Winter Tyres . . . Again

Knapper

I read an old thread here from a few years back with a raging debate about whether it is better and safer to fit 4 winter tyres on a FWD car or just 2 on the front drive wheels.


General consensus seems to be to buy 4.


My dilemma is I just bought 2 from BlackCircles which are top draw award winners costing £140 odd each (R18's). So no realising that I probably should have bought 4.


I'm wondering however if I could get away with buying 2 much more basic cheaper winter tyres for the back so that the difference in grip/traction between front and back is nowhere near as severe as having the 2 premium winters tyres at front with existing summer tyres on the back.


Any thoughts?


My primary requirement from these tyres is to be able to drive up the hill I live on once the snow comes. I realise winter tyres provide much more benefit than just snow traction (with the softer compounds and braking performance in the snow and ice and also performance in wet weather) but snow traction is my main concern.

gord115

My wife has two winter tyres on the front of her Suzuki Swift Sport.

Around March/April we swap front to back and again in the autumn.

No issues what so ever, just swap 'em round in the spring.

Herzlos

You might still get the same problem of losing grip at the back and spinning but it's not going to be as bad as summer tyres. People drive on mismatched summers all the time.

I'd try and get another 2 of the same but I think you'd get away with 2 good winters and 2 cheap winters

JP1978

gord115 wrote: »

My wife has two winter tyres on the front of her Suzuki Swift Sport.

Around March/April we swap front to back and again in the autumn.

No issues what so ever, just swap 'em round in the spring.

Not ideal though, as you turn, the front will grip but the rear will not with the lateral force and step out, possibly causing a spin.

Winter tyres are not just about starting and stopping

gord115

JP1978 wrote: »

Not ideal though, as you turn, the front will grip but the rear will not with the lateral force and step out, possibly causing a spin.

Winter tyres are not just about starting and stopping

Never happened,the car always understeers first when pushed whether it is cold or warm,and whichever way round the tyres are.

When I first fitted the winter tyres I tried it in the cold to see if I got lift off oversteer but I didn't.

Even when it snowed last year I was driving too slow for it to be a problem.

hollie.weimeraner

JP1978 wrote: »

Not ideal though, as you turn, the front will grip but the rear will not with the lateral force and step out, possibly causing a spin.

Winter tyres are not just about starting and stopping

That's why Costco (and some tyre fitters) always insist on putting new tyres on the rear. I had 2 Michelin Cross Climates on a Ford Focus and used to rotate them between summer and winter.
Depending on tread depth of the summer tyres there is always an increased chance the rear may step out under some circumstances.

It's a bit like investments really as to how risk averse your are

System

Two cheaper winter tyres on isn't too bad, not ideal but not the end of the world. Two summer tyres though? This youtube video demonstrates it admirably why you don't just have two winter tyres on.

https://youtu.be/A5aMnmekA38

neilmcl

Also, whilst it isn't usually necessary to inform your insurer when you swap to a winter tyre, (as long as it's the same manufacturer specified size), I'd think they may take a dim view when you mix summer and winter tyres.

Also, why did you go for 18" tyres, you may have been able to save a few quid and go a size lower (assuming you'd also get a spare set of smaller wheels)

Knapper

neilmcl wrote: »

Also, why did you go for 18" tyres, you may have been able to save a few quid and go a size lower (assuming you'd also get a spare set of smaller wheels)

When I exchange this car for the next I will definitely buy a spare set of winter rims for it to save on costs of both tyres and having to pay a garage to swap the tyres. Probably won't keep this car more than a year or so now but I still wanted winter tyres to be safe and to be able to get off the estate once the white stuff starts falling. I'll probably have to sell the part used tyres when I sell the car.

vikingaero

Years ago before winter tyres were as common as they are now, many Scottish taxi drivers used to put only winters on the front driven wheels. The most important thing for them was to get moving and stopping. All this talk of the back end spinning out because of less grip was moot because people drive extra slow in snow - you're more likely to corner at walking pace than at 30mph in snow.

RichardD1970

Interesting.

A friend at work was looking at Auto Socks as a cheap emergency measure.

They are sold as only fitted to the drive axle so assume they would have the same limitations, but according to the website approved by TUV and sold as original equipment by many manufacturers.