Anybody else impressed with winter tyres in the recent snow?

[Cristian]

Snip

What I was trying to say wasn't that YOU need winter tyres but that dismissing them all over the UK because it's sunny where you live is a bit narrow thinking.

I brought London into discussion because I think it's fairly representative of the average UK temperatures, it's not like I said "have a look at Newcastle and how much snow they are getting". Yet even here it's still below freezing in quite a few days of the year in the mornings and evenings.

Just because YOU didn't need to de-ice your car this morning doesn't mean winter tyres are a silly buy everywhere in the UK as you keep on repeating on this topic.

Housey - just because you have to spend £1000 to get winter tyres in your size doesn't mean that everybody else does. As a mater a fact, neither do you as a pair of 17" (or 18" if needed) + wheels would set you back a lot less and that cost would be saved in the long run anyway because you're not using the summers in the meantime.

The whole point I'm trying to make is that it really depends on how you define "Need".

Do you need to have 200+ bhp?
Do you need to have a nice comfy car?
Do you need to have UHP summer tyres instead of mid-range ones?
Do you need to have winter tyres?

None of the above should ever be a yes, but the "want" is a whole different factor. You want comfort, safety, fun and there is nothing wrong with that.

When many many people lose hundreds of pounds on their cars every month on depreciation because they "want" to drive a nice car (nothing wrong with that) I find it rather funny when they can't spend a couple of hundred once which would not count in the long run.
This would be for the comfort of being able to make it to work/supermarket/meeting/whatever any day of the year and not worry about that hill when there's an inch of snow or a bit of ice. Or risk skidding into someone else with all the hassle that brings, not to mention the increased risk of injuring someone.

 

[Housey]

Housey - just because you have to spend £1000 to get winter tyres in your size doesn't mean that everybody else does. As a mater a fact, neither do you as a pair of 17" (or 18" if needed) + wheels would set you back a lot less and that cost would be saved in the long run anyway because you're not using the summers in the meantime.

Or I could just use my summer tyres and not spend anything as I dont need them?

 

[[TW]Fox]

This would be for the comfort of being able to make it to work/supermarket/meeting/whatever any day of the year and not worry about that hill when there's an inch of snow or a bit of ice. Or risk skidding into someone else with all the hassle that brings, not to mention the increased risk of injuring someone.

Even if that risk is very small?

Even if you introduce more risk by doing things like the OP by unbalancing your car with winter tyres only on the rear?

Even if you end up REDUCING your tyre performance for 95% of your driving just so you can increase it for 5%?

 

[4T5]

I can't really see anybody coming in this thread who has spent Dollar for winter tyres against all advice on here to state that they were a waste of money. Bit like asking on Mumsnet whether men are ***** or not.

 

[Fusion]

It's all purchase justification reflex anyway, not many people will have the bottle to say "Do you know mate, I dropped £800 on these tyres and they've made naff all difference". They'd rather pretend they're now Ari Vatanen (if they didn't before, that is).

 

[[TW]Fox]

It's a shame I can't find the post because a guy on PH did exactly that. The response he got was like somebody suggesting Father Christmas didnt exist or something. He was basically told he was wrong.

 

[Housey]

Statistics and dam lies etc etc etc

 

[Rilot]

A guy at work has just had cheapo Chinese winter tyres put on his 325i. He's been extolling the virtues of them all day. I'll stick with my SC2s.

 

[Brookert]

A guy at work has just had cheapo Chinese winter tyres put on his 325i. He's been extolling the virtues of them all day. I'll stick with my SC2s.

Almost an oxymoron that, el cheapo chinese winter tyres.

Im actually looking forward to snowmageddon/light dusting of snow!

 

[4T5]

Remember this ?

 

[Housey]

I just went out and put my car in the garage in snow, I nearly died obviously.

 

[Howard]

The concept of winter tyres in the UK makes me laugh. I've never gotten stuck in snow or ice, not once. Apart from when I was travelling with my friend in his Lexus IS200 and he put it in a huge muddy hole masked by snow and it took some maneuvering by me to get it out, but that's beside the point.

I can drive around in my car with my 'UHP' tyres and not be too troubled by snow. Yes I and many people won't be able to get up big hills, but winter tyres aren't going to allow me to defy physics in my front wheel-drive Mondeo and cure this.

People who live in rural hilly areas or mountains will have vehicles suited to this (read: 4x4s with an appropriate drivetrain and sensible all-season tyres).

 

[Dave M]

Yes I and many people won't be able to get up big hills, but winter tyres aren't going to allow me to defy physics in my front wheel-drive Mondeo and cure this.

This was actually the OPs point, yes, it does let your mondeo (and even his bmw, far less suited than your fwd mondeo) go up big hills in snow and ice.

 

[Howard]

I missed that. If they do work miracles in that sense then great. Still vastly extravagant here though I'd say.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I missed that. If they do work miracles in that sense then great. Still vastly extravagant here though I'd say.

You will be amazed at how genuinelly capable they are on snow. There is no disputing this.

 

[ZG002]

I missed that. If they do work miracles in that sense then great. Still vastly extravagant here though I'd say.

It doesn't really cost the earth for a set of cheap wheels and some winter tyres, If you plan on keeping the same car they can last you years if you only put them on in the bad weeks we get. They make a real difference in snow and if you drive from door to door in small untreated streets for most of your working day they are actually pretty good and become worth it. Worth the cost in certain parts of the country I'd say.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It doesn't really cost the earth for a set of cheap wheels and some winter tyres

That depends entirely on the car. Plus many people might not want to drive around on a set of cheap wheels. Clearly how a car looks is important or nobody would be buying S-Line's with 19's in the first place.

if you drive from door to door in small untreated streets for most of your working day

Only a minority of the working population actually do this.

 

[Brookert]

Im looking forward to work tomorrow. The vans have ning nong ling lang specials which have poor traction in the bone dry, and nothing with a mere spitting of rain.

 

[ZG002]

Yeah a small minority of the working population do, and to them it's worth it. I'm a electrician out on my own all the time, going door to door. Time wasted in the snow costs money so they would seem like a good idea.

The amount of electricians, plumbers etc etc with vans already with steel wheels on and not a care in the world on how the van looks would find them useful at times.

They ain't for everyone clearly but they ain't totally worthless. Loads of lads got stuck and couldn't make it into work when we had that bad snow fall a couple years ago, I was one of the only ones in work as I live in the inner city.
Useful in the snow, Not much use else where. I'd not fit them to my car but I would a works vehicle.

 

[vanpeebles]

It doesn't really cost the earth for a set of cheap wheels and some winter tyres, If you plan on keeping the same car they can last you years if you only put them on in the bad weeks we get. They make a real difference in snow and if you drive from door to door in small untreated streets for most of your working day they are actually pretty good and become worth it. Worth the cost in certain parts of the country I'd say.

I did this, I got a 2nd set of LE alloys for my MGB and had Avon Ice Tourings fitted. My daily drive is all back roads, including 1 steep hill and 1 untreated road and its been well worth the money. I've not managed to get it stuck spinning on the spot yet and they are very good in the wet too.

It's my first rwd car so I wanted to go into winter with some kind of preparation. My last car was a 156 v6 and with the heavy engine up front the traction was superb so using summer tyres was not a problem.