x4 with summer tyres and one was front wheel drive with snow tyres.

The 2 wheel drive one was better in the snow

hollie.weimeraner

AdrianC wrote: »

Seen one? I owned one.

Hateful device it was, too...

I owned a Singer Chamois Coupe (Posh Imp), bought it with the standard head gasket issue and warped head. Took the engine out, had the block skimmed and it never looked back. Got me through loads of winter snow drifts without missing a beat. The heater was rubbish though and you had to put some weight in the front boot to make the damned thing steer but I loved it.

Saw one for sale at a car show a couple of years ago for the same price as a new Ford Focus:)

Iceweasel

gord115 wrote: »

Quote by Turbadiesle; "I managed to get to work every day and remember trundling past an a4 quattro with summer tyres on who was bogged down in the snow. I used to get funny looks from so many 4x4 owners who would wonder why their bmws and audi q7's were struggling (20inch sport alloys with summer tyres)."

A couple of years ago I read a test in a car magazine where 2 Skoda Yetis were tested in the snow.

They were identical except one was a 4x4 with summer tyres and one was front wheel drive with snow tyres.

The 2 wheel drive one was better in the snow

Anything with Winter tyres will be better than (almost) anything with Summer tyres.

Some folks obviously find that hard to believe.

When I fitted Winter tyres to my rear wheel drive BMW I was able to sell my Freelander which I previously thought was essential to my getting to work in the Winter months in rural Scotland.

AdrianC

Iceweasel wrote: »

When I fitted Winter tyres to my rear wheel drive BMW I was able to sell my Freelander which I previously thought was essential to my getting to work in the Winter months in rural Scotland.

I'm sure.

There are basically three aspects to winter transport choice...

Traction - getting the power down, and making the car move. Four driven wheels obviously help, but without a locking rear differential, just having one wheel spinning on each end will mean you're going nowhere.

Grip - if you've got moving, then find that you can't stop or change direction, you might wish you hadn't got moving in the first place. Four wheel drive makes no difference here at all in poor conditions.

Ground clearance - this is the one area where an SUV-style vehicle wins out over winter tyres, if there's a build-up of snow between wheeltracks - although the majority of soft-roader style vehicles don't actually have any more ground clearance than a typical car, because they actually share the same underpinnings.

d123

pgoncalv wrote: »

My experience is limited but I saw some test results, I think from Germany, where the introduction of regulation for winter tyres in icy weather seems to have been faced with serious scrutiny. The report was on breaking distance and on a clear icy patch, there was no difference at all. On a wet road, I think it was 20% shorter. On snow it was less than half.

Winter tyres make a much bigger difference than 20% in snow or ice.

I actually bought the Michelin CrossClimates after reading this review and this test, and seeing this video test:

Watch how badly the summer tyre (on the left) handles.
http://youtu.be/2cgtmmtsqFA

Or this review that includes wet and dry handling.

http://youtu.be/zNuqGUgbcIk

Legal for Germany/Austria (3 peaks + snowflake symbol) in winter and as good as a summer tyre in the dry. You don't need to have 2 sets of tyres.

hollie.weimeraner

d123 wrote: »

Winter tyres make a much bigger difference than 20% in snow or ice.

I actually bought the Michelin CrossClimates after reading this review and this test, and seeing this video test:

Watch how badly the summer tyre (on the left) handles.
http://youtu.be/2cgtmmtsqFA

Or this review that includes wet and dry handling.

http://youtu.be/zNuqGUgbcIk

Legal for Germany/Austria (3 peaks + snowflake symbol) in winter and as good as a summer tyre in the dry. You don't need to have 2 sets of tyres.

Likewise here. Less than 1" of snow leaves me walking and catching public transport where I live normally. Bought Cross Climates in December and although we haven't had much snow tis winter I have been able to use my car in up to 3" of snow when others have been stuck.

very impressed with the way they perform.

d123

hollie.weimeraner wrote: »

Likewise here. Less than 1" of snow leaves me walking and catching public transport where I live normally.

I live near the top of a steep hill in the north east, last time it snowed (with less than 1" of snow) not even the buses were running.

My car managed though .

Mr.Generous

AdrianC wrote: »

You don't need new wheels, of course.
I tend to buy used and scruffy standard rims, either alloys or steels, very cheaply.

Not only does it save the cost of swapping tyres within one winter, but it also reduces the possibility of damage to the tyre bead during fitting/removal.

There's a greater initial cost from buying an extra set of tyres, sure, but that spreads to virtually zero if you're keeping the car any length of time, because you're only wearing them one set at a time. And that extra initial cost is usually lower than the cost of an insurance excess, anyway.

Exactly what I was going to say, spot on. Car feels safe in icy weather on winters, you can drive on the lane with snow on it when others are stuck in the only clear lane. Cars years ago were lighter and less powerful, had smaller narrower tyres and a lot less torque. My wife's KA is fun in the snow on standard tyres, my Saab (yes I know where they were made) was absolutely useless in the snow, wide low profile tyres and 450nm torque, front wheel drive but useless in snow. Winter tyres purchased with a set of Vauxhall second hand alloys actually cheaper than the Conti sport summer tyres. Safer and cheaper. Why not try. And I have tested it on snow against a mate's brand new focus with loads of tread on new (summer) tyres. The Focus could not hold a line on corners or stop where I could. It was unsafe to drive the Focus on snow.