4WD on summer tyres vs 2WD on winter tyres.

motorguy

fatrab wrote: »

My criticism of the Nokians is they didn't perform well above 5C, or in the dry regardless of temperature.

Therein lies part of the problem for me - last Saturday i made two journeys. One journey the outside temp was 8 degrees and it was dry, the second journey in the evening it was 4 degrees and wet.

If i'd winters on, i'd have compromised on my first journey, if i've summers on, i'm compromised on my second journey.

Granted, during the winter the temps are more ikely to be below 5 degrees and / or wet, but i just deal with that by adjusting my speed, braking distance and set out a bit earlier - which i would do anyway if i'd winters on.

As i said, some people make more journeys in worse weather and in colder parts of the country and thus winters make a lot of sense.

If my driving pattern changes significantly then i'll reconsider.

motorguy

Herzlos wrote: »

ditchfinding winters are probably still better than good summers in the winter.

I think thats a very big statement to make TBH....

bigisi

motorguy wrote: »

Therein lies part of the problem for me - last Saturday i made two journeys. One journey the outside temp was 8 degrees and it was dry, the second journey in the evening it was 4 degrees and wet.

If i'd winters on, i'd have compromised on my first journey, if i've summers on, i'm compromised on my second journey.

I think this is why all season makes sense here in the UK, they are designed almost exactly for the situation you describe above.

I'm interested to see how I get on in my Civic this winter with the CrossClimates, glad I'm not paying more than I would for any other premium tyre just for a test but if they're good I'll probably stick with them long term.

neilmcl

bigisi wrote: »

I think this is why all season makes sense here in the UK, they are designed almost exactly for the situation you describe above.

I'm interested to see how I get on in my Civic this winter with the CrossClimates, glad I'm not paying more than I would for any other premium tyre just for a test but if they're good I'll probably stick with them long term.

The only thing is that all seasons are a compromise all the time, even the manufacturer states this, bit I'd agree for most people it's probably a good compromise nonetheless.

motorguy

neilmcl wrote: »

The only thing is that all seasons are a compromise all the time, even the manufacturer states this, bit I'd agree for most people it's probably a good compromise nonetheless.

I had all seasons on my Volvo T5 (it came with them) and they were "ok", other than there was more road noise than you might otherwise expect. I cant say i was a major fan though.

As you say, they're compromised all year round - not as good as summers during the summer, not as good as winters during the winter.

Gloomendoom

I've had them on my car since it was new, a fairly powerful RWD saloon. I would say the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages.

Not that I have actually noticed any disadvantages. Perhaps I might if I was trying to set a class lap record at the Nürburgring.

buglawton

One winters morning I was directly behind a car that shot off the road into the opposite ditch as a result of black ice. Ice is a more significant hazard in Berks and Hants than snow ever was. Would 4WD and special tyres have helped on black ice?

bigisi

buglawton wrote: »

One winters morning I was directly behind a car that shot off the road into the opposite ditch as a result of black ice. Ice is a more significant hazard in Berks and Hants than snow ever was. Would 4WD and special tyres have helped on black ice?

4wd no. Winter tyres, probably. Might not have been enough to stop the crash though.

Gloomendoom

buglawton wrote: »

One winters morning I was directly behind a car that shot off the road into the opposite ditch as a result of black ice. Ice is a more significant hazard in Berks and Hants than snow ever was. Would 4WD and special tyres have helped on black ice?

Possibly. Winter tyres do have a degree of grip on pure ice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJj2BCnq5hM

mgfvvc

buglawton wrote: »

Would 4WD and special tyres have helped on black ice?

Definitely. Last winter I had to stop and start going uphill on sheet ice. If I'd had straight summer tyres on, it would have been close to impossible to restart. On Michelin CrossClimate tyres (no 4WD), it was no trouble. I later experimented with stopping downhill on the same sheet ice. I was able to stop normally.