Winter tyres vol 2
Discussion
SWoll said:
eztiger328 said:
Well the Michelin Alpin 5's are back on my car ready for another winter!
Had a bit of a torrential down pour around here a couple of days ago, It was fantastic blasting through all that standing water on the drive home from work while everyone else was crawling along.
You might want to take it a bit easier in future.. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/931.... Good in snow but not the best when standing water is involved apparently.Had a bit of a torrential down pour around here a couple of days ago, It was fantastic blasting through all that standing water on the drive home from work while everyone else was crawling along.
This does lead me to another thought about winters. If 99.9% of the other cars on the road aren't wearing them then just how much less likely are you to be involved in an accident? And if you're stuck in traffic behind all of the people without winters who are crawling along does it really make much difference?
Also, is there the usual issue of over-confidence coming into play as per people with 4x4's? Winters are obviously massively superior to summers in the snow and low temperatures but on sheet/black ice I'm assuming you still have to tip-toe along with everyone else?
smn159 said:
Some new winter Jinyu YW51's on a set of £70 eBay wheels went onto the Cooper S this afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?
Just in time from the look of it. The weather there looks awful. 
Edited by SWoll on Monday 21st November 10:17
"This does lead me to another thought about winters. If 99.9% of the other cars on the road aren't wearing them then just how much less likely are you to be involved in an accident? And if you're stuck in traffic behind all of the people without winters who are crawling along does it really make much difference?".
Provided you keep a safe distance to the car in front then imo it definitely reduces your chances of being in an accident. However theres nothing you can do if the car with summer tyres behind isnt and plows into your rear end. As I live in the sticks winter tyres are essential to allow me to get to work. One bonus to this is that when it does snow the hilly rural roads i commute on are generally empty except for Landies!
"Also, is there the usual issue of over-confidence coming into play as per people with 4x4's? Winters are obviously massively superior to summers in the snow and low temperatures but on sheet/black ice I'm assuming you still have to tip-toe along with everyone else?"
Winter tyres are not a panacea from my experience, they allow you to get and keep moving in snowy conditions with a reasonable amount of control. As for ice i've found that with winter tyres you will still lose traction but be able to regain control far more quickly than summers.
SWoll said:
smn159 said:
Some new winter Jinyu YW51's on a set of £70 eBay wheels went onto the Cooper S this afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?
Just in time from the look of it. The weather there looks awful. Edited by SWoll on Monday 21st November 10:17
T1berious said:
On the topic of 4x4 over confidence, Father in Law recently got an xDrive 435d, told him we were putting the winter's on he was "don't have to worry about it, xDrive". I told him that the run flats will be next to useless as it drops below 5°C, they'll go rock hard and xDrive won't help much in the snow (they live in Scotland).
I might as well have been speaking Turkish....
To be fair he's probably thinking 'it's not enough for this guy to be shagging my daughter - 'now he wants to tell me how to drive as well.'I might as well have been speaking Turkish....
smn159 said:
SWoll said:
smn159 said:
Some new winter Jinyu YW51's on a set of £70 eBay wheels went onto the Cooper S this afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?
Just in time from the look of it. The weather there looks awful. Edited by SWoll on Monday 21st November 10:17
k all ice or snow. SWoll said:
I do worry after reading a lot of the posts on these threads that the level of complacency is quite high among winter tyre advocates, almost as if many feel a need to prove a point by diving everywhere at similar speeds they might go in the dry. Totally agree about the speed differential, zipping around whilst everyone else is crawling and focused on the conditions sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.
Probably mentioned once or twice here but.....I tend to use winters and still drive on with the caution I would if I were on a set of UHP summer tyres. When you hit something really bad (sheet ice) - you won't be leagues ahead of anything short of metal studs.
SWoll said:
I do worry after reading a lot of the posts on these threads that the level of complacency is quite high among winter tyre advocates, almost as if many feel a need to prove a point by diving everywhere at similar speeds they might go in the dry. Totally agree about the speed differential, zipping around whilst everyone else is crawling and focused on the conditions sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.
Have you driven with decent winter tyres? You basically can drive around at similar speeds on them to normal conditions. The time to be careful would be if there is a chance of sheet ice, but usually that will be in different conditions (and so days/ time of day) and you should be able to predict that pretty well based on the conditions. I remember the first time being driven in a car with winter tyres in snow - I was massively clenched up thinking we would bin it at every corner/ when braking. Not an issue at all.Today was a lot of fun - rain had fallen on frozen roads which meant the rain froze. So after I managed to get the car out its icy tomb then had to be a bit careful coming down the hill, but no issues. Going home was more fun,
Olf said:
To be fair he's probably thinking 'it's not enough for this guy to be shagging my daughter - 'now he wants to tell me how to drive as well.'
Oof! Touché In my defence what pushed me over to get winter wheels and boots was trying to get back from the in laws after heavy snow. Couldn't get up a hill without some guys getting off their van to help us. Plus IMHO the shortened stopping distances in the wet are worth the entry fee.
Edited by T1berious on Tuesday 22 November 07:11
NRS said:
SWoll said:
I do worry after reading a lot of the posts on these threads that the level of complacency is quite high among winter tyre advocates, almost as if many feel a need to prove a point by diving everywhere at similar speeds they might go in the dry. Totally agree about the speed differential, zipping around whilst everyone else is crawling and focused on the conditions sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.
Have you driven with decent winter tyres? You basically can drive around at similar speeds on them to normal conditions. The time to be careful would be if there is a chance of sheet ice, but usually that will be in different conditions (and so days/ time of day) and you should be able to predict that pretty well based on the conditions. I remember the first time being driven in a car with winter tyres in snow - I was massively clenched up thinking we would bin it at every corner/ when braking. Not an issue at all.Today was a lot of fun - rain had fallen on frozen roads which meant the rain froze. So after I managed to get the car out its icy tomb then had to be a bit careful coming down the hill, but no issues. Going home was more fun,
I see you're in Norway where I've spent some time. You'll be no stranger to snow but Norway has far slower speed limits than the UK on like for like roads and everyone drives slower generally.
If your idea of normal is around 40mph ~ 60km/h then yes you probably can drive at approximately similar speeds for most of the time, and indeed I do on winter tyres too. The problem in the UK is that whilst our NSL/60mph ~ 100km/h speed limits can be safely exploited in summer by loading a car up on corners and getting a good lateral G on, that grip simply isn't available in winter here, even with winter tyres and if someone in the UK sets off on a new set of winter tyres expecting to be able to drive like it was summer, they're going to crash quite soon.
That's why so many SUVs / 4x4s / AWD cars and occasional winter tyre first timers end up on their side in a field with "POLICE AWARE" stickers all over their car.
Watchman said:
I'm slightly embarrassed to ask but has anyone any suggestions for some frankly ridiculously-sized winter tyres? I need 295 40 21. There is the Pirelli Scorpion which looks OK but it'd be nice to have some alternatives.
I'd actually prefer to go up a profile size too if possible - 45, even possibly 50 (I think they'd fit), and possibly even consider some 305s if the profile was 40 or 45 (50 would be too much).
I'd consider some AT tyres if they could be had in any of those sizes.
Google suggests I'm stuck with the Scorpions but if anyone knows better, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
The Yoko's are £232 each on Tyreleader..I'd actually prefer to go up a profile size too if possible - 45, even possibly 50 (I think they'd fit), and possibly even consider some 305s if the profile was 40 or 45 (50 would be too much).
I'd consider some AT tyres if they could be had in any of those sizes.
Google suggests I'm stuck with the Scorpions but if anyone knows better, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
jshell said:
Watchman said:
I'm slightly embarrassed to ask but has anyone any suggestions for some frankly ridiculously-sized winter tyres? I need 295 40 21. There is the Pirelli Scorpion which looks OK but it'd be nice to have some alternatives.
I'd actually prefer to go up a profile size too if possible - 45, even possibly 50 (I think they'd fit), and possibly even consider some 305s if the profile was 40 or 45 (50 would be too much).
I'd consider some AT tyres if they could be had in any of those sizes.
Google suggests I'm stuck with the Scorpions but if anyone knows better, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
The Yoko's are £232 each on Tyreleader..I'd actually prefer to go up a profile size too if possible - 45, even possibly 50 (I think they'd fit), and possibly even consider some 305s if the profile was 40 or 45 (50 would be too much).
I'd consider some AT tyres if they could be had in any of those sizes.
Google suggests I'm stuck with the Scorpions but if anyone knows better, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
I've been thinking maybe replacing the 21" wheels with 20s which would certainly fit over the brakes and opens up my options to include a number of different tyres from Cooper including some AT and full-on MT type. It's a more expensive option to start with but I'm sure I could sell the 21s to recoup the cost. I've had AT tyres on my old car's 19s for years, all year round. I've come to significantly prefer the higher sidewalls, and although it only gets used in fields occasionally throughout the year, I have been grateful when it has dug itself out of the mud when towing a 2000Kg caravan.
I just need to find the best part of £1500 for new wheels and tyres before I sell my current ones.
Edited by Watchman on Tuesday 22 November 11:47
Running the new Nokian WDR4 on my car (cooper S) and the other halfs (Octavia 4x4) and they have made a very nice difference. Wet grip on the Skoda is vastly improved in the cold over its OE Michalins.
Average temp here has been +4 to -4 the last few weeks in Edinbrugh so they have been a good investement in my books, both cars run 205-55-16 as thankfully she didn't get the silly big wheels most of the Skodas come with. They handle the mud and mank well too as she drives hers into the farm everyday.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/931...
Average temp here has been +4 to -4 the last few weeks in Edinbrugh so they have been a good investement in my books, both cars run 205-55-16 as thankfully she didn't get the silly big wheels most of the Skodas come with. They handle the mud and mank well too as she drives hers into the farm everyday.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/931...
jon- said:
I hope time will improve things
i thought it was professional, the thing that bugs me about tyre tests it is always same test, like snow or cold. not slush and the rain and then snow, as in England this is usually the way as we can have 4 seasons in one day here.i had CC's they are good tyres but a few negatives, but they do seem to perform well on snow, something i never tested, as it didn't snow.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
lordf said:
Running the new Nokian WDR4 on my car (cooper S) and the other halfs (Octavia 4x4) and they have made a very nice difference. Wet grip on the Skoda is vastly improved in the cold over its OE Michalins.
Average temp here has been +4 to -4 the last few weeks in Edinbrugh so they have been a good investement in my books, both cars run 205-55-16 as thankfully she didn't get the silly big wheels most of the Skodas come with. They handle the mud and mank well too as she drives hers into the farm everyday.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/931...
Careful. Thats gonna confuse those in denial.Average temp here has been +4 to -4 the last few weeks in Edinbrugh so they have been a good investement in my books, both cars run 205-55-16 as thankfully she didn't get the silly big wheels most of the Skodas come with. They handle the mud and mank well too as she drives hers into the farm everyday.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/931...
Having said that the Octavia (13 plate 4x4 estate) outdoes it in nearly every respect now with the winters on. The forrys remaining advantages are ground clearance and its low range box but the torque in the Skoda makes it very easy to drive slow in horrible conditions.
The Nokians have vastly exceeded my expectations, I opted for them over others that are marketed as full snow tyres due to the fact we have more slush / freezing rain and water rather than deep snow on the roads here. I used to think the idea of winters were over rated until I worked in the alps, driving around without chains through snow and ice was a pretty decent feeling, even when you got down to the valleys when the roads were cold and wet like here the tyres made a huge difference in terms of stopping distance and ability to corner.
jamieduff1981 said:
That's not what I've found at all, but I suspect it comes down to what are considered normal speeds for summer time.
I see you're in Norway where I've spent some time. You'll be no stranger to snow but Norway has far slower speed limits than the UK on like for like roads and everyone drives slower generally.
If your idea of normal is around 40mph ~ 60km/h then yes you probably can drive at approximately similar speeds for most of the time, and indeed I do on winter tyres too. The problem in the UK is that whilst our NSL/60mph ~ 100km/h speed limits can be safely exploited in summer by loading a car up on corners and getting a good lateral G on, that grip simply isn't available in winter here, even with winter tyres and if someone in the UK sets off on a new set of winter tyres expecting to be able to drive like it was summer, they're going to crash quite soon.
That's why so many SUVs / 4x4s / AWD cars and occasional winter tyre first timers end up on their side in a field with "POLICE AWARE" stickers all over their car.
That's a good point. However I'd say there isn't as big a difference as you suggest for the normal driver - at least in the north of Norway (longer distances between places, less police and less traffic than in the south = a lot more progress made). Country roads would normally be 80kmph here, and generally most people sit at around 90kmph instead. There's also quite a lot who will do more too. That's both summer and winter, so unless conditions are very bad then people will still be doing their normal 80-90kmph on A/B road equivalents during winter. However most people wouldn't be loading up on the g's through a corner, both in the UK and Norway I would imagine, so to me generally you wouldn't be driving differently. I certainly wouldn't go for the same level of pushing in corners throughout winter compared to a spirited drive in summer, but there's not so many who would be doing that anyway during summer. One of the other issues would be that here we have studded tyres/ softer winter compounds than the British winter tyres, so they will give more grip in the same conditions.I see you're in Norway where I've spent some time. You'll be no stranger to snow but Norway has far slower speed limits than the UK on like for like roads and everyone drives slower generally.
If your idea of normal is around 40mph ~ 60km/h then yes you probably can drive at approximately similar speeds for most of the time, and indeed I do on winter tyres too. The problem in the UK is that whilst our NSL/60mph ~ 100km/h speed limits can be safely exploited in summer by loading a car up on corners and getting a good lateral G on, that grip simply isn't available in winter here, even with winter tyres and if someone in the UK sets off on a new set of winter tyres expecting to be able to drive like it was summer, they're going to crash quite soon.
That's why so many SUVs / 4x4s / AWD cars and occasional winter tyre first timers end up on their side in a field with "POLICE AWARE" stickers all over their car.
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