2 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

You can go out with good front tyres on a FWD car and rag a car around a car park, road or where ever and swing the back end around even with the hand brake on.

You can not do much just driving on a road normally with ABS if you touch the brakes and the car just skids on.

 

Taking worn tyres off the rear of a car and fitting those to the front and new ones on the rear of a FWD car can be a very big mistake.

 

Just say no!

Do not fit crap tyres to your vehicle or leave ones on when getting just a pair of new tyres.

 

If I remember correctly, it was the winter of 2010, the one where my wife's BMW 123d and my Golf were snowed in for three weeks, outside our house, within a couple of hundred  yards of the Forth estuary.    A friend from the frozen North, Insch in Aberdeenshire, turned up in a Polo with winter tyres on the front and ordinary rubber on the rear.  He gave me a go in it and it was a hoot going round snow covered roundabouts, hanging the tail out at 20 mph.   I wouldn't have particularly wanted to drive it down from Aberdeen as he did in those conditions but it was fun at the time. 

 

It was that winter that set me back on course for us running at least one AWD car - my wife chopped in her BMW for a Tiguan - and fitting winter tyres.  

I never want to see another winter like 2010, truly winter from hell.

 

 

Was fun even in my LR getting around.

 

 

Made good wheelie bin pics though. 

 

 

Now all our cars have full winters on and at least one 4x4, also on full winters.
 

 

 

 

Edited 14 December, 20205 yr by DSL

2010 was fantastic, weeks of snow on the roads from October til Christmas, low temps and fun fun fun. 

1963 Dragon Rally

 

“None had conquered the Horseshoe Pass - some adventurous types had set out to try, but were stopped by drifts and the R.A~C 's alternative route through Corwen and Cerrigydruidion was relatively trouble free.”

 

Have been to Horseshoe Pass a few times in the last couple of years on SV650 rideouts, but it's not as I remember it!

Where's all the snow?

Riding Maicoletta scooters a pal and I went up the pass as it seemed the most direct route. We saw car roofs above the snow and then just radio aerials.

Eventually the only tracks were the trials sidecar in John Ebbrell's article so we followed them. When we reached the point where he turned round (he had more sense than us) we did another 20 yards and then had to turn back ourselves because the snow was above the telegraph poles and we would have no idea where we were.

When we got to the crossroads at the northern end after a long detour we realised we couldn't have got down anyway - the Horseshoe road was a solid wall of snow about 12 feet high!

Happy days, although the night wasn't - my 'patch' had a frozen molehill in the middle of it. Never been so cold and uncomfortable - until the Elephant Rally where I walked round the Nurburgring to keep warm

 

Sorry no pics - cameras hadn't been invented !

7 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

2010 was fantastic, weeks of snow on the roads from October til Christmas, low temps and fun fun fun. 

 09/10 winter?  Yep it was certainly fun.  Just not sure I want a repeat of it!

 

A few more pics. 
 

 

 

D3 was in offroad height!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 15 December, 20205 yr by DSL

15 hours ago, Schtum said:

It was that winter that set me back on course for us running at least one AWD car - my wife chopped in her BMW for a Tiguan - and fitting winter tyres.  

 

I'm reminded that was the year we borrowed a Yeti for a test drive from our friendly, local, Škoda dealer.   It was fitted with studded winter tyres.  I drove it around some of my favourite local back roads that were covered in several inches of sheet ice.

At one point, I passed a gaggle of Land Rovers and other serious 4x4's parked on the verge at the bottom of a slight hill.  The Yeti sailed up the hill on the sheet ice; much to the obvious amazement of the shooting party standing in the field next to the road. 

In the UK?  Studded tyres being illegal here. 

27 minutes ago, DSL said:

In the UK?  Studded tyres being illegal here. 

 

Here in Scotland. 

Studded Tyres are not illegal in the UK which includes Scotland.

Driving on the black / tar / asphalt / public road surface is.    

So just as having snow chains on.    Difference being you are not going to be taking out dozens of studs if there was to be no snow / ice covering the road.

(Maybe just put the vehicle back on a trailer.)

 

When you are driving where the roads are thick with ice and snow and no road showing then not illegal and Police Officers, RAF Mountain Rescue & others might be quite happy if you tow them out of a sticky situation when they are using vehicles without adequate tyres.

Edited 15 December, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

But roads are never only snow packed, unless it’s purely roads that ploughs and snow blowers (we have one of these for Dava Moor) don’t touch.  It’ll virtually always be mix of snow packed and cleared roads.  That’s why I’d never bother with snow chains for the roads I drive, you’d be constantly stopping to put them on and take them off.  Re studded tyres, you don’t have the option of fitting/removing at the side of the road.  I can see a place for them when out playing in the local back roads but no use heading any distance.

@DSL But roads have been totally snow and ice covered for more than just a day or 2 even where local farmers / tractor owners are paid by the Council / Local Authority to plough or plough and blow them.  Reason i know is because i have driven on them over the years.

 

Out playing or moving from farm to farm is exactly where they are useful.

Especially where you have jacks, air gun and other wheels and tyres to hand.

 

So not for the main routes, not where the ploughs and blowers are keeping the usual traffic moving, and not when snow gates are open.

But if you are inside the area closed by the Police with the gates closed and can drive then that is where you might just use the studs instead of chains.

Edited 15 December, 20205 yr by e-Roottoot

True, in those circumstances they would be a good choice.  
 

Also have roads locally that are cleared with tractors with V shaped ploughs.  Great except where the passing places have a 2ft bank of snow from the plough, makes for good for reversing practise.  

Tuono01, I held back on asking until now, in the wake of so many subsequent messages about where best to put all-weather tyrers etc., but I'm particularly interested if you've any thoughts on ride comfort and road noise when changing to Bridgestone Weather Control tyres. Maybe as you only fitted them to the front on your Galaxy, you can't really tell very much.

 

You refer to the good grip (also important of course) and I suspect grip/composure on rough roads / broken surfaces has possibly some links with ride quality as a softer tyre, other things being equal, probably aids both.

 

Out of interest SurreyJohn here 3rd message down, though liked the way they gripped in poor weather

found them a bit noiser on rough roads, but in 4th message said to be quiet & the recent tyrereviews all-weather test rated them fairly well for noise & VG for comfort.