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

Rosa_Klebb

Best car I've ever driven on snow was a lightweight Fiat Panda 4x4. With winter tyres it was absolutely unstoppable even in deep snow uphill. There's a reason why they are so popular in the Alps.

EssexExile

Rosa_Klebb wrote: »

Best car I've ever driven on snow was a lightweight Fiat Panda 4x4. With winter tyres it was absolutely unstoppable even in deep snow uphill. There's a reason why they are so popular in the Alps.

Yes, hit the brakes & it just keeps going!

Richard53

Rosa_Klebb wrote: »

Best car I've ever driven on snow was a lightweight Fiat Panda 4x4. With winter tyres it was absolutely unstoppable even in deep snow uphill. There's a reason why they are so popular in the Alps.

For me, my Citroen 2CV. For several East Yorkshire winters, I was the only one never to miss a day of work due to snow. Awesome: light weight, narrow tyres, good clearance, no coolant to freeze.

James2k

Rosa_Klebb wrote: »

Best car I've ever driven on snow was a lightweight Fiat Panda 4x4. With winter tyres it was absolutely unstoppable even in deep snow uphill. There's a reason why they are so popular in the Alps.

Shame you have to drive a panda though!

jokes aside;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvjSp8wk3wA

James2k

EssexExile wrote: »

Yes, hit the brakes & it just keeps going!

which is the biggest selling point for me with winter tyres, being able to stop. Jeep with 4wd is all well and good, but not so much when one is using random cyclists to slow down.

Iceweasel

After I fitted a set of proper Winter tyres to my rear wheel drive BMW I sold my LandRover which I had always thought was necessary to enable me to get to my work in a school for an early morning start in the Winter months in rural Aberdeenshire.

As for those who say they have never felt the need for Winter tyres and they have managed fine for years - they have no idea of the extra safety stopping factor they give, never mind the extra traction grip going forwards.

I never missed a work day due to bad weather and after work often ad a wry laugh watching the folks who 'didn't need' Winter tyres trying to exit the car park which had a slight slope to the exit - that included many front wheel drive cars too.

The only limiting factor for me was the depth of snow - more than 8" or snow and I became a mini snow plough due to the snow build up in front because of the low spoiler.

But on those days they closed the schools - because the busses couldn't manage.

BMWs on Winter tyres are GREAT in the snow.

motorguy

Iceweasel wrote: »

After I fitted a set of proper Winter tyres to my rear wheel drive BMW I sold my LandRover which I had always thought was necessary to enable me to get to my work in a school for an early morning start in the Winter months in rural Aberdeenshire.

As for those who say they have never felt the need for Winter tyres and they have managed fine for years - they have no idea of the extra safety stopping factor they give, never mind the extra traction grip going forwards.

I never missed a work day due to bad weather and after work often ad a wry laugh watching the folks who 'didn't need' Winter tyres trying to exit the car park which had a slight slope to the exit - that included many front wheel drive cars too.

The only limiting factor for me was the depth of snow - more than 8" or snow and I became a mini snow plough due to the snow build up in front because of the low spoiler.

But on those days they closed the schools - because the busses couldn't manage.

BMWs on Winter tyres are GREAT in the snow.

I've never needed winter tyres, end of. I dont live in a part of the country that is prone to excess snowfall, I allow extra time and distance for braking in snow, so i'm not relying on my tyres alone to cope, i can move off in a fashion which doesnt mean i simply sit and spin the wheels, my MINI is FWD so no worry about RWD and our A45 is AWD with a front bias, and i dont get myself or my car in a scenario whereby i am parked at the bottom of a hill unable to move out.

Likewise - and most pertinently - both my wife and i are particularly fortunate in that we can easily work from home if the weather particularly beats us anyway.

As i've said, in my part of the world the biggest preventer IMHO for free movement during snow is rarely my own car, its all the other dolts who cant drive.

If someone needs winter tyres for one of the above reasons, then fine, they're certainly not wrong, its just i personally have never needed them - i've never yet had to abandon a car or not made it to where i set out to go to.

Gloomendoom

My wife has a 4x4 with steamroller "summer" tyres on it. Traction was no problem in last winter's snow, but stopping and negotiating corners definitely was. Steering while braking in light snow was virtually non-existent.

I intend to replace them with all-seasons before Christmas but there's still loads of tread depth remaining and the Scrooge in me is balking at spending nearly a grand on new rubber. I suppose need to balance it against the cost of sliding off the road, or worse, into somebody else.

agrinnall

Rosa_Klebb wrote: »

Best car I've ever driven on snow was a lightweight Fiat Panda 4x4. With winter tyres it was absolutely unstoppable even in deep snow uphill. There's a reason why they are so popular in the Alps.

My Panda (2WD) fitted with winter tyres was probably the best car I've driven on ice and snow as long as the snow wasn't too deep for it to be buried and unable to move at all.

Herzlos

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My wife has a 4x4 with steamroller "summer" tyres on it. Traction was no problem in last winter's snow, but stopping and negotiating corners definitely was. Steering while braking in light snow was virtually non-existent.

I intend to replace them with all-seasons before Christmas but there's still loads of tread depth remaining and the Scrooge in me is balking at spending nearly a grand on new rubber. I suppose need to balance it against the cost of sliding off the road, or worse, into somebody else.

Get a set of winter tyres and just pay about £20-40 to get them swapped back to the summers later?