Switching to all weather tyres - sooner or later?

AdrianC

Biggles wrote: »

Far more practical. Most winters - esp in E Anglia, where I also live - nine days out of ten the standard tyres are more suitable for the conditions. If I went for winter tyres, I'd have to check the weather forecast, then decide whether to put the winter tyres on, probably having to take them off the next day. In colder climates than the UK, winter tyres for four or five months might make sense but our climate's too mild and too variable.

Blimey, you must have VERY mild winters.

Winter tyres start to give more grip than summers - especially decent-brand modern high-grip or low-rolling-resistance summers - below about 7 deg C on dry tarmac.

Iceweasel

Biggles wrote: »

Far more practical. Most winters - esp in E Anglia, where I also live - nine days out of ten the standard tyres are more suitable for the conditions. If I went for winter tyres, I'd have to check the weather forecast, then decide whether to put the winter tyres on, probably having to take them off the next day. In colder climates than the UK, winter tyres for four or five months might make sense but our climate's too mild and too variable.

I'm not aware of these 9 days out of 10 you are talking about Biggles. :huh:

Don't you get rain or temperatures below 7 degrees?

Weather statistics say you do.

http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/East_Anglia/statistics.html

Nobody puts Winter tyres on and off according to the daily weather forecast. :rotfl:

If I lived in E. Anglia I would still be using Winter tyres from the start of November right through till the end of March - exactly as I do in Aberdeenshire.

Iceweasel

fiish wrote: »

but having two sets of wheels won't work for me as I don't have anywhere to store the spare set - I live in a flat with an allocated parking space in a basement garage.

Under the bed?

A friends shed or garage?

Your summer tyres are barely half-worn so it would be very non-MSE to dispose of them with the tread they have left.

Giles_K

I'm not personally a fan of all-season tyres, but if you're driving in reasonable conditions (and definitely avoiding off-road) I can see your argument.

However, if you want to keep the existing summer Continentals, I would suggest being careful. There is more to tyre aging than tread depth.

The compound used can warp/falter based on numerous factors. As others have mentioned, this includes hardening, but it can also be more likely to warp, bulge or tear. As such, while it might seem healthy, the lifespan could prove shorter than you think.

For this reason - if you're going to store your summer contis somewhere - you should store them correctly. Out of sunlight, the right temperature etc. This will prevent any warping/ageing to a minimum. Keep them in good condition and you should be able to get some more use out of them.

Of course, as others have mentioned, the temperature also matters too. But you know your temperatures better than I do.

missile

In East Anglia, I would suggest you would be better choosing a quality tyre for best wet weather grip, e.g. Uniroyal Rainsport http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-3.htm

Iceweasel

missile wrote: »

In East Anglia, I would suggest you would be better choosing a quality tyre for best wet weather grip, e.g. Uniroyal Rainsport http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Uniroyal/Rainsport-3.htm

And your reasoning for recommending the OP change to an 'Ultra High Performance Summer Tyre' when he/she already has a set of Summer tyres is ....?

fiish

Also, East Anglia is the driest part of the UK.

I think I'm just going to carry on with the Contis for now. I wouldn't drive this car off road, it's too low (bumps at the office car park give me trouble if I try to take them too fast, i.e. at more than 5mph). But I agree it seems a waste to swap all 4 tyres when 3 of them have 5mm or more. When the one on 4mm drops below 3mm I'll consider again.

As for tyre makes, Civics when my car was new came with Contis. These days I think they're fitted with Michelins. On my previous car I had Dunlops which I liked but boy did they go down fast (from 7mm to 4mm in 2 years and 10k miles....). The all weather tyres I was considering are the Michelin Cross Climates.

On MoneySaving, my understanding of MSE is that it's about maximising value for money and cost/benefit. I think the costs of the tyre change I was considering are pretty well quantified, it is the benefit I wasn't 100% sure about and it's been great to get input to get a better idea what the cost/benefit might be. I think if it was obvious that the CrossClimates would hugely improve the car I would have just gone and done it.

missile

It always seems to be raining whenever I visit East Anglia :beer

Biggles

Iceweasel wrote: »

Nobody puts Winter tyres on and off according to the daily weather forecast.

If I lived in E. Anglia I would still be using Winter tyres from the start of November right through till the end of March - exactly as I do in Aberdeenshire.

Exactly, it's all about compromises, you can never be on the right tyre all the time. If you put winter tyres on at the end of Oct then get a mild spell, or take them of in Mar then get a late frost, you aren't driving on the best tyres for the conditions. My compromise is to use all season tyres 12/12.

TBH, if i lived in Aberdeenshire, I'd put winter tyres on in Aug and take them off at the end of Jun.
;-)

Iceweasel

Biggles wrote: »

TBH, if i lived in Aberdeenshire, I'd put winter tyres on in Aug and take them off at the end of Jun.
;-)

Very good. :rotfl:

I like it.