http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/uk/en/continental/automobile/themes/4×4-tyres/winter-tyres/why_winter/4x4_why_winter_en.html

Just beyond halfway.

If you are reluctant to change tyres and have nowhere to store summer tyres when they are not in use, you are better off using winter tyres all year round.

Winter tyres are as quiet and comfortable as summer tyres and, thanks to sophisticated compound technology, do not wear any more quickly.

Just thought i would post it.

As i read this Conti are saying use winter tyres as the default, and change to Summer tyres, not use summer tyres and change to winter tyres….

More breaking news….

Guinness is good for you.

That’s interesting. I’ve heard of people using winter tyres successfully all year around but a manufacturer recommending it is something else. It’s typical that the advice comes out just after I’ve bought a set of winter tyres & wheels though!

I think the only people who are likely to dispute this are those who have no experience of using winter tyres.
Winter tyres rock.
Chains are quite good too.

Do we really need winter tyres or just better drivers??

Do we really need winter tyres or just better drivers??

Do we need summer tyres? do we need cars that can do more than 70mph?

But yes we do need better drivers.

Do we really need winter tyres or just better drivers??

When trying to get to work through a few inches of snow, before the snow ploughs have been, I’d say winter/snow tyres are a must.

cant use winter tyres in the summer here in Norway. They are designed for colder and icy conditions and are not as good as summer tyres in the wet.

I was led to believe that the braking performance of winter tyres are inferior to summer tyres in the err… summer

Do we need winter tyres? If you live on a hill that ices/snows up regularly and doesn’t see a gritter as often as it should. Add to that frequent drives down scratty little Highland roads mid winter. Then yes. If you live in Ipswich, probably not.

Made a lot of difference to me, mainly with icy roads or compacted refrozen snow.

Do we really need winter tyres or just better drivers??

Last snow we had I towed a neighbours Range Rover off his driveway as he was stuck.

He’s driving a 4×4 with Low Ratio gearbox etc etc but using summer tyres.

And I’m towing him out in a VW T4 work van fitted with winter tyres.

When trying to get to work through a few inches of snow, before the snow ploughs have been, I’d say winter/snow tyres are a must.

Nah – better drivers. As in much much much better drivers.

I kept my ‘winters’ on until May this year and the difference in performance is small in the wet.

They are definitely worth it for me, as although last winter wouldn’t have presented too many problems, they do perform better in frost/cold and gave me peace of mind that I would be able to get to work at 6AM should there be a dump of snow and be much safer doing it!

Living in Manchester, there’s little reason I can see for buying a set of winter tyres.

Hilly areas with consistently low temperatures and winter conditions are a different matter.

Most drivers don’t seem to understand how to modify their driving(or even understand the need to) to suit the conditions -summer or winter.

Do we really need winter tyres or just better drivers??

The problem with being a better driver in wintry conditions is that sooner or later your progress will be impacted upon by a bad driver. That is when having better tools for the job helps even a best driver 8)

There’s no way I would keep my winter tyres on in summer. There is no where near as much grip or stability in the dry (when it’s not very cold). That said, they are slightly narrower and higher profile which helps in bad conditions, but not in the dry.

I kept my Conti winter tyres on this summer as I wasn’t going to get another winter season out of them anyway. I found them a bit squirmy TBH and eventually stuck summer tyres on as I couldn’t stand it any longer. I guess it depends how sensitive you are to such matters. My wheels aren’t low profile, so this may have contributed to the overall squirmyness.

Being a good driver is not a substitute for winter tyres, and vice versa.

That being said, there is a difference between winter and all-season tyres, as illustrated in the video below.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfvyPtYR0Y[/video]

Either will allow you to drive in snow. Winter tyres will perform better in snow. Driving on proper Scandinavian type of winter tyres like Nokian Hakkapeliitta in summer is not A Good Idea, they will wear faster because of the softer rubber compound and will not provide a lot of grip and steering precision because of the sipes. All-season tyres are jack-of-all trades type of thing but they will perform ok in summer and are suitable for driving all year long in UK.

vorlich – Member

I kept my Conti winter tyres on this summer as I wasn’t going to get another winter season out of them anyway. I found them a bit squirmy TBH and eventually stuck summer tyres on as I couldn’t stand it any longer. I guess it depends how sensitive you are to such matters

Judging by the number of cars I see with visibly under-inflated tyres (which must be extremely low pressure on modern tyres), I suspect that a lot of people wouldn’t even notice the change in handling if one of the wheels fell off.

From experience in the occasional snow we get around here, many people don’t know which of their wheels are driven, which suggests that they’re not particularly sensitive to handling characteristics.

I am Dutch, and for as long as I can remember my dad used to change his tyres for winter tyres. It’s now compulsory in Germany and quite a few other countries. We have an extra set of wheels and tyres for our Zafira and I LOVE the winter tyres. And if I notice the differences i think anyone would. I would never be without them again. The problem is everyone else spoiling my driving fun by getting stuck and creating heavy traffic in snowy conditions.

Yep, everyone should get some…..

And yes, a rear wheel drive BMW 3 series with winter tyres is better in the snow than a 4×4 with summer tyres. My friend will testify.

piemonster – Member

I was led to believe that the braking performance of winter tyres are inferior to summer tyres in the err… summer

In dry conditions, sure. But that’s where your braking performance is already at its best, and when visibility is best too. So what you’re doing is trading off a small amount of performance when you need it least, for a much larger amount of performance when it could save your neck.

I ran winter tyres all last summer, and sure there’s minor downsides but there were pluses as well- such as happilly driving through muddy fields (one memorable b-road diverstion spent half in ditches and verges dodging 4x4s who were afraid to put an inch offroad), and excellent grip in floods/standing water. I wouldn’t take them on a trackday though.

@Northwind

Good point, even more so as my car is now old and cheap enough that I don’t give a rats ar$e about it.

Well that’s the Fiesta converted to Rallycross mode

TBH I think it’ll be less fun in the new car, it lacks ground clearance for proper ditch-bouncing.

My 4×4 runs General Grabber UHP’s all year round. Hilly icy roads in winter round this way(rural East Sussex) and they are essential IMHO. Summer performance is good too, and ANY tyre wears better than the crappy stock contis on a Volvo XC90 (15k a set!!).

I think the winter tyres on Mrs Gti’s car are more comfortable than the summer one, maybe it’s to do with the softer rubber.