Hope this is the correct place to post this but am wondering how many Yeti owners fit winter tyres these days?  It's my first year of Yeti ownership and I am in a quandary as to whether to bother in view of the relatively mild winters we have had in the last few years.

 

Another option is to stick some cross climate tyres on it but I am not sure how effective these are in relation to full winters in the snow (if we ever get any).

 

 

Its not just for snow. Cold weather prevents the tyres from warming up properly and winter tyres cope with this far better. Stopping in the rain on a cold day, the winter tyres will stop you far faster

Unless you're in an area that regularly gets snow in winter then I would stick with the cross climate

Winter tyres are made from a softer compound and are designed to 'attract' snow into the tread pattens, as NOTHING grips to snow better than the snow itself.

 

They are better at reducing stopping distances in the web and also at colder temperatures, sao yes they are worth running as 'all-year-round' tyres if your annual mileage is fairly low.

 

If you mileage is high, then you'll need to replace them more often and thus, have the additional expense of doing so.

 

When I'm ready to order my Kodiaq/Karoq I will see if I can have winter tyres fitted at the build stage.

 

Kitten and I do about 5000 miles a year, so we can 'accommodate' the expense of the tyres wearing out quicker.

I've used Michelin Alpins through the summer previously and was surprised they don't wear as quickly as you'd imagine. They do however squeal in true Hollywood style when cornering in warm weather, generally more road noise and lower your MPG.

Thanks.

 

I guess I am just weighing up the cost vs benefit argument as you just know it will snow if I don't buy them!

 

A further question relates to trying to limit the expense as much as possible.  I have seen some new tyres that were manufactured in 2014 - is there any reason I should elect not to buy them (they are cheaper but from a reputable company) over the 2017 versions?

Tyres become less pliable the older they get and start to crack around the treads which means it could be a false economy. The winter tyres for my wife's BMW still have around 4-5mm left but are starting to crack so will probably need to be replaced this year, hopefully Cross Climates will be available in the required size by then.

 

This may help

https://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/blog/6-warning-signs-need-change-car-tyres

Edited 18 September, 20178 yr by CWARD

It's a misnomer to refer to them as Winter tyres. Cold Weather tyres would be more appropriate. They are not just for areas that get snow either. 

 

For durability all year round tyres have  a harder compound.  Unfortunately this compound hardens in cold weather (rule of thumb is 7°c & below) and this greatly reduces their effectiveness. 

 

CWT have a softer compound which copes  better in colder conditions. They also have more sipes which trap snow and help the tyre adhere to the snow and ice. It should be noted that CWT lose their effectiveness once the tread is below 4mm. 

 

I don't get much snow where I live (maybe a week in total) but from late October/November until as late as May the temperature can struggle to get above single figures.

 

For that reason I swap to CWT (currently Nokian W3's)  on 16" steel wheels. And 17" Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance during the so-called warmer months. 

 

Due to swapping the tyres over every 6 months, my original Dunlop SP 01'S lasted to approximately 55k, and were still legal-ish.

Thanks.  I've just taken the plunge and ordered some Uniroyals.  They seem to get reasonable reviews and I suspect, at £88/tyre, they represent the sweet spot in terms of cost/benefit.  Some of the 'higher end' makes were as much as £140 each.

Honestly, unless you live in a particularly cold region you would be just as well with Cross Climate tyres. I currently have winter tyres and change to summer tyres every Spring. When one set wears out I will swap to Cross Climate tyres.

I'm inclining towards Expatman's view.  I used to swap tyres every autumn and spring.  Last autumn the SP01s were close to needing to be replaced, but I put that off until I put them on again in spring.  Come the spring this year the Nokians still had a good amount of tread depth (taking in to account that they need more than "summer" tyres, per Fin69's post*) so I kept them on, planning to put Cross Climates on later in the year.

 

I'm just about at the point where the Nokians need replacing now, although I'm actually planning to hold off a little bit longer until the Yeti goes for its MoT and I've had a chance to have a conversation with the local dealer about possibly trading up to a facelift version.

 

Running the Nokians through late spring and summer this year I've not noticed any adverse effect on MPG, nor any uncivilised noises - apart from one incident on a damp A82 last month when the car in front of me decided to slam on the anchors and dive left into a camp site at the last minute.  That elicted a slight chirp of protest from my nearside front tyre as I swerved to avoid their offside rear quarter, but it all stayed in shape.  (I'm not sure that the SP01s would have behaved as well TBH - I always felt them to be rather hard and skittish.)

 

*  Though I would say that they only start to lose their effectiveness at ~4mm - I don't think they suddenly turn in to ditchfinders overnight!

18 minutes ago, ejstubbs said:

I'm inclining towards Expatman's view.  I used to swap tyres every autumn and spring.  Last autumn the SP01s were close to needing to be replaced, but I put that off until I put them on again in spring.  Come the spring this year the Nokians still had a good amount of tread depth (taking in to account that they need more than "summer" tyres, per Fin69's post*) so I kept them on, planning to put Cross Climates on later in the year.

 

I'm just about at the point where the Nokians need replacing now, although I'm actually planning to hold off a little bit longer until the Yeti goes for its MoT and I've had a chance to have a conversation with the local dealer about possibly trading up to a facelift version.

 

Running the Nokians through late spring and summer this year I've not noticed any adverse effect on MPG, nor any uncivilised noises - apart from one incident on a damp A82 last month when the car in front of me decided to slam on the anchors and dive left into a camp site at the last minute.  That elicted a slight chirp of protest from my nearside front tyre as I swerved to avoid their offside rear quarter, but it all stayed in shape.  (I'm not sure that the SP01s would have behaved as well TBH - I always felt them to be rather hard and skittish.)

 

*  Though I would say that they only start to lose their effectiveness at ~4mm - I don't think they suddenly turn in to ditchfinders overnight!

My winter tyres are Nokians and they are definitely much "noisier" than the Goodyear Efficient Grips I run in the summer, or they were on my original pre FL Yeti. Reputedly Michelin CrossClimates are quiet and comfortable so will be switching to those when tyres need replacing, however, as the Goodyears are new - came fitted to new Yeti bought in March - I guess it will be some years before I change.

 

We are taking the unusual approach of running summers in summer, and Cross Climates in winter.  Why?  Our previous full winter tyres were coming to the end of their useful life, but where we live, snow happens every 2-3 years, when summer tyres become scarily useless on our untreated minor roads.  Much more likely in winter months are frosty or wet conditions with a journey to work at -3 to +5 degrees C, but a journey home at +5 to +12 degrees C.  Cross Climates just seemed to make more sense for these conditions.  However, our summer tyres still have years of tread left in them, barring punctures, so we use them in the warmer months.

I've fitted winter tyres for the last ten years on our three cars.

 

It was getting a pain so last year I fitted Cross Climates to the Ocatavia. I do a lot of peak district driving so do experience true winter conditions.

 

Compared to Pirelli  Sottozero and Goodyear Ultragrip 8's full winters they are equal for cold conditions, slush and standing water and they are not far off for snow. They only thing the winters are clearly better at is ice.

 

The majority of England and Wales owners would be fine with Cross Climates all year.

 

Lee

I've also gone the full time Cross Climate route as a tyre choice.

Goodyear Vector 4Season tyres for me, all year round.  45,000 miles from the first set, second set heading the same way.  They cut through standing water like the proverbial butter knife and warm up quickly.  Yes, they side-slip a bit in fast corners but in a very predictable, progressive way.  The factory-fitted whatever-they-were ('normal' tyres) lasted 12,000 miles.

I have used winter tyres since 1990 ,  when I got marooned in a snow drift near my home on North York Moors. What I have learned is this-

 

- you don't get stuck on winters and the grip level on snow especially is astounding 

- but the laws of physics apply when you are on black ice 

- when I drove Mk 4 Golfs I'd get bloody awful tramlining and torque steer on winters - but not on anything I've driven since

- there's a bit more understeer on winters and it gets worse as the weather warms up

- steering tends to be a tiny bit lighter -I assume wider tread gaps and smaller contact patch

- driving down rutted forest tracks , muddy fields , heavy snow and slimy river banks winters have always got me home safely 

- you can read all sorts of comparative tests about brands of winters . I have had pricey Michelins and Vredesteins , Nokians and bargain basement Lassas, and they all work . All are night and day compared to summer tyres

- I would be far happier on 2wd on winters than 4wd on summers

- you may not rely on them often but when you need them , they deliver and that assurance  alone is priceless  

Grayson has said it all. 2 wd with winters is far safer than 4 wd on summers. Cross Climates are a good compromise for normal UK winters.

For me I shod my fabia in Sept 16 with TriStar Ecopower 4S 3 peaks rated cross climates. They are very good in the dry and in the recent heavy rain and expect them to handle the snow well. They are about £50 each from mytyres, also after 8000 miles have shown very little wear, expect to get over 16000. It's worth noting my car does not have stability or traction control so having remapped 120 hp I'm pleased with the wear.

16k doesn't sound that good?

Leased Greenline went back on all original tyres at 43k, with at least another 5k left on front.

Is it just me - in the second video posted by Urrell above, the driver of the left hand car (presumably on summer tyres) looks to have just given up without even trying. I couldn't see any evidence of any wheelspin at all. Don't get me wrong, I do know how crappy summer tyres are on ice and snow. I also know how much better my 4x4 was!!

Could be the traction control coming cutting power.

I've looked again and right at the beginning there is a little bit of wheelspin - but I still don't think he was trying.

This has been a good debate.  I actually managed to stop the order I placed for the full winters as it appeared that the consensus was for Cross Climate or All Season tyres given the relatively mild nature of the seasons we have.

 

I'm now confused with the choices.  If I go for an 'All Season' such as the much-lauded Goodyear Vector 4Seasons apparently that's different to a 'Cross Climate' such as the Michelin Cross Climates.

 

From the tests in earlier posts, it doesn't look like there's a great deal of difference in them performance wise.