Winter tyres.... do I need them

[33q]

I am not expecting you guys to give me a definitive answer but advice and opinion is always welcome. I know there are loads of posts on this subject but ..............well no buts.....I just want to focus on the 'need' bit.

I have a 140 dsg....so 4x4. I am retired.......doing 600 miles a month in the winter. I can avoid going out in bad weather. I live in the East Midlands. I live only 1 mile of fairly flat roads to an A road and 2 miles of flat to a trunk road.

I have never had winter tyres. I have never been stuck (yet....famous last words). Even years ago with rear wheel drive.

I don't like steel wheels .....I'm not spending £20k on a new car that looks like a £12k car for 4 to 5 months of the year.

Do company car drivers get winter tyres? Any fleet managers and users views?

I don't mind the spend but £350 for alloys and £425 needs some justification.

Do your worst...............

thanks

[StewartK]

I am not expecting you guys to give me a definitive answer but advice and opinion is always welcome. I know there are loads of posts on this subject but ..............well no buts.....I just want to focus on the 'need' bit.

I have a 140 dsg....so 4x4. I am retired.......doing 600 miles a month in the winter. I can avoid going out in bad weather. I live in the East Midlands. I live only 1 mile of fairly flat roads to an A road and 2 miles of flat to a trunk road.

I have never had winter tyres. I have never been stuck (yet....famous last words). Even years ago with rear wheel drive.

I don't like steel wheels .....I'm not spending £20k on a new car that looks like a £12k car for 4 to 5 months of the year.

Do company car drivers get winter tyres? Any fleet managers and users views?

I don't mind the spend but £350 for alloys and £425 needs some justification.

Do your worst...............

thanks

I'm in the same position as you, I can avoid going out in bad weather. I decided I could do without winter wheels/tyres and spend the money saved on more wine!

[Ootohere]

You do not need them if you do not want them or need to go out in conditions where you would have them and some other plonker without slides into you.

Like not needing a rain coat if you do not go out in the rain.

A shower proof jackets does if you really had to venture out.

Your tyres will work if you use common sense to the conditions.

For the price of the tyres you can call for a taxi if the roads are really bad,

it will either come or not, if not, you made a good choice in not driving,

or Tesco, Asda etc deliver no matter what the weather..

george

[Truthseeker]

"I don't like steel wheels .....I'm not spending £20k on a new car that looks like a £12k car for 4 to 5 months of the year".

At last a sensible comment - totally agree. However, Winter tyres on alloys, so you get the looks and advantages, does seems sensible (there you go - that should satisfy most members).

Edited 1 November, 2012 by Truthseeker

[The Plumber]

Until I got my first Yeti, I had not found winter tyres a necessity either. However after nearly writing my lad, a nearly new Yeti and myself off in a heavy fall of snow I went the winter tyre route. The modern high performance tyres have less grip than ski's :S

OK you can get about if it's flat and you take it real steady; even better in a Fabia with skinny T rated tyres. But slopes and braking, then your taking a risk in snow and ice particularly.

Switching to winters has been a revelation in terms of grip throughout the cold winter months, been that impressed by the overall improvement all three of our family cars run winters now from November to end of March ish, although for the ultra light petrol Fabia I still have to be that bit extra careful in compacted slippery snow. Personally not to fussed by the look, so run the Yeti on steels with Rif trims. Wife's Fabia II has another set of Skoda alloy's (they were on offer; £100 off the set) and my lad's has an extra set of steels for his base model Fabia II.

TP

[Llanigraham]

I don't have them, and have never used them, and have coped with the 48 mile journey to work for the last two winters, so it can be done, but................

You need to take into account that even with 4x4 you aren't going to stop so easily, and you do risk skidding more easily.

So you have to assess the risks, your needs, your skills, and take that all into account.

You should also remember that these tyres are not just for snow, but for the times of year when the ambient temperature is below 7 degrees, when the supposed "summer tyres" don't perform as well, because the rubber content hardens.

I've no doubt that one member on here will query this view of mine (because he always does) but personally I may go down the route of an All Season tyre, like the Goodyear Vector's, of which several here have a good experience, however I have found that the Kumho's I run are far better than the tyres Dewi the Yeti came equipped with originally.

[bettysman]

I got mine fitted yesterday. Went down the steel wheel route, but they still look good on the car. When we had the very bad weather 2 years ago and people were stuck on the M8 overnight , I managed to get the 37 miles to work in Glasgow on back roads driving VW Bora . That was without winter tyres, so anything is possible. The same winter I drove 210 miles at Christmas from Dornoch to Livingaton in snow and -15 deg no problem but got stuck getting into the driveway.

Bob

[gobiman]

I'm just in the process of sorting out a set for my Mother's Yeti - will go for 17s (Dolomites) to maintain the look and probably Vredestein Wintracs which I have experience of.

I have a big X5 myself and do as most Germans/Swiss/Austrians do - swap twice a year between summers and winters each on their own rims - both of which are OEM for insurance purposes. Swapped mine last week.

A few points in answer to the post -

1. I live in central London (not known for arctic weather!) but take the family to a high resort in the Alps 2-3 times a year which is the main reason for having them.I've found the winter tyres absolutely fantastic and they have massively exceeded my expectations. Fine for driving at high autobahn speeds but very grippy on all types of snow and ice to the point where I've never needed chains in 5 years although I have a set in the boot. If I could only have one set of tyres, I would have winters given the massive safety benefit in the winter months (even in London) and there seems to be little downside for summer driving. Mine have also proved to be hard wearing.

2. In terms of cost/benefit, my own view is that for many people it is a no-brainer particularly those who have to commute daily at times where temperatures will inevitably be lower and broadly this argument becmes more compelling the further north/higher/more rural you live. Bear in mind that you aren't wearing down both sets of tyres at the same time so the incremental cost is just the extra set of rims albeit you will have more capital tied up in the car.

3. The two other issues are storage with it clearly being easier with a garage/shed. Also the bi-annual change will cost £60 or so if you have a friendly local garage. I have invested in a 3t trolley jack (£70)with a rubber ice hockey puck on top (£3) and do it myself although this is probably only for the relatively fit/strong.

4. The final point is that you never know when you have to use your car in winter for unexpected events/emergencies. I had to drive to Scotland two years ago on Boxing Day in the big freeze when some pipes burst at a house I own in the Highlands. Without winter tyres I wouldn't have made it at all.

Each to his own and everyone has different circumstances but, as you can tell, I'm a convert!

[andyspan]

I don't like steel wheels .....I'm not spending £20k on a new car that looks like a £12k car for 4 to 5 months of the year.

Do your worst...............

thanks

+1

[The Hood]

Being a shift worker I leave for work very early in the morning before the gritters start. I travel aound 15000 miles a year, have never used winter tyres before, and always got by.I have relatives in Germany and a couple of years ago experienced freezing rain, an overnight snowfall of fourteen inches, and four days continuous snow, it was very scarry. In your situation I would probably go for four seasons tyres, not go out or use a taxi. You dont need to spend a lot on wheels, I paid £60 on ebay for mine and quite a bit more for the Michelin Alpins.

[Breckie]

As they say.........GET SOME. You know it makes sense.

I'm retired too but I'm into a fair bit winter mountaineering & I like to get to some awkward places & get home again.

The A9 is possibly the favourite route & it does get its fair share of snow.

I also like the car to look good & have a set of alloys for the winter with winter tyres. See pic for info:

[Truthseeker]

"I also like the car to look good & have a set of alloys for the winter with winter tyres"

Agree 100%!

[luminaus]

I obtained 4 used OEM steel rims on ebay for £40 plus p+p. Also obtained 4 Dunlop part worn winter tyres (nearly full tread depth) from local tyre depot for £200.

I work for the Fire and Rescue Service and my wife doesn't drive and needs taken to work 4 nights per week (28 mile return journey) - so these are a necessary for me.

In the end the decision must rely on an assessment of your own needs and the alternatives you have should you require to travel during 'adverse' weather conditions.

[luminaus]

Forgot to add I have a set of wheel covers to hide the iniquities of the steel rims. Cheap but decidedly cheerful.

[Eleg4by4]

I don't have them, and have never used them, and have coped with the 48 mile journey to work for the last two winters, so it can be done, but................

You need to take into account that even with 4x4 you aren't going to stop so easily, and you do risk skidding more easily.

So you have to assess the risks, your needs, your skills, and take that all into account.

You should also remember that these tyres are not just for snow, but for the times of year when the ambient temperature is below 7 degrees, when the supposed "summer tyres" don't perform as well, because the rubber content hardens.

I've no doubt that one member on here will query this view of mine (because he always does) but personally I may go down the route of an All Season tyre, like the Goodyear Vector's, of which several here have a good experience, however I have found that the Kumho's I run are far better than the tyres Dewi the Yeti came equipped with originally.

Just to be clear on this, I'm going down the All Season route too (with GoodYear Vectors), so can you simply fit these to the Elegance standard 17" wheels?

[Norry]

I think that there is not a lot of point in going for a 4x4 and then not having winter tyres.

[The Plumber]

Just to be clear on this, I'm going down the All Season route too (with GoodYear Vectors), so can you simply fit these to the Elegance standard 17" wheels?

Yes; 225/50 R17 V or H rated tyres are available, from Goodyear, Pirelli and Hankook.

TP

[Hirundo]

I don't like steel wheels .....I'm not spending £20k on a new car that looks like a £12k car for 4 to 5 months of the year.

+1

-1

Steel wheels make a £20k car look like a £12k car ???? Are You serious?

Edited 1 November, 2012 by Hirundo

[Kenny R]

I think that there is not a lot of point in going for a 4x4 and then not having winter tyres.

+1

[Lowen]

"I also like the car to look good & have a set of alloys for the winter with winter tyres"

Agree 100%!

+1

Alpin A4's on moon alloys fitted for the second year today.

[Ootohere]

But you all bought the 4x4 even for the months you do not have Winter tyres on, probably you bought them for wet roads and grassy picnics, towing a caravan etc etc

do you have good Wet Weather tyres on when not wearing Winter tyres?

&

if you do not need to go out in bad 'Winter' weather, do you need Winter Tyres?

That was the OP.

george

[r999]

It's not just about bad weather, which is occasional, it's about cold weather, which is more or less permanent for several months.

The average daily high temperatures and average daily low temperatures in January and February are lower in Nottingham than in the coastal parts of Tayside. In both areas they are well into the range where winter tyres would be beneficial. Whether they are needed is something only the individual can decide.

[looby]

I was in a VW Dealers today and they were offering 4 steel rims with winter tyres and free changing back each year for £500...

Edited 1 November, 2012 by looby

[andyspan]

-1

Steel wheels make a £20k car look like a £12k car ???? Are You serious?

-1

Steel wheels make a £20k car look like a £12k car ???? Are You serious?

Yes!

[Truthseeker]

-1

Steel wheels make a £20k car look like a £12k car ???? Are You serious?

Yes! - any car with steel wheels looks like a cheapo.