I had to spend money on winter tyres and wheels, I would have rather bought some Brembo's :(

Said tyres are skinny and will have less grip than my summers, grip is good, less grip is bad. :( x2

My car will use more fuel. :( x 3

It is dark all the fecking time so there is precious little opportunity to give the car a good clean :( x 4

Even if I do get to get my car lovely and clean, as soon as I turn my back it's filthy again. :( :( :( :( :(

Here's what I think of you impending winter

If it wasn't for the coincidence that winter also heralds, log fires, mulled wine and Christmas I swear I would come round to your house and kick your ass.

at least your car's not white

I've coped fine the last 8 years without winter tyres.

I've coped fine the last 8 years without winter tyres.

:yes:

Less grip can be more fun!

I've today just placed my order for winter tyres tthrough My Tyres....which guarantees there will be no snow this winter of course.

I have a white car a grey car and a black car within a week so i don't get bored with the same colour 

Skoda say that winter tyres should run at 0.2 bar ie 3 psi higher than normal summer tyre pressures and if you use narrower tyre for winters there will be less hysteresis loss so not necessarily more fuel used or the difference will be imperceptible I would have thought. 

 

I find the winters work better when temperature is 10 or so or less not just in mud, slush and snow.

 

Great time to laugh at 2 wheel drive BMWs with their perfect 50/50 balance rather than nearly everyone else 60/40 or so. 

I've coped fine the last 8 years without winter tyres.

Been driving since 1995 and not had winters either.

I wouldn't have said the OP NEEDED to buy them, more chose to

Don't buy winter tyres, you don't need them in Halifax surely.

If you live in the Peaks, Brecons, Lake District, Highlands then yes but land locked Halifax, save your money and buy the Brembos mate.

Been driving since 1986 and never needed winter tyres and that's including driving 30,000 miles a year when I was on the road for my job.

Check and set/adjust tyres as the weather & ambient temperature changes.

 

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/cold-weather-tips

The way I look at it the cost of winter wheels and tyres can be close to zero.

For example,cost £500,run for say two or three winters and still less than half worn,sell for £250 when you change the car.

The net £250 cost will be covered by the wear saved on your other tyres,and your best alloys will be spared salt corrosion.

What's wrong with that?

Nowt's wrong with that if it's what you want to do.

All I'm saying is I've never had a need for winter wheels and tyres in nearly 30 years of driving.

The winters we have aren't that bad but if it gives you more confidence when it gets colder then that's fine.

WInter tyres. What a bizarre concept! 

 

What is snow, anyway? :think:

OzFabia, winter tyres are a bizarre concept for most of British roads in winter, in my opinion.

If you drive a lot of miles on higher ground or rural areas then they're a godsend when the weather turns wintry but for normal town and city driving then I don't think they're needed but I'll be running the wrath of the winter wheels brigade for saying it.

That's not a criticism by the way, just my own point of view.

Best just to adapt your driving to the prevailing conditions and carry out relevant checks/adjustments just like sk4gw said in a previous post.

all you "I dont need winter tyres" people, just dont ever follow me when I want to brake :p

 

I'm an advanced driver, and I learned to drive with no winter tyres ect ect , yes you can use engine braking, not press the middle pedal, ect ect ect , but to actually be able to brake and turn on snow and ice (and have half the stopping distances just on a COLD WET ROAD)  is a revelation....

 

east midlands ambulance serive just did thier own winter tyres test (wont be published in any mags! lol) and on a cold 2c wet road the big 5.5 ton mercs stopped a good 30% shorter than on summers....

 

you simply cannot argue with the facts.

OzFabia, winter tyres are a bizarre concept for most of British roads in winter, in my opinion.

If you drive a lot of miles on higher ground or rural areas then they're a godsend when the weather turns wintry but for normal town and city driving then I don't think they're needed but I'll be running the wrath of the winter wheels brigade for saying it.

That's not a criticism by the way, just my own point of view.

Best just to adapt your driving to the prevailing conditions and carry out relevant checks/adjustments just like sk4gw said in a previous post.

I find your opinion bizarre.

Can't be bothered with explaining why,the advantages are well documented.

I'd like to see you "adapt your driving" so that you can get up the incline to exit my street in wintry conditions.

Of course you can do without them,just like you can do without ABS,but you do so to your probable detriment unless you always walk or take the bus when there's a bad weather forecast.

I've been driving for nearly 50 years but I like to acknowledge serious safety developments in modern motoring.

The problem is the name - "winter tyres".  Most UK drivers seem to interrupt this as "tyres for use on snow and ice".  A better name would be "low temperature tyres".  These types of tyres give superior lateral grip, traction and braking when the temperature falls below 7°C.

 

According to the Met Office the average winter temperature for the years 1981-2010 was below 5°C except for small areas around the coast (particularly in Cornwall).  Last winter the average temperature over the whole of the UK was 3.3°C .  So "winter tyres" will provide safer driving during UK winters.  The problem is that even if you fit "winter tyres" most cars, amongst which you must drive, won't.

 

In my area, Gloucestershire, we have little snow so fitting smaller diameter, higher profile, narrower than usual tyres during winter is not of much advantage - except lower cost.  I shall replace my 225/40-18 Conti's with 225/45-17s "winter tyres" - probably Dunlop Wintersport 4 or Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32.

My winters came in handy last year :P

Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk

Why do people keep saying "you don't need winter tyres"?

 

I don't need a car with airbags, massive crumple zones, ESP or even ABS.........................that is until I do.

 

Winter tyres are not just about snow. They are simply better at being tyres in cold conditions

I travelled through snow when I had my Corsa 1.5D with 'normal' tyres on.

 

Drove fine.

Yes grip was less, but then with snow and ice I was not expecting to be travelling like Vettel.

 

Same as I drive now, I may not have tyres that are as grippy as the man in front, however I drive a distance away from him that I know I can stop in.

 

Winter tyres may be more grippy, but they are not essential.

 

If you wish to use the argument like ABS, how many people preferred driving without it? Ok for 90% it is better, but if we are on about 'proper' driving, ABS is a hindrance. 

There's nothing wrong with winter tyres if you want to put them on your car.

All I said was I've never felt the need to fork out extra money just to put different wheels and tyres on a car for a couple of months a year.

I you feel the need to do it then do it, or buy a 4x4.

Was only having a bit of a joke with OzFabia anyway.

Yeah, if you want them, get them. However I would not be wasting my money.

 

If you live in an area that gets hit by snow really badly, buy a 4x4. Winter tyres will only work so well on a FWD car before a 4x4 becomes a better option.

I travelled through snow when I had my Corsa 1.5D with 'normal' tyres on.

 

Drove fine.

Yes grip was less, but then with snow and ice I was not expecting to be travelling like Vettel.

 

Same as I drive now, I may not have tyres that are as grippy as the man in front, however I drive a distance away from him that I know I can stop in.

 

Winter tyres may be more grippy, but they are not essential.

 

If you wish to use the argument like ABS, how many people preferred driving without it? Ok for 90% it is better, but if we are on about 'proper' driving, ABS is a hindrance. 

 

And if the grip is less your acceleration would be less but most importantly your stopping distance will be greater and you have just made the best argument there is.

 

Tyres are becoming more and more important as cars become more aerodynamic the vehicle needs to rely on braking through the tyre as there is less aero braking.

 

ESP should be mandatory on new builds ASAP IMO.

Why should ESP be mandatory?

 

Stopping distance may increase (in snow I would expect it to) yet I simply adjust the distance from the car in front to myself.

 

Winter tyres may make it so that I can get 10 feet closer to him and stop in the same time, but for me it would not be worth it, may as well just slow down a little bit and save money