There seems to have been an incredible number of news stories during this relatively mild winter that have covered roads and motorways that have become impassable. So much more than in the past too. A good number of people on this forum use winter tyres and are almost evangelistic about them and rightly so, which brings me to my point. Tyre sizes on car now are huge in comparison to a decade or more ago. Small low powered runabouts that would run on 165/70x13s are now running 195/55x15s and moderately powerful cars up to 225s on 17/18" rims (mainly in the name of fashion and one upmanship) This, coupled with all cars being generally more powerful than their predecessors and all the electronic driver aids meaning some drivers forget the skills that are needed in this weather or have never even driven a car without ABS and traction control, is the reason we, as a nation have become even more rubbish in the snow than ever before. If cars are going to be 'disabled' by big wheels and tyres in the snow, a time will come when winter tyre usage will probably find its way into legislation, which may not be a bad thing. Discuss....

I agree winter tyres should be mandatory, I work for a German company, they are based near Stuttgart, they have to have winter tyres on by October and they change back again in April, the tyre house offers a "Tyre Hotel" where they store your wheels until the swap back.

Our MD drove from Lyon back to Eislingen in winter conditions, snow rubbing the underside of the car at one point with only slight disruption from the snow, he has an A6 2 wheel drive.

Agreed also, but even after the recent bad snow I feel a long debate coming on from the dis-believers...................

Eco tyres,

wide low profiles,

more powerful cars,

lack of practice or interest,

change of road surfaces,

A total lack of common sense.

its an endless list of reasons for cars and drivers that can not cope in poor weather.

snow is bad,

wind is bad,

cold is bad for driving.

Cold, snow and wind all together is very bad.

george

It is not helped by the media idiotically spouting that buying an SUV will solve all your problems and not mentioning winter tyres at all. We don't need new legislation to solve this problem. Better education coupled with enforcing the existing laws about causing an obstruction to traffic would make things better.

It is sometimes depressingly beyond belief how news presenters keep saying its horrible and nothing can be done, but then go buy yourself a 4x4 so you can accelerate to a speed that you cause a serious accident when you spin off at the next corner. I want to see a news team filming how terrible conditions are so I can say that I have never met conditions that our cars on winter tyres didn't just take in their stride.

I am also originally from the continent and almost every one of my fellow countrymen who live here also use winter tyres and we cannot believe what happens here when theres snowfall of any sort.

Well said Huskoda

Very true that an SUV is not the answer.

I have a FWD Mazda 3 on winter tyres and my wife has a Honda CRV on standard rubber. Unless ground clearance is and issue the Mazda will go any where the Honda will.

I agree winter tyres should be mandatory, I work for a German company, they are based near Stuttgart, they have to have winter tyres on by October and they change back again in April, the tyre house offers a "Tyre Hotel" where they store your wheels until the swap back.

Our MD drove from Lyon back to Eislingen in winter conditions, snow rubbing the underside of the car at one point with only slight disruption from the snow, he has an A6 2 wheel drive.

Where I live we've had visible frost on the ground twice, and snow once since October.

I think the trend for larger tyres is mainly due to fashion/sporty appearance; and secondly as an instrument to increase sales revenues for the car makers (large wheel optional upgrades) and of course for the tyre manufacturers. Most people buy a car for its looks firstly despite any rational or objective argument.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

The only reason I didn't was because I live in South Wales where we normally don't get much and if we get any the rest of the country has buckets of it. It's been cold here lately, no snow but up North Wales the Ponderosa which for those who know it is on the Horseshoe Pass by Llangollen is under several feet of drifting snow. If I lived up North then yes I'd consider it. This year we've had one or two snow days where work has said we haven't had to go in but but even then I thought roads were passable. We've had one or two days where there's been ground frost and it's caught gritters out. No big deal and I got to work. By 10am it was all defrosted.

This is the UK.

We don't live in Germany, Scandinavia or any other part of northern continental Europe.

We live on an offshore island, with a temperate climate warmed by the Gulf Stream.

This isn't Alaska, we aren't taking part in Ice Road Truckers.

About once every 10 or 11 years we get a bit of snow, and all hell breaks loose.

Similar to comments as mentioned above, locally we've had a couple of nights frost, and 2 or 3 days of snow lying.

I do approx. 500 miles p.w. on business, and except for a few minutes problem in a car park on a hill where the relatively little amount of traffic had polished rather than dispersed the snow I haven't had a moments problem this year.

If I lived in Scotland or the North of England, or possibly in a hilly area farther south then I might consider buying winter tyres, but otherwise I won't bother thank you.

I'm not disputing that they are a wonderful idea for those who need them, but in terms of the original post, we already have more than enough half-thought-out laws, regulations and restrictions piled on us by a succesion of Nanny State politicians. We don't need any more, and this is one we definitely can do without.

I'LL decide if and when I need winter tyres. If some politician wants to make me, he can damn well give me the £1000 cost of the tyres and wheels (and as I change my car every couple of years, he can repeat that payment every couple of years ad infinitum)

Thats OK tho, if the likelihood of being stuck is low then why bother.

Just park up and continue some other way when necessary .

But where there is snow and cold for several weeks each winter its good if some give it a thought or stay off the road

when they have not got a clue on the vehicle they drive,

checking tyre pressures even. Filling up with winter wash etc.

It amazes me the people i see every winter struggling,

and every few winters they struggle again with lovely newer cars that are just no use for where they live.

Often the nice wee second city car in a family on a set of narrow tyres will complete a journey quite well often where the

main family car is just hopeless.

Amazing how often you see those carrying their nearest and dearest to school or nursery in the big safe heavy car and spinning wheels and being a downright PITA to other road users,

and the other half is off to work and back home in the small shopping car.

george

Here we go again!!

Winter tyres are not just for Snow!!

Grip...stopping distances are vasltly improved in low temperatures. ( < 7c)

And no more expensive, since you half the number of regular tyres you buy!

Here we go again!!

Winter tyres are not just for Snow!!

Grip...stopping distances are vastly improved in low temperatures. ( < 7c)

I know! I'm not saying not to get them it's just I didn't and no one died that's all. You should always drive to conditions regardless. I'm sure some think that by putting winters on they can still hoon about thinking they are almost immune. They could still slide off the road but at a greater speed. For the commute I do I average 15mph on a good day on main roads that are gritted regularly. For me it wouldn't have been worth the hassle. If my mileage was higher then I'd consider it.

Plus for many it means storing another set of winter wheels. I could make room but again would be hassle.

Here we go again!!

Winter tyres are not just for Snow!!

Grip...stopping distances are vasltly improved in low temperatures. ( < 7c)

By that logic, you should change all 4 tyres every time the ambient temperature goes above or below 7C.

I do

Whenever temperatures fall consistently below 7C..I change them..Only 1/2 hour job

By that logic, you should change all 4 tyres every time the ambient temperature goes above or below 7C.

Please, don't suggest that.

We already have the evangelists insisting that we swap them every 6 months. I don't think I could stand having to change them over every 3 or 4 days in an average British season.

I know there are all of these articles, tests, theories, blogs and posts about how wonderful they are, and how once it gets a bit chilly - say about mid October to mid-April - they are truly wonderful.

Fine. You carry on and fit them if you think you need them.

You choose to live in the frozen north, you take whatever precautions you think are necessary.

I don't. I cope perfectly well without them, and have done for (just done some sums) 45 years.

Why should I be compelled to fit them just because you apparently can't manage without them?

As Martyn said above, another year passed without them, no crashes, no-one killed or injured.

As an aside, we already have existing laws on tyres, yet tyres still account for 15% of all MOT failures. Instead of constantly harping on about forcing people to use a largely uneccessary set of additional tyres, why not put more effort into ensuring that the existing legislation is enforced instead.

Its an option that some may wish to opt into...I do... and I no longer fear cold, frosty and snowy weather

I also save on my summer tyres while they are stored away

To me..its a no brainer...I believe it should be law too.

Driving for 30 years never bought winters no skids or issues , so just drive to conditions :p and if its bad " walk" or just stay indoors in front of fire

I drove for a decade before I tried them. Never crashed it in that time and only once ended up off the road once where I couldn't see where the road turned due to an even layer of snow.

When I first used them, I wondered why the hell I didn't get them before. It made everything so much easier.

To say people do not have trouble is laughable. I have been watching cars trying to get up a slight incline in only a little snow all weekend. The wheels spin hopelessly, some try quickly, others more gently. When they come up to a lump of snow infront of a tyre, thats it, they go no further.

I'm not too fussed if people don't get them. Just don't crash into me or block my way. Stay at home for the 'couple of days' of snow. I'm sure that works well when it starts chucking it down heavy during them day then turns a motorway into a carpark for 10 hours because the few at the front can't make any progress.

I do

Whenever temperatures fall consistently below 7C..I change them..Only 1/2 hour job

Where I live, that can happen overnight, every day or 2. The last 2 weeks are the longest period of temperatures continually below 5C here since Feb 2012.

To me..its a no brainer...I believe it should be law too.

I think the same about additional driver training, but people don't seem to see the value in that either

Chris

When people say they do not need Winter tyres, never have etc, then thats them that know where they live and drive,

often that means nothing to others that do not know the Road and weather that effects you or not.

http://pensions-serv...weather-payment

(gives some idea to the length of low temps in an area this winter)

In the UK there can be very different experiences of periods of cold weather, Cold Weather Payment triggers give some idea,

but not accurate but there will be week long periods of very low temps to get a trigger, maybe not over the complete area. (Forecast or actual 0*C over a 7 day period)

6 Triggers since November and covers areas like AB34 5JN to DD8 numbers. Aboyne, Aberdeenshire to nearly Dundee.

Last winter it was 5 Triggers from Aboyne..

george

Having fitted a set of Yokohama Winter-Drive tyres to my BMW last November, I've only just swapped back to my summer tyres and wheels this weekend. The Yoko's have been ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT (apols for shouting, but it's true!). In the cold and dry they're much better than expected or the summer tyres were in similar conditions. I was sceptical before that they would make a difference in the dry.

In the damp, braking distances are much reduced. In the wet, they're much more sure footed and in standing water they just cut through to the tarmac like nothing else I've ever driven on. MUCH safer. Not even sure I want the summer tyres back on, hence why delayed the swap back.

Wear has been much less than expected. Less than 1mm over 8000 miles. So they'll be good for several winters yet!

Oh - and their brilliant in the snow too! Although I had to travel all the way to Hertfordshire to find enough snow to worry about (>4"). Not enough in t'North to worry over. Luckily its a regular trip! So even more reason to have some Winter Tyres for my regular trips down to the regularly frozen South East.

Whilst you may not get much snow in "Little England Beyond Wales" (i.e. Carmarthen to St Davids), it does rain in winter - a lot! Try some - you might just be as impressed as I have been?

In rallying we take at least 3 or 4 sets of tyres to any event, sometimes more. And change them almost hourly sometimes, according to the conditions. Its a big ask to expect any tyre to work as well in summer as it does in winter and vice versa. Hence I regard it as no chore at all really to spend 30 minutes twice a year for the swap. Plus it gives you an opportunity to give the discs and pads a thorough check, suspension bushes, etc. Peace of mind when traveling at (ahem!) 70mph for mile after mile on the motorway. The most snow I found on the M1 this winter was in Leicestershire. (Two lanes totally covered, inside lane 3" of pure slush. All handled totally securely on the Yoko's, while at least three cars in front of me skated off onto the shoulder.).

So don't try to tell me winter tyres are only needed if you live in Scandinavia. That's plain untrue!

So instead of a heavy weight penalty 4x4 Yeti, I'll stick with my new 2WD and just get myself an extra set of wheels and some Yoko's for it next winter.

Above post written after about 3 large glasses of Chianti!

Edited 21 July, 201312 yr by FlintstoneR1