We at last have some snow down on the South Coast, so get the cat litter tray in for the cat, he is usually out whilst we are at work but not today, car out of the garage and off we go.

No issues getting to the office, no traction control intervention - Winter Tires are awesome.

Keep safe today everyone.

Paul

They are indeed!!

i havnt got any i use the 4x4 in snow but am going to get some for my felicia and think that everyone should try and invest in some they use them in europe and dont have half the trouble we have and they have much harsher driving conditions than the uk,

They're great aren't they? Once you have them you won't want to go back. Winter driving is pretty boring with them.

Winter tyres???.....

Winter tyres???.....

aye for rubbish drivers who aint used to the white stuff haha

I was about to say, its those things that if more people here had there wouldn't be this mad hysteria every time someone spots a snowflake.

I'm working in Hampshire at the moment, and the light fall of snow (currently less than 1 inch) is causing total meltdown on the roads near Fareham. At 3mph I don't suppose it matters much what tyres you use

I use Vredestein tyres on both Octavias (one 2wd one 4wd), and don't have any problems at home in Aberdeenshire. Friends who have winter tyres trash them in fairly short order as they're really only designed for snowy roads and at lower speeds.

Driving style to suit the conditions and knowing when not to drive on the roads are probably more effective?

Kind Regards

Ian

I was about to say, its those things that if more people here had there wouldn't be this mad hysteria every time someone spots a snowflake.

So you think if people had winter tyres the whole of the UK would be fine in snow??, jeez your delusioned and brain washed by these daft tyres dude.

Driving style to suit the conditions and knowing when not to drive on the roads are probably more effective?

Only for those with good judgement! Loads of people might elect to drive and wish they hadn't (or might have little choice but to drive, medics, self-employed folks). Or they might just be plain bad drivers. Either way winter tyres would help.

Edited 18 January, 201313 yr by Yearofthegoat

Winter tyres another pointless rip off. Only difrence to summer tyres are the tread patern tyre compond is all the same. So not much diferance.

Lots of sceptics and downright ignorant views about the use of Winter tyres in car forums all the time

All I can do is to ask those of you that fall into this category...

Have you tried them?

Have you driven in snow with them

Driven on ice?

Driven in heavy rain?

No?

Then please dont say its down to driving technique or plain bad driving

It isnt!

I will never go back to normal tyres again in the winter..

They wear very well and even if temperatures go above 7C..They still grip well and dont suffer at all particularly in heavy rain

Winter tyres another pointless rip off. Only difrence to summer tyres are the tread patern tyre compond is all the same. So not much diferance.

Is that what you have been told?

The tyre compound is much different and stays soft in cold temperatures below 7C

Tread pattern is also different and includes 'sipes' to aid grip in snow and slush

This is big problem in this country is most people think ‘I don’t need them, I can drive in snow’, this will certainly be true for some people - I have never had to abandon a car in the snow, but all it takes is one muppet to block the road and the road gets closed for everyone, this is what brings the country to its knees!

Whereas if they were made compulsory like in Germany etc the road wouldn’t get blocked in the first place.

If winter tyres were only a benefit when it snowed then I could see the argument why they are not needed in this country, however they are winter tyres not ’snow’ tyres, they also offer MUCH more grip when the temperatures start to tumble.

A car going down hill on ice or compacted snow is going to loose grip pretty quickly, no amount of driver aids (4WD, ESP, ABS etc) is going to change this if the tyres cannot physically grip the surface, which a decent winter tyre will do.

Maybe if there was a higher excess on your insurance policy, say an extra £1k if you cause an accident due to not having suitable tyres fitted to the car for the conditions you are driving in then more people would consider them?

Have you ever noticed almost all the people who say that are not needed have never actually tried them?

Friends who have winter tyres trash them in fairly short order as they're really only designed for snowy roads and at lower speeds.

From my experience totally the opposite is true, the part worn winter tyres I sold had done around 15 - 20K miles on them, yet had only scrubbed a couple of mm off them, they were a premium winter tyre though (Nokian) I am sure some of the far east cheap one will wear out very quickly?

My winter tyres also have the same speed rating as the OE ones fitted at the factory, they are also not SNOW TYRES!!!! (they are completely different and very few people know what they look like let alone use them)

i was just joking by the way i put haha at the end

i was just trolling by the way i put haha at the end

Thankyou

i have snow tyres on steels, will only put em on in 3 inch or more though

I can agree about the wear not being excessive. Those people must really be pushing them very hard. I've done 1000's of miles on mine at motorway speeds in temps of 10-15 and I don't get wear problems.

The compound definitely is different, you can feel the difference in the rubber just by touching it, it has a different texture. Plus even at quite a few below 0 they are still soft to the touch.

As for rip off, well my Goodyear winters are cheaper per corner than my Conti summers, so I wouldn't say it costs me a fortune, steel rims aside.

I'd be genuinely interested to hear from someone who has actually used decent winter tyres in snow and ice and will still say they provide no benefit, without resorting to speculation and personal attacks.

i have they are very good in snow and ice but its does feel a mite ropey on moist roads, the handling is rubbish by comparison on dry roads, they have theyre place but in uk its faster to put snow socks on and whip em off imho

Lots of sceptics and downright ignorant views about the use of Winter tyres in car forums all the time

All I can do is to ask those of you that fall into this category...

Have you tried them?

Have you driven in snow with them

Driven on ice?

Driven in heavy rain?

No?

Then please dont say its down to driving technique or plain bad driving

It isnt!

I will never go back to normal tyres again in the winter..

They wear very well and even if temperatures go above 7C..They still grip well and dont suffer at all particularly in heavy rain

Hi Chris,

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. And I still use Vredestein Sportracs.

Kind Regards

Ian

A bit OT, but it's thickening up quickly here in Reading, so I'm off to collect the kids from nursery - with my winter tyres on - before it gets too stupid out on the roads.

I can agree about the wear not being excessive. Those people must really be pushing them very hard. I've done 1000's of miles on mine at motorway speeds in temps of 10-15 and I don't get wear problems. The compound definitely is different, you can feel the difference in the rubber just by touching it, it has a different texture. Plus even at quite a few below 0 they are still soft to the touch. As for rip off, well my Goodyear winters are cheaper per corner than my Conti summers, so I wouldn't say it costs me a fortune, steel rims aside. I'd be genuinely interested to hear from someone who has actually used decent winter tyres in snow and ice and will still say they provide no benefit, without resorting to speculation and personal attacks.

i have they are very good in snow and ice but its does feel a mite ropey on moist roads, the handling is rubbish by comparison on dry roads, they have theyre place but in uk its faster to put snow socks on and whip em off imho

Hi Huskoda,

I've used winter tyres and would second what Lofty has said. In Aberdeenshire, along with Perthshire and most of Invernesshire we experience the most days with true "winter" conditions and I'd estimate that only around 10% of folk fit winter tyres. I'd agree that they are an real advantage on realy snowy roads, but how often are folk in the UK driving on compacted snow roads? Even at home it's not that frequently. I don't claim to be an expert driver on snow/ice, but do have a fair bit of experience of it.

I hope that I haven't attacked or offended anyone....

Kind regards

Ian

The way I have driven on them and I'm a pretty sedate driver, I have not found problems myself, but I am certainly consciously driving more gently around corners when it is warm and dry. Given how they work, I can believe why some people may find them annoying/awkward in those conditions.

Problem with a snow sock is that you can't run them on clear roads, you have to stop and take them off.

So say if your commute starts and ends on lightly used local roads with a stretch of cleared A/B or MWay in the middle, they are going to be impractical to use.

Paul

Winter tyres another pointless rip off. Only difrence to summer tyres are the tread patern tyre compond is all the same. So not much diferance.

Of this was funny. Here's something you should try - get a set of Toyo Proxes and then try and drive in temperatures less than +5C, see what happens. Those are extremely grippy tyres in warm conditions, I've had them on my race car for years. In the cold, however they feel as if I'm driving on plastic.