Anbody getting winter tyres

wack61

wack61

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In my business I drive an iveco pickup pulling a 3.5tonne trailer, when it's empty with no weight on the back axle getting traction can be difficult if the road is wet

Last week I bought 6 secondhand winter tyres for £210. All have 5-6mm tread

I didn't buy new because they're £140 each and I wasn't sure how effective they'd be

Well today I found out, the weather has been appalling with a lot of heavy rain but I can tell the tyres are different because there's almost no wheel spin when I set off

So it looks like they do offer more traction at least in wet weather
 
I am running all season tyres (Vredestein Quatrac) tyres which are designed to be a hybrid between winter and "summer" tyres. They have the "snowflake" symbol and are accepted in Europe as full winter spec.

I have not noticed any decrease in grip in summer and the increase in grip in winter is just phenomenal, particularly in the snow when I have driven past stuck 4x4s fitted with summer tyres.
 
Do they wear out quicker than summer tyres?
 
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Saw a TV advert for Continental's winter tyres the other night.
 
Strangways said:
Do they wear out quicker than summer tyres?
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I've managed 150 miles on them so far and they still look the same as when I got them :D
 
Im running General Grabber AT2's Not "winter tyres" as such, but a damn site better than a standard M&S rated road tyre!


DSC_5398 by TCR4x4, on Flickr​
 
Winter tires are fantastic, my friend the year before last when Basingstoke had proper snow was driving a 350 Z on winter tires. high-powered rear wheel drive car nipping past most things on the road.
 
ill be getting a set od S/H spare wheels with winter tyres on for my Nissan Mistral (Jap spec Teraono II) ...

Got stuck a few times last Winter with the summer road tyres on ... however it was our worst winter snow in decades ....

No doubt ill spend a couple of hundred squid and we will have a hot indian winter .... lol
 
It's supposed to be a bad one this year with snow starting in Scotland this week possibly.
 
don't think i can get winters in my spec.......... 205/45/15

well not that I have found anyway, and also in balmy norfolk, unlikely to really need them..... and I assume they get knacked when not wintry
 
TheNissanMan said:
It's supposed to be a bad one this year with snow starting in Scotland this week possibly.
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Yeh, BBC long range has forcast that. That means it won't happen!
 
TheNissanMan said:
It's supposed to be a bad one this year with snow starting in Scotland this week possibly.
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Was on a conference call with people all over the UK today and sounds like pishing it down in Glasgow (no surprise there) and "snow on the hills"
 
Snow on Ben Lomond just now, serious amount of rain falling over the last couple of days just north and Glasgow and beyond.
 
I have a spare set of wheels so tempted to get a set of winter tyres if I can find some s/h at a decent price. My car ended up stuck on the drive last, it was a nightmare for me, living on a hill with parked/abandoned cars either side. I got stuck numerous times. :(

Where have you lot bought from s/h, Ebay? I'm after a set in 15's width around 195, profile isn't a big issue as I'll just raise the car if fat ones are cheaper :lol:
 
yeah , we were setting up things today for influx of flood damage calls etc.........

to all the car guys..........

my current tyres are 205/45/15 - were on it when i got it......

closest I can find are 195/65/15..... i am assuming too much profile difference there. Is 195 an issue for rim width? should i consider?
 
Have decided that if it does snow worse than last year, I'll claim my sick days instead of making the effort to get in to work. Management have a real down on us workers at the moment so even though the Ka has been great in the snow these last few years, really don't feel like I should make the effort :naughty:

Have been quoted £274 fitted - I checked just out of interest :lol:

Di
 
claim a sick day for snow?????? WTF??

Everytime people did that to me, I demanded a doc's cert, and if the employer is suspicious, the right to waive the 7 day self cert is null and void... All in the T&C of the company I used to work for.......

Used to annoy me that people would struggle in from 20 miles or so, yet the lazy buggers from 2 miles wouldn't make it.
 
Put Winter tyres on last winter and still got them on. Kwik fit bagged the summer ones, but can't be Rsed swapping them.
There's a world of difference on winter roads and for making sure destinations are reached without the fear of sliding all over the road - Worth every penny!
 
Doubt it, at £100 a corner for budget rubber I'd rather work from home if it's really bad but the Avons weren't too bad in the last lot of snow we had. Just doesn't help being an 8" wide contact patch..
 
Always used to amaze me in Germany, 4wd vehicles with 'sports' tyres going nowhere, while the corsas, BmW's etc with winter tyres on going well.

Might get some for the vanimal, its either that or an eberspacher heater for when i'm stuck!
 
I think if it's that bad the sensible thing to do is stay at home.
 
It's not just in show that winter tyres are designed for, they are designed to be used in cold weather and in the wet. Should see a big difference in cold conditions.
 
Lynton said:
yeah , we were setting up things today for influx of flood damage calls etc.........

to all the car guys..........

my current tyres are 205/45/15 - were on it when i got it......

closest I can find are 195/65/15..... i am assuming too much profile difference there. Is 195 an issue for rim width? should i consider?
Click to expand...

Width probably okay, I'm more concerned with the profile.

45% of 205 is 92.25mm
65% of 195 is 126.75mm

It means the 195 tyre will be 29mm taller than your existing tyre.. it could create clearance problems, change the gearing of the car and throw the speedo out.

This is assuming that 205/45/15 is the correct size for the car of course...
A 195/45 or 195/50 would be closer, but they would both be a different height to the 205.
 
towershot said:
Snow does not really fall that deep around here,so not splashing out on something for a few days wear!
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It's the ice and hill driving that I am most concerned of.

What is usually the better way - new/used set of bare tyres or tyres + steels or alloys from fleabay?
 
I really hope that all of you who are going to change your tyres have spent as much money learning how to drive in the wet conditions. Tyres are no use to anybody who doesn't know how to drive in the wet.
 
I've even bought a new snow shovel after the amount of digging I've had to do over the last 2 years.
 
TCR4x4 said:
Im running General Grabber AT2's Not "winter tyres" as such, but a damn site better than a standard M&S rated road tyre!


DSC_5398 by TCR4x4, on Flickr​
Click to expand...


I have had AT2`s on my Hilux since I got it, a lot of keepers and farmers now have as well, great tyre and very hard wearing.

They tend not to do small sizes though, check the internet, blackcircle and event tyres do them I think.
 
TCR4x4 said:
Im running General Grabber AT2's Not "winter tyres" as such, but a damn site better than a standard M&S rated road tyre!
Click to expand...

Didn't know Marks & Spencer did tyres! ...... :shrug:
 
I only got stuck in the snow once last year, snow was right upto the side skirts on my car, took 5 minutes to get snow socks on front tyres, drive out of snow, snow socks off again and I was away. My tyres are Conti Contact Sport 3 225/40x18 so I was amazed at how good they were in the snow, never slid once. I even managed 40-50mph in falling snow on the outside lane of the M25 where everyone else feared to drive, at times the offside was driving through snow and the near side just wet road and there was still no loss of traction. So no I won't be getting winter tyres, I'll just keep the snow socks in the boot should I ever need them.
 
Last winter was my first on Winter tyres, Conti Winter contacts all round on a Civic. I work a night shift in Edinburgh, and live in the Scottish Borders so plenty untreated roads etc to contend with late at nights.

I felt like they were worthwhile, but I KNEW they were worthwhile the night I passed three other cars stuck and waiting for the snow plough! ;)

Same again this winter, so fingers crossed it all goes as well as last year. Recorded -20 degrees on the way home one night! :eek:
 
nilagin said:
I only got stuck in the snow once last year, snow was right upto the side skirts on my car
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I had it past the bottom of my car windows last year so after much consideration I just decided to buy a more comfortable chair for my PC :naughty:
 
I've got a set on order. Got a 5 series estate and over the last 2 winters have seen loads of bmws ditched due on the roads due to snow. And I am thinking that as it's my main car having a better stopping disatnce etc in the cold weather is only a good thing, got 4 bmw alloys of fleabay for £100 which is good! yeah the tyres are an initial outlay but my summer ones will last longer so no real expense really
 
I bought a set of winter wheels and tyres last winter for my wife's car and was staggered at the improvement in grip. This year I have ordered a set for my car.

I think anybody who views them as just useful in snow is entirely missing the point.

Summer tyres also apparently wear at a faster rate in low temperatures.
 
Have any of you who fitted snow or non standard tyres informed your insurance company .
 
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