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How good are winter tyres in summer?
Two of my normal tyres are due to be replaced and I was considering replacing them with winter tyres just for the added braking on the rear as they aren't that much more expensive than normal tyres. but I'm not sure I can be bothered to swap them season to season as the car is ancient and probably not going to last until next winter so i don't want to spend on in and I don't really want tyres cluttering up the place.
So are there any serious pitfalls in using winter tyres all year?
Two of my normal tyres are due to be replaced and I was considering replacing them with winter tyres just for the added braking on the rear as they aren't that much more expensive than normal tyres. but I'm not sure I can be bothered to swap them season to season as the car is ancient and probably not going to last until next winter so i don't want to spend on in and I don't really want tyres cluttering up the place.
So are there any serious pitfalls in using winter tyres all year?
In reply to gethin_allen:
slightly noiser, slightly higher fuel consumption and possibly worse breaking in the wet. done this for the last 2 years as my summer tyres wore out and car is nearing its end.
slightly noiser, slightly higher fuel consumption and possibly worse breaking in the wet. done this for the last 2 years as my summer tyres wore out and car is nearing its end.
In reply to gethin_allen:
>So are there any serious pitfalls in using winter tyres all year?
They are a softer compound and wear out faster in the warmer summer temperatures.
>So are there any serious pitfalls in using winter tyres all year?
They are a softer compound and wear out faster in the warmer summer temperatures.
In reply to interdit:
but they aren't likely to fall to overheat and fall to bits on the motorway?
The current back tyres have done about 40,000 miles (and are still easily legal if not so good in the wet)and if this car makes it another 10,000 miles I'd be happy, and the car is so noisy anyhow I'd be surprised if I noticed any extra noise from the tyres.
but they aren't likely to fall to overheat and fall to bits on the motorway?
The current back tyres have done about 40,000 miles (and are still easily legal if not so good in the wet)and if this car makes it another 10,000 miles I'd be happy, and the car is so noisy anyhow I'd be surprised if I noticed any extra noise from the tyres.
In reply to gethin_allen:
No. They just wear away faster when it's warmer.
> but they aren't likely to fall to overheat and fall to bits on the motorway?
No. They just wear away faster when it's warmer.
In reply to gethin_allen:
Potentially yes - they don't stop as quickly in the wet outside of winter as 'summer' tyres. The difference isn't much (I cannot remember the figures - Google is your friend) but enough to put me off.
Also mixing the two types is a bad plan as it can spin you off the road if the 'winters' grip and the 'summers' don't.
You could go 'all season'...
> So are there any serious pitfalls in using winter tyres all year?
Potentially yes - they don't stop as quickly in the wet outside of winter as 'summer' tyres. The difference isn't much (I cannot remember the figures - Google is your friend) but enough to put me off.
Also mixing the two types is a bad plan as it can spin you off the road if the 'winters' grip and the 'summers' don't.
You could go 'all season'...
In reply to gethin_allen:
vredstien quatrac 3 tend to be highly recommended as an all season tyre. tried there full winter tyres before and they were excellent.
vredstien quatrac 3 tend to be highly recommended as an all season tyre. tried there full winter tyres before and they were excellent.
In reply to gethin_allen:
We've left a set on winters (Continental "winter contact" 830 M+S) on a works Skoda Yeti over the summer, 10,000 miles and just 1mm of wear. No handling issues, fuel consumption indistinguishable from the rest of the fleet slightly better traction off road (subjective).
We've left a set on winters (Continental "winter contact" 830 M+S) on a works Skoda Yeti over the summer, 10,000 miles and just 1mm of wear. No handling issues, fuel consumption indistinguishable from the rest of the fleet slightly better traction off road (subjective).
In reply to More-On:
That sounds like the drivers version of ”a bad workman always blames his tools"
> Also mixing the two types is a bad plan as it can spin you off the road if the 'winters' grip and the 'summers' don't.
That sounds like the drivers version of ”a bad workman always blames his tools"
In reply to timjones:
Try going climbing in one rock shoe and one flop flop...... Then see if you blame your shoes
Mixing tyres is a bad idea.
> That sounds like the drivers version of ”a bad workman always blames his tools"
Try going climbing in one rock shoe and one flop flop...... Then see if you blame your shoes
Mixing tyres is a bad idea.
In reply to gethin_allen:
My daughter has a Suzuki Swift which always seemed a bit jittery on the road, however taking off the winter tyres(front only) and replacing with normal ones (Avons) has transformed the handling and ride. I would add that the tyres that where on were continentals so a decent brand.
My daughter has a Suzuki Swift which always seemed a bit jittery on the road, however taking off the winter tyres(front only) and replacing with normal ones (Avons) has transformed the handling and ride. I would add that the tyres that where on were continentals so a decent brand.
In reply to gethin_allen:
I have a T4 Syncro running on Continental Vanco Four Seasons, so you probably wouldn't want the same model, but I can recommend Continental all season tyres with the M+S marking - brilliant traction in the wet (better than most summer tyres), relatively quiet and better mileage than previous Dunlop and Firestone tyres.
The Vredstiens that Davy_Boy mentioned are also good, but the Contis suit my needs i.e. the odd trip into a boggy field in summer and a few trips to Scotland in the winter.
I have a T4 Syncro running on Continental Vanco Four Seasons, so you probably wouldn't want the same model, but I can recommend Continental all season tyres with the M+S marking - brilliant traction in the wet (better than most summer tyres), relatively quiet and better mileage than previous Dunlop and Firestone tyres.
The Vredstiens that Davy_Boy mentioned are also good, but the Contis suit my needs i.e. the odd trip into a boggy field in summer and a few trips to Scotland in the winter.
In reply to Otis:
As I said ”a bad workman blames his tools" why would I use my own shoe choice as an excuse?
Modern tyres offer superb levels of grip in all but the most extreme conditions, of you spin off the road as suggested in the post I replied to then it's highly likely that you should be questioning the way you were driving on a public road rather than blaming your tyres. Even if you are using the same make and model of tyre all round you will find different levels of grip at front/rear as the tyres wear or are replaced at either end.
A driver may well blame their tyres but at the end of the day we're the people controlling the car!
> Try going climbing in one rock shoe and one flop flop...... Then see if you blame your shoes
As I said ”a bad workman blames his tools" why would I use my own shoe choice as an excuse?
> Mixing tyres is a bad idea.
Modern tyres offer superb levels of grip in all but the most extreme conditions, of you spin off the road as suggested in the post I replied to then it's highly likely that you should be questioning the way you were driving on a public road rather than blaming your tyres. Even if you are using the same make and model of tyre all round you will find different levels of grip at front/rear as the tyres wear or are replaced at either end.
A driver may well blame their tyres but at the end of the day we're the people controlling the car!
In reply to interdit:
Au contraire!
I have found that winter tyres that I put on in November last year lasted until August and the summer tyres (continentals) I put on in August now need replacing. Grip in snow made a huge difference using winter tyres (mine are 225/40 x18 and the summer tyres in snow are almost unusable - certainly very dangerous) I don't think the winters were as good in the summer as the contis though
Au contraire!
I have found that winter tyres that I put on in November last year lasted until August and the summer tyres (continentals) I put on in August now need replacing. Grip in snow made a huge difference using winter tyres (mine are 225/40 x18 and the summer tyres in snow are almost unusable - certainly very dangerous) I don't think the winters were as good in the summer as the contis though
In reply to Otis:
I only put winter tyres on the drive wheels(front wheel drive) and as mentioned they stayed on most of the year for the last two years - never had a problem and I do about 33k miles a year
I only put winter tyres on the drive wheels(front wheel drive) and as mentioned they stayed on most of the year for the last two years - never had a problem and I do about 33k miles a year
Post edited at 09:53
In reply to gethin_allen:
No serious pitfalls and f you're not going to swap tyres each season then it's the recommended way to go for this country.
No serious pitfalls and f you're not going to swap tyres each season then it's the recommended way to go for this country.
In reply to gethin_allen:
Dont mix winter and summer - bad idea.
Be aware that M+S marking is only about the tread pattern - NOT cold weather performance. M+S are knoblier (?!) with bigger gaps between the tread blocks.
You want the snowflake symbol for winter tyres on UK roads.
Dont mix winter and summer - bad idea.
Be aware that M+S marking is only about the tread pattern - NOT cold weather performance. M+S are knoblier (?!) with bigger gaps between the tread blocks.
You want the snowflake symbol for winter tyres on UK roads.
In reply to Beat me to it!:
Above 7 degrees in wet weather summer tyres at a similar price point are better. The warmer it gets the more the advantage. Winter tyres are also noisier.
Above 7 degrees in wet weather summer tyres at a similar price point are better. The warmer it gets the more the advantage. Winter tyres are also noisier.
In reply to CurlyStevo:
Not a serious pitfall though, and advantage of wRm weather tyres over cold weather tyres in warmer temps isn't anywhere near as great as the other way round.
> Above 7 degrees in wet weather summer tyres at a similar price point are better. The warmer it gets the more the advantage. Winter tyres are also noisier.
Not a serious pitfall though, and advantage of wRm weather tyres over cold weather tyres in warmer temps isn't anywhere near as great as the other way round.
In reply to Beat me to it!:
well so you say but in the new tyre ratings the wet weather performance of winter tyres is typically around E although I have seen a C before, my summer tyres are an A (the rating goes to G)
Winter tyres are also less economic.
well so you say but in the new tyre ratings the wet weather performance of winter tyres is typically around E although I have seen a C before, my summer tyres are an A (the rating goes to G)
Winter tyres are also less economic.
In reply to gethin_allen: I've run winters all thro' the summer before. The change I felt was more stability/less feel. I didn't notice any real change in fuel consumption. I did however chop thro' a pair of front tyres in only a couple of years whilst the back was relatively unmarked and I wouldn't recommend it for that alone. You can change 4 wheels in under an hour so it's not much bother
In reply to gethin_allen:
Have you given any thought to insurance consequences if you are in an accident in wet weather in the summer whilst having winter tyres on? Your insurers might expect you to declare the tyres and might be a bit sticky about paying for claims if the tyres are unsuitable to the task. The approach probably varies from insurer to insurer.
Have you given any thought to insurance consequences if you are in an accident in wet weather in the summer whilst having winter tyres on? Your insurers might expect you to declare the tyres and might be a bit sticky about paying for claims if the tyres are unsuitable to the task. The approach probably varies from insurer to insurer.
In reply to timjones:
You are, of course, quite right that it is down to the driver in the end, but I would still suggest giving yourself the best chance of staying pointing the right way by not mixing the tyres. With matching sets of either sort you have a feel for when grip will go, but on a mixed set there may be no such warning. Either way, it is something worth considering...
> (In reply to Otis)
>
>
> A driver may well blame their tyres but at the end of the day we're the people controlling the car!
>
>
> A driver may well blame their tyres but at the end of the day we're the people controlling the car!
You are, of course, quite right that it is down to the driver in the end, but I would still suggest giving yourself the best chance of staying pointing the right way by not mixing the tyres. With matching sets of either sort you have a feel for when grip will go, but on a mixed set there may be no such warning. Either way, it is something worth considering...
In reply to another_mark:
A good point, worth repeating. I don't run winter tyres as the only times I've had issues with summer tyres recently has been in the wet and/or snow, not on ice, so the better grip of the all seasons in those circumstances does me just fine. If I still lived in Northern England, or anywhere else the temperatures are consistantly a lot lower than the South West, then I would think again.
A good point, worth repeating. I don't run winter tyres as the only times I've had issues with summer tyres recently has been in the wet and/or snow, not on ice, so the better grip of the all seasons in those circumstances does me just fine. If I still lived in Northern England, or anywhere else the temperatures are consistantly a lot lower than the South West, then I would think again.
In reply to CurlyStevo:
The point is that I've had plenty I wish I had winter tyres/wish I had stopped and put snow socks on' type moments over the years running summers all year round, and now that I swap wheels I have had no 'wish I didn't have these winter tyres on, it's too hot and I'm not getting max traction' moments.
Reason is winter tyres give a huge benefit when it is cold or snowy. They give back a little bit when its warmer. I however have a lot more control over how I drive in warm vs cold conditions. Most normal drivers benefit from enhanced grip on cold and snowy roads, when handling is unpredictable. Most normal drivers rarely drive (shoudln't be at least) anywhere close to limits on summer tyres on warmer days. Yes, if you do an emergency stop, at speed, on winters you'll take an extra meter or two to stop vs summers on a warmer day but thats a rare occurance and most people don't go round corners/roundabouts at the ragged edge of a tyres adhesion.... and even if they do they should be able to tell where that edge is and drive within it, irrespective of whether the tyres is summer, winter, worn out or fresh and whatever the ambient road temp at the time is.
So - in a country that spends a few months a year with temps fluctuating above and below the optimum point for summer and winter tyres, I see the benefits of winter as outweighing summer, especially when the driver can and should be aware that their winter tyres don't let them drive like the stig on a warm day. The same driver however, even if cautious is a lot more likley to be caught out on running summers in winter conditions.
The point is that I've had plenty I wish I had winter tyres/wish I had stopped and put snow socks on' type moments over the years running summers all year round, and now that I swap wheels I have had no 'wish I didn't have these winter tyres on, it's too hot and I'm not getting max traction' moments.
Reason is winter tyres give a huge benefit when it is cold or snowy. They give back a little bit when its warmer. I however have a lot more control over how I drive in warm vs cold conditions. Most normal drivers benefit from enhanced grip on cold and snowy roads, when handling is unpredictable. Most normal drivers rarely drive (shoudln't be at least) anywhere close to limits on summer tyres on warmer days. Yes, if you do an emergency stop, at speed, on winters you'll take an extra meter or two to stop vs summers on a warmer day but thats a rare occurance and most people don't go round corners/roundabouts at the ragged edge of a tyres adhesion.... and even if they do they should be able to tell where that edge is and drive within it, irrespective of whether the tyres is summer, winter, worn out or fresh and whatever the ambient road temp at the time is.
So - in a country that spends a few months a year with temps fluctuating above and below the optimum point for summer and winter tyres, I see the benefits of winter as outweighing summer, especially when the driver can and should be aware that their winter tyres don't let them drive like the stig on a warm day. The same driver however, even if cautious is a lot more likley to be caught out on running summers in winter conditions.
In reply to Ferret:
I'm not disagreeing with any of that btw. However living in the SE and not having storage space (or lots of cash) for another set of tyres I don't think its really worth me getting winter tyres.
I'm not disagreeing with any of that btw. However living in the SE and not having storage space (or lots of cash) for another set of tyres I don't think its really worth me getting winter tyres.
In reply to CurlyStevo:
Fair enough - perhaps another reason why these arguments get so emotive - you get a mixed bag of southerners, northerners and people living in Scandinavia and the Alps all arguing the same points from widely varying climatic and usage perspectives....
Storage space - fair enough... cash - largely cost neutral if you are savvy and intend keeping car a fair while. One car I have has a £100 set of ebay wheels with winters onthem so that will come to virtually nothing over a few years use as what I use in iwinter is saved onteh summer rubber. The otehr car I spent £500 quid on ebay alloys... manufacturer riginals with brand new good tyres worth £400 on them.. so spanking new alloys for £100 and 4 spare tyres in shed to replace my summers with when required... so again, thats going to cost me virtually no extra if any over teh 8 to 10 years I'll have that car.
And location - fair enough - I'm Edinburgh based and drive to the highlands regularly... and around here on my commute its less than 7 degrees a lot between Nov and March and when its not or when I'm driving in middle of day and its warmer, I drive sensibly so no issues.
Fair enough - perhaps another reason why these arguments get so emotive - you get a mixed bag of southerners, northerners and people living in Scandinavia and the Alps all arguing the same points from widely varying climatic and usage perspectives....
Storage space - fair enough... cash - largely cost neutral if you are savvy and intend keeping car a fair while. One car I have has a £100 set of ebay wheels with winters onthem so that will come to virtually nothing over a few years use as what I use in iwinter is saved onteh summer rubber. The otehr car I spent £500 quid on ebay alloys... manufacturer riginals with brand new good tyres worth £400 on them.. so spanking new alloys for £100 and 4 spare tyres in shed to replace my summers with when required... so again, thats going to cost me virtually no extra if any over teh 8 to 10 years I'll have that car.
And location - fair enough - I'm Edinburgh based and drive to the highlands regularly... and around here on my commute its less than 7 degrees a lot between Nov and March and when its not or when I'm driving in middle of day and its warmer, I drive sensibly so no issues.
In reply to Ferret:
I'm not feeling argumentative or emotive btw, was just making some valid observations.
I'm not feeling argumentative or emotive btw, was just making some valid observations.
In reply to More-On:
The difference between front/rear and driven/non-driven axles is far, far greater than the difference between different compounds.
You consider the car, the tyres and the road conditions. If you're having to rely on perfectly matched tyres to anticipate problems it's time to slow down!
> You are, of course, quite right that it is down to the driver in the end, but I would still suggest giving yourself the best chance of staying pointing the right way by not mixing the tyres. With matching sets of either sort you have a feel for when grip will go, but on a mixed set there may be no such warning. Either way, it is something worth considering...
The difference between front/rear and driven/non-driven axles is far, far greater than the difference between different compounds.
You consider the car, the tyres and the road conditions. If you're having to rely on perfectly matched tyres to anticipate problems it's time to slow down!
In reply to More-On:
To my mind that is a choice that is far harder to justify than running mixed tyres on the front and rear or running winter tyres in summer.
> A good point, worth repeating. I don't run winter tyres as the only times I've had issues with summer tyres recently has been in the wet and/or snow, not on ice, so the better grip of the all seasons in those circumstances does me just fine. If I still lived in Northern England, or anywhere else the temperatures are consistantly a lot lower than the South West, then I would think again.
To my mind that is a choice that is far harder to justify than running mixed tyres on the front and rear or running winter tyres in summer.
In reply to neilh:
Pretty sure it's not illegal to mix - purely because i've used or had quotes from 3 or 4 garages on winter tyres and each one has asked if I want fronts only or all 4.
For what it's worth, the advice from all these garages are (on a standard front wheel drive) is that 80%+ of the benefits come from the front tyres, but they wouldn't recommend running winter tyres on the fronts only in the summer.
Pretty sure it's not illegal to mix - purely because i've used or had quotes from 3 or 4 garages on winter tyres and each one has asked if I want fronts only or all 4.
For what it's worth, the advice from all these garages are (on a standard front wheel drive) is that 80%+ of the benefits come from the front tyres, but they wouldn't recommend running winter tyres on the fronts only in the summer.
In reply to timjones:
I appreciate yor point about different vehicles as I drive all sorts of 4x4s and have driven rally cars, both on many different types of tyre. I'm just saying its about giving yourself the best chance of avoiding problems in the one car that most people drive regulalry. And yes, that does included driving at a sensible speed
I appreciate yor point about different vehicles as I drive all sorts of 4x4s and have driven rally cars, both on many different types of tyre. I'm just saying its about giving yourself the best chance of avoiding problems in the one car that most people drive regulalry. And yes, that does included driving at a sensible speed
In reply to timjones:
Not for me when my all seasons are better than most summer tyres in the wet and it is snow on the odd day and not ice that is an issue where I live. That is of course based on the van tyres available to fit my T4 so for car drivers and other locations the choices are potentially quite different.
Not for me when my all seasons are better than most summer tyres in the wet and it is snow on the odd day and not ice that is an issue where I live. That is of course based on the van tyres available to fit my T4 so for car drivers and other locations the choices are potentially quite different.
In reply to gethin_allen:
Check with your insurance company. Nonsensically, some consider winter tyres (even in winter) a chargeable modification.
Neil
Check with your insurance company. Nonsensically, some consider winter tyres (even in winter) a chargeable modification.
Neil
In reply to Neil Williams:
verry few do, ABI webshyte:
https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated...
> Check with your insurance company. Nonsensically, some consider winter tyres (even in winter) a chargeable modification.
verry few do, ABI webshyte:
https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated...
In reply to gethin_allen:
Winter tyres are tyres. Summer tyres are tyres. All are CE rated or whatever, and therefore legal to use at any time on any wheels (subject to the usual rules of not mixing different tyre types on the same axle, but I think that only means radial and cross-ply!).
I drove my old car:
a) with winter tyres on the front, and summer tyres on the back,
b) with 4 winter tyres in summer.
At no point in my (admittedly non-exciting) car have I ever really felt like my tyre performance was holding me back - in summer. Obviously this rapidly becomes untrue when there is snow on the road... :P
Hence I will probably winter it up again in my new car as it needs new tyres, unless I have the money to get a second set of wheels.
Winter tyres are tyres. Summer tyres are tyres. All are CE rated or whatever, and therefore legal to use at any time on any wheels (subject to the usual rules of not mixing different tyre types on the same axle, but I think that only means radial and cross-ply!).
I drove my old car:
a) with winter tyres on the front, and summer tyres on the back,
b) with 4 winter tyres in summer.
At no point in my (admittedly non-exciting) car have I ever really felt like my tyre performance was holding me back - in summer. Obviously this rapidly becomes untrue when there is snow on the road... :P
Hence I will probably winter it up again in my new car as it needs new tyres, unless I have the money to get a second set of wheels.
In reply to gethin_allen > "all season" Now I like the sound of that? got any good recommendations?
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.ht...
My car's been on Hankook all-seasons for the last two years and they've been fine: almost as good as pure winter tyres in snow, no noisier than summer tyres, wearing well, and more confidence when driving on wet roads at this time of year.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2012-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.ht...
My car's been on Hankook all-seasons for the last two years and they've been fine: almost as good as pure winter tyres in snow, no noisier than summer tyres, wearing well, and more confidence when driving on wet roads at this time of year.
In reply to gethin_allen:
I'm going to look into getting all season tyres for the rear when they get changed. I'm not worried about mixing tyre types front to back, side to side would be daft. When I bought my first car every tyre was different makes and of different ages and wear levels and I can't say I noticed any problems.
I have chains if I get into more serious situations.
I'm going to look into getting all season tyres for the rear when they get changed. I'm not worried about mixing tyre types front to back, side to side would be daft. When I bought my first car every tyre was different makes and of different ages and wear levels and I can't say I noticed any problems.
I have chains if I get into more serious situations.
In reply to gethin_allen:
I'd be interested in some all season tyres myself if the fuel economy and wet driving performance could be brought up to category A or B rather than C and below, anyone know of any?
I'd be interested in some all season tyres myself if the fuel economy and wet driving performance could be brought up to category A or B rather than C and below, anyone know of any?
In reply to gethin_allen:
I think most 'all-season' tyres are really just summer tyres with a bit of extra tread for wet conditions, probably not even M+S marked let alone winter snowflake marked.
The exception are the Nokian low-end winter tyres which I believe are/were advertised as 'all-season' tyres in the US (but not Europe), which are definitely good winter tyres but OK in the summer as well. They are however (or at least the WR D3's I used to have) still category C fuel economy/wet driving.
I think most 'all-season' tyres are really just summer tyres with a bit of extra tread for wet conditions, probably not even M+S marked let alone winter snowflake marked.
The exception are the Nokian low-end winter tyres which I believe are/were advertised as 'all-season' tyres in the US (but not Europe), which are definitely good winter tyres but OK in the summer as well. They are however (or at least the WR D3's I used to have) still category C fuel economy/wet driving.
In reply to andrewmcleod:
Not all.
There are some crap all-seasons but I've run Vredstein Quattrac (or however that should be spelled) in the past and they were snowflake marked. Not as good on ice as pure winter tyres but still very good.
My OH has conti 830 winter tyres on her Pug Partner and they've been on all year for the last two years. No excess wear in summer, perfectly competent tyres in all conditions. OK it's hardly a speed machine but wear isn;t an issue.
In winter I've driven her car to places where people have told me that landrovers have failed to reach ('How did you get that up here?'). I suspect that in many cases people with 4x4s would do better to get off the roads where snow/ice is packed down and onto virgin snow where the nobbly m+s tyres give profile grip.
I'm in North Yorkshire and live at the bottom of a small hill. Every year the road outside is littered with mercs and bmws (its that sort of area I'm afraid) that have failed to get up the hill.
Not all.
There are some crap all-seasons but I've run Vredstein Quattrac (or however that should be spelled) in the past and they were snowflake marked. Not as good on ice as pure winter tyres but still very good.
My OH has conti 830 winter tyres on her Pug Partner and they've been on all year for the last two years. No excess wear in summer, perfectly competent tyres in all conditions. OK it's hardly a speed machine but wear isn;t an issue.
In winter I've driven her car to places where people have told me that landrovers have failed to reach ('How did you get that up here?'). I suspect that in many cases people with 4x4s would do better to get off the roads where snow/ice is packed down and onto virgin snow where the nobbly m+s tyres give profile grip.
I'm in North Yorkshire and live at the bottom of a small hill. Every year the road outside is littered with mercs and bmws (its that sort of area I'm afraid) that have failed to get up the hill.
In reply to rif:
Another vote for these. I ran them in North Vancouver from November until summer. Probably similar all-round driving conditions to the north of England (wetter, maybe warmer). I thought they were excellent for all the reasons Rif mentions; extremely good grip in the wet, even on warm days.
I did previously run hefty winter tyres year round. They give a 'plush' feeling ride, but IME felt a bit squirly at high speed and in wind. They were OK for Canada's slow, rubbishy roads, but I wouldn't fancy them much for routine use in the UK. Amazing for proper snow and off road stuff though.
The idea of running winter tyres on drive wheels only does make sense if you want them purely to help you get moving on snow and ice. If you want your car to be more 'sure footed' in turns or on cambered roads, you might miss having good lateral traction at the back/front.
Mark
> My car's been on Hankook all-seasons for the last two years and they've been fine: almost as good as pure winter tyres in snow, no noisier than summer tyres, wearing well, and more confidence when driving on wet roads at this time of year.
Another vote for these. I ran them in North Vancouver from November until summer. Probably similar all-round driving conditions to the north of England (wetter, maybe warmer). I thought they were excellent for all the reasons Rif mentions; extremely good grip in the wet, even on warm days.
I did previously run hefty winter tyres year round. They give a 'plush' feeling ride, but IME felt a bit squirly at high speed and in wind. They were OK for Canada's slow, rubbishy roads, but I wouldn't fancy them much for routine use in the UK. Amazing for proper snow and off road stuff though.
The idea of running winter tyres on drive wheels only does make sense if you want them purely to help you get moving on snow and ice. If you want your car to be more 'sure footed' in turns or on cambered roads, you might miss having good lateral traction at the back/front.
Mark
In reply to gethin_allen:
I don't know where some get the idea that m+s tyres are knobbly. There are not, they are not off road tyres, they just have treads better for clearing light mud and snow I.e. Farm tracks and muddy fields. What they do have is a mix of treads and you'll see some the siping if winter tyres across a section of the tyres.
Winter tyres rock and I wouldn't be without them.
I don't know where some get the idea that m+s tyres are knobbly. There are not, they are not off road tyres, they just have treads better for clearing light mud and snow I.e. Farm tracks and muddy fields. What they do have is a mix of treads and you'll see some the siping if winter tyres across a section of the tyres.
Winter tyres rock and I wouldn't be without them.
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