**Unofficial Tyre Thread**

Had a bit of trouble finding decent tyres to fit my 14" 6J Volks, but eventually settled on the Yokohama S.Drive AS01 in 185/55. Seem alright, bit more confidence than my T1-Rs gave me, but then again they were on a completely different wheel (7J 15" Rotas, 195/50 T1-Rs).

Anyway, the Volks are back off to measure them up for some spigot rings (really old wheel now, made in '89ish and contacting Rays about spigot ring sizes yeilded nothing as I never got a reply), so the Rotards are back on. Fronts are rather worn, and since they will be my 'winter' wheels, I'm thinking about getting some winter tyres on/

Any general recommendations for winter tyres? I can get the Dunlop WinterSport 4D, but that's only in 195 and I heard you should go narrower for winter.
 
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rossk26 said:
Burnley and winter tyres

HA
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It was bad last year, especially when I live on a hill :( Heavy clutch is fun too...

To be honest, I did ok-ish on my old T1-Rs in the snow, but it never felt surefooted. Since the Rotas will be relegated to winter use anyway, I thought I may as well get some winter/cold weather tyres put on.
 
TehBluebear said:
Not months, but surely tyres designed for cold conditions will still be better to use than summer tyres in winter, even if there is no snow?
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That's the theory. Below 7 degrees winter tyres should offer better grip than summer tyres. Last year it stayed below 7C for 6 months..............
 
Clarkey said:
Anything to back up that claim?

Didn't think so.
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Manufacturers claims....................:rolleyes:

Although repeated by various sources if you google it ;)

Do you use winter tyres? After several cold snaps in recent years, Brits have slowly woken up to snow tyres which can keep going where normal rubber gives up. The UK still has very few winter tyres in use - just 3% of tyres sold in 2011 were designed for cold weather use - but trade bodies say the uptake is increasing.

Should you bother buying winter tyres? How much do they cost and, crucially, do they actually work? CAR has been on a winter tyre masterclass to bring you all the facts and figures you need to know about cold-weather rubber.

Winter tyres: what's in a name?

First things first: ‘winter tyres’, as we’re accustomed to calling them, is actually a misleading title. These aren’t massive chunky mud-plugging boots with knobbly, noisy treadblocks and spiked studs protruding like a rolled-up hedgehog.

More accurately, they're cold-weather tyres, designed to work in lower temperatures, on wet and dry roads, as well as giving better performance on snow and ice – which, given the inconsistent gritting on our nation’s road network, is just as well. We need a do-it-all tyre.

So, how do cold-weather and winter tyres work?

The science bit is easily explained. Winter/cold-weather tyres contain more natural rubber than regular tyres, and are constructed of a softer compound. This allows them to stay supple as temperatures drop below 7 degrees C, maintaining higher grips levels on the road, in conditions where a normal tyre becomes hard and less keyed-in to the asphalt.

If you see a winter tyre up close, you'll spot that the tread is different to a more conventional summer tyre. The contact patch of a winter tyre is more rugged: they're covered in thousands of ‘sipes’ – tiny channels cut into the rubber which help displace water at a faster rate. On snow, it’s these little crevices that bite into the soft stuff, giving purchase and grip. A regular tyre’s channels quickly become clogged with compacted snow and effectively become a racing slick, hence the Bambi-on-frozen-lake handling.

On the down-side, the wobbly treadblocks mean cold-weather tyred cars are less responsive in milder conditions, exhibiting more lateral roll, and understeer when temperatures rise above 7deg C.
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http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Commun...e-science-of-winter-tyres-how-they-work-2012/
 
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Don't be so naive. Tyre manufacturers won't release any actual comparative data. The motoring press have also kept schtum about it, why do you think that is?

It's a ludicrously simplistic theory anyway, based on the fact that all summer and all winter tyres behave the same, and are affected equally by temperature.
 
If they weren't any better then why are they compulsory in Austria, Switzerland and Germany?

And yes, as per all tyres some are better than others of course. A top brand summer tyre with exceptional wet performance might still be better than the worse performing winter tyre.
 
Greebo said:
That's the theory. Below 7 degrees winter tyres should offer better grip than summer tyres.
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Why not stop to think about how likely that actually is?

What all the marketing material seems to suggest is that once a particular temperature – 7c – is reached, suddenly, every single tyre on the planet that is sold as a ‘Summer tyre’ immediately changes properties, aligns itself with the properties of every other summer tyre irrespective of brand or performance, and becomes worse than every single tyre that’s sold as a ‘Winter tyre’. I mean really? How likely do you think that actually is?

Very unlikely. Personally I think the clear benefits of winter tyres don’t show themselves until closer to 0c rather than 7c. Snow and ice excepted (Which, as we live in England not Canada, is the exception rather than the norm) if it’s 5c and drizzling outside I’d rather be on a quality UHP tyre with proven wet weather credentials than a winter tyre.

If it’s snowing, I’m totally with you – a summer tyre is almost always hopeless and the benefits a winter tyre offers in such conditions are considerable.

IMHO it’s all about snow and ice – the 7c claim seems to me to be more about broadening appeal for a product which otherwise we’d have limited use for with our climate in most areas of the country (There are, however, areas where they are quite useful). Somebody here once emailed one of the major tyre manufacturers and asked for data comparing the performance between the manufacturers top UHP tyre and it’s top performance Winter tyre. Staggeringly they replied explaining that they don’t test the products in this way and therefore could not tell him what, if any, difference there was between these two specific products in specific conditions. Amazing. So even the manufacturers can’t demonstrate that a UHP tyre is worse than a winter tyre when it’s not snowing.

It’s a fairly new thing for everyone to be so obsessed about them – 5 years ago they were barely mentioned in this country.

And now for the surprisingly odd conclusion to my post. I’ve just ordered a full set of ContiWinterContact TS850’s (Picked because they came 1st in 7 separate winter tyre tests, so they seem to be pretty much the best tyre on the market) for my GF’s car. I don’t really think they are needed but she wanted them for ‘peace of mind’ on icy country lanes during her commute and to be honest in 15” form a full set is really not very expensive, so not an awful lot to lose. I’m quite looking forward to seeing how they compare in normal British winter conditions – ie 5c and drizzle.

If my findings are quite different to my long held views I’ll be sure to update.

Last year it stayed below 7C for 6 months..............
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No it didn't.
 
Greebo said:
If they weren't any better then why are they compulsory in Austria, Switzerland and Germany?
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They are not compulsory in Germany.

Switzerland and Austria... I wonder what the main difference between those places and England is? Perhaps its the Alpine climate..

Next you'll be asking why all our houses dont have Aircon, because hey, they do in Pheonix :p
 
[TW]Fox;25077115 said:
They are not compulsory in Germany.

Switzerland and Austria... I wonder what the main difference between those places and England is? Perhaps its the Alpine climate..

Next you'll be asking why all our houses dont have Aircon, because hey, they do in Pheonix :p
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Err they are compulsory in Germany....(well all the google sites I can find say they are;))

Though bizarrely they are not for Switzaland but if you get stuck you are liable for a fine if you aren't using winter tyres or chains.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/snow-chains-winter-tyres.html
 
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They are not, read your own link. It says only when conditions are wintry, ie snow. Germany has quite a lot of mountainous areas.
 
[TW]Fox;25077367 said:
They are not, read your own link. It says only when conditions are wintry, ie snow. Germany has quite a lot of mountainous areas.
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Oh come on that's nit picking. The rules in Germany means winter tyres are compulsory if there is "snow, ice or frost".

You are telling me that you will have summer tyres on your car and then one morning you wake up and see there has been a frost you will swap them over to winters tyres before setting off? In practice, because there will always be some periods in winter where there is snow, ice or frost then you will swap your tyres over to a winter set.

So apart from them telling people an actual date when they have to put winter tyres on their cars, it basically is compulsory.
 
If you don't drive in wintry conditions, they are not mandated. There is no such law in Switzerland either, of your initial list only Austria has a blanket mandatory rule and if you have ever driven in Austria it's fairly easy to see why.

Odd you ignored the rest of what I said and focused on whether countries with a different climate and topography mandate them or not, as if it's at all relevant.
 
[TW]Fox;25077494 said:
If you don't drive in wintry conditions, they are not mandated. There is no such law in Switzerland either, of your initial list only Austria has a blanket mandatory rule and if you have ever driven in Austria it's fairly easy to see why.

Odd you ignored the rest of what I said and focused on whether countries with a different climate and topography mandate them or not, as if it's at all relevant.
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No you do have a valid point about Alpine conditions which is why I am surprised that Switzerland is not compulsory.

However, although you are right that if your choose to not drive in wintry conditions then you don't need to fit winter tyres in Germany so are you saying people choose to do that rather than fit winter tyres?

Anyway all that means that if you do intend to drive when its snowy, icy or frosty in Germany they are indeed compulsory.

And what happens if its fine and you drive to work on your summer tyres but then 9 hours later when you are due to come home, it's now snowy or icy? You leave your car at work cause you didn't bother fitting winter tyres at the start of winter?
 
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