Y’know, like the rest of the UK has been doing for the last 30 years.

We also used to not wear seatbelts, not have abs, airbags, decent crash protection, child seats and whatnot. We managed fine. Except for dying more in car crashes.

I got winter tyres because I went to Germany where they are mandatory, and I liked having more grip in the colder weather. Winter tyres are better and last longer all winter long, not just when it snows – but you know that full well of course, don’t you?

Are you deliberately trying to wind me up by disagreeing with every post I make, by the way?

I’m constantly astonished how much money you manage to throw away on cars mate!

And I’m honestly amazed that you keep logging on to try and wind me up, and that you don’t know when to stfu 🙂

You could always do what people who don’t follow the latest STW fashion do, and not bother with winter tyres.

Y’know, like the rest of the UK has been doing for the last 30 years. I know this will seem like heresy, and I’m probably going to die a horrible snowy death, but for the 4 or 5 days a year that it actually snows, and that the snow actually lies on the ground, is it really worth it?

Again, I know that having winter tyres is an absolute must for the daring young motorists of this parish, but I reckon you’ll be fine.

The usual argument is winter =/= snow tyres. Winter tyres are more suited to work best in lonwer temperatures say -10 to +10, whereas summer tyres might be +5 to +25. So winter tyres will grip better on a cold day not just on snow (where the difference is probably actualy less).

[edit] moly got there first.

I still think it’s a waste of time and money, do they last £450 longer? that’s the cost of 6 average sized (fiesta/focus, not ferrari) good (michelin/goodyear/pirrelli not arrowspeed) tyres! And I drive sensibly enough not to be skidding, the last time I skidded it was because big lups of faulty tyres were falling off!

(where the difference is probably actualy less).

You think there’s less difference between summer and winter tyres when actually on snow? You definitely have not tried it, and you don’t know what you are talking about.

not have abs

I’ve seen a pic of you Moly, you still don’t have any

crikey – Member

for the 4 or 5 days a year that it actually snows, and that the snow actually lies on the ground, is it really worth it?

Of course not. But for the months on end where it’s cold and it rains, it is. And o’course, some of us get more than 4 or 5 days of snow.

For mountain bikers, there’s the possible side benefit of massively improved mud driving… My old focus with its icebears got happilly bounced in and out of fields, taken up swampy access roads, parked in ditches, etc etc. Towed a Freelander out of Pitmedden

molgrips – Member

It’s £300/year or thereabouts to swap winter and summer tyres

They charge you that to SWAP them, I mean for SWAPPING them.

You may aswell just go in, drop your keks and bend right over next time.

Yes.. damn handy getting the caravan out of muddy sites.

Also, loads of damp greasy mud on the roads this time of year.

Never mind everyone telling him hes
a)an idiot for wanting to swop tyres
b)paying too much
c)moaning at him for wrong tyre choice

Lets tell him its easy, all he needs are a set of meter long tyre levers and arms like a Russian shotputter.

The we can sit back smugly and enjoy the thought of him sweating all weekend in his garage only to come round to agreeing with a,b and c above.

You don’t go to that place out of Harry and Paul for your car stuff do you?

The last couple of years I’ve run the Winter tyres over the Summer on roads considerably hotter than you get in the UK. Wear rate hasn’t been catastrophic and the loss of grip is nothing like the loss of grip when driving on a wet road on Summer tyres. If you change more than twice in the life of the tyres I reckon it’s cheaper to keep Winter tyres on.

You live in the UK and swap tyres depending on the season? Seriously? Do you live in a really remote location?

Would you like to buy some magic beans? 🙂

Naff off.

EDIT have you ever been away from home for work when it snows and you need to get home?

This guy does it in 50sec a wheel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHFiGbEPjQ0&feature=related

Get on with it.

Well, he’s half right- swapping tyres is a good idea but it’s not essential, I was very happy running the Focus on its winter tyres all year round- made a lot more sense than going through winter without them.

Could you not just have a summer and a winter car?

EDIT have you ever been away from home for work when it snows and you need to get home?

Yes, I started the engine, engaged a gearm, lifted the clutch and proceeded with caution. Same as I do every other night.

Only time I’ve ever been stranded by snow it’s because of all the other **** in the way.

Nice set of 16″ Merc alloys on eBay for the Passat (5×112 16″)
£140 delivered. But once you have them it’s free to swap your wheels so they will pay for themselves in a year or so.

(Plus a couple of quid for some spigot rings)

easy
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBmasN9Vsjg[/video]

[edit] darn you edit mode.

EDIT have you ever been away from home for work when it snows and you need to get home?

Not work but an important journey yes. I made sure to leave the car at home and get on the train then walk the remainder.

The journey took me 4 hours.

The people who drove turned around as the roads were paralysed by people crashing, sliding and generally going about 2mph. RWD cars were performing particuarly impressive ice dance in Cheltenham town centre.

The journey home (a car) took 6 hours.

The Passat wheel size is (ignoring the diameter as they will all fit over your brake calipers): PCD – 5×112; Offset – 35 to 45; Bore – 57.1
Therefore I think any passat/A4/A6/A8 wheels should fit and golf mk5 onwards (plus all the other golf off shoots – A3, Octavia, Leon etc) should fit plus the Superb and the people carriers etc. There is plenty of them on ebay.
I don’t know anything about compatable Toyotas for the other car, but you get the idea.
You don’t have to get the identicle wheels as came on the car.

The ‘winter tyres only really work if everyone has them’ argument is quite compelling.

Hence, one assumes, them being mandatory in contries with less clement winter weather.

wwaswas – Member

The ‘winter tyres only really work if everyone has them’ argument is quite compelling.

Well, kinda- depends where you are. Cities and commuter orbits will gridlock when the snow starts, that’s inevitable, but not everyone lives or drives in those conditions. I wouldn’t bother with them if I wasn’t driving outside of the city tbh, for exactly this reason.

But also, when you get slightly more prolonged snow, many people park up and the roads empty out again. My fastest commutes ever were on snow-covered roads because just about nobody else was using them

Thing is… I have decent tyres on my car, because nothing else matters much if you have no grip. When I bought it, it had 4 ditchfinders, they were quickly replaced as they were very poor and inconsistent in the wet. I don’t think many people would have an issue with this approach?

But if we get a proper winter, my good quality all-season tyres will perform less well than those ditchfinders did in summer.

So why is it weird to change for one, but not the other?

Do you remember the thread on here from someone who told his insurance company that he had swapped to winter tyres, expecting a discount but actually was charged a premium as they weren’t standard kit.

How much would they want to put up moley’s premium when they hear that, not only is he using winter tyres, but he had bodged them onto the rims himself, with possible dubious balancing ?

Molgrips, stop being so grumpy!

You can tell me to jeff off you know…

Yes, I started the engine, engaged a gearm, lifted the clutch and proceeded with caution. Same as I do every other night.

Don’t give me that ‘I know how to drive in snow I’m such a hero’ crap.

I live at the bottom of a fairly steep hill which is not negotiable in either of our cars on packed snow and thawed re-frozen ice. You may continue to enjoy thinking you could do it if it makes you happy, since you will never have to do it.

The Prius is pants in snow, I had to take the astonishing expensive car with 4wd (&softtop) to get to the station last year..

I
Feel
U r
Wheel nuts

What edukator says

Just try breaking a bead on your spare tyre, molgrips. If you get that far there’s a good chance you have the strength and patience to do the rest.

and why bother changing?

I have done it with manual tools and it is pretty hard work with the right equipment

I reckon £40 for the set to do is about right personally

Winter tyres FFS get a grip 😉

I was quoted 60 quid to swap tyres on 2 vehicles and balance 4 of them as I was selling one and wanted its good tyres on the other .I ended up taking two wheels to the garage and getting them swapped and 2 balanced for 16 quid

I used to do it with my dad, big muscle and ye olde proper job 15″x2″ real metal tyre levers and jemmys, also managed to inflate tubless car tyres with a foot pump (strap, ratcheted round middle of tyre to force beads and pump like b****ry, joys of living in the middleof nowhere….

I may be missing something

But srap dealer will let you have steel rims for next to no money

We use to change 1200 R 20 on our Lorry for a trans Africa trip

First time I thought it was impossible. But with tubes and slpit rimes I got quite slick.

Sledge hammer edgof split rim. Pull out lock ring, edge of rim comes off…

But smaller rims withno split ring. Looks tricky…

Are you planning to do it with the engine still running, or has that been fixed now?

Friend I knew used these Auto sock

Friend I knew used these Auto sock

Complete pain in the ring, those things, unless of course winter tyres stretch your resources.
A second set of wheels would make most sense unless there is a lack of storage space.
Paying someone to change tyres every season would then make more sense, unless money is tight.
If both are tight, fit and leave the winter tyres on all year.
Or use sock or chains as and when.
EDIT: You could, of course, buy some second hand pro equipment from a failing garage and set yourself up. But I fear space is the problem.

Depends what on.
I have done more than a few Landrover tyres using several 18″ levers and a jack to break the bead. Its actually no big deal although not as easy as taking them to the garage. W
hy not just get a second set of wheels? I bet steels would be cheap second hand and to be honest would look nicer than those stupid great silver alloys.

But srap dealer will let you have steel rims for next to no money

Yours might, all the ones I went to had nothing useful.

Why not just get a second set of wheels?

Why not read the rest of the thread? 🙂

But srap dealer will let you have steel rims for next to no money

I’m going to file this alongside bike mechanics doing a full service for a jaffa cake, in my list of things I have never encountered, but a high proportionate of STW’ers seem to.

molgrips

is that because they didn’t have the correct size. Or they didn’t have any rims?

(a) Chains and socks are no replacement for winter tyres. They are aimed at getting you moving or keeping you going in snow. Winter tyres improve the grip on cold, wet, icy tarmac (where chains cannot be used) – but also offer better grip in snow too.

(b) Is it noticeable? Yes. After years of struggling (carefully) in poorer conditions the difference in grip of a proper winter tyre is amazing.

(c) How often do you actually need them? Lots. If you only get a few sub-zero days per year, I guess you can decide to stay at home. Personally, I still like to get out and about in relative safety.

(d) I’d love to be able to fit them myself. I used to do motorcycle tyres no problem. However, modern, low-profile tyres on alloy rims??? Not a a chance.