Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2005
- Posts
- 8,971
- Location
- Clydebank
buachille - where are you located? Glencoe or further north?
Snow tires
- Thread starter buachille
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 18,048
- Location
- Shakespeare’s County
My OEM fitment tyres are Mud and Snow spec.
Its an optimised tread profile and tyre contruction for various conditions, they are not tyres to be exclusively used.
Most cars have summer tyres for a year than only has 3 summer months
Its an optimised tread profile and tyre contruction for various conditions, they are not tyres to be exclusively used.
Most cars have summer tyres for a year than only has 3 summer months
Associate
- Joined
- 1 Mar 2008
- Posts
- 2,382
- Location
- York
My wife's just had some fitted to her Subaru as she's a vet and on 24 call out around the cumbria (Eden valley) loads of snow and ice on the farm tracks. The main dealer said he will take them off for her in the spring and keep them for her till next winter and fit them again for free. ( that's good service)
[TW]Fox;15631103 said:
Look at his location Fox, it has been a good 2 weeks so far of constant snow. Some of the roads here are very very bad and a lot are even un-drivable. I have been stuck loads of places, some times very bad and now that I park a good 5 minute walk away from my Mums because the car won't make it to her house!
Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Oct 2006
- Posts
- 3,672
I have been considering getting a set of spare wheels and putting a set of winter tyres on the car.
They don't really have anything to do with snow fall they are designed to work better than summer tyres in temperatures under 7c. In central Scotland it hasn't been above 7c since the end of October and unlikely to be above 7c until March so they are worth while purchasing for almost 5 months use a year.
The main cost if a set of spare wheels as you are not putting wear on the summer tyres when the winter tyres are on.
They don't really have anything to do with snow fall they are designed to work better than summer tyres in temperatures under 7c. In central Scotland it hasn't been above 7c since the end of October and unlikely to be above 7c until March so they are worth while purchasing for almost 5 months use a year.
The main cost if a set of spare wheels as you are not putting wear on the summer tyres when the winter tyres are on.
I've got some winter tyres on my leon and they're fantastic when the weather gets worse. The tyre place I got them from run them all year on their pickup truck and he says they are absolutely fine in the dry, just obviously not going to match my F1's 
I've only lost traction a handful of times in the snow/slush/ice we've had recently, where as I've seen countless cars spinning up and sliding all over at various speeds.
I'd recommend them if you live somewhere where it has this sort of weather for a fair while, but wouldn't rush out to buy a set if I lived down south and panicked about a couple of days' snowfall per year - it'd be far easier to just drive slower and pay more attention imo.
I've only lost traction a handful of times in the snow/slush/ice we've had recently, where as I've seen countless cars spinning up and sliding all over at various speeds.
I'd recommend them if you live somewhere where it has this sort of weather for a fair while, but wouldn't rush out to buy a set if I lived down south and panicked about a couple of days' snowfall per year - it'd be far easier to just drive slower and pay more attention imo.
Good for you mate, you seem to miss my point.
I was having a go as you deemed yourself above everybody else who tends to drive slowly when theres snow (however much) on the roads, the point being freshly fallen snow ,however little, increases the chances of a skid, not to mention it could say be covering a patch of otherwise unseen black ice.
If I had £1 for every car I've seen over the past few weeks nearly and / or actually lose it whilst doing a similar overtake you referred to then I'd be out on the town now spending the proceeds!
Like me, you drive for a living, thus, I'd kind of hope & expect you'd know slightly better than to overtake the slower traffic in said conditions.
Perhaps, had you been involved in an accident (no, I'm not wishing that on you!) then perhaps you'd think differently.
I hope you drive differently to how your initial comment describes to me, I detest "I can drive better than others in bad conditions" drivers, to me it shouts arrogance and above all, ignorance.
Perhaps I'm wrong about you, perhaps not.
With hindsight, perhaps you should have written your post differently and I'd have probably not said a word.
Happy new year!
You are definitely the most annoying person that has replied to a post of mine for some time. Making assumptions which you have no basis for. And you didn't read everything I posted - I don't drive for a living - I drive to get to work and I often have to go onto mud in summer so snow tyres are going to be a great help there as well as they are marked for snow and rough terrain use.
I was trying to demonstrate how much safer people could be with snow tyres in winter (and there is no doubt it is the truth that they increase your safety tenfold in slippy conditions - it's law in Germany that they are fitted in winter).
I was in a car park today outside the gym where all the cars were unable to get out. I was able to tow them all out with my van. When I had summer tyres I would have been stuck too.
You might reply, but I won't. You'll hear nothing more from me on this, although I will reply to anyone else that wants any info' on them.
I live in Canada and winter tires are pretty essential. I have a set of Dunlop WinterSport 3D on my A6 Quattro so it's a bit of a beast in the snow to say the least!
Whoever said that only studs will help you on ice - well - that's not true. In the last 10 years winter tires have come on an awful lot and siped winter tires will grip just as well on sheet ice as studded tires and do far less damage to the road.
Firstly ice is only really a big issue when the temperature is above -10. Below that it's actually relatively grippy!! It's the little bits of water on top of the ice that make it slippery and when the temperature is only a little below zero the friction of the tire can melt the surface and generate the water. The sipes on winter tires will flex in a way that removes that surface water.
Winter tires are fine from anywhere from -50 to +20 - so unless you often get temps above +20 in the UK winters these days then perhaps you should get some winter 'tyres'! I certainly don't remember those growing up there!
Whoever said that only studs will help you on ice - well - that's not true. In the last 10 years winter tires have come on an awful lot and siped winter tires will grip just as well on sheet ice as studded tires and do far less damage to the road.
Firstly ice is only really a big issue when the temperature is above -10. Below that it's actually relatively grippy!! It's the little bits of water on top of the ice that make it slippery and when the temperature is only a little below zero the friction of the tire can melt the surface and generate the water. The sipes on winter tires will flex in a way that removes that surface water.
Winter tires are fine from anywhere from -50 to +20 - so unless you often get temps above +20 in the UK winters these days then perhaps you should get some winter 'tyres'! I certainly don't remember those growing up there!
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 5 Jun 2003
- Posts
- 91,784
- Location
- Falling...
Don't see the point in snow tyres here. Winter tyres, sure, but snow tyres seems a bit excessive? In the alpine areas they all have to have winter tyres and carry chains (in the boot) over the winter months as they do get serious snow... in this country? Overkill.