Why snow tyres are pointless

I don’t need Snow Tyres, or Winter Tyres, I’ve got a VOIP phone and an internet connection.

Do you stay home from Dec to March so you don’t get caught out when:

From no where started hammering down with snow.

??

I’ve passed a few people with snow tyres struggling going up Norwood Edge

They must have crap tyres or be crap drivers, or both.
Winters took our car from spinning on the flat in slush to hauling up 14% gradient in 4″ of fresh with no spin.
And we can still steer 😉

It’s great to be still mobile. Sit out the traffic, let chaos clear and everyone dump their cars and we’re still mobile on the uncleared compacted hills round our way.

‘Skill’ helps, but at the end of the day you can’t create friction, and good winters are awesome. For years I’ve wanted to ski down the side of Winnats Pass but when there’s been snow, could never get there. Last year we used the BMW with Conti’s and were doing uplifts. 4x4s on summer tyres were stuck.

TBH. Anyone getting stuck on that 4 flake thick layer of snow should hand their licence in.

I was quite impressed with the snow socks I got for my Merc. It had very little clearance between the tyres and bodywork so fitting them wasn’t fun, but once on they were very effective and the car made it up some steepish hills that FWD and even 4×4 cars were getting stuck on. Without the snow socks the Merc was awful in snow or ice conditions.

I’ve since replaced it with a 4×4 which apparently has “snow and mud” rated tyres however that seems to be acting as a snow deterrent so I’ve not had a chance to try it out properly.

A lot is down to being used to driving in snow. Lots of people just don’t know how to do it and panic and just floor it when they don’t seem to going anywhere.

I turned up to work one day to be greeted with glee. Great you can help us push Joy’s car out, she’s got it stuck in the snow in the car park.

Outside 1 Audi A4 in about 3-4 cm of snow and a big flat patch of compacted snow and ice where she had tried and wheelspun a lot. Bloody heavy thing to push on slippy ground with only a couple of very slight ladies to ‘help’. Jumped in nudged it forward to get it moving then reversed straight out. Just practice from learning to drive in the north east of Scotland rather than the northwest of england.

Not trolling BadlyWiredDog, just jealous of all this talk of snow as all we’ve got here in Bristol is wind and rain.

gravity-slave – Member

They must have crap tyres or be crap drivers, or both.

I always mean to say this but forget, just because something’s a winter tyre doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck- same as you can get rubbish summer tyres. Some folks seem to go a bit weird about this and go yes, I will spend the money for spare wheels and winter tyres but I’ll get the absolute cheapest ones I can from a brand nobody’s heard of, then complain that they’re not as good as the expensive ones I run in summer.

Luckily I’m not a ‘towny’, so the gridlock thing doesn’t apply, but my front wheel drive hatchback with snow tyres on has more grip than my current 4wd off-roader with non-winter tyres on when accelerating on compacted snow.

But it’s not the grip while accelerating that is the important bit, it’s the improved stopping distance and cornering grip that a good snow tyre provides that counts most.

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.

True that! Bloke at work seems to have limited skills when it comes to driving. There’s a bend, coming into Ledbury, that always flooded in heavy rain (not now they’ve fixed the drainage) and twice he has written his car off (diff cars obvs) on the same bend in after heavy rain.
When we had some snow a few years ago he thought the best way to get back to Worcester was go down Church St in Malvern 😯

theflatboy – Member
Morale of the story: low.

lol

Reminds me of a sign in the chippy in Pitlochry which reads “the beatings will continue until staff morale improves”.

I’m jealous of the snow. None here. I thought about getting some winter tyres when I was commuting by car a couple of years ago, never did as didn’t think it was worth it, would’ve have fitted them, never got cold enough.

I’ve been waiting for the snow to come here but it hasn’t. We’ve had 1 morning (on a Sunday) where there was enough snow to make a Snowman if you used ALL the snow for quite a big area. That was it, winter in the South East (North London really), pathetic

We’ve had 4 flakes & rain 🙁

stevied – Member

When we had some snow a few years ago he thought the best way to get back to Worcester was go down Church St in Malvern

I always come back to a morning at work a few years back. Our office was at the bottom of a slight hill. One day it came on seriously heavy snow mid rush-hour. A colleague arrives late, having driven into a bunch of parked cars driving down that wee hill. “There was nothing I could do! No matter how hard I pushed the brakes, it just kept sliding” And the entire office rallies around to agree that there was nothing she could do other than maybe push the brakes harder next time, and it’s the council’s fault anyway.

So I, being a glutton for punishment, said I got down it fine on the motorbike and maybe if standing on the brakes doesn’t work there’s other things to try. “What would you know? You don’t even drive a car!”. Because obviously sports motorbikes with practically slick tyres are better in the snow.

TBH it wasn’t just the one person not having a clue, it was the 10 other people who’d rather back her up than say “Dude, here’s what to do next time”, because it’s better to encourage bad driving than it is to risk annoying someone…

After pontificating in the pre-December version of this thread, I didn’t buy any and haven’t regretted it since.

*Lives in London*

It’s certainly been a very mild and wet winter (so far) so we’ve had nowhere near as much as snow as we’ve had in recent years. However, it has still been below 7C (the temperature at which winter tyres start to offer better performance) most days, so no regrets in having winter tyres fitted.

And as I’ve highlighted previously, there was no month in 2015 in which I was NOT driving in temperatures below 7C.

Snow tyres would have been useful for the 4 cars we saw crashed into walls and in ditches when we had some overnight snow of about 2 inches out towards Bradfield.
We didn’t have problems with the road bikes but it was a bloody cold ride!

are you in merica?

because it’s better to encourage bad driving than it is to risk annoying someone…

Someone commented on this a couple of years ago, you can insult a mans wife, children, house, job, family and he’ll just think it’s a bit of banter.

Insult his driving and he’ll smash your face in.

I have snow tyres fitted, their brill innit

*carry on….*

What is this snow you talk of ? 🙁

I have studded winter tyres for my bike. The first time I used them for real, after bedding in, was on verglas. They were superb in straight lines at moderate speeds.

I didn’t dare find out what their limits were.

I have the same problem with the winter tyres on my car.

It’s certainly been a very mild and wet winter (so far) so we’ve had nowhere near as much as snow as we’ve had in recent years.

Yep. We’re rural Scotland and have only really had one day of snow that caused any impact – I sent the staff home mid-afternoon on a Friday, otherwise pretty much nothing.

cultsdave – Member

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.

It’s RWD, he steers with the throttle anyway 8)

Because bored-

Straight out of the box Conti Sport Contacts. VRs tdi. Sugarloaf, Wales.

Coming down was more interesting.

TBH. Anyone getting stuck on that 4 flake thick layer of snow should hand their licence in.

A car stopped just back from where I was at that point, and started sliding backwards, it wasn’t that deep at that point but the underneath was a layer of mushy frozen water.

Snowsox are actually sanctioned for use in French Alps…

Downhill grip levels are fine, I suspect if you try and go around a corner at 50mph you will crash, but then who would on snow???

The hill doesn’t look that steep in the picture. Its avg is 10% max 16%, so I think that’s reasonably steep??

Edit:

It’s RWD, he steers with the throttle anyway

To be honest that’s the point at which I put the socks on. I had been going round other corners quite sideways, but I had to slow on that corner because people were coming down the hill….lost momentum, game over…

The 2 best things I’ve had in snow were my mk2 fiesta with skinny wheels which got me most places and was easy to push when it didn’t and the lwb transit I had in the lakes. Wakes you up when the back comes round on it….
Worst thing was the **** whit their awd/4×4/winter tyres who thought that made them invincible or special. Firstly get stuck in the wrong place your screwed whatever, secondly don’t know how to drive it your screwed just further from home. I’m very happy that I was driving on low traction surfaces since I was 13,it helps a lot. I can also dig and get my way out of shit if I need to. It’s useful to learn.

Don’t bad workmen always blame the tools?
If you think that winter tyres/4x4s or all wheel drives, etc are poor in snow, learn to chuffing drive!

Captain, if you think 2wd normal cars are bad in snow learn to drive…

Captain, if you think 2wd normal cars are bad in snow learn to drive…

Odd reply, but as you ask, I loved my Mkii Escort in the snow. Got me out of places where most (all vehicles except tractors) were snowbound.

It’s snowing really heavily. I know, I’ll go the back way to Harrogate via the steepest hill in the area (Greenhow doesn’t count, it’s Pateley Bridge).

Are you my brother?

Reading these winter tyre threads and being based in Scandinavia is always entertaining.
I drove 650km during the weekend, mostly on snowy roads without any incidents except running out of candies and occasional Spotify stuttering due some network issues.

Don’t you get a free blue P for posting a photo of your bmw/audi succesfully driving in 1cm of snow?

Looks to me like you’re stopped on the side of the road 😉

I want snow! is jealous I’ve got a big ol’ truck with rear wheel drive and a limited slip diff. 😈 need snow and an empty car park…

Baildon Hill
Being retired means I can just hop on the bike & enjoy the snow.

mmannerr – Member
Reading these winter tyre threads and being based in Scandinavia is always entertaining.
I drove 650km during the weekend, mostly on snowy roads without any incidents except running out of candies and occasional Spotify stuttering due some network issues.

Since I fitted my troll tyres, I have never run out of candies. People who run out of confectionary really need to learn some organisational skills. Or eat fewer sweets. Just saying.

Ambo service relies on a pair of snow socks per vehicle on all its vehicles in my area. They’re a really good solution to the very occasional snow we have in this country; pack down small, light, easy(ish) to fit and they WORK. Manky afterwards though.

Captain, if you think 2wd normal cars are bad in snow learn to drive…

They’re not all bad. My old Merc was awful in the snow and SWMBO’s SLK is much the same. On the other hand my daughters old 1.2l Jazz is pretty much unstoppable in the snow – I’ve made it up hills with stuck 4×4’s in that.

No idea how my CX-7 compares to them yet – although it’s snowing in Aberdeen at the moment so I might get a chance to find out later.

mmannerr – Member
Reading these winter tyre threads and being based in Scandinavia is always entertaining.
I drove 650km during the weekend, mostly on snowy roads without any incidents except running out of candies and occasional Spotify stuttering due some network issues.

mmannerr driving at the weekend:

Ambo service relies on a pair of snow socks per vehicle on all its vehicles in my area. They’re a really good solution to the very occasional snow we have in this country; pack down small, light, easy(ish) to fit and they WORK. Manky afterwards though.

And yet the tesco van that just delivered my shopping had winter tyres on it, what a world.

I have noticed couriers using winter tyres when sat at the lights.

Always baffled me why the emergency services dont fit M&S tyres to all their vehicles in the winter. I know storage is a bit of a problem but surely councils have somewhere to stash them all or even just at the back of the depot?