Howdo,

My front tyres are on the wear limit so Im thinking about replacing them with winter specific jobbies. It seems like a good idea given the harsher winters of late.

What say you?

Yes a good idea if you live somewhere that is likely to get snow regularly.
However, if you get them now, you might have worn them past being useful (need at least 5mm of tread) by the time any snow arrives, depending on how many miles you do.

We swap the wheels on both of our cars each winter, but then we do live in Denmark so it’s worthwhile.
They aren’t as good in the summer and they are a bit noisier too.

West central Scotland is my locale. I am erring on the side of caution as we have had ‘proper’ winters here over the past two years and long range forecast is for more of the same.

The trend fr lower profile road tyres makes for some scary moments in the snow/ice.

I take your point about the durability. My mileage is pretty low though. Mibbes delay the new tyres until the sub zero stuff arrives next month.

We run winter Tyres from about now till Easter now as we drive to Switzerland each winter. They were great here as well though last year!

My husband got 2 on the front for his driving instructor car and was very happy with them, they should still be a good price online at the moment (last year they went up a LOT as soon as the snow came). I think he swapped them to the back for summer.

As far as I know it is better to run a winter tyre if you are only going to run one kind of tyre all year around. They say a winter tyre wears less in summer then a summer tyre in winter……

Go for it, and if you can change them to the back in summer or just leave them…

Simone

I’d go with them in Scotland.

i’d buy them now even if you plan on not fitting them until the cold spell arrives. Usually prices just go up and up once the wintery weather comes.

Instead of winter Tyres, you can get ‘4 season’ ones which don’t suffer as badly as full on winter Tyres do in the warmer months. Have a look at vredsteins website

I run Nokian WRG2 in the winter. Won’t run summer tyres in winter ever again.

But yes, you will want to put them on in October/November. Not that far off now but if you do big miles then you will wear them quicker and it is still a bit warm (down in the South anyway) for winter tyres. The WRG2 is more suitable than most tyres to be used in warmer weather though as it is sold as an ‘All season’ tyre in the USA. Not to be mistaken with ‘all weather’ rubbish.

Running snow tyres on only the front is not advised by any Tyre manufacture or vehicle manufacture.

Do all 4 or not at all.

There’s a thread on STW where I relate my various drives around a snowy Scottish Highlands over the last 20 years or so and how winter tyres are a complete waste of time.

Ignore it – I was talking complete crap.

We fitted Conti winter tyres to my wife car last November and the difference is amazing, even just in sub 5 deg temperatures.

druidh – Member

There’s a thread on STW where I relate my various drives around a snowy Scottish Highlands over the last 20 years or so and how winter tyres are a complete waste of time.

Ignore it – I was talking complete crap.

We fitted Conti winter tyres to my wife car last November and the difference is amazing, even just in sub 5 deg temperatures.

Bearing in mind Im rolling in a fwd 2wd motor did you do all 4 or just the front 2? Got to be honest, for my application I really dont see the point of changing the rears?!

im glad you called them winter tyres.. many people mistakenly call them snow tyres…these are totally different…you’d find them in snowpacked parts of finland etc..

winter tyres, i’d personally recommend. The are actually recommended for a temp below 7°C so im guessing you’ll warrant them.

we use 4, my father in law uses 2 on his drive wheels – this by swiss insurance does mean that he’d be liable in an accident.

the difference in winter weather, cold, ice and snow is just amazing.

i would NOT go for 4 season ones.

We run our winter tyres from end sept to end may. we get about 2 seasons out of them.

I say yes.

Ran Nokian WRG2 last year on the front and what a difference. Didin’t get stuck (central scotland) until the snow lifted the car off it’s wheels and nothing but a shovel would help.
Lots of debate over 2 vs 4 tyres, 4 safer and I’ve gone for another 2 this year due to needing another 2 tyres anyway. Last year I very deliberately chose front only (FWD) and was aware that I would lose the back end very easily and drove accordingly with no problems. Going for extra 2 this year to let me drive at normal speeds in snow/slush.
They give better grip and increased life at temps below 7C so worth fitting sometime in October/November in Scotland, mine from last year after 5 months (8000ish miles) use still have 7mm tread so wore very well IMO. Don’t fit this week as we are due a hot spell from early next week, you heard it here first if it happens 8)
As said before worth buying sooner rather than later due to prices rising with demand. Mytyres have a good range and good prices.

Go for it, they cost a bit more but will give you peace of mind and, depending on where you live, should get you into work every day.

You wont see the point of the other two till you come round a bend and a deer is in front of you. Very easy to lose the back end.

Many thanks people. Feedback appreciated. So winter tyres it is, 2 of. Nokian gets a shout anyone else?

Michelin Alpins.

Vredestein.

Live in the North East of Scotland and fitted two wineries tyres on the front just before the snow arrived and had to fit two the rear to balance the grip out I found that the back would step out all the time. As for grip I was amazed at the difference it made try to go skiing most weekends during the winter and never had problem getting to the slopes and never got stuck once.

The grip is so much better when the temp is below 7 even if the roads are wet with the winter tyres on. Fitted mine at the start of November till April, by that time the fronts were done but the rears will go on the back again this year, I already have a new set in the garage for the front which I will fit when the temp drops. If you are going to get them get them now before the supply drys up and he price goes up.

I have Avon Ice Touring ST’s

I got 2 winter tyres about this time last year as i picked up a puncture and figured i might as well, got laughed at by guys at work but a month later they were all asking me where i got them.

Ideally i would have got 4 but budget maxed out at 2, i drove sensibly and was fine, the back end did have a tendancy to get a bit loose and did so a couple of times however never at high speed.

If i can afford it this year i’ll get another 2. If anything it is less important for me to have them this year as i now walk to work.

One of the things you could do is buy the tyres now and run the car for another month and get them fitted then if your current tyres will hold out that long.

have a look at mytyres.co.uk, they had a really big selection when i looked yesterday.

Have a look at the Yokahama w-drive,they are advertised as a winter rated tyre, that is also very competent in the summer months. Have had them on for the last couple of weeks and no discernible difference to the standard Dunlop sports that were fitted prior.

Last year I fitted a set of Pirelli sottozero’s (from my tyres) to our Jaguar XF which was pretty average in slippery conditions on summer rubber even with chains, once fitted drove without a single hitch through all of Sheffields snows, and the chains stayed in the boot.

Downside only got approx 12K miles on them before they got below legal (Dunlops give 20k on average by comparison).

This year managed to pick up the set of the w-drives, with smaller (18 inch) genuine Jaguar alloys for less than last years tyres so well happy. Check out elite wheels and tyres, they had mine delivered within 24 hours of purchasing off ebay.

Echo what’s been reported above – get 4. We simply looked at cost and a known brand and are really happy with the Contis. It was April before we put the other tyres back on. I’m thinking that we might invest in a set of cheap steel wheels this time around – get the winter tyres on them and I can fit them myself as and when required.

Another +1 for Nokian WRG2s. Got a set in the shed waiting to be swapped onto my car once it gets cold enough.

Have a look at these too:
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/winter-tires-for-a-fwd-car
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/snow-tyres-do-they-erm-work

Do all 4 or not at all.

I’ll 2nd that from some scary experiences last year, when for some reason my tyres were delivered a week apart. I fitted the fronts (FWD car) and it was ok until you forgot that the rear had standard tyres and tried to overtake the front. It also kicks in the ABS in a very bad way!

I went for the cheapest I could find, GT Champiros, and the difference was staggering. I went from needing 5 guys to push me out of the car park at work, to driving straight out, even with another 2″ of snow on the ground. They also gave much improved grip when it was cold and wet.

As soon as the temp is regularly below 7deg, or there is snow, they are going back on.

EDIT: Definitely get them asap as I ordered mine just before the snow came @ £56 a corner, a couple of weeks later they were £139 !!

Just been down the scrappy today getting 4 wheels for the Mrs’ (& babys) car. I run Vredestein Snowtrac 3 tyres on my Berlingo and the difference is better than the difference between night and day. After running just the front 2, I’d go for all 4 if I were you. Do a Youtube search for some illustrative videos.

A friend used them in Scotland in March (50cm fell over one day) and they were really good.
So we’ve just bought them off him,even though we only live in the Northwest of England they will be handy if again we get the snow fall that’s happened over the last 2 winters.

bunnyhop – as has been said above, it’s not just about snow. Winter tyres are designed to give better grip once the temperatures drops to around 5 deg or less.

Agreed druidh, as we’ve been experiencing temperatures of minus 10 and below.

My experiences;
Octavia 4×4 on summers, unlikely to get stuck, steering and braking not so hot in deep snow. Put winters on it and it’s excellent.
Fabia (wor lasses car), left most things trailing with good (conti) winter tyres in the snow and amazing grip in the damp/cold.
Focus Rapid Response Paramedic car, this was the biggest surprise. Same summer tyres as my octavia but with fwd and nose light due to kit in boot. The winters allowed the car to be usable in the snow and the damp.
As for two on the front, go on YouTube and watch the cars pirouette under emergency braking.

The winters allowed the car to be usable in the snow and the damp.

Oh good. My lot are finally getting them for all RRV’s and also a few X1’s according to rumour.

I was amazed last winter when one council gave it’s ambulance crews snow socks. Their excuse was that taking an ambulance out of action to have winter tyres fitted was not an option.

Mind bogglingly dumb decision by some muppet in an office.

Buy some new wheels, get tyres fitted, get someone with air tools to quickly change the wheels over during routine maintenance.

Compared to crews having to fit snow socks when needed and then drive really slowly and then remove them when they get back to a clear main road.

Converting the two front wheels only is not advised but if you drive with caution and with the mentality that you haven’t got them on then they make a massive difference. I have tried it and it is surprising how quickly you can make the back end step out.

Nokian WR-G2’s will be fine if you put them on now, my wifes car has two on the back that have been there for two and a half years now and they still have plenty of grip (about 25k miles). My local tyre place swaps tyres over for £8 per wheel which pretty good, so you could look to do that at easter. Kwik Fit had the best value deals last year with the best tyre Conti Winter Contact TS830 they are on the site now but not as cheap as last year 🙁

Alternatively I run Hankook Optimo 4s four season tyres all year round and they are pretty similar to Nokian WR-G2’s. Very highly recommended but you will need to get them through MyTyres.

Do all 4 or not at all.
I’ll 2nd that from some scary experiences last year, when for some reason my tyres were delivered a week apart. I fitted the fronts (FWD car) and it was ok until you forgot that the rear had standard tyres and tried to overtake the front. It also kicks in the ABS in a very bad way!

Never had any problems with just 2 on the front of my fwd car. You just have to bear in mind that the rear has less grip.
Plus, modern cars with electronic stability programs should mean this isn’t an issue.

^ that doesnt wash with me.

All the electronics in the world can’t overcome what is basically a complete lack of grip on the back. You have an awful lot of weight back there basically getting dragged along on ice skates.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYEMH10Z4s&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

If that link works I’ll be surprised! If not YouTube ice rink tyre test. Shows you all season just aren’t anywhere near as good as designated winter tyres!

Jeez it worked!!

andyl : that surprises me about the council choosing snow socks over winter tyres! not meant to do the same job atall…how bizarre..

We have had winter tyres on hire cars in the Alps for skiing holidays and we are completely convinced. (Winter tyres are compulsory in many Alpine countries.)

BUT….. on summer tyres with smooth driving and plenty of momentum I can still get to places many other drivers can’t. I was one of the handful few who made it to work last December in the snow, having driven 24 hilly miles to get there. I live at the foot of a steep hill and with momentum I’ve always got up it in snow. Other Passat diesel drivers say the car is crap in snow yet I’ve only been stuck a couple of times and both were in really deep snow where my tyres built up a bow-wave. It is down to sensitivity with the throttle and correct gear choice as well as appropriate speed and momentum.