Not that Newcastle actually seems to be that bad on the main roads. The missus was talking to someone and now has it in her head that snow tyres are the answer to everything.

My thoughts were
a) it’d be cheaper just to take December off unpaid from work
b) there won’t be any to have for love nor money anyway
c) do they really work that much better?

I presume it’s just a case of sticking them on in September and taking off again in March. I’m open to the idea (and I might even allow her to suggest a 4×4 new car too with them if I can find a nice Forester or something). Both got some elderly parents that need medication etc. so is it gonna get me any further in a Golf, or just a set of snow chains in the boot for the tricky bits a better (though more fiddly) option?

You don’t want snow tyres, you want cold weather/winter tyres…often combined with mud and snow tyres. Ideally with a snowflake symbol.

I run m&S all year on my van as I tow across fields. Coped well in last years snow. Contrary to popular opinion, winter tyres are often quieter than all-season despite the more aggressive tread, due to the softer rubber compound.

Most of the cars that get stuck around here do so due to ice, snow chains won’t help in this situation. They are designed for traction in snow.

I just picked up some part worn tyres 5mm delivered today, just stuck them on the front, 60 quid, delivered, bargain, 20 quid fitting and swap front to rear.

Pirelli Winter Sorrotos or something like that.

And believe it or not, a noticeable difference on the way back from fitting in grip and feel.

Really surprised.

So 80 quid to get me through to march and then stick new tyres on that were due anyway, not bad really.

Winter tyres use a softer compound to grip better in lower temperatures, and have a different tread pattern to clear more water and extra “sipes” to claw at the surface which is what makes them better in snow.
They actually last longer than standard tyres in the winter as standard compound becomes brittle in the cold and wears faster. Generally good for October to March as they are designed for temps less than 7 degrees average. Get a spare steel wheel set and go for it.
Interestingly it is very common to buy a second set of steelies and winter tyres on the continent when you buy a new car, and summer/winter tyre sales are about 50/50. Strange how very little people have them here.

Winter tyres make a night and day difference to driving. The lack of them is the single biggest reason Britain gets shut down every time it experiences temperatures less than 0 with a few flurries.

People talk about getting a 4×4 as if that will make driving easier, but what they need to understand is that the proper tyres for the conditions provide more grip not just because of the tread, but because of the rubber compound.

Even if we didn’t get snow, it would still be worth changing your tyres from November to around March in order to accommodate the lower temperatures.

No, I don’t work for a tyre company, but sometimes I wish I did…

Evo magazine tested some winter tyres on a 400bhp Jag XF (RWD) and it beat a 4WD car with standard tyres around their test track by 30s. 🙂

I have just stuck winter Tyres on the Transporter last week on the spare steelies I have instead of running my nice powder coated alloys.

Just in the nick of time.

They were £140 for the pair made by Master Steel so nowt fancy. They are superb. Keep it smooth and they just grip & grip. Bring on the snow…!

Have just ordered a set from mytyres for the missus car. Althouh it is fairly capable I like the idea of the stopping distances and handling improvements. So worth a go and hopefully they will come in useful.

Will see how long they take.

£280 for 4 fitted. Will have them put on the normal alloys for now and then pick up a set of steels after the rush is over.

Changing to winter tyres is law in alot of countries.

To be honest, for local roads if everyone carried a shovel and used it for 10minutes outside their house the roads would be far clearer and also you could easily keep the car moving with getting out and digging a bit.

as they are designed for temps less than 7 degrees average

Strange how very little people have them here.

The average temp in most of the UK (or where most people in the UK live) only drops to 7 degrees in December. So unless you live somewhere high and cold and or do most of your driving in those conditions then for a lot of the winter its simply not cold enough to warrant them. That not to say they’re not useful if the journeys you make demand them. But unless these two cold winters are part of a longer trend then they’re not something most people will have a case for fitting

Anyone have any experience of with any of these

Michelin Alpin A3
Nokian WR G2
Vredestein Snotwrac 3
Vredestein Quatrac 3

Not case at all unless for the rest of this possibly cold winter you want to give your woman and children the best chance of surviving.

Most peoples commuting times would also be well below the 7C ‘limit’ so the improved braking distances etc… may also make a bit of sense. Not to mention the ability to clear standing water far better, but then again a good driver can drive around the puddles……

In Scotland the average temp is 7 or less from November to March. Probably October to April if you only drive at night 😉

As above – if you want to keep moving and a bit safer in the winter then winter tyres with the mountain snowflake symbol are the ticket: improved traction in all cold conditions.

Possibly a fwd car with winter tyres will get stuck less in snow than a 4wd with summer tyres.

Our hill has about 7″ snow atm – a mix of compacted, ruts and fresh and my old primera is getting about no problem (despite the snow scraping the underside of the bodywork). I only put them on the front this year and the back does swing roung when provoked – should have got 4.

I’ve only used Pirelli Sottozero’s and Conti Winter Contacts. Both great. BTW – if you cant find “proper” winter tyres, some places (eg Farmers) have stocks of Bridgestone A001’s – which are listed as 4 seasons but are mountain snowflake AFAIK.

My point is we have a shorter cold winter than our continental-climate cousins – thats why our tyre habits and legislation are different

I’ve used them on rental cars on the continent and they are very effective on both tarmac, hardpack and unconsolidated snow.

I have ‘winter’ M&S/Snowflake tyres on my car and it easily climbed steep snow covered roads this morning. Passed several who had tried but just got stuck. Could almost hear them thinking how on earth does he manage to keep going uphill 😀

The Snowtrac3 are very good on the work Focuses when going skiing at the weekends and also well priced. There is a test done by autoexpress (i think) online and they came 4th to the Michelin/Dunlop/Goodyear trio. Ace looking tread pattern too.

Nearly had some of those but went for Kumho 23s. Kumho seem to make good rally tyres, and these have won some Swedish awards. also did well in the German ADAC tests and saved £50 over the Vreds.

Hopefully not putting a price on safety but being efficient/economical etc…. .

I have also noticed all of the online retailers have put the prices up plenty since last week.

I had winter tyres fitted about 6 weeks ago and can confirm that after driving in todays snow I shall be fitting winter tyres to all future cars. I was driving down snow covered lanes this morning no skidding or sliding grip both uphill and down hill.

Mate has them on his Quattro p reg A4 (alps car) he was flying through the northumbrian snow at the weekend. Better than any 4x4s – he has a landy 90 and left it at home preferring the a4 in winter mode.

The point I think most are missing is that tyre size, tyre type and tyre pressures are all very important parameters to consider, but from what I can see most people who have trouble in the snow simply don’t understand how to drive a car in slippery conditions, or even realise until it’s far too late after it’s broken traction, and then freeze in panic.

I spent all of last winter driving around in a pug 306 estate with all-season tyres, up and around mid scotland in a variety of conditions from hard-packed snow/ice to 8-9″ deep fluffy coverings and never ONCE got stuck or slid off the road, and I put that down to practice and knowing the feel of the car. Whenever it snows I’ll take it somewhere safe to re-learn the limits. Whenever I’m driving, if it’s safe (wide bit of road, approaching an empty roundabout etc), I’ll attempt to push the limits to figure out what the local conditions are in a place I can recover it easily. I try my tyres at different pressures. I CHECK my tyre pressures – 4psi makes a WORLD of difference in grip and contrary to how the big 4×4 guys do it, lower pressure doesnt seem to help my tyres at all, it builds up a central belt of snow that loses traction.

Mate has them on his Quattro p reg A4 (alps car) he was flying through the northumbrian snow at the weekend. Better than any 4x4s

That’s quite interesting as I drove past 2 Quattro A4’s yesterday, one stuck spinning in place in a petrol station and the other struggling up a B road spinning all over the show! I’d expected them to be notably better than they appear to be from my experience!

Honestly I couldnt get over how good it was and we have had proper snow – checkout dracs photos.

He even accelerated from a start to get it spinning up and it got about 50% grip. He does full seasons snowboarding in the Alps and uses this car there so has proper snow tyres on steelies for it

Ive just priced some winter 225/45/18s for a laugh – cheapest is 150 each so I think i will give it a miss.

You should get a vat break on winter tyres and then cancel all gritting.

Most people on here will quite happily chop and change MTB tyres according to conditions, why not car tyres (other than the sheer faff and expense of course!).

More than once I have used winter tyres year round. In Buxton (where I used to live) many of the taxi drivers do the same. I’ve had the Snow Trac which I was impressed with even in the height of summer. The current cheapies I have on are not so good; they tend to be a bit slidy on greasy corners. Like bike tyres, there are good ones and bad ones in all sorts of differing conditions, but they do make a difference

But unless these two cold winters are part of a longer trend then they’re not something most people will have a case for fitting

😕

Pretty much anything that helps avoid an accident is worthwhile. We have Nokian WR (M&S) tyres on our XC90 and the car feels much more secure in the cold stuff too – the wear rate is also better than the continentals they replaced.

But unless these two cold winters are part of a longer trend then they’re not something most people will have a case for fitting

I disagree. I really don’t believe there is any disadvantage to using winter tyres even if it doesn’t snow all winter (other than the expense). I guarantee the motorways would keep moving if everyone (a) had winter tyres on and (b) had more confidence/skill in the white stuff

I had the pleasure of enjoying 2 winters in Alberta, Canada. Our car was a Dodge Grand Caravan like this:

Front wheel drive, heavy 4l engine over the front wheels.

1st winter it had all season tyres on it, 2nd winter it had winter tyres on it and they made a huge difference. Had a few sketchy moments that first winter but the snow tyres coped with everything from black ice to fresh powder on hills.

If I lived in part of the UK that had regular snow in the winter I would probably get winter tyres for our current motor, a Subaru Outback. Having said that the Subaru copes with snow pretty well being 4wd with quite narrow normal profile tyres and its not insanely powerful.

I have driven several different cars with winter tyres on when I lived over in Germany. They are great & make it much more like driving in ‘normal’ conditions.
I lived in a pretty hilly part of Bavaria and never once felt like I was going to get stuck or have an issue with traction.

I looked at getting winter tyres for my car, but keeping the same wheels, the only tyres I can find available in the size I need are >£100 each!
I could opt for the mytyres deal of winter tyres fitted to steel wheels and drop down to a smaller rim size (assuming the caliper on the front will not foul), but even that is looking at costing £480.

Unfortunately in the run up to Christmas, having just paid for my insurance and having my air-con pump need replacing I can’t really afford to spank £500 on winter tyres…..will just have to be extra careful!

ivantate – what size tyres did you manage to get 4 off for £280?!

I badgered my old dear into getting some all season or winter tyres this year after a particularly nasty 7 hour 25 mile trip last year. Pleased to report that she thinks the difference is phenomenal and well worth the £400ish she paid for tyres and installation. Tyres are Bridgestone A001 all weather. She originally wanted Continental TS830 winter tyres but there’s a 6 weeks wait for those.

I have driven several different cars with winter tyres on when I lived over in Germany. They are great & make it much more like driving in ‘normal’ conditions.
I lived in a pretty hilly part of Bavaria and never once felt like I was going to get stuck or have an issue with traction.

I looked at getting winter tyres for my car, but keeping the same wheels, the only tyres I can find available in the size I need are >£100 each!
I could opt for the mytyres deal of winter tyres fitted to steel wheels and drop down to a smaller rim size (assuming the caliper on the front will not foul), but even that is looking at costing £480.

Unfortunately in the run up to Christmas, having just paid for my insurance and having my air-con pump need replacing I can’t really afford to spank £500 on winter tyres…..will just have to be extra careful!

ivantate – what size tyres did you manage to get 4 off for £280?!

Buy part worn then for this winter, even if it’s just two.

I bought a new car (to me) at the weekend and was looking for some winter tyres for it. Almost impossible to find now in the required size at the end of November and the few online places that do have them on their list (though non of them has had any stock when rung up) are charging silly money for them – 50% more than a few months ago. Micheldever tyres which sell about 3000 tyres a day or something daft are now out of stock and do not plan on getting any more until next autumn. In fact I have now rung 5 local garages and none have any in stock or think they will be able to for the rest of the season. My tyre size is relatively large/sporty (215/45/17) but not that unusual I’d have thought.

In other words, great idea to keep everything nice and safe – just a shame something as boring as availability might stop this from happening for more folks. I’m going to just have to hope for a mild winter this year and pick up some for next year.

convert – This is who I bought from yesterday, delivered today
Tyres

They are part worn, but for the price I’m not arguing and they will get me through the winter no problem

I called the depot directly and haggled a deal as well, 60 quid all in for two tyres.

They aren’t new, but they will do another 5000+ miles easily.

These were the ones I got:

http://www.winter-tyres.co.uk/kumho_kw23_winter_tyre
they look the business if nothing else.

I have got them in 185/65R15 size. The missus car usually has 195/60R15 fitted but playing with the sizes helped the price and selection available.

The new ones will be better a bit narrower and the higher section (5%) should be cancelled by the reduction in width as they are linked.

Hell yes they work.

I commute 450miles/week and after last winter I had Hancook Winter i*cept evo tyres (all they could get during half-term) fitted locally through blackcircles.com, fitted for £240. Economy has dropped by about 10%, but they immediately struck me as so much more confident in the wet and through standing water. Got to try them for the first time through snow and on ice… I was flabbergasted at the difference. Straight up the hill behind our village, straight past all the abandoned cars at the bottom.

I note that Kwik-fit have started selling them over the last week or so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t run out of stock soon; local one (was there today as Mrs hh needed an urgent MOT) fitted nine sets on Sunday.

Aside from those that have driven overseas… who even knew you could buy different tyres for winter until last year? 🙂

I’m not poo-pooing them at all, I can just see why most people won’t fit them, one of them being expense – the vast majority of motorists don’t have a mountain-bike-forum-dwellers disposable income. In the last 20 years, 15 of them in scotland, 4 in the highlands – snow and ice have stopped only me going where I want to go twice. If contracts work out as they might this year then I’ve got three months of 5am winter starts on hilly ungritted roads so theres a good chance I might buy some. But I’m quite amused by winter tyres selling out as everyone rushes to prepare for last winter 🙂

I had GT Champiro WT AX fitted yesterday (bought from mytyres and only the front 2,grrrr but that’s another story) and the difference is huge. From needing 5 guys to push me all the way up the hill from work the day before and barely making it out of my estate, it now drives with only the odd slip. This is in snow deep enough to scrape the underneath of the car all the time !

The ability to keep going is great but the benefits in steering/braking are equally important. My only regret is that I didn’t order and fit them sooner.

I’m not poo-pooing them at all, I can just see why most people won’t fit them, one of them being expense – the vast majority of motorists don’t have a mountain-bike-forum-dwellers disposable income.

Tyres are a consumable item, whether they’re normal or winter; if you’re not using one you’re using the other – have the set they removed in the shed and they’ll get put on next year, and vice versa. As someone pointed out above, they should last longer over the colder period as the rubber is more durable at lower temperatures. All I’m really paying for is getting them changed over.

thinking about this for my transporter van is it the done thing to do all four or just the front?

HH – that means nothing to most people though I’m afraid – don’t forget we’re weird. We’ve got sheds for one thing.

I’m getting a couple of Lassa snow tyres fitted on Thursday to the Focus. I think part of the problem is that most budget tyres have a radial tread that has a lower rolling resistance and a harder compound for better fuel economy and thus lower emissions (and no GRIP.)I blame the Green Lobby! 70 quid each fitted, I will take them off in the spring and keep them for next year. Small price to pay for peace of mind.

the vast majority of motorists don’t have a mountain-bike-forum-dwellers disposable income.

One of the reasons I bought them was that apart from needing new tyres anyway, I have an insurance excess of £350. 4 tyres for under £300 was a fairly sound safety investment + my employers were making noises that if you couldn’t get into work because of snow they would want the ‘time’ back.

Nonk – assuming your van is FWD just fitting them to the front will be a big improvement. Only problem you might find is if your van has ABS on all 4 wheels or just one axle you might have issues due to the grip being different front and back.

Its thick snow at work/outside the house and its not shifting for a while. -6c at work when i left and its going to drop to -20c in some places over the next few days.

why would i put a tyre thats the equivalent of a racin fookin ralph on my car in snow when i can have these on it?!

http://photos-by-martin.digimig.co.uk/c1919513.html

oh yes. they work,and its not just the tread pattern.I can get on quite well at very slow speed on summer tyres but this is a diffrent league when it comes to stopping and accelerating.

I had some Vredesteins snow tyres on a Mk2 Escort many years ago and was the only car to get of the valley we lived.

Now got some Vredestein Snotwrac 3 (sic) = AWESOME. I did all last winter without using chains and it’s quite steep getting to the top of the village.