"Those are the rules.....etc." so in Deutschland it's *the law*, but it seems like a sensible consideration:-

UK winter tyre benefits consumers - UK car accidents caused by winter skidding

But would you go to the hassle of actually swapping tyres per season or get a complete spare set of wheels?

I'm living in Germany at the moment and we have a set of winter and summer wheels. most people drive around with steel wheels with winter tyres during the winter.

Its well worth it, at the moment i'm driving a BMW (vrs on order) so it is well worth it for me lots more grip in poor weather. i was getting stuck in car parks or sliding around the road before them (during the snow). Winter tyres are supposed to be better in conditions under 7 degrees but its when it snows that you really see a difference. I'm not sure if it is the law here to use them unless maybe down south Germany but i wouldn't like to risk it due to insurance reasons. You would not be insured if you had bold tyres so if the conditions are snowy then you should have to use winter tyres!

i had a cheap set of steellies with winter tyres on that i used to swap if it was going to snow. well worth it. winter tyres are rubbish when it warms up though hence why i chose to have the seperate wheels

I'm living in Germany at the moment and we have a set of winter and summer wheels. most people drive around with steel wheels with winter tyres during the winter.

Its well worth it, at the moment i'm driving a BMW (vrs on order) so it is well worth it for me lots more grip in poor weather. i was getting stuck in car parks or sliding around the road before them (during the snow). Winter tyres are supposed to be better in conditions under 7 degrees but its when it snows that you really see a difference. I'm not sure if it is the law here to use them unless maybe down south Germany but i wouldn't like to risk it due to insurance reasons. You would not be insured if you had bold tyres so if the conditions are snowy then you should have to use winter tyres!

in germany it is more of an unwritten law i think.

if you have a crash the police will undoubtably blame tyou if you have the wrong tyres on as you might have easily avoided an accident. also insurance companies will be a little funny sometimes especially if there is a pay out involved.

they can also give you fines if you have the incorrect tyres on and are slowing traffic up etc. which when on summer tyres in the snow, you undoubtably will be.

I didnt believe they would be that much better before i bought mine, but immediately changed my mnd.

in germany it is more of an unwritten law i think.

if you have a crash the police will undoubtably blame tyou if you have the wrong tyres on as you might have easily avoided an accident. also insurance companies will be a little funny sometimes especially if there is a pay out involved.

they can also give you fines if you have the incorrect tyres on and are slowing traffic up etc. which when on summer tyres in the snow, you undoubtably will be.

I didnt believe they would be that much better before i bought mine, but immediately changed my mnd.

Probably more 'de facto' ATM. You can still get done here in the UK for using studded tyres in normal weather if they damage the road surface.

I've just switched to the Nokian WR, which depending on where you live, is either marketed as an "all season" tyre or a "winter" tyre. The truth seems to be that it's a winter design that happens to be pretty good in summer too, with a decent wear rating.

My intention is to run them all through the year... someone else on here has run them for a year or so and seems very happy with their "all season" performance

You can still get done here in the UK for using studded tyres in normal weather if they damage the road surface.

You can't use studded tyres at all in the UK (no matter how much snow there is)

You can't use studded tyres at all in the UK (no matter how much snow there is)

I think you might be wrong about this. My impression is that you can use them as long as you aren't risking damage to the road surface?

I'm happy to be proved wrong though

I think you might be wrong about this. My impression is that you can use them as long as you aren't risking damage to the road surface?

I'm happy to be proved wrong though

I'm pretty sure its a no to studded tyres or snow chains in Blighty, I know winter tyres are required in Poland.

UK tyre law legal requirements for manufacturer & motorist - fitment, condition, tread depth & wear

Studded tyres are mentioned here, doesn't say anything about them being illegal, only that they would be illegal if used in "inappropriate conditions", i.e. where they would damage the road surface (i.e. when there is no ice/snow!).

I assume the situation is the same for snow chains.

I have used studded tyres in the past on my taxi they get you to places you would not dare go near without, I will be fitting Vedastains snow track 2s to the front at the start of December last years ones did 32,ooo miles and came off in July, dam good in all conditions

If you're going to fit winter tyres, could I suggest you fit them all around.

I think winter tyres on a second set of wheels are a really good investment. I picked up a set of second hand 16" Elegance wheels and stuck Avon Ice Tourings on them. £165 for the wheels + £205 or so for the set of tyres, +£20 fitting and balancing, so £390 all in.

The reason I went for the 16s for my winter wheels is because winter tyres for 17s or 18s were much more expensive and my chains wouldn't have fitted them. They look so small on the VRS though. I'm going to run my 15mm spacers on the back to make them look better. No spacers on the front though as I like plenty of room between the tyre and arch in case I need to put chains on.

Annoyance of the 16s is you can't run R32 / Porsche front brakes. I might sell them on next year after our trip to the Alps.

BTW, I had to use my chains in Sheffield back in Feb to get home when we had the heavy snow. Put a couple of nice scrapes up my drive way with them.

Both! http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/scout-tyres-good-year-4-seasons/160982/#post1875037

Edited 3 November, 200916 yr by KayakJim

Unless in North (sheffield and above IMO), no need for winter tyres. Normal tyres should cope fine with normal UK winter conditions.

Even in the heavy snow this year, winter tyres wouldnt have helped much.

Unless in North (sheffield and above IMO), no need for winter tyres. Normal tyres should cope fine with normal UK winter conditions.

Even in the heavy snow this year, winter tyres wouldnt have helped much.

Sorry mate, got to totally disagree with you there.

I saw first hand in Bristol, how winter tyres on a FWD car allowed it to carry on driving just fine, while 4x4's were not moving or were failing to stop.

Normal tyres, are called summer tyres elsewhere. The wide, very hard, high speed performance tyres go rock hard in colder temperatures and really do suffer.

17" 225/45's on the Octy, and it coped fine up a step hill, and back down in 3"+ during the snow, as well as the following days of it being an ice rink due to being ungritted and the council running out.

Works Mondeo has also got wide tyres (215/55 16") and coped well. We got snowed in one day, and NOTHING even 4wd got up the hill that day.

At the time both had Michelin Pilot Primacies (HP on the Mondy), with the octavia being around 3mm on the front. Both Y rated.

I'm a convert to CWTs. I was invited to BMWs winter driving course in Austria some years ago. As a quattro driver I was sceptical of rear wheel drive in snow and ice. I came back and bought a set myself (but not a BMW).

Just ordered an Octy Scout with extra set of wheels to put CWTs on. These can then be used on either my Scout or my Audi with 3% difference in rolling circumference.

Don't forget CWTs are Cold Weather Tyres for better grip below 7 degC and not just for snow and ice. Confidence increase is amazing, and well worth the investment when you're carrying you family.

I think I've seen the need for winter tyres maybe 3 days in the last 6-7 years.

If it gets bad to the point where I wouldn't feel safe driving then I won't drive.

I might feel different if I had kids but for now I don't think I need to go to the expense.

17" 225/45's on the Octy, and it coped fine up a step hill, and back down in 3"+ during the snow, as well as the following days of it being an ice rink due to being ungritted and the council running out.

Works Mondeo has also got wide tyres (215/55 16") and coped well. We got snowed in one day, and NOTHING even 4wd got up the hill that day.

At the time both had Michelin Pilot Primacies (HP on the Mondy), with the octavia being around 3mm on the front. Both Y rated.

The problem though is, eventually you'd have reached a point on summer (NOT "normal") tyres where they would have failed to grip. Winter tyres would have worked far better.

It's not just the terrain, it's the temperature that causes the trouble for summer tyres.

As for saying that even 4WD vehicles didn't get up the hill, what tyres were they on?! Most 4x4s these days that aren't genuinely used by rural folk are on silly summer sports tyres.

The fact is, winter tyres are designed for below 7 deg C, summer tyres above 7 deg C, more-or-less.

To use an analogy, you can walk up Snowdon in high heels, but you'd be foolish to not appreciate that hiking boots would be better suited to the task

I think I've seen the need for winter tyres maybe 3 days in the last 6-7 years.

If it gets bad to the point where I wouldn't feel safe driving then I won't drive.

I might feel different if I had kids but for now I don't think I need to go to the expense.

The mistake you're making is associating winter tyres with snow & ice (I live fairly southerly and it's been less than 7 deg C approx 3 days in the last week, let alone the last 6-7 years). They grip better than summer tyres when it's cold (below 7 deg C), regardless of whether there is snow & ice present.

And as for you won't drive if you don't feel it's safe, don't you realise that with winter tyres you'd have better grip, hence you'd actually be safer and feel safer in worse conditions?

So don't you see the irony in your second statement?!

I think if you could afford a second set of wheels with winter tyres, it would be a nice investment for the colder months of the year.

However, most of us don't have that sort of spare cash hanging around to spend on another set of wheels and tyres, so we have to make do with what we already have. I personally have never had an issue with summer tyres in winter, with the exception of February when we had all that snow (even in tropical Basingstoke), but I really can't justify running winter tyres all year round just for one week of really bad weather or a few cold months, so I make do, like the majority of people.

I think if you could afford a second set of wheels with winter tyres, it would be a nice investment for the colder months of the year.

However, most of us don't have that sort of spare cash hanging around to spend on another set of wheels and tyres, so we have to make do with what we already have. I personally have never had an issue with summer tyres in winter, with the exception of February when we had all that snow (even in tropical Basingstoke), but I really can't justify running winter tyres all year round just for one week of really bad weather or a few cold months, so I make do, like the majority of people.

Fair enough, it's an economic gamble ultimately.

I think most people "make do" through ignorance rather than anything else though. Most people probably don't even know there are such a thing as summer/winter tyres, a fact borne out by even people on this forum referring to summer tyres as "normal" tyres.

Personally, I think running two sets of wheels is quite a hassle, so I've gone down the "all-season" tyre route, i.e. a tyre designed to be decent (rather than outstanding) all year... I'll let you know how I got on in about a year or so :P

(My particular tyre is leaning more towards winter in it's design, but it reckoned to be a decent summer tyre too, according to reviews I've read. It's sold as "all season" in the US and Canada)

All the convincing anyone should need...

The final, cornering test is particularly interesting.

I personally have never had an issue with summer tyres in winter, with the exception of February when we had all that snow (even in tropical Basingstoke)

You might well change your opinion though if ever you are forced to do an emergency stop on a motorway when it's -5 deg C and you are sliding towards the truck in front of you :eek:

Unfortunately, the benefit of running winter tyres isn't apparent until you approach the edge of the summer tyre's performance.