They worked fine for me where needed, the rest of the time the BMW was fine on standard tyres on snow covered roads.

If I thought we would ever get more than 2-3 days of snow a year in Yorkshire I would consider winter tyres, but as the car drove ok on summer tyres I can’t see the point.

Socks are for driving slowly to the nearest normally drivable road but that’s about it. It’s no comparison to winter tyres and you definitely won’t have them fitted if you come across a load of ice in the road later on, or get any of the performance benefits at low temperatures.

Thing is, winter tyres aren’t actually much of an expense. They might seem it, but your car needs tyres, and while you’re wearing the winters you’re not wearing your other tyres. So as long as you keep the car for a while, it’s a zero sum thing. The wheels are a cost, but one you’ll probably be able to recoup if you sell the car.

The biggest thing for me when it came to buying winter wheels and tyres is that I genuinely need my car to get to work. There is no public transport there and I can’t work from home. We don’t get much snow but 25 miles down country lanes isn’t going to happen with any more than a couple of inches.

Socks are for driving slowly to the nearest normally drivable road but that’s about it

I agree, But that’s all you ever need in the UK. We are not Scandinavia where roads are covered in snow for weeks on end.

The fact is that when it snows in the UK you get no where fast as people get in the way, being able to do 50 mph on snow isn’t really going to happen.

Socks are for driving slowly to the nearest normally drivable road but that’s about it

The fact is that when it snows in the UK you get no where fast as people get in the way,

Often the ones in the way are changing their socks.
I’ve used winter tyres for the last few years. It lets me carry on as normal whatever the weather without getting cold hands.
One day, you’ll learn,but I don’t expect it to be anytime soon…

I can’t understand socks either – how many times do you really drive on roads where you would ever need them for more than a day or two each year? And even then, surely at some point you will reach a fully cleared/treated road!?

I’ve got snow socks for the rears and wouldn’t bother with winter tyres now as socks are fantastic, and cheap!

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I agree, But that’s all you ever need in the UK. We are not Scandinavia where roads are covered in snow for weeks on end.
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You have a very limited knowledge of parts of the UK !

Winter tyres are a must for me and I’m in NE England. I regularly need chains too when going skiing 45 minutes from Durham!

And even then, surely at some point you will reach a fully cleared/treated road!?

You have just repeated my point exactly. They take 2 seconds to take off.

Woody – as I said above I was talking about Yorkshire. How many days this year have you been skiing then? I didn’t realise Durham got so many days snow assured skiing a year.

I’m not saying snow socks are ideal all the time, but for the number of days a year the uk gets snow they are a cost effective viable option.

But that’s all you ever need in the UK. We are not Scandinavia where roads are covered in snow for weeks on end.

Tell that to the people sleeping in or abandoning their cars next time it snows 🙂

Winter tyres cost very little extra, as you are using two sets of tyres so each set lasts twice as long…

Not done the maths, but I reckon winter tyres work out cheaper than socks. Winter tyres wear a lot less than summers through the winter, so longer life across two sets of tyres makes up for any cost of second hand second wheels. Which you can then flog layer down the line for a profit next time it snows.

Aside from the obvious benefits in the snow ( we drove home from Warrington to sheffield last Friday… we were one of very few cars to keep going, the roads were lined with abandoned cars) they are also much more grippy through winter – that horrible black sludge that covers the road at this time of year is suddenly grippy again with winters.

Anyway, I’m a fan of winter tyres, it’s a no brainer in this country for me. Night an day difference. You need to experience the difference to believe it.

Just put 4 new quite aggressive patterned winter tyres on MrsCat’s Panda 4×4 as two ordinary tyres were shot so took a chance they would be handy if it got bad – the transformation has been incredible, in the last dump of snow and ice it has not missed its footing once and it has managed to get where poorly shod 4x4s have failed. I was genuinely impressed with both the car and the tyres.

A standard 2WD Panda on summer tyres is excellent; I can imagine that a 4WD Panda with winter tyres would just keep going through deep snow until it built up a bow wave big enough to stop it.

Mrs Gti’s diesel Ibiza with Avon Snow & Ice tyres is pretty good thanks to the heavier engine over the driving wheels. Last time I went out early to play in the snow I was driving up a long hill and a couple out walking the dog heard me coming and sprinted for a farm gate, thinking I would be all over the road. I took some pleasure in cruising past, cool, calm and collected then stopping where the road steepened and re-starting with no trouble at all. What a poseur.

Gonna have to repeat this; winter tyres aren’t just for snow. They are for temperatures below 7C.

Socks have a much more limited application so aren’t really comparable.

They are for temperatures below 7C.

I think this is a bit generic, they are far more versatile than that.

scotroutes beat me to it. We have these threads so often, and still people don’t get it.

There are various valid arguments for not bothering with winter tyres in the UK. Not enough snow is not one of them. We are not debating snow tyres or ice tyres, the discussion is about winter tyres. We get one of those in some form every year, for 2-3 months at least.

Impressed by the “close to a gritted road” comments. First winter in 15 years in Derbyshire that they haven’t gritted the bus routes. Lots of cold pensioners had to walk half a mile to one of the villages near us the other day as the bus wouldn’t go down the icy ungritted hill. Hope none of them slipped and hurt themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UfKUS9-mQ

scotroutes beat me to it. We have these threads so often, and still people don’t get it.

And they probably never will.. 🙄

Even last year , in Surrey, with no snow, or even ice, all winter winter were invaluable. The roads round here are very mucky and the more open tread with sipes helps cope with muddy roads. Many roads were flooded for 3-4 months and even shallow puddles hid gaping potholes. I run 215/45/17 in summer but 205/55/16 helps cope with damaged roads and saves trashing me poncey alloys. Money very well spent!
A quick question for the unconverted- How do snow socks on the rear help with braking or steering?

They probably don’t but they will help with a RWD BMW.

@kyrton, yes, we left London in September for a new life on the Llyn Peninsular. A total lifestyle change from a well paid, relatively easy jobs in the ‘creative industries’ to starting up a coffee shop/bakery.

Wow, a brave move yet I’m sure very exciting for you all. I wish you all the best for your future!

People advocating snow socks seem to be concerned simply with getting moving at slow speeds, e.g. getting out of your drive. Winter tyres will help you drive around and actually get somewhere such as home.

Got 4 Conti WinterContacts sitting in the van waiting for the rims to show up.

Looking forward to the ‘reassurance’ if nothing more of putting them on the car.

Woody – as I said above I was talking about Yorkshire. How many days this year have you been skiing then? I didn’t realise Durham got so many days snow assured skiing a year.

I’m not saying snow socks are ideal all the time, but for the number of days a year the uk gets snow they are a cost effective viable option.
Actually, you quite clearly said UK! No-one is talking about ‘snow assured’ skiing in Durham but at Weardale Ski there are usually loads of days where skiing is possible and there are a couple of others in N.England.

BTW I also ski in Scotland and drive to NE Scotland regularly, which as far as I’m aware, that is still part of the UK. There have been numerous occasions over the past few years where I would not have been able to reach my folks house at all and the journey was far safer using winter tyres.

So I had my tyres and rims put together and fitted at the local tyre shop.

After paying I had a brief conversations that went:

Him: “So, you going on holiday then”
Me: “No, I got them because I don’t want to be caught out”
Him: giving me a wry smile (probably thinking stupid towny) “it doesn’t snow much round here, you know”
Me “Yes, I know”

After that I left feeling a bit sheepish, I bloody hope we get some good cold weather/frost/ice.

So the moral of this story is I’m buying a trolly jack!