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Posted a few days ago and ironically sliced a rear tyre today on some road debris. All 4 tyres were getting low, 3.5mm, so a full replacement set of CrossClimates on order for fitting on Monday. They cost a bit more than summer tyres, but add a nice bit of surefootedness to a weighty estate. Now, where’s that £620 that I had spare 🤔
I also fitted Michelin Criss Climates. In my case, on an Amarok pickup that spends a lot of time on road. They’ve been very good, not quite as good in snow and ice as the dedicated winters I had on the Touareg that it replaced, but work better in the wet and dry than those so better thar vast majority of the time. I’ll be fitting a set to my wife’s car as soon as hers wear out.
Oh, and I drove the Amarok through 2 ft of snow and up an Alp that not many other cars were managing without chains, I know it’s designed for that sort of thing but I’d consider little or no chance with summers. They also work fine in the (ok limited) mud I’ve put the truck through, even with a ton of stone in the back.
I've had them for a few years since driving to the Alps for holidays.
I bought a set of refurbished wheels and nearly new branded tyres for my BMW last year for £400. The wheels are the same as my normal ones and tyres are over £100 each. Keep an eye on eBay for bargains, especially this time of year.
We bought a set for the Polo too, brand new from Audi (for an A1 but same fitment) for £500, which again is barely more than the cost of the tyres.
In the long run it doesn't cost anything extra like this, as each set is only on half the time.
But this year I needn't have bothered, think it was 18°C the other day in Scotland.
Last year was another story though, my car was unstoppable.
So when to take them off is my quandry now. Forecast for coming week ranges between 1-13c
They’re meant to be optimum for below 7c so I think I’ll leave it for another week or two to have the grip for early commutes.
Way I see it is that even when it gets marginal, I stick with the winters, I don't change until it's absolutely not winter tyre time. Reason being, even if the winters are only the right tyre for 20% of the time and the other 80% I'd rather have my other tyres on, that 20% is going to be the crappiest, nastiest 20%. And the winters will still be totally competent the other 80%. So basically you're trading performance when you're less likely to need it, for performance when it'll make the most difference. What are the odds you'll be in some situation thinking, shit, I wish I had the summer tyres on?
Depends on the tyres too to be fair, my old icebears weren't great when it got warmer and drier and the crossover point probably came earlier, my snowproxes didn't have that issue so badly. And depends on whether you have "summers" or all seasons, or sensible allrounders too
Still plenty of time for winter to come back and wreck us
I understand that there is a relatively small drop off in performance in the warmer conditions, certainly far less than a summer drops off in cold conditions. Personally I'd leave on until April time, but I'm on all seasons so won't change until they have worn out!
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Summer-VS-Winter-tyres-Warm-weather-performance.htm
I understand that there is a relatively small drop off in performance in the warmer conditions, certainly far less than a summer drops off in cold conditions.
Once it warms up a bit winter tyre performance in the wet is generally pretty poor. They'll have been (potentially) a bit of a liability for the past couple of weeks at least though I can't say I've noticed, I've only driven a couple of hundred miles if that.
Still time for a cold snap though!