Snow tyres and snow socks will get you “out of trouble” in places where it matters – in the wilds, where not getting out might mean life getting a bit scary.
As soon as you hit “civilisation”, other traffic is likely to be in the way but it really doesn’t matter – you’re not exactly going to die from exposure sat in your car in the middle of Harrogate. (unless you can’t afford a cake, of course)
Agree and disagree. My car in snow tyres would have got up that hill fine, by the looks of it. Relatively fresh snow, no icing all good. But yeah in traffic it’s pointless as you get stuck behind the other people without snow tyres.
Hooray , snow day stay at home. Give the people in this country day off and they go **** shopping.
A snow day is the only day families stick together and actually do something as a family.
If you had winter tyres you would not have needed ‘crappy snow socks’.
Also better chance of steering and stopping in the snow with winter tyres as your snow socks are only on the rear.
I’ve been cycling around towns on the MTB with very few cars around apart from the odd stuck one. I’d have been fine driving around on snow tyres.
There was also the time we might’ve got stuck in stuck traffic out in the hills except we were able to take a different route which was car-free. And the snow was gone by the time we got to lower elevations.
I’ve passed a few people with snow tyres struggling going up Norwood Edge
Don’t forget that another consideration in driving is ‘skill’. The best tyres in the world, when combined with shit driving, aren’t going to do much for you.
There’s no way you’d be struggling to get up that with decent winter tyres with a bit of tread left. Did you stop and inspect the models used and how worn they were?
Well, I’ve just abandoned my car four blocks from my house.
Road is gridlocked, there’s a van in the middle of a mini-roundabout blocking the street in three directions and there’s police everywhere. I hopped out of the car – with the handbrake on – to see if I could see what was going on and the movement was enough to break traction and it started sliding down the road! Managed to wrestle control back before it ploughed into a wall.
How did you manage to notice what tyres people had whilst passing them on Norwood Edge?
Because I stopped and asked the person in the 4×4 who had skidded off the road if they were OK and needed a lift any where, also the person with winter tyres (sorry not snow) I stopped and asked them if they wanted a lift. Is Yorkshire folk are nice 🙂
My thread wasn’t so much about being smug, more about its useless having transportation that works in snow because you end up getting stuck anyhow!
Ironically I did sit in a que for 50 mins only to find no one was attempting to go up a hill by Harlow Carr. Which actually wasn’t an issue
*Swoons at the driving gods and people who are prepared for the nuclear holocaust/0.5″ snow*
You might be able to stop, but your tires probably cost more than my car is worth, and I’m coming down the hill behind you, not so smug now!
[some of the above may be sarcastic and not intended to be taken as fact, it could be a childs face or baby robin, not an Audi sportback with winter tyres and a thule ride on rack on the back driven by a smug git]
Drove back from peebles in heavy wet snow a couple of weeks back, not very much grip even with the snowproxes- very glad for them. And not the first time this winter either.
I use my rally-certified troll tyres in the snow. They offer unsurpassed levels of grip even on actual icebergs and bring all the boys to my troll yard, which in combination with my supernaturally brilliant driving skills allows me to safely tailgate at speeds of up to 150mph.
And before you query that, I used to be a professional troll driving instructor who taught the trolls how to drive, so I think I’m well qualified to comment here.
One last question, do I fit troll tyres all round or just on the front or rear or diagonally opposed axles? 😉