Winter car tyres – sorry

Forum serach didn’t throw up any recent threads, so apologies if I’ve missed iy

For several years I’ve been wondering weather to get winter tyres for the car, as I work in Peaks regularly, but MrsMC thought it was too expensive.

Now she is also using the new car up there for work, and the new car is a little twitchy at the best of times, so suddenly she is wondering if it would be worth getting some winter tyres… 👿

Local HiQ have suggested some Goodyear Ultragrip 8s, fitted at £80 a corner, which appears to be a good price after looking at the etyres type websites, but any other suggestions?

MrsMC thought it was too expensive.

Probably no more expensive than normal tyres and the normal tyres will last twice as long when you use winter tyres.

We used Avon ice touring tyres – seem to have lasted well and work well in the ice and snow. Were about £40 a corner IIRC. That said, on my daily driver I don’t bother and I’ve driven that all over the highlands in the snow without any problem so far.

http://www.camskill.co.uk/

Super range and helpful on the phone too. Add on £12 a corner for fitting in a local fitters (most are happy to do it for you – or use Blackcircles to find one).

What tyre size are you after?

What size?

I used tyretraders last month for my Continental winters- cheapest about and a localish fitter

I’ve just ordered some continental winter contact ts800 for our lasses little car as its rubbish in just rain, and in our estate your lucky to get out to the main roads if it snows let alone out of our dead end street (poor version of a cul-de-sac 😉 ) should be here in next week fingers crossed, good reviews and less than 300 fitted balanced and tracking done. can’t complain after paying a ton for Nordic spike 240 for the pedal bike lol and after living in Norway and Germany and using winter tyres the difference in handling is worth it no question

snow tyres do work and you only need to buy them for the driving wheels so at £160 quid for two its piece of mind that your missus wont be stuck on sum hillside on a crappy slippy night and then in march just take them off and pop your normal treads back on

She was wondering about only fitting them to the driven wheels and only getting two – one of her colleagues who lives in Buxton does this. All the retailers recommend putting them on all four wheels though – is this just to sell twice as many tyres?

jez24oo – Member

snow tyres do work and you only need to buy them for the driving wheels

NOT true.

Whats the point in your front wheels (the ones with all the weight over them) grip well, when the rears (which are already light) try and overtake them?

Nokian here.

Don’t get them only for driving wheels. They are not to get you moving on a snowy hill, they are to give you good traction on muddy roads, cold tarmac, damp grimy frosty roads (like todays).

If you only have them on the front you may be able to get moving on snow covered roads, but if you have all four wheels you will be able to drive fairly normally in snow and, crucially, corner and stop.

Imagine having a mud tyre on the front of your bike and a slick on the back. Imagine what’d happen when you try and slow and corner!

Depending on what size you have, it may work out cheaper to get a more common size and some spare steel wheels to match, since some sizes are a lot cheaper than others.

not true +1

don’t want rear end breaking away.

if you are careful you could prob get away with them just on driven wheels

as above camskill are best price on most things tyre related!

Aquired a set of four winter tyres that have had very little use for my van but unfortunately they won’t fit so I’m just wanting to move them on for the same price I payed for them.

Infinity 200
Sizes are 215/65/16 M+S

£100 for all four tyres but you’ll have to collect from Bristol though.

Grab a bargain or I’ll chuck ’em on Ebay at the slightest hint of snow when the pandemonia starts!

….you only need to buy them for the driving wheels

Or if you really don’t want any benefit from them, put them both on one side.

(Serious Answer – That’s pretty shoddy advice, buy 4 not 2)

snow tyres do work and you only need to buy them for the driving wheels

On a fwd.

I don’t see the point of putting them on the rear of a fwd, Never have and am unlikely to do so in the future.

You’ve confirmed my gut reaction over the 2 v 4 argument!

Wrong size flatfish, but with this weather you should shift them sson enough!

Winter tyres are very different from Snow Chains

Different reason to have them.
And they do different things.

Winter tyres are very different from Snow Chains

Really? Do go on…

You posted a pic of snow chains in a thread about winter tyres.

Just pointing out why it wasn’t relevant.

And in my opinion, your comment is more suitable to the use of snow chains than winter tyres.

But I only lived in the Alps for 11 years, so it’s only Anecdotal Evidence, feel free to ignore it.

(And yes, I know its a rear wheel drive car)

hi sorry if the other guy dissagrees with my comment on only putting them on the driven wheels, but i really do think there really only worth puttin on the front / driven wheel. buy 4 if you really really want to spend the money tho . Please note you breaks are also applyed to the front in the form of abs (yadda yada yadda) footpedal breaks are not applyed to the rear with such force as to beat the fronts to it – rear breaking causes massive fish tailing but thats another story. Just buy two stick em on the front and be safe on the ice and yes a la BMW if you have a rear wheel drive put them on the rear aswell and a 4×4 then pop the all round all. I was saying was that this guys wondering if he should pull the trigger on ( expensive to some ) specialist tyers make sure he knows how to get the most out of the least spent

Brakes?

I don’t see the point of putting them on the rear of a fwd, Never have and am unlikely to do so in the future.

My motor is 2wd drive but the manufactures fitted brakes to all four wheels 🙂

The ‘point’ is for corners in wet or slippy conditions in FWD cars you generally want as good if not better grip on you rear tyres than the fronts. People tend to rotate their tyres on FWD cars, moving the less worn rears to the front but counter-intuitively its smarter to leave the better tread at the back.

Its not madness to only fit two winter tyres but its sensible to fit 4.

4 always… I live in the Alps – seen a lot of backends coming out and cars losing control.

Yes I use snow chains sometimes – but thats when it’s really bad – as driving any distance with snow chains sucks…

get 4 on 4 cheap steelies and put them in the garage when not needed. jobs a good un.

(And yes, in know its a rear wheel drive car)

Which is why you’re allowed a little smile. It’s called humour.

buy 4 if you really really want to spend the money tho

4 for a rwd drive as you need to control steering and drive wheels.
2 on an fwd as the steering and drive is the same set.

4 always… I live in the Alps – seen a lot of backends coming out and cars losing control.

Are these people driving too fast for the conditions too?

Break as in to loose contact, as opposed to brake as in to slow.

What’s the point of being able to pull away, turn and slow if when you corner the back end brEAks its traction?

Feel free to contradict jez but I know what i’d rather happen.

jez24oo – I guess you’d also advise to put the tyres with the greatest amount of tread on the front of a fwd car rather than the rear?.

😉

If you have decent grip on the front and next to none on the back, what do you think would happen if you try and go around a corner?

Are these people driving too fast for the conditions too?

Too fast for conditions with 2 winters and 2 summers might be 5mph

Too fast with winters could be 30mph.

2 or 4?: I’ve had winter tyres only on the front of my Skoda Fabia over 3 winters (it now has four for this winter). The Vectra estate gets four (longer wheelbase). The Skoda rear end would break away if I did’t moderate my speed or acceleration while turning. A bit of practice around the snow covered hilly streets was invaluable. Amazing how both cars now climb snowy hills with ease.

But braking is all 4 wheels in both cases……
canadian winter tire opionions

Winter tyres work well in temperatures below 7 deg C due to the softer compound rubber. They’ll be fine above,but wear fast.
I’ve been using Conti Winter Contacts for 3 years now, they make an amazing difference when its cold.

No, they’re not as good as snow tyres (or even snow chains) in the snow, but they’re much better than snow tyres or “summer” tyres in the cold wet conditions we have on average. They are pretty good in snow and slush though.

And it makes pefect sense to put them on all 4 wheels. If you don’t need them on the rear wheels on th fwd car, then why bother with any form of grooved tyre on the rear wheels at any time of year?

If you have decent grip on the front and next to none on the back, what do you think would happen if you try and go around a corner?

In my 30 years of driving experience the answer is simple- you go round the corner.
These threads are quite pointless, IME.

2 winter tyres is a great idea.

For anyone who doesn’t want to go round any corners 😉

jez – I agree with a lot of what you’re saying, but a couple of misnomers. The op isnt asking about snow tyres – they’re a different animal. Winter tyres aka cold weather tyres are suitable for nothern europe etc. Fitting 4 is safer for sure. But most UK cars get stuck on a slope / speed bump and are then driven at granny speeds til you get home. Folk buy 2 for the driven wheels to get them over this hump (figuratively).

The only real problem with 2 at the front (on a fwd) in the UK is descending a steep slope – the back does swing round…

The main difference to the continent is that here everyone – once they get moving – drives at a snails pace. As long as you know this, or dont go down steep drives etc – you’ll be fine.

I’ll just add – I’ve only used these for the last 6 years as my inlaws live up a high lane thats in some weird sort of perma-frost from Nov – March.

Personally – I’d fit two – and drive like a granny.

I put 2 on the (admittedly rear) driven wheels. Thought it a good idea to save money. Horrible. Went back 2 weeks later for the fronts. Bliss.

For anyone who doesn’t want to go round any corners

That Michelin video is an excellent way for Michelin to promote their Michelin tyres and make people buy more Michelin tyres. The Michelin markeing department must be laughing all the way to the bank. 😆
Adios.
EDIT:

The Skoda rear end would break away if I did’t moderate my speed or acceleration while turning.

You’ll find that it’ll break away when wearing 4 winter tyres when driven to hard too, funny that.

The gulf between none and just two is far bigger than that between having two or four. So long as you accept that the back end is at increased risk of coming round and drive with extreme caution you should be fine with two. Have none and you aren’t getting off the drive.

Remember this is the UK and it’s typically more precautionary than living with the the certainty that you can and will be out when it dumps.

At our house I have two Nokians on the front of my car, swapped to the back when it warms up and the Mrs car has four Vredesteins on a separate set of wheels (fourth season) so I do have the benefit of a plan B.

As always it’s a question of risk and cost.

Have none and you aren’t getting off the drive.

people tend to fit winter tyres for the whole winter rather than bolt them on the morning the snow falls. The issue is you have that mismatch of grip all the time, especially when the road is wet and when you’re not driving with extreme caution, rather than on the 2 or 3 occasions a year you actually have snow under your tyres.

That Michelin video is an excellent way for Michelin to promote their Michelin tyres

Your quite right.

We really should ignore what tyre manufacturers say …. about tyres.

What would they know.

What would they know.

Apparently they know how to market and sell lots of tyres. 😀

He’s got over 30yrs experience so what do they, or we, know 😉