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

motorguy

mgfvvc wrote: »

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.

That genuinely surprises me if it was pure sheet ice.

motorguy

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?

If he physically shot off the road, then no amount of winter tyres / 4WD was going to stop him.

People need to adjust their driving relative to the conditions, irrespective of tyre / 4WD.

force_ten

motorguy wrote: »

That genuinely surprises me if it was pure sheet ice.

https://youtu.be/GlYEMH10Z4s

if you can spare four minutes of your life then that is a good watch that compares summer/all season and winter tyres on an ice rink

I know that winter tyres are not the be all and end all but they do offer the best grip in snow and icy conditions, in the clip above they were only cornering at 10mph

you say about adjusting driving style to suit conditions but the car on summer tyres on ice was totaly out of control and no mater how much you adjust driving style that car is going where the momentum takes it

facade

The small sipes on Winter tyres improve grip on wet ice (from zero to a little).



They can't perform miracles, but a good driver can go a long way on Winter tyres, whereas the modern breed of driver who operates all controls, (including the steering wheel), as binary switches and lets the electronic driver aids control the car will either get in your way by crashing into something, or get in your way by sitting wheel-spinning at 7000rpm in the middle of the road.

mgfvvc

mgfvvc wrote: »

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.

motorguy wrote: »

That genuinely surprises me if it was pure sheet ice.

As best as I could tell from inside the car, without getting out and inspecting it, there was no snow on the surface. It looked as if it had all been squashed flat and the surface melted, then refrozen overnight. Of course, when I say I was able to stop normally, downhill on sheet ice, that was a reasonably gentle stop. Even so, I was surprised that that the ABS was not activated at all.

It's fair to say that I was properly impressed with the CrossClimate tyres to the extent that I had to remind myself not to get overconfident. They have also felt very good over the summer. I would take a lot of convincing to buy any other tyres at the moment.