Time to swap winter tyres out....?

[stever750]

According to Metcheck it could be as late as the second week in April:

http://www.metcheck.com/UK/180days.asp?MonthOf=4&zipcode=cf82#.US_l0KLFElE

Temps forecast to stay around or below 7 deg C until then.

Same here (tho reads like a Daily Mail forecast to me)

http://www.exactaweather.com/UK_Long_Range_Forecast.html

All a bit depressing if true; the contisports are sitting in my garage, looking at me doe eyed every time I go in there. Am getting a bit bored with the squidgy jelly of the Uniroyals.

[sharkrider]

I will change mine at the end of march just before the wsm meet..... however it was 12 C today and they wern't happy,(midday) but yesterday I was at work and it was -3.5C on the way :( (and they were brilliant and my summers would have sucked!)

[R1DAVIE]

End of march for me too, temperature normally below 7 C when driving to work and coming home.

Alloys getting refurb'd in anthracite and new tyres next week, good feeling having shiny new alloys and tyres for summer lol

[Ootohere]

stever750,

what are the actual weather and road conditions where you do you driving?

Today is the first day of the Meterological Spring. as the article says.

(then they come away with 'potential', well that is hedging bets, but are they saying which parts of the UK?, no they are not)

'Exacta Weather' were not so hot with forecasts last year as it was drought timesomeplaces early last year before the floods came.

Funnily the temperature is away to rise in the south from Tuesday and stay low in Scotland as the High moves south.

North East Scotland will have its usual Lambing Snows no doubt at Spring Lambing time.

Nothing unusual that every year Spring stays untill it becomes Meterological Summer & Spring weather can include cold and snow. (Irish calander has Summer as from 1st May, ends 1st August)

-2* degrees celsius again here this morning and hopefully another cracking sunny day coming,

been above 7 degrees celsius daily for quite a while now and summer tyres doing nicely.

Roads dry clear and unsalted and hardly drama filled.

The UK forecasts can not take account of micro climates within a 30-50 mile radius let alone the conditions a few hundred miles apart.

Wonderful snow conditions on the Scottish Mountains for skiers this weekend.

george

[domhnall]

yup, just looking back through my photo database shows we tend to have snow at the start of April most years

I tend to swap back mid to end of April

[KenONeill]

tl;dr of a report on Evo - Yes the Winters were very nice the one weekend it snowed, but they also gave me several unintended 4-wheel skids despite only doing 20mph and having ESP.

[Ootohere]

Last March before the snow arrived and it dropped 23 degrees in 12 hours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-17522358

george

eg taken 20 hours apart.

[stever750]

Road conditions here are fine, summers wold have been great this week, and into next week. Although it was stunning last March, there always seems to be a sting in winter's tail so mine are staying in for the time being.

[David 8]

Steve I think we are safe enough down this end.

I'm thinking tomorrow is good day to swap back.

Just don't stash the winters to well.

[AnotherGareth]

the Winters were very nice the one weekend it snowed, but they also gave me several unintended 4-wheel skids despite only doing 20mph and having ESP.

Which tyres? Crap tyres are still crap even when they have a winter formulation and tread pattern, whereas good quality tyres can be astonishingly good.

FWIW when I chose a few years ago I looked at comparative and independent reviews, and gave more weight to results where the tyre size being tested was closer to my intended application. In spite of spirited driving I haven't had issues, and definitely not at low speed. I have noticed the tyres haven't felt so good during unseasonally warm days, but there the issue only becomes apparent when pressing on and purposefully going beyond what the tyre feedback is telling me.

In answer to the OP's question, I aim to swap back at the end of February but will defer that if the weather continues to be cold in my part of the country and at the times I am most likely to be driving - typical commuter times.

Edited 1 March, 2013 by AnotherGareth

[Jane_i10]

Mine are coming off this month although it was -3 the other night so its not asif their still not coming in useful. Cant wait to rid the taxi look though!

[Huskoda]

Ours will be swapped back sometime between the middle and end of march. Need to change some lumpy summer tyres first, grrr.

[stever750]

Steve I think we are safe enough down this end.

I'm thinking tomorrow is good day to swap back.

Just don't stash the winters to well.

Trouble is mine are on the OE alloys, so I have to swap tyres, not wheels!

[domhnall]

the trouble with all this sunshine has been that for the last ten days or so it's been around minus 4 most mornings

looking out at the start of a gorgeous sunset just now though

[KenONeill]

Which tyres? Crap tyres are still crap even when they have a winter formulation and tread pattern, whereas good quality tyres can be astonishingly good.

I looked again especially for you, and the brand of the Winters wasn't specified, but the Summers (both run-flat and conventional) was stated as Continental.

[slider]

keeping mine on 'till early April

[jrw]

Mine came off 2 weeks ago!

[Grizzle]

"Summer" tyres all year round never had winters in my life.... never will.

[Neo_VR]

Mine will be coming off as soon as i get round to replacing the rather bare pair of rears from last summer

[stever750]

It looks like Friday. Be nice to experience a bit of front end grip again.

[skodanorman]

I changed mine about two weeks ago. It was that or replace two winter tyres!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[VRSD30]

If you still have winter tyres on keep them on! Winter bites back with vengeance from this weekend.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?LANG=en&MENU=weekahead&DAY=20130305

http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/gfse_cartes.php?&ech=132&mode=1

[Ootohere]

-2 degrees celsius here again earlier this morning.

Sun splitting the pavement again now.

Winter can not bite back since it is now Spring,

so basically a normal UK Spring will continue as per usual in some geographic locations.

'Ner cast a clout till may is oot'..

Nothing there about changing rubber.

(factoid, 'May' in the saying is not the month of May, it is the blossom on the Hawthorn, Mayblossom)

george

[domhnall]

Yip lots of ice this morning, but 8 degrees now and glorious

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Ootohere]

Off we go again.

Polishing my sledge runners & waxing my skis. Love it.

george