Why the ballyheck do Brits not use winter tyres?

[Hagar]

You drive to the conditions, in snow or ice you slow down.

 

[SDK^]

Pretty sure most cars come with the means to change a wheel. Even nowadays with the advent of RFT's and the like.

Can't be hooped is probably a more likely reason here for not doing it, but how much would a garage actually charge to change over a set of wheels? £20? I dunno really, but can't imagine it being much more than that if you can get the tyres changed for £40. I'll find out in the next few days, since my new wheels will be getting re-balanced, so I'll likely just get the garage to change the wheels over too.

A garage can help for sure, if you can fit 4 wheels in your car

 

[Nasher]

And Sweden only got better after it copied the UK on road design and light sequences. Germany's roads are awful compared to the UK, occasional fun on the autobahns not withstanding.

A lot of countries copied our road designs. You even see the standard UK style road sign designs all over the world.

What we lack is good quality tarmac (which also makes winter driving more hazardous in itself) :/

 

[xs2man]

A garage can help for sure, if you can fit 4 wheels in your car

Surely you can fit 4 wheels in your 5 series? I can't think of a car I've had in the last 10+ years (*maybe even ever), that I haven't managed to fit a set of wheels in. I guess if you drive a MX5 or Z4 or something like that you would struggle.

 

[Nasher]

I can fit 4 wheels and trolley jack in the back on my gt86 lol. I'd be disappointed if a full sized saloon couldn't

 

[[TW]Fox]

I can fit 4 wheels and trolley jack in the back on my gt86 lol. I'd be disappointed if a full sized saloon couldn't

You can't fit 4 wheels in the the back of a 5 Series saloon without putting some of them on the rear seats or folding the seats down if the car is fitted with optional split folding rear seats.

 

[adolf hamster]

Surely you can fit 4 wheels in your 5 series? I can't think of a car I've had in the last 10+ years (*maybe even ever), that I haven't managed to fit a set of wheels in. I guess if you drive a MX5 or Z4 or something like that you would struggle.

nope, even a 3 series, with mine you can fit both fronts (225's) in the boot, but only 1 rear, so you'd have to put them on the rear seats.

which is fun when you've just bought a new set of wheels and the seller had tyre black on them, ever tried getting tyre black off cream leather? it's not fun.

 

[Nasher]

That's just poor design

 

[Scania]

What a load of ignorant rubbish.

FYI the UK has the safest roads of ANY major developed nations (the only developed nations that do better than us are far smaller and with lower population density and with arguably far less congestion)

http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/GSRRS2015_data/en/

Table A2 shows as only behind Sweden and Norway and far above Germany for example.

We don't change the tyres because, as the evidence shows, we don't need to if, as this thread has demonstrated, we are comparing our road safety to other nations.

EDIT: My personal opinion is that Winter tyres WOULD provide a benefit but that the need in this country for winter tyres is far less than the need in many other nations.

Before deeming my view as ignorant, perhaps you should appreciate my post was in context with the thread ie I was referring predominantly with people’s inability to drive on snow or indeed in any adverse weather.

When behind the wheel of an HGV you have all day - every day - especially on days like today to see how crap the standard of driving is over here - and notice over the years of doing so how it’s deteriorating for a number of factors.

Just because we’re “the safest” doesn’t mean our roads are full of fantastic drivers because sadly they aren’t (and I included many HGV drivers in that statement)

As for your sentiment on winter tyres I agree entirely.

 

[Superficial]

Before deeming my view as ignorant, perhaps you should appreciate my post was in context with the thread ie I was referring predominantly with people’s inability to drive on snow or indeed in any adverse weather.

Your post was ignorant rubbish and I have quoted you calling you calling UK drivers cretins and saying that people don't know how to drive in the first place irrespective of the winter tyres issue and you know it:

People don’t have a clue how to drive in the first place, never mind on summer tyres in snow,

TLDR Winter tyres are great, British drivers tend to be cretins ergo winter tyres would be pointless.

so cut it out.

​

When behind the wheel of an HGV you have all day - every day - especially on days like today to see how crap the standard of driving is over here - and notice over the years of doing so how it’s deteriorating for a number of factors.

Just because we’re “the safest” doesn’t mean our roads are full of fantastic drivers because sadly they aren’t (and I included many HGV drivers in that statement)

As for your sentiment on winter tyres I agree entirely.

Oh FFS just stop typing no once cares about your in un-sourced anecdotal rubbish. I mean for Goodness sakes how many drivers would offer that HGV drivers in general ARE the problem on All roads.

If we are amongst the safest it means we are better than most and, given our circumstances and the actual evidence we are at least as good as the rest and you saying things like "over here" tells us all we need to know - that you consider other countries to do it better...well they don't.

 

[Housey]

It's not just the two days of snow it makes a difference for. It's all the time it's colder than about 7 degrees and all those icy mornings. It's not like the weather here is worse than that in much of the UK.

No, no no no and no.

Stop this, it's silly.

Snow tyres are great in snow. Outside of that a good all round tyre is 100% fine.

I have never put snow tyres on any of my cars and though I have considered it for my wife's car it has stopped me doing nothing I needed to do or caused me pain I could not easily deal with.

 

[Mr Jack]

What we lack is good quality tarmac (which also makes winter driving more hazardous in itself) :/

It's no better over here, mate, but at least it's better than France.

 

[jpaul]

Not sure safest is defined by the least number of deaths per capita - you can find figures reporting accidents per capita that are less rosey -
hypothesis we spend more money on newer safer cars that mask the poor driving ?

Anyway - do I need winter tyres for my bicycle too

and btw

 

[Scania]

Your post was ignorant rubbish and I have quoted you calling you calling UK drivers cretins and saying that people don't know how to drive in the first place irrespective of the winter tyres issue and you know it:

so cut it out.

​

Oh FFS just stop typing no once cares about your in un-sourced anecdotal rubbish. I mean for Goodness sakes how many drivers would offer that HGV drivers in general ARE the problem on All roads.

If we are amongst the safest it means we are better than most and, given our circumstances and the actual evidence we are at least as good as the rest and you saying things like "over here" tells us all we need to know - that you consider other countries to do it better...well they don't.

Wind your neck in, I spend my days making allowances for the stupidity of drivers (both car and HGV) and in conditions such as today’s it’s just amplified immensely.

If you tried my job you’d very quickly see my perspective.

Driving standards are falling in the U.K. as I said earlier for numerous different reasons, be it SAT-NAV following zombies, camera (ie no visible traffic police) enforcement or indeed modern vehicles of all nature cocooning drivers from the realities of vehicle control, relying on vehicle electronics rather than driver ability to get them out of trouble.

I’ve been driving long enough to witness this decline, I don’t think it’s a good thing, and wish things were different.

Anyway, in the context of this thread especially, I stand by my opinion that the vast majority of U.K. drivers have no clue how to drive in adverse conditions, which is only made worse by the fact we don’t have winter tyres.

 

[adolf hamster]

That's just poor design

that really depends, you're going outside of it's original design intentions, it's meant to be a comfortable and slightly sporty businessmans car not a carry-all minibus.

it's like saying a when a defender doesn't corner well on a racetrack is bad design.

 

[[TW]Fox]

which is only made worse by the fact we don’t have winter tyres.

Not really.

You don't even fit the best tyres yourself, remember?

 

[Superficial]

Wind your neck in, I spend my days making allowances for the stupidity of drivers (both car and HGV) and in conditions such as today’s it’s just amplified immensely.

If you tried my job you’d very quickly see my perspective.

Driving standards are falling in the U.K. as I said earlier for numerous different reasons, be it SAT-NAV following zombies, camera (ie no visible traffic police) enforcement or indeed modern vehicles of all nature cocooning drivers from the realities of vehicle control, relying on vehicle electronics rather than driver ability to get them out of trouble.

I’ve been driving long enough to witness this decline, I don’t think it’s a good thing, and wish things were different.

Anyway, in the context of this thread especially, I stand by my opinion that the vast majority of U.K. drivers have no clue how to drive in adverse conditions, which is only made worse by the fact we don’t have winter tyres.

Take your waffle elsewhere. You have nothing to offer this topic except insults, anecdotes and BS and you know it.

 

[Scania]

Not really.

You don't even fit the best tyres yourself, remember?

Summer tyres of any ilk are useless in snow, you’d know this bar the fact the south west hasn’t seen a dumping in years.

Take your waffle elsewhere. You have nothing to offer this topic except insults, anecdotes and BS and you know it.

Balls.

I express my experiences which I see daily - especially today - and stand by them.

I live on the roads unfortunately, and see this decline in standards before my eyes for the reasons I described earlier.

If stating my opinion is insulting you, sorry, I’ll just have to carry on there!

 

[Superficial]

Not sure safest is defined by the least number of deaths per capita - you can find figures reporting accidents per capita that are less rosey -

Just taken a look at that document.

First thing to note is that the UK does better than equivalent sized nations even in a document that admits that the term accident is a legal definition that is different in many nations. It is also using data from 2009 in places.

The reason the WHO (which is an extremely respectable source) uses deaths per 100,000 is because this is a metric that can be used conclusively with little to no debate over what constitutes an RTA related death.

 

[Superficial]

Balls.

I express my experiences which I see daily - especially today - and stand by them.

I live on the roads unfortunately, and see this decline in standards before my eyes for the reasons I described earlier.

If stating my opinion is insulting you, sorry, I’ll just have to carry on there!

Face it - your comments and general attitude say more about you as a person that hates your menial job than offer anything of substance on the state of UK drivers. You hate your job so you whinge about it using ignorant rants on the internet.

Undoubtedly UK drivers are not perfect and accidents and poor driving happen but that was not what you were saying - you were saying UK drivers are worse than others nationalities and you are wrong.