Hi guys, after some advice regarding my Fiesta TDCi which needs a couple of replacement front tyres and having just ordered a full set of winters tyres for my Yeti, got me thinking....

As I happen to have a couple of spare alloys (badly kerbed but fit for this purpose) for my Fiesta sitting in the shed, is it worth me buying a pair of winter tyres for the front and swapping back to summer ones after the cold spell? The rears would remain the same throughout - a couple of 'summer/performance' type Toyos iirc - and this is my worry.... Would putting specific cold weather tyres up front only adversely affect the balance and/or braking of the car? Could it cause it to oversteer given that it would have far better grip at the front?

Any thoughts from someone in the know would be greatly appreciated. If its a 'not advised' then I will stick with the excellent Uniroyal Rainsport 2's that are currently on there as the replacement tyre of choice.

Personally i would say do either all winter or all summer.

As you say you would have different types of grip (and drastically so) on the 2 different axles.

To be honest i have never bothered with Winter Tyres (even when i lived in the Fatherland for 3 years). Unless you get deep snow they are no different to any other tyre (thats just my opinion/experience of them) and im running a Stg 2+ vRS. i never got stuck in any snow during the last Cataclysmic, day after tomorrow winter we had.

I personally wouldn't do it that way, but I'm sure it would help you out of some scenarios, where the car's struggling for grip to move away.

My concern would be that in a wintery scenario, the rear and front of the car would have wildly different levels of grip, and it could make the car quite unstable. As in you risk the rear breaking away and loosing traction, way way earlier than the front! Could be.... interesting :yes:

Cheers,

Steve

Cheers for the reply's guys - much as I expected to be honest. I think I'll stick with new summer rubber at the front and simply stick to using the Yeti if we should get a repeat snow fall as per earlier in the year.

The thing about winter tyres is they aren’t just for snow. They work really well in the cold and set winters we have over here too. They are also much better on ice (admittedly 100% more grip than bugger all, is still not a lot, but it is an improvement ) I have just been out today to look at a set of Vredestein Wintrac Nextremes, which I hope will last for the next 3 winters.

On the fronts only thing, I believe it's the same wisdom as says don't put bigger grippier tyres on the front as the read will break away.

The thing about winter tyres is they aren’t just for snow. They work really well in the cold and set winters we have over here too. They are also much better on ice (admittedly 100% more grip than bugger all, is still not a lot, but it is an improvement ) I have just been out today to look at a set of Vredestein Wintrac Nextremes, which I hope will last for the next 3 winters.

On the fronts only thing, I believe it's the same wisdom as says don't put bigger grippier tyres on the front as the read will break away.

Got to disagree with you there Amanda.

Having driven cars with winter Tyres for 3 years in Germany (all the works cars had them) they are no different at all in my experience unless it was snowing. Which is why i never put them on my own car.

On ice they are same as any other tyre, useless.

Just my opinion and not based on any scientific data etc.

Got to disagree with you there Amanda.

Having driven cars with winter Tyres for 3 years in Germany (all the works cars had them) they are no different at all in my experience unless it was snowing. Which is why i never put them on my own car.

On ice they are same as any other tyre, useless.

Just my opinion and not based on any scientific data etc.

I don’t disagree that they are not brilliant on ice, but following an A3 last winter and watching him spin 180 degrees off a bend in front of me and my Sedici only having a slight wobble, made me realise that the tyres do work. I also noticed that hard breaking in very poor winter conditions seemed much better than with the standard tyres. As I said they might be 100% better, but 100% of bugger all is only 2xbuggerall or buggerall/2

Of course iot may be my superior driving skills and smoothness that made the difference but if I am honest, it was the tyres.

I don’t disagree that they are not brilliant on ice, but following an A3 last winter and watching him spin 180 degrees off a bend in front of me and my Sedici only having a slight wobble, made me realise that the tyres do work. I also noticed that hard breaking in very poor winter conditions seemed much better than with the standard tyres. As I said they might be 100% better, but 100% of bugger all is only 2xbuggerall or buggerall/2

Of course iot may be my superior driving skills and smoothness that made the difference but if I am honest, it was the tyres.

I've read most of the winter tyres threads (I can find) on here recently and that post sticks out. The Saracen's Head being on my new commute, amd the thought of the narrow underpass near Dunham and the bottleneck near the Vines... Dark winter commuting could be interesting.

To the OP, check out the winter tyre posts by (iirc) Firewind on pistonheads, who advocates the front only straTegy on fwd daily hacks. Food for thought.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=600629&mid=0&i=100&nmt=Fitting%20Winter%20tyres%20this%20weekend&mid=0

Starts here and if you carry on there's more.

Edited 22 September, 201015 yr by 'daiking'

This is the same as we do with our other Fabia. We have Vredesteins all round. ATM a par of HiTrac (summer) tyres on the front and QuaTrac 2 (all-season/winter) tyres on the rear. In November ish time we swap them over, having the QuaTracs on the front. At Easter ish time we swap them over again

I know the modern view is to put the best on the rear, but if you did that, you would not go anywhere on slush/snow as the wheels would spin all the time.

Edited 22 September, 201015 yr by Jim H

Already wrote this before. Important thing to the tyre mix is the difference between the tyres.

If you have high speed indexes and low profiles on the back an grippy winter tyres up front, the difference is immense. The car will handle worse than an old 911.

If however the summer tyres are lower speed index ones and 70 or even 80 profile, the difference is less and the car might be drivable (when cautious).

In case of a sudden steering correction, the back of the car might still be overtaking you.

And even if you always drive carefully, your much safer in those conditions with winter tyres.

I've read most of the winter tyres threads (I can find) on here recently and that post sticks out. The Saracen's Head being on my new commute, amd the thought of the narrow underpass near Dunham and the bottleneck near the Vines... Dark winter commuting could be interesting.

You must have found the post I made about the bad weather and the A3 spinning in front of me, somewhere in Briskys history. I had forgotten about it being near the Saracens Head. I often used to cycle around the places you name, on my regular cycle route too. Do you live/work near Altrincham?

You must have found the post I made about the bad weather and the A3 spinning in front of me, somewhere in Briskys history. I had forgotten about it being near the Saracens Head. I often used to cycle around the places you name, on my regular cycle route too. Do you live/work near Altrincham?

Indeed, "winter tyres" is not something you want to search Briskoda for, its hard work.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/115072-top-gear-chat-thread/page__view__findpost__p__1851198

Alty to Irlam along the back roads and the toll bridge every day. I hope that in the depths of winer the cyclists give up. Both ways in the dark, farm muck on the roads, "road liable to icing" signs, blind bends, humpback bridges. Makes me wonder if I should do the winters thing.

Indeed, "winter tyres" is not something you want to search Briskoda for, its hard work.

http://briskoda.net/...ost__p__1851198

Alty to Irlam along the back roads and the toll bridge every day. I hope that in the depths of winer the cyclists give up. Both ways in the dark, farm muck on the roads, "road liable to icing" signs, blind bends, humpback bridges. Makes me wonder if I should do the winters thing.

I love that toll bridge, it's so mad. I just can’t see how they raise more than £20 a day on it

Oh and I have just spent nearly 30 minutes trying to find the post you linked to and gave up

Edited 22 September, 201015 yr by Lady Elanore

Actually thinking about it, there are a few spots where I guess the canal must leak or something and the roads do ice up. Winters wont stop you skidding, but if you drive with a modicum of consideration, they will make a very noticeable difference on ice in my experience. There are a few good demonstrations of winters tyres on ice (one of which uses an ice hockey rink to show the differences) on You Tube

O/T: Just don't buy the winter tyres on replicas Amanda.

Carl: you mentioned earlier that you'd tried winters, but you thought they didn't make any difference. Just wondering which make/model you tried, out of interest.

Steve

There are a few good demonstrations of winters tyres on ice (one of which uses an ice hockey rink to show the differences) on You Tube

Here you go:

Here you go:

Thats the one

Edited 23 September, 201015 yr by Lady Elanore

The Swedish Transport Administration recently published a report showing that the risk for accidents with fatal outcome is reduced with 42 percent if studded winter tyres are used, compared with plain winter tyres (and remember, "winter tyres" here mean proper M+S tyres, not "all-weather"). For cars without ESP the difference is even greater.

Winter roads in (north) Sweden and the UK is not the same thing, of course. But studs are marvellous on icy roads or roads with a layer of packed snow and I guess that this is not unusual in some parts over there.

Whether they are legal in the UK is, as I understand it, not entirely clear. Tyres causing damage to the road are illegal. Studs increase road wear, but wear and damage are different things (all tyres contribute to road wear).

They do increase noise level (considerately) but there are no free lunches :p

PS: Those Beemers must have ABS brakes? That's cheating! Would like to see them doing 'old skool' braking with summer tyres on ice...

Edited 23 September, 201015 yr by swedishskoda

Carl: you mentioned earlier that you'd tried winters, but you thought they didn't make any difference. Just wondering which make/model you tried, out of interest.

Steve

All the works cars were fitted with Continental ones. I can't remember the exact model but something like wintercontact (most continental tyres end in contact ). Maybe it's the way i drive and that i alter my driving style for the conditions. But i would imagine most sensible people do that as well.

It's just my opinion & experience of them mate. I think they are expensive for what they are and we don't get winters severe enough in the UK to warrant them.

The Swedish Transport Administration recently published a report showing that the risk for accidents with fatal outcome is reduced with 42 percent if studded winter tyres are used, compared with plain winter tyres (and remember, "winter tyres" here mean proper M+S tyres, not "all-weather"). For cars without ESP the difference is even greater.

Winter roads in (north) Sweden and the UK is not the same thing, of course. But studs are marvellous on icy roads or roads with a layer of packed snow and I guess that this is not unusual in some parts over there.

That was going to be my next point that No tyre will work on ice unless studded.

That was going to be my next point that No tyre will work on ice unless studded.

I thought the video above showed quite a big difference?

The Swedish Transport Administration recently published a report showing that the risk for accidents with fatal outcome is reduced with 42 percent if studded winter tyres are used, compared with plain winter tyres (and remember, "winter tyres" here mean proper M+S tyres, not "all-weather"). For cars without ESP the difference is even greater.

Winter roads in (north) Sweden and the UK is not the same thing, of course. But studs are marvellous on icy roads or roads with a layer of packed snow and I guess that this is not unusual in some parts over there.

In the south of Sweden studded tyres are discouraged.

There is a huge gap between work and not work.

Lets say it differently, summer tyres (especially high speed rated and low profile ones) will NOT work on ice but the winter tyre will work better and regain grip faster. (as speaking of spots of ice, not an ice lake)

And it is true that the winter tyres are expensive, but if chosen in a size smaller than the summer tyres, they will be equally expensive. And when the winter tyres are on, you dont wear the summer tyres.

(just spent 800€ on the set of winter Dunlops for the audi. The summer set of tyres cost around 1000€)

Edited 23 September, 201015 yr by magic62

There is a huge gap between work and not work.

Lets say it differently, summer tyres (especially high speed rated and low profile ones) will NOT work on ice but the winter tyre will work better and regain grip faster. (as speaking of spots of ice, not an ice lake)

And it is true that the winter tyres are expensive, but if chosen in a size smaller than the summer tyres, they will be equally expensive. And when the winter tyres are on, you dont wear the summer tyres.

(just spent 800€ on the set of winter Dunlops for the audi. The summer set of tyres cost around 1000€)

That’s my reasoning. 3 years of winter driving on winter tyres will use up a set of tyres that I would have to pay for anyway, regardless of type. I figure I might as well get the benefit of superior tyres for winter use

That's the way I'm trying to think about it. Still making up my mind.

I suppose for me it's a case of wanting to run the right 'equipment', that is then best suited to the highest percentage of scenarios I'm likely to face. I'm not expecting to be able to conquer all, or go absolutely anywhere I please.