winter tires (1 Viewer)

robinmclaren

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3 years we have put up with our rear wheel drive toyota works van being undrivable at the first sign of snow or ice, 3 weeks ago had a set of winter tires fitted £330 , best investment i have ever made and no wonder it is illegal in other places to not have them fitted, snow , ice no problem not stuck once , havent even had to clear our drive to get van up slope , love them it even stops insted of abs on as we slide down road , the garage we purchased them from also remove these and store foc for next winter , bargain of the year

happy xmas all:winky:
 

jonandshell

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Its what they do in Europe!
We were lucky enough to have a set supplied with our first campervan, a German import VW! Most of their living was earned on festival fields though!
Need to save for some for the Transit now!
 

dellwood33

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A friend of mine fits winter tyres to his VW Golf when the snow starts and he has only been unable to get to work in Newcastle, once this winter.
He lives in Rothbury & they have had mega dumps of snow.
He reckons that most of the time its not the snow that is the big problem, but the idiotsd out there who don't know how to drive in the stuff ::bigsmile:
 

oldun

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He reckons that most of the time its not the snow that is the big problem, but the idiots out there who don't know how to drive in the stuff ::bigsmile:

Not really surprising when we have had so many winters without snow.

After this year we could have the dozen or so without snow.....OR.....we could have the next dozen snowed in...who knows?

How can we become skilled without any practice and how did all of the very skilled snow drivers become so?

I got married in 1961 and we had bad snow winter 62/63 (Boxing day to Easter) and three or four other bad winters. Not many in 49 years.

Two thing I have noticed

1. Most problems seem to stem from those who use the "foot flat to the floor" technique so loved by the young brigade.
2. Tailgating is as popular as ever.
 

aba

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Not really surprising when we have had so many winters without snow.

After this year we could have the dozen or so without snow.....OR.....we could have the next dozen snowed in...who knows?

How can we become skilled without any practice and how did all of the very skilled snow drivers become so?

I got married in 1961 and we had bad snow winter 62/63 (Boxing day to Easter) and three or four other bad winters. Not many in 49 years.

Two thing I have noticed

1. Most problems seem to stem from those who use the "foot flat to the floor" technique so loved by the young brigade.
2. Tailgating is as popular as ever.

i agree but then theres the idiots that think that a nice big 4x4 will get you anywhere.
most cases yes a 4x4 will get you up that big snowy hill then you forgot 4 wheel drive means just that 4 wheels to drive. you aint stopping any better than the 2 wheel drive micra that couldn't get up the hill you have the same 4 brakes but 3 times the weight. :Doh:

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robinmclaren

robinmclaren

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national dealer

Damn good idea.. I'd happily do this, was this a private or national dealer ?
national tires with discount , just took rav 4 out today and ended up using the diff locks on most of the lose stuff , would honestly say van better
 

sedge

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Well can't speak for anyone else, but I had quite a few driving lessons on hard packed snow and ice, doing hill starts in 2nd gear etc, cos I just happened to be learning when it was that weather and I also happened to have a Canadian driving instructor who wasn't at all phased by such things.

So yes, I can drive in it and in any case I am very light-footed anyway. Then hubby Mk 1 bought a diesel and I had to learn to rev!! LOL
 

oldun

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3 years we have put up with our rear wheel drive toyota works van being undrivable at the first sign of snow or ice, 3 weeks ago had a set of winter tires fitted £330 , best investment i have ever made and no wonder it is illegal in other places to not have them fitted, snow , ice no problem not stuck once , havent even had to clear our drive to get van up slope , love them it even stops insted of abs on as we slide down road , the garage we purchased them from also remove these and store foc for next winter , bargain of the year

happy xmas all:winky:

The reason that are not compulsory here is that until a few years ago we never had any significant amounts of snow over most of the UK and so snow tyres were unnecessary.

Now we cannot be sure.

In 63/64 we had deep snow in the SE from Boxing Day until Easter but it has never been repeated.

It's difficult to be fully prepared for the weather when it is so variable.

As we live in a region with very variable weather we made not need snow tyres again for many years.

In many countries all of the municipal vehicles are bought modified to have a snow plough attached. Just think of the huge extra cost involved if we did this year.

Are you prepared to pay the extra rates?

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Northerner

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The reason that are not compulsory here is that until a few years ago we never had any significant amounts of snow over most of the UK and so snow tyres were unnecessary.

Now we cannot be sure.

In 63/64 we had deep snow in the SE from Boxing Day until Easter but it has never been repeated.

It's difficult to be fully prepared for the weather when it is so variable.

As we live in a region with very variable weather we made not need snow tyres again for many years.

In many countries all of the municipal vehicles are bought modified to have a snow plough attached. Just think of the huge extra cost involved if we did this year.

Are you prepared to pay the extra rates?

Next year I am ordering a spare set of wheels and winter tyres for my daughter's car as she has been stuck so many times over the last two years and we have had to run her around a lot using my wife's 4 x 4.

The only real cost will be the four extra wheels as, long term, the winter tyres won't really cost any more because when she's using those she won't be using her normal tyres, so they'll last twice as long.

It's a difficult decision regarding the 4 x 4 as it just goes anywhere without any problem whatsoever and has never been stuck, and we live up a very steep hill that normal cars can never climb, unless they have winter tyres.

What is important is that winter tyres are still useful even if it doesn't snow. They perform far better in cold conditions and you have better grip and stop more quickly on icy roads, so even if it doesn't snow next year my daughter's car will still have winter tyres on it from November 1st until mid-March.

My own car is useless on snow (rear wheel drive and big fat tyres) so it stays in the garage and we use my wife's 4 x 4.

Her car is now five years old and we'll probably replace it soon, which is one reason I'm not buying an extra set of wheels and winter tyres for that but, when we do replace it, it will be with a similar 4 x 4 and I will then buy a spare set of wheels and winter tyres for it. That must be the ultimate winter combination - four-wheel drive and winter tyres!
 

wasp

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£330 is that for two or four tyres out of interest, cos I got a Toyota and suffer the same problem
 

Northerner

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£330 is that for two or four tyres out of interest, cos I got a Toyota and suffer the same problem

For four tyres presumably. Putting winter tyres on just two wheels is not recommended and would be dangerous.

I'm not sure what size of wheels you have but this firm does complete sets of alloy wheels and winter tyres for £600-700 for reasonably-sized wheels.

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They've not much stock left at present but I shall be talking to them in summer for a set in time for November.

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Scout

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Next year I am ordering a spare set of wheels and winter tyres for my daughter's car as she has been stuck so many times over the last two years and we have had to run her around a lot using my wife's 4 x 4.

The only real cost will be the four extra wheels as, long term, the winter tyres won't really cost any more because when she's using those she won't be using her normal tyres, so they'll last twice as long.

It's a difficult decision regarding the 4 x 4 as it just goes anywhere without any problem whatsoever and has never been stuck, and we live up a very steep hill that normal cars can never climb, unless they have winter tyres.

What is important is that winter tyres are still useful even if it doesn't snow. They perform far better in cold conditions and you have better grip and stop more quickly on icy roads, so even if it doesn't snow next year my daughter's car will still have winter tyres on it from November 1st until mid-March.

My own car is useless on snow (rear wheel drive and big fat tyres) so it stays in the garage and we use my wife's 4 x 4.

Her car is now five years old and we'll probably replace it soon, which is one reason I'm not buying an extra set of wheels and winter tyres for that but, when we do replace it, it will be with a similar 4 x 4 and I will then buy a spare set of wheels and winter tyres for it. That must be the ultimate winter combination - four-wheel drive and winter tyres!

remember if buying a small 4x4 (SUV) not all of them can lock into 4 wheel drive, my x trail can , my brothers honda crv cannt, his is a better car but mines far better in (deep) snow.....

it all depends what your after
 

Northerner

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remember if buying a small 4x4 (SUV) not all of them can lock into 4 wheel drive, my x trail can , my brothers honda crv cannt, his is a better car but mines far better in (deep) snow.....

it all depends what your after

By 'lock into four wheel drive' I presume that you mean locking the differential rather than simply being able to switch from two to four wheel drive? As it happens my wife's car does have a diff lock but we've never actually needed it, even in the deepest snow.

Whilst the Nissan X-Trail can be switched into centre-diff lock, it can't be put into permanent 'normal' four-wheel drive. It has an 'Auto select' function, which primarily uses two-wheel drive and it only switches into four-wheel drive when it needs it.

It is not recommended to drive on the 'Lock' setting for a long distance and this facility is only for when you're in deep trouble.
 

scotjimland

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Why is extra grip on the driving wheels dangerous.

Winter tyres not only provide better traction they also provide better braking and handling.

Quote from Autocar

http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/stillatthewheel/archive/2010/12/01/just-how-good-are-winter-tyres.aspx
Talking to the people at Conti here’s the really interesting thing - winter tyres aren’t just for snow, they can be used on slush, ice, frost and even wet roads. In fact any time the temperature dips below +7deg you’re better off on winter tyres. Apparently.

Also there’s no real reason you can’t use winter tyres all year round in the UK. There is some trade off in dry braking in really hot conditions, but this balanced with better braking in the wet and cold. Likewise the softer compound might wear more quickly in the summer, but this is balanced with better wear rates in the winter.

So why aren’t winter tyres more widely used in the UK? According to Conti, they account for just 0.5 per cent of UK sales. Mostly it’s down to the fact that we just don’t have the culture or infrastructure here to encourage people to switch between summer and winter tyres. And in my opinion it’s about time that changed.

If for no other reason than it means you can continue to enjoy the benefits of rear wheel drive even when the roads get a bit snowy.

Note..
Winter tyres are NOT M&S ( mud and snow ) tyres which are designed for deep snow and mud plugging .. not road use.
 

Northerner

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For four tyres presumably. Putting winter tyres on just two wheels is not recommended and would be dangerous.

Why is extra grip on the driving wheels dangerous.

If the driving wheels are the front ones and you put winter tyres on them, your back end is much more likely to break away.

Most people buying two new tyres for a front-wheel drive vehicle, would put them on the front, as this is where they wear the most. This is not recommended as the best tyres should always be on the rear, for the reason I've mentioned. Poor tyres on the rear and good ones on the front make the vehicle much more susceptible to your back end breaking away.

Do a search on-line and there is ample advice and evidence for this, and lower down I paste just one. Putting winter tyres on the front and normal tyres on the rear is a recipe for disaster and definitely not recommended.

Whether a car is front- or rear-wheel drive, having tyres of totally different capabilities on the front and rear, is asking for trouble.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YsQ_a_ijA[/ame]
 

oldun

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If the driving wheels are the front ones and you put winter tyres on them, your back end is much more likely to break away.

Most people buying two new tyres for a front-wheel drive vehicle, would put them on the front, as this is where they wear the most. This is not recommended as the best tyres should always be on the rear, for the reason I've mentioned. Poor tyres on the rear and good ones on the front make the vehicle much more susceptible to your back end breaking away.

Do a search on-line and there is ample advice and evidence for this, and lower down I paste just one. Putting winter tyres on the front and normal tyres on the rear is a recipe for disaster and definitely not recommended.

Whether a car is front- or rear-wheel drive, having tyres of totally different capabilities on the front and rear, is asking for trouble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YsQ_a_ijA

Facinating video - plenty of food for thought here.

There is one question that haunts me - if winter tyres are better all round than summer tyres then why do manufacturers continue to manufacture the inferior brand?

What is the major difference - cost?

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