Summer, Winter / All seasons tyres

john432

A recent post on here has got me thinking about my tyres.
I use a good independent garage for car now for years.  They do all servicing on my car including tyres.  So, when the car needs tyres I say put good quality tyres on, currently Good Year.  
Up to now, wasn't aware of different seasons tyres.  A bit of googling would suggest my car has summer tyres. Is this the default, without specify what season tyre you would like?
Is summer tyres ok in the current conditions (winter). I live in the south, so normal winter conditions.
I guessing the average driver wouldn't know what season tyres are on there car.
Your thoughts please.
 

Tahlullah.H

Yes, I know what tyres I have because I specified 'all season tyres', which have a winter rating.

Iceweasel

john432 said:

I guessing the average driver wouldn't know what season tyres are on there car.
Your thoughts please.
 

You are probably right -

Until the temperature goes below about +3ºC - and they go sliding around on any damp or wet roundabout.

Or until the first fall of snow when they get stuck on an easy slight incline.

For most folks, especially in the South of UK, 'all-season' tyres will do just fine if they have the 'snowflake on the three-peak mountain' symbol.

Most drivers who say full Winter tyres are not required in the UK have likely never needed to drive much in Scotland or go on European trips in Wintertime.

tberry6686

Iceweasel said:

john432 said:

I guessing the average driver wouldn't know what season tyres are on there car.
Your thoughts please.
 

You are probably right -

Until the temperature goes below about +3ºC - and they go sliding around on any damp or wet roundabout.

Or until the first fall of snow when they get stuck on an easy slight incline.

For most folks, especially in the South of UK, 'all-season' tyres will do just fine if they have the 'snowflake on the three-peak mountain' symbol.

Most drivers who say full Winter tyres are not required in the UK have likely never needed to drive much in Scotland or go on European trips in Wintertime.

I live and drive in the highlands of Scotland.  Its rare to need full winter tyres here All season are perfectly adequate in Britian.

MX5huggy

If you just buy “tyres” you get summer tyres. Summer tyres are ok for most of the winter in the south of the uk. 

Goudy

Most cars will come with summers when new.
Some countries specify winter tyres are a requirement in winter, so they are obviously more popular and readily available there.
In the UK there is no requirement so they aren't really as popular or available.

Recently all seasons have become popular here in the UK.
They are a hybrid tyre which work better in the cold and icy conditions than summers, but aren't full blown winters.

Winter tyres have a different tread patten and are made of a different compound.
Generally they have a higher content of silica in the compound which makes them work better in cold weather as it acts as an agent to make the tyres more pliable at colder temps.

The tread pattern has what are call sipes or sippings in them. These are small criss cross cuts that help them grip the snow and ice.
These cuts aren't as deep as the normal blocks on the tyre so tend to wear away much quicker, which doesn't really make using winters an option all year long, once the sipes are gone, the tyre isn't as effective.

All season tend to use the higher silica compound and can come with some sipes, but not as many as full winters.

In the UK all season are generally a good compromise for all year as they work pretty well in all conditions.

I've ran winters (in winter) for a few years and they do work really well in those conditions that would normally stop traffic.
On those rutted, pack snow roads that can be lethal, it feels like they bite into the surface with some sort of magic.

My colleague did the same until recently, then swapped to all seasons.
In the recent cold snap and snow she wasn't as confident on the all seasons as she was on the winters and when we had a look, they have worn pretty quickly.

mgfvvc

Goudy said:

The tread pattern has what are call sipes or sippings in them. These are small criss cross cuts that help them grip the snow and ice.
These cuts aren't as deep as the normal blocks on the tyre so tend to wear away much quicker, which doesn't really make using winters a option all year long, once the sipes are gone, the tyre isn't as effective.

If I remember correctly, one of the selling points for the Michelin CrossClimates was that the sipes were cut to a full depth, so they would remain effective for the life of the tyre.

Goudy said:

I've ran winters (in winter) for a few years and they do work really well in those conditions that would normally stop traffic.
On those rutted, pack snow roads that can be lethal, it feels like they bite into the surface with some sort of magic.

My colleague did the same until recently, then swapped to all seasons.
In the recent cold snap and snow she wasn't as confident on the all seasons as she was on the winters and when we had a look, they have worn pretty quickly.

I've run Michelin CrossClimate since just before "the beast from the east". They have good summer performance and have handled all the winter conditions thrown at them in Hertfordshire. I have a knack for killing them with potholes or sharp objects before they wear out, so it's hard to judge wear, but it seems pretty good.

Goudy

Full winter tyres tend to have finer sipes and more of them.
https://www.mytyres.co.uk/product/R-453971?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInaSXtdSK_AIVVp_VCh0SagVpEAQYCSABEgINwPD_BwE&Country=UK&ID=sea_rd_uk_Froogle_Shopping&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMInaSXtdSK_AIVVp_VCh0SagVpEAQYCSABEgINwPD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!432!3!328386860118!!!g!621181759121!

All season tread patterns tend to offer something for all weathers so they'll have larger but much less sipes.
https://www.mytyres.co.uk/product/R-418725?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjKTj6dSK_AIVHePmCh3zyAl2EAQYCCABEgLjS_D_BwE&Country=UK&ID=sea_rd_uk_Froogle_Shopping&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIjKTj6dSK_AIVHePmCh3zyAl2EAQYCCABEgLjS_D_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!432!3!328386858909!!!g!619865739026!

Wear is pretty subjective and the chances of any tyre letting you down grip wise when worn are probably odds on!

My colleague does a fair few miles, around 25,000 a year and has been swapping tyres (well I have for her), summer to winter, winter to summer for years. Two sets of tyres probably appeared to last for ages compared to the one set.

Still she's certain she didn't get the same sort of mileage out of the all seasons and says she'll go back to a set of winters as she has a spare set of wheels now anyway.

I guess what works for you, works!

john432

Interesting replies thankyou.
So, all seasons tyres are more expensive, and may not last as long as summer tyres.
Anyone else experience this?
Before winter and all seasons came into play, were summer tyres (what they are called now) what we all used?

daveyjp

All season tyres are similar prices to summer tyres.  

From my experience.

All season Yokohama tyres.  45,000 miles out of a set of four which were rotated annually. Only changed due to cracking on walls at 6 years old.

Summer Bridgestone tyre on a similar model of car were just about ready for renewal when I traded it at 30,000 miles, also rotated annually.

venomx

I have michellin PS5 tyres all round. Excellent in the dry and in the wet, in the ice however not so good.

As said above, most tyres are " summer " tyres