Winter Wheels and Tyres

[Radek]

Agree wtih Dubber on this - the key as well is not just the tyre but knowing your limits as a driver and the behaviour of your car.

Mix all those together and you will still be a safe driver but will have to manage increased risk in winter with stopping distances, traction and overall performance.

Why do you need to drive 10mph if you could be driving 60???

[p3asa]

I don't mean to be playing devils advocate here but a lot of threads I've read about in winter tyres generally are along the lines of:
 
"My car was the only car that made it into the works car park. All other cars had to stop at the bottom of the hill"

They all seem to be about getting you from A to B when all other cars fail, not about stopping distance or manoeuvrability.

I think all drivers become aware of their and their cars limits and drive accordingly.

My wife for example just tootles along and doesn't push her car anywhere near the limits. She will alter her style like we all do when the snow is here regardless of what tyres she has on her car. But if summer tyres aren't even going to get her up the hill out of our estate, then it becomes immaterial if she alters her driving style as she can't physically move the car to try it 

However in the summer with winter tyres on, she'll just tootle along as normal!  Or am I missing something? Is there a big disadvantage of winter tyres being used in the summer apart from they wear slightly quicker?

[dubber36]

She sounds a bit like my wife. She mainly drives the Golf and always with an eye on the mpg. There is no reason why she couldn't keep them on all year round. In fact, the bloke that I get my tyres from, has them fitted on his vans all the time.

It would be worth while checking the speed ratings on the winter tyres. You may find youself tearing down an Auto Route at a fair old lick, having forgotten that you have winter tyres on.

[I.D.C.]

I don't mean to be playing devils advocate here but a lot of threads I've read about in winter tyres generally are along the lines of:
 
"My car was the only car that made it into the works car park. All other cars had to stop at the bottom of the hill"

They all seem to be about getting you from A to B when all other cars fail, not about stopping distance or manoeuvrability.

I think all drivers become aware of their and their cars limits and drive accordingly.

My wife for example just tootles along and doesn't push her car anywhere near the limits. She will alter her style like we all do when the snow is here regardless of what tyres she has on her car. But if summer tyres aren't even going to get her up the hill out of our estate, then it becomes immaterial if she alters her driving style as she can't physically move the car to try it 

However in the summer with winter tyres on, she'll just tootle along as normal!  Or am I missing something? Is there a big disadvantage of winter tyres being used in the summer apart from they wear slightly quicker?

Even if you have winter tyres you still have to drive accordingly to conditions. Last winter was terrible so I got them this year to keep my wife on the move.
Plus the huge difference in stopping distance in snow and ice and cold weather compared to convectional tyres make them a great safety feature.

I take it you don’t think winter tyres are worth getting? If that’s the case I strongly recommend you do a wee bit home work on the benefits of winter tyres.

[mac7]

However in the summer with winter tyres on, she'll just tootle along as normal!  Or am I missing something? Is there a big disadvantage of winter tyres being used in the summer apart from they wear slightly quicker?

The biggest safety disadvantage of using winter tyres in the summer is stopping distance, which can be several meters longer from speed in wet conditions. It's not the normal driving conditions where you'll notice, it's the emercency situation which you didn't forsee having to slam the brakes on.

I'd rather spend the 9-10 months of the year when the temperature is above 7C driving with the tyres which will stop me more quickly. Winter tyres should be used for proper winter conditions only.

[Spin 150pd]

However in the summer with winter tyres on, she'll just tootle along as normal!  Or am I missing something? Is there a big disadvantage of winter tyres being used in the summer apart from they wear slightly quicker?

The biggest safety disadvantage of using winter tyres in the summer is stopping distance, which can be several meters longer from speed in wet conditions. It's not the normal driving conditions where you'll notice, it's the emercency situation which you didn't forsee having to slam the brakes on.

I'd rather spend the 9-10 months of the year when the temperature is above 7C driving with the tyres which will stop me more quickly. Winter tyres should be used for proper winter conditions only.

This trail of thought is spot on,  in this country winter tyres would be used no more than max 3-4 months and provide massive benefits.  We had some severe ice in the village this week with numerous cars struggling on the hill,  my wifes BMW sailed on regardless but as my wife correctly pointed out moving isn't always the problem,  stopping can still be an issue despite the massive improvement offerred plus she gets so angry at other drivers who do not adjust their driving style to suit the conditions,  we have a lot of idiots on the roads so anything that can help us with the safety aspect has to be worth the initial outlay.  Last year was my first year with winter tyres in 20+ years of driving but I am totally converted:)

[p3asa]

I take it you don’t think winter tyres are worth getting? If that’s the case I strongly recommend you do a wee bit home work on the benefits of winter tyres.

On the contrary the exact opposite. I was just trying to work out if my wifes car would be better off with winter tyres all year round or summer all year round. Like I've said above I can fully see the merits of winter tyres in the winter.

Winter in the summer means longer braking distances which I'd have to look into .
Summer in the winter means she might not even get out the street.

[dubber36]

If there is so much snow on the roads that my wife feels uncomfortable driving, then she would probably stay at home, therefore there is no point at all in putting winter tyres on her car. If the weather is that bad, you have to ask the question, can you manage with not going out for the few days of snow we actually get? In our part of the country we get bugger all snow really, so as far as we are concerned, winter tyres are not all about tyre performance on snow and ice. Having said that, the way she drives and the journeys she does, means that she can manage perfectly well on good summer tyres all year round.

I on the other hand, travel a lot further in my Passat. It's also the car that we use as the weekend family workhorse. I fitted winter tyres on it a couple of weeks ago and have to say, it feels so much more secure on our cold, greasy country roads. It's the first time that I have every had them, and I have to say I am totally sold on the idea, for me anyway.

[Mr_F]

Staying at home is by far the easiest and safest option, I personally wouldn't bother with winter tyres if it weren't for the fact my job takes me places where you want to ensure you can always get home.  If I'm at home with my job I can choose to work from home and cancel other engagements and walk / slide to the shops if we need food.  My girlfriend is also within half an hours walk from her work, easy.

I also go silly places like the lakes, snowdonia, the brecons for various outdour-activities and it just makes them that bit more realistic / possible / safer.

[Daz Auto]

The biggest safety disadvantage of using winter tyres in the summer is stopping distance, which can be several meters longer from speed in wet conditions. It's not the normal driving conditions where you'll notice, it's the emercency situation which you didn't forsee having to slam the brakes on.

I'd rather spend the 9-10 months of the year when the temperature is above 7C driving with the tyres which will stop me more quickly. Winter tyres should be used for proper winter conditions only.

What about the stopping distance of summer tyres during the winter? On snow and ice that difference is not measured in a few meters. It is measures in 'times'. i.e. summer tyres need two or three times the distance to stop a car on snow and ice.

Comparatively, winter tyres will loose a small percentage of their performance during the summer. Comparatively, summer tyres loose a small amount of their performance when it is cold and wet. However, they loose a massive amout of performance on snow and ice.

And you are six times more likely to have a car accident during the winter months.

Where in the UK do you live that you only get 2-3 months of temperatures below 7C? Last year it was below 7C for a full 5 months. The average I believe is 4 months.

I would rather have winter tyres for winter driving and summer tyres for the rest of the year. It has cost me very little to do this. As someone has pointed out. I can only wearout one set of tyres at a time.