Winter tyre advice giulia Quad

we used to pray for fresh snow at the office - when you have a ski resort an hours/day-trip drive away.

seems half of the year is less than 10C in Cumbria and all nights https://www.worldweatheronline.com/lake-district-weather-averages/cumbria/gb.aspx
(only 3 in tropical Cambridge) thought that was the cut off point for needing low temperature rubber.
so suggests permanent all season approach - pity you can't cheaply try that out to see if it's night and day.
 
I do find it mildly amusing when people drive performance cars all year around in the UK, often their only use, on ultra performance sports tyres which get dicey in the wet, when there is rarely circumstances to push beyond what a semi-decent touring tyre can manage which will do considerably better in the wet and in many cases those tyres will go well beyond the driver's ability anyway.

On emergency services rapid response vehicles commonly you'll find tyres like Goodyear EfficientGrip and the Conti PC6/7, though contrary to what I just said the Goodyear's can be noticeably less than ideal when cornering on some performance cars even with just mildly spirited driving. The PC6/7 IMO are well suited to the UK range of weather conditions - as someone mentioned earlier the sports variant can be a good compromise. For normal emergency vehicles the CrossClimate 2s are actually starting to become more common.
 
Drive to the grip. Basic premise of driving. We can all get caught out of course, but I’ve had a full set of winters sitting in my garage for my GT R and never fitted them. More worried about the panic of fitting new tyres on expensive wheels than the benefit I’ll derive and don’t use it when the weather is rubbish anyway in the winter.

So my solution is…. Have 2 cars. Never ever got the 5 series to a point where traction is an issue in bad conditions as I drive to those conditions and the 4S is a decent tyre in all British conditions bar ice and snow. 4WD helps too for traction in the wettest of conditions but again it really is a non event.

If it snows I stay at home or drive very carefully.
 
I can't see the harm in having an alternate set of alloys with winter tyres on, or as many are saying, just go for all-seasons..

The biggest issue I've every found in that part of the country (I lived there for 12 years + visit often) is wide tyres on the compacted snowy or icy roads = stay at home.. they get a lot of conditions where you want the increased tread block pressure for grip for stopping..

This is why I'd go for winter tyres with good tread patterns for compacted snow to enable you to use the car more often.. however, if you can stay at home lots, then maybe as suggested the all seasons suit the place better..
 
I run Continental All Seasons during winter and then Pilot Sport 4's / Sport Contact 7's during summer on the Megane R26.

AllSeasonContact™ | Continental tires

www.continental-tyres.co.uk www.continental-tyres.co.uk

They are imense, even in proper thunderstorms it feels like you are driving on a dry road. Great in snow, even thought they are 'only' an all season. I went with them as didnt fancy 230bhp through full winters if we had a mild snap, and thought these would handle them better and having run them all of last year they certainly do. Put them back on a few weeks ago for this year and hardly noticed the difference. Can't recommend them enough!
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Winter are cold weather tyres not snow tyres Masher.
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Nope, they are snow tyres. Many are sold as and even labeled as snow tyres. They make the biggest difference when driving on snow vs anything else...

You can get snow tyres with spikes for even worse conditions and pure ice, but they aren't legal in the UK.
 
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Also my logic on having 2 sets of wheels is the tyres last twice as long so it doesnt really cost you anymore. Think I paid £50 for my second set of 18's, and yes they needed a refurb, but the cost of mail order tyres v fitted tyres meant the refurb effectively cost me £15 a corner.
 
Nasher said:
Nope, they are snow tyres. Many are sold as and even labeled as snow tyres. They make the biggest difference when driving on snow vs anything else...

You can get snow tyres with spikes for even worse conditions and pure ice, but they aren't legal in the UK.
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Please never reply to me with the word nope again. You are getting confused with Mud and Snow.

Snow and ice tyres have studs in.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Please never reply to me with the word nope again. You are getting confused with Mud and Snow.

Snow and ice tyres have studs in.
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Nope.


Those are studded winter tyres. Unlike the regular sort they aren't suitable for wet and dry winters as well.
 
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It is common to use ‘winter’ and ‘snow’ interchangeably when referring to tires that perform in the winter. The truth is that snow tires should really be called winter tires and here's why!
When temperatures fall below 7°C, the soft rubber compound in winter tires continues to be pliable even in freezing temperatures, providing superior grip. That means that you can count on your tires performing at their best not only when it snows. They have unique attributes that mitigate the risks of snow, ice, and falling temperatures on the road, providing motorists with greater control behind the wheel.
Winter tires utilize a special pattern design that features wide tread grooves and sharp-angled tread blocks to press into the snow for more traction. The pattern also includes a large number of sipes, creating additional biting edges on snow and ice surfaces for impressive braking and accelerating performance
Click to expand...

Winter tires or snow tires? | Continental tires

www.continental-tires.com www.continental-tires.com
 
NVP said:

Winter tires or snow tires? | Continental tires

www.continental-tires.com www.continental-tires.com
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  • You can identify winter tires by the symbols on the sidewall: M+S symbol and the three-peak mountain ********* (3PMSF) symbol
  • The three-peak mountain ********* symbol is a more stringent certification that identifies winter tires according to tire regulations
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This is where people get really tied up in knots because both sets of all season tyres I have also have the 3PMSF symbol and M+S markings.
 
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Nasher said:
Nope.


Those are studded winter tyres. Unlike the regular sort they aren't suitable for wet and dry winters as well.
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Thanks, you listened and changed the approach with bold and a full stop - appreciated. see you can do it.

But, studded winter or snow tyres.... make your mind you.

Winter tyres have sipes and better compound for colder temperatures which also means they work bettery on snow and icey conditions, not the other way round.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Why? If you're going to change the wheels over each year why would you not use a winter tyre?
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For the points I made in the post. Winters are even softer than All Seasons so if you get a warm week or 2 its like driving on jelly. I dont fancy taking them on and off about 4 times each winter! All Seasons are miles better in winter than full on sports tyres, like AD08's but arent as restrictive as full on winters. The difference between All Seasons and Winters compared to All Seasons and Summer tyres is tiny.
 
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I run Vredestein Wintrac Pro's on an X3M Competition, usually from November to March. Tackled plenty of snow and ice across Scotland and nothing has defeated them yet. They are also very decent in the dry and don't melt if you run them hard in dry/warm conditions. Not cheap, but very decent tyre.
 
If you’re going to run two sets of wheels and tyres do you have the secure storage space for four wheels And tyres? Or don’t mind paying a tyre hotel £20 a month for 6 months and the ability/intent/tools to change them over every six months or pay some £10-£15 per wheel then manhandle four wheels in and out of the car?

My 428i has less than half the HP of your Quad I’ll admit but I found my Pilot Sport 5’s very good in lower temperatures, especially the very cold snap in March, only a couple of weeks after I’d had them fitted. I’d heard horror stories about RWD cars getting stuck in even just icy roads, never mind snow and I was impressed, but I was very gentle and definitely driving to the conditions.
 
MissChief said:
If you’re going to run two sets of wheels and tyres do you have the secure storage space for four wheels And tyres?
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Just using a locked up shed here :s though they take up way more space than you'd think.

Bit of a pain changing over even with a impact wrench and torque wrench as I've a sloping stone chip drive :( which makes it a pain to do any car work really.
 
MissChief said:
If you’re going to run two sets of wheels and tyres do you have the secure storage space for four wheels And tyres? Or don’t mind paying a tyre hotel £20 a month for 6 months and the ability/intent/tools to change them over every six months or pay some £10-£15 per wheel then manhandle four wheels in and out of the car?
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Mine are currently just on the patio :cry: Will go in the shed once i've give them a wash. Might be able to squeeze them in the 20ft x 10ft space :D Already have several jacks and Impact gun / torque wrench as do a lot of work on my cars myself so no real hassel. Just 20 mins of my life twice a year, and the daughter enjoys helping now!

All depends on your circumstances really.
 
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