Do a bit of googling there’s lot out there contradicting the “Tyre experts”

This video does though prove on thing
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xzQQfT5O84[/video]

It was that kind of scaremongering and salesman hand wringing that led me to buying Uniroyal Rain Experts in that biblicaly wet Summer a few years ago. They almost had me in the crash barriers on a dry shellgripped* corner!

Are Uniroyal Rain Experts winter tyres?

No, they are rubbish tyres in the dry. But do work well in the wet and cold, surpisingly….

molgrips – Member

Dales_rider, I assume he was talking about snow, in which case you don’t have to be pushing hard to get all slidey.

No but lat winter wifes car was due new tyres on the front and despite me saying “Make sue they put them on the front” she was swayed by the tyre peeps. Needless to say it still wouldnt go many places in the snow.
I swapped them around and instantly had a car which performed well in the snow without the back end stepping out.

My van’s back end steps out in the snow so I make allowances even so it has the best tyres on the front and got me back this year from the alps when there was snow all the way from mountain to the dutch coast.

Fitted 4 X Dunlop 4D’s to the car two weekends ago in anticipation of it getting a bit chilly/white etc.

So far have had one night when i thought “i’m glad they are on”. Black ice at a non gritted junction. Things went a bit light but i got round the corner having arrived quicker than was sensible.

I stay outside Glasgow about 400ft ASL and it’s frequently snowy here when Glasgow is clear. Now my car is a quattro so i would no doubt get up most hills on summer tyres but stopping going down them ?

You would not run Maxxis Aspens in mud would you ? Makes total sense to me to run winter tyres if you can afford them (£125 each for 225/50/17’s from Camskill).

‘missing something’. you, me and most of denmark it seems. I’ve been back and forth there a few times this year and it was noticeable how many cars are now wearing steel wheels when i was there recently. they’re still changing back and forth and running two sets of wheels. if these winter tyres ‘are’ better all around, why are they still swapping? convention?
mind the place does seem to be permanently wet, when it’s not icy…

This, kinda (writing from Copenhagen). Winter tyres for winter, summer tyres for summer, whatever for spring and autumn, depending on when you get round to changing. Maybe a mindless convention ‘cos everyone else is doing it, or, possibly there’s a good reason… Winter tyres tend to have a lower speed rating and also wear quicker in warm weather, so an extra cheap set of rims balances out tyre wear. Summer tyres are shocking in snow and we often get two-three months of snow on the ground. Driving ridiculously slow or not going out is not an option for most. I don’t know many people that don’t swap, and those that don’t swap tend to do so ‘cos they are cheap.

As to the OPs point, in STW fashion, I forgot what that was?

Ps – we did get some sun this year 🙂

New tyres or deepest tread to the rear

To find out which is now the one for your car, we headed for the sub-zero temperatures of Nokian’s test centre in Ivalo, close to the Russian border in northern Finland.

For the tarmac tests we used Nokian’s proving ground in Tampere, Finland, using a Skoda Octavia. Eight tyres in the highly popular 225/45R17 size – as found on big-selling hatchbacks and family saloons – were put through their paces.

We also used our test-winning summer tyre in this size as a comparison to see the advantage winter rubber has in slippery conditions.

Test was done in sub zero temperatures, winter tyres have different softer compound to perform best at under 7C*.
Summer tyres with their rubber compound start to “live” at over 12C* or so.

It’s a no brainer that best summer tyre didn’t fare well against winter tyres at sub zero temperatures as rubber went too hard and lost its bite completely.

What makes you think that winter tyres are best to be used all year round, or even make bold statements that winter tyres are better than summer tyres in summer?

popstar – Member
What makes you think that winter tyres are best to be used all year round, or even make bold statements that winter tyres are better than summer tyres in summer?

Don’t shoot the messenger. Just thought it was useful info.
I am inclined to agree, especially when Continental say:

When should I fit winter tyres to my car?

It is recommended that you switch to winter tyres in the UK between October and April.

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.

There is a slight trade off with stopping distances as a winter tyre does not stop as quickly in the dry as a summer tyre, however, on balance if it is not possible to switch tyres in the winter, experts say you are better off with winter tyres all year round. This is because the difference in stopping distances of summer tyres in winter is far greater than for winter tyres in the summer.
http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/themes/car-tyres/winter-tyres/why-winter-tyres/why-winter-tyres.html

popstar – Member

even make bold statements that winter tyres are better than summer tyres in summer?

When?

I run all-season snow flake marked winter tyres on one car, they do two summers and nearly 50k before replacing. They proved themselves when it turned out our car can run rings around 4x4s in compacted snow/ice (after taking to back roads after a 50 minute commute turned into a 8hr slog) and can make it up ice covered tracks. (After patiently waiting for a Pajero and Jeep Cherokee to stop hugging the hedge and mounting a verge on their way down the track)

My van has chunky mud and snow tyres fitted all year round, they are not snow flaked make but I was the only vehicle to have got up a big hill by mid morning last winter. I even provoked some wheelspin and it didn’t struggle at all. (Having spent 5 minutes earlier that morning trying to coax/reverse our summer tyred Punto up the hill)

Good tyres on the back always… It clearly makes sense. Safe predictable handling on the commute, or an extra bit of grip to pull away in the snow. Easy choice…

Test was done in sub zero temperatures, winter tyres have different softer compound to perform best at under 7C*.
Summer tyres with their rubber compound start to “live” at over 12C* or so.

What makes you think that winter tyres are best to be used all year round,

in scotland, if you have a look at the average temperatures month by month, that barely gives 3 months of the year where a summer tyre is worth it…

Of course you have to account for the fact that the average temp includes 4am when the temparature is much lower than early afternoon.

I for one tend to drive morning and evening during the week and that certainly means temp of 7c or less from now onwards more often than not which makes “winters” the best option.

If however, another day like three years ago in December comes along in the west of scotland, then you are still stuck in a four or more hour jam with everyone else. Unless you use the back roads with your grippy winter tyres !

Hmmmmm….. I’m not at all convinced by the ‘best tyres on the rear’ argument, especially on FWD cars !

I’m on my 3rd winter on M&S tyres and this year, for the first time, I haven’t changed them over for the summer. There is now 3mm less on the fronts (front wheel drive car) and I’m definitely going to swap the lower treads to the rear as I want the maximum grip on the front for traction when accelerating/pulling away and getting up hills. Surely braking is better with more tread up front too?