So who's preparing for winter this year?
- Thread starter Fuzz
- Start date
Soldato
I have a new set of Nan Kang NS-II Ultra Sports on the Subaru, put on by the garage after an MOT fail on the previous tyres, and have to say I havent been able to lose grip on them yet, probably a testament to the grip of the Impreza (believe me, I tried fairly hard).
Be interesting to see how they are in the winter months, probably like ice skates.
Be interesting to see how they are in the winter months, probably like ice skates.
I did a trackday at Oulton Park in January this year.
I used R888s....
Going off some responses in this thread I should have died, backwards in a fireball.
The only issue I had was with some minor wheelspin/understeer coming off Shell corner in the morning where there was ice on the track.
I used R888s....
Going off some responses in this thread I should have died, backwards in a fireball.
The only issue I had was with some minor wheelspin/understeer coming off Shell corner in the morning where there was ice on the track.
Last edited:
Soldato
That is a track though. Not the congested, busy, poorly maintained public roads.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
So congestion affects tyre grip?
Soldato
Whilst you make a good point, using 888's on a salt slime covered damp road is completely different to a track. Having used 888's a lot on road, I can say safely that they are not gonna compete with even decent all season tyres during a harsh sub zero winter, especially if the road is damp and salted.
I don't even like 888's when it it raining, let alone snowing
Permabanned
All very good when you're on track when you can get some heat in the tyres and keep it there.
It's completely different on a road covered in muck and salt where 99% of the time, you are not going to be getting them hot, let along keeping them that way.
Soldato
[TW]Fox;20143321 said:
No but less room for error as you are more likely to hit something!
Soldato
This is motors, mostly we're enthusiastic about cars and spend more on them than we strictly need to.
What you have to look at though is the vast majority of cars on the road will have a) cheap tyres and b) low tread depth.
I can't imagine what the cheapest tyre in the shop with 2mm tread is like on a cold wet day, never mind throwing a cm of snow on top.
Decent tyres and 5mm tread puts you in the top 5% of road users regardless of conditions. I'm amazed there aren't more RTAs considering how little most of my friends spend on tyres and how little idea they have what tread they have left (none check, it only gets checked at service / mot).
What you have to look at though is the vast majority of cars on the road will have a) cheap tyres and b) low tread depth.
I can't imagine what the cheapest tyre in the shop with 2mm tread is like on a cold wet day, never mind throwing a cm of snow on top.
Decent tyres and 5mm tread puts you in the top 5% of road users regardless of conditions. I'm amazed there aren't more RTAs considering how little most of my friends spend on tyres and how little idea they have what tread they have left (none check, it only gets checked at service / mot).
Soldato
I would bet they are the same people who say "can't get to work today" at the first sign of snow, while the rest of us drive in enjoying the car control and the empty roads.
Downside is the snow hitting while those n00bs are at work already, then none of us can get home
Soldato
Summer tyres will do me fine this winter. Other than snow they grip the road more than adequate for the mundane drive to work where I get no where close to the limits.
Last edited:
Soldato
still better than most premium tyres... they only stopped being made due to some stupid EU law...
Suspended
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 9,480
Because they are thick.
Man of Honour
I've decided I'm preparing by doing nothing to prove a point that winter isn't out to kill you, not even the ice scraper earlier mentioned
I ordered a set of winter tyres on steel wheels for both cars this morning. Main reason for me wasn't the snow, icy un gritted rural roads on the other hand do get my bum twitching far more often than I'd like. The 500 yard sheet ice slalom between the cars parked on the road into the estate is worth the cost alone.
I was lucky last year- bounced off two curbs, got the car almost stuck twice on ice (took three changes of a set of pedestrian lights before I actually made it up a slight incline!) and slid straight out of a junction despite dropping through the gears into first and putting about 1g of pressure on the brakes. It felt like I was curling with a 1.3T stone. Not a nice feeling and I wasn't driving like a tool at the time.
Oh and why so early? Well I priced some up 9 days ago and they had already gone up by a pound a corner so didn't see the point in leaving it until the demand goes up.
Even if I only end up using them for a month or so I don't really mind.
I was lucky last year- bounced off two curbs, got the car almost stuck twice on ice (took three changes of a set of pedestrian lights before I actually made it up a slight incline!) and slid straight out of a junction despite dropping through the gears into first and putting about 1g of pressure on the brakes. It felt like I was curling with a 1.3T stone. Not a nice feeling and I wasn't driving like a tool at the time.
Oh and why so early? Well I priced some up 9 days ago and they had already gone up by a pound a corner so didn't see the point in leaving it until the demand goes up.
Even if I only end up using them for a month or so I don't really mind.