Hi folks. Fitted my winter tyres the other day. Had them for the first time last year and am not going back. The tyre place i work at sells lots of part worns and i got a full set of Conti Winter Contacts with 5-6mm on for a fraction of the cost of new ones. Car drives really well on them too, even if we haven't had so much as a frost yet. Bring on the snow!

Toby

Put my steels (with all seasons tyres but plenty of tread and made with cold conditions in mind) on a few weekends ago. Since then I haven't seen any frost or snow! My betting is it won't bother this year just because some people have gone to this level of effort to be prepared! :wonder:

The tyre place i work at sells lots of part worns and i got a full set of Conti Winter Contacts with 5-6mm on for a fraction of the cost of new ones. Car drives really well on them too, even if we haven't had so much as a frost yet. Bring on the snow!

Toby

At least as far as winters are concerned it is recommended replacing at 4mm for optimum performance in snow, hence a tyre with 5-6mm left is already over 50% worn.

Then again legally you don't have to replace until you get to 1.6mm, so it depends how you intend to run them.

At least as far as winters are concerned it is recommended replacing at 4mm for optimum performance in snow, hence a tyre with 5-6mm left is already over 50% worn.

Then again legally you don't have to replace until you get to 1.6mm, so it depends how you intend to run them.

The main reason for this is because the sipes disappear @ 4mm, the sipes are what give you the extra grip in the snow

Winter tyres? Pah....

Handbreak....Check

You should never really buy second hand winter tyres.

Most manufacturers recommend them replaced after each winter as every mile put on them degrades them!

Dave

Most manufacturers recommend them replaced after each winter as every mile put on them degrades them!

Dave

Don't think that's the case m8, if that was true vehicle manufacturers and tyre places won't keep your winter and summer tyres for you when you swap them over.

Went to fit mine today which was covered over in the shed and found that when I checked them before I put them away I missed a screw that was in one! Lucky it was in the centre and is fixable :(

Don't think that's the case m8, if that was true vehicle manufacturers and tyre places won't keep your winter and summer tyres for you when you swap them over.

Went to fit mine today which was covered over in the shed and found that when I checked them before I put them away I missed a screw that was in one! Lucky it was in the centre and is fixable :(

Its not a well published thing otherwise people wouldn't buy winter tyres as they think they will only last them one winter and then be binned. TRUST ME most manufacturers when asked direct will say to replace after a year.

2 reasons is the compound may have got very hot over winter in many ways, be it driving hard on a dry day, or spinning them up like a catherine wheel in the ice (yes you probably still will).

The other reason which was picked up on above is for a winter tyre to be effective it needs 4mm+ tread on it. So if its a car you use everyday one winter on a set of winter tyres could easily take you down to the 4mm level. Hence why there is so many used/part worn winter tyres about.

HTH

Dave

Well I have had my Nokian tyres for three winters so far and in the snow earlier this year I was outdriving 4x4s in my 4x2 Octavia. The only issue was when the snow got so deep the car beached. Not sure why tyre storage is on offer if winter tyres are supposedly only good for 3 or 4 months.

Of course the manufactures are going to say buy new each year as they want your money!

I can see why they wouldn't last? Should we buy summer tyres every year too?

i would say everyone mileage may vary - or try it and see how you get on!

Well I have had my Nokian tyres for three winters so far and in the snow earlier this year I was outdriving 4x4s in my 4x2 Octavia. The only issue was when the snow got so deep the car beached. Not sure why tyre storage is on offer if winter tyres are supposedly only good for 3 or 4 months.

Most of the storage offers are for them to store your normal tyres through winter.

I don't want to get into a heated debate here about how long they last or are recommended for but i'll leave this thread just saying i know what i know because its a fact direct from the manufacturers not what i've read on forums or been told by my mate down the pub.

Dave

Most of the storage offers are for them to store your normal tyres through winter.

I don't want to get into a heated debate here about how long they last or are recommended for but i'll leave this thread just saying i know what i know because its a fact direct from the manufacturers not what i've read on forums or been told by my mate down the pub.

Dave

Hmm no they also store your winters when you switch back

Most of the storage offers are for them to store your normal tyres through winter.

I don't want to get into a heated debate here about how long they last or are recommended for but i'll leave this thread just saying i know what i know because its a fact direct from the manufacturers not what i've read on forums or been told by my mate down the pub.

Dave

Are you sure you didn't get it from down the pub?

It's all rubbish, even if the manufactures did suggest it, it doesn't mean anything, they'll anything to make more money.

You obviously have more money than sense if you can afford to buy TWO brand new sets of tyres each year even though they are still perfectly legal.

The set i bought last winter were brand new Kormorans. Not the best brand, but they were certainly effective. The part worn supplier we use at work has only been supplying tyres since late April, so since the idea of buying my Skoda was to save money i went for the part worns.

I only do around 6-7000 miles a year and a lot of that is due to camping trips/weekends away in the summer. I'll probably do around 1500 miles on the winters that i'm currently running, and might even get another winter out of them. Depends if it stays mild, as they'll wear faster.

In Germany, where winter tyres are a legal requirement between november and march, it's illegal to use a set of tyres more than once. This is why, as has been said already, there are plenty of winter part worn tyres about. The company i work for buys about 200 at a time, and roughly half of them are winters. There is obviously a reason for the German government stipulating this, however it's the sticky summer sports tyres that harden and lose grip with repeated use, not the winter tyres.

This is because winter tyres contain more silica and natural rubber to ensure the compound stays soft and grippy, which better resists heating and cooling than a sports tyre, which contains more carbon black and oil. In fact Continental recommend that if you only buy one set of tyres and drive in ice and snow every winter, winter tyres are the better choice as the driver will have grip all year round. Sounds unbelieveable, but 'tis the truth.

Toby

There is nothing in German law that says a set of winter tyres can only be used once. They only stipulate that minimum tyre depth is 1.6mm

In the Czech Republic and many other countries in Europe it is law to have winter tyres fitted from November to spring. You'd be a complete idiot not too, regardless of law. Driving around at -20 on snow/ice is no problem.

The minimum legal winter tyre depth in CZ is 4mm. However there is no such law in the UK so 1.6mm is the only legal requirement. Either way, an almost illegal (in CZ) set of winter tyres are going to be better than a brand new set of Summers below 0 degrees. The compound starts to come into it's own below 7 degress, but quickly become too soft over 15 degrees.

Hence almost illegal winter tyres from Germany being imported to the UK, where TBH, knowledge of winter tyres is very limited. Many will be duped into buying the worn winter tyres because on the face of it, they look a good buy due to UK minimum tyre depth laws.

My in-laws keep the winters in the barn during summer and typically get 3 winters use before needing to replaced them.

This youtube video gives a good explanation, by Continental incidently.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=clSC7APitaQ