Why dont we change between Winter and summer tyres in the UK

[B'stard Child]

117 months..

117 months...

117 months....

And he asks this now after how many million winter tyres threads - some of which have run for more than a winter - some have run for years

Shakes head

[AndrewCrown]

popeyewhite said:

AndrewCrown said:

For my DD I run an S-Class on Pirelli Winter sottozeros all year round. This was not intentional.. I had bought some New OEM 19inch alloys with brand new sottozeros...The change in the cars grip was in my view phenomenal...so I just left them on... they lasted longer than the previous tyres despite long trips across the continent in summer ...and in the rain...they feel more sure footed. Only on my second set after 30000 miles...

...and above 7c the stopping distance will be greater and you're more likely to skid in a corner. Mind you in an S Class you're probably travelling sedately enough not to worry about either of those factors .

Thanks P
I wasn't aware of the stopping distance issue in summer....I'll mail Pirelli.. true enough the S-Class is a bit of a waft mobile.. sedate it is not.. I have this little tyre test.. and I only do this when the road is empty.... its M25 Junction 5 onto the A21. See below.. try as hard as I can... I cannot get the S to skid on this bend.. inside or outside lane..

[Riley Blue]

TooMany2cvs said:

amgmcqueen said:

and over my 30 odd years of driving I have never ever come close to needing winter tyres.

You've not been running on modern high-silica-content, low-rolling-resistance tyres for 30 years.

What he, and I, and countless thousands of other drivers have done is drive on tyres available at the time, adjusting their driving to suit. Whether that means to suit the weather/road conditions or to suit the changing characteristics of tyres, they've done it without incident - winter after winter after winter.

[limpsfield]

TooMany2cvs said:

That close call I mentioned above? I barely glanced at the brake, from about walking pace, and I swear the car gained speed.

Advanced driving lesson time I think?

I have never used winter tyres and have been driving for 30 years. Very little point in the SE of England in my experience- it’s a cost & hassle vs very, very slight occasional need payoff.

[Granfondo]

swerni said:

Oooo a thread on winter tyres.
Does it matter if you paid cash for your car or if it’s on a pcp?

Nickfrog!

[cobra kid]

DoubleD said:

Oh god not this again

It sure is.

[Riley Blue]

cobra kid said:

DoubleD said:

Oh god not this again

It sure is.

Just like the Coca-Cola lorry, it turns up every year - you wouldn't want to be disappointed, would you?

[Carrot]

Riley Blue said:

TooMany2cvs said:

amgmcqueen said:

and over my 30 odd years of driving I have never ever come close to needing winter tyres.

You've not been running on modern high-silica-content, low-rolling-resistance tyres for 30 years.

What he, and I, and countless thousands of other drivers have done is drive on tyres available at the time, adjusting their driving to suit. Whether that means to suit the weather/road conditions or to suit the changing characteristics of tyres, they've done it without incident - winter after winter after winter.

This - and in my case for 22 years with standard average tyres over many different types of car.

[Audemars]

Because people are skint maximising their monthly pcp and onky want to buy part damaged/part worn used tyres. These people also do not have a house big enough to house them let alone an extra set of alloy wheels with winter tyres.

[Roger Irrelevant]

only1ian said:

every time it snows the country shuts down and icy roads become skid pans, winter tyres would make safer for driving and keep the country moving

This is what happens in DailyExpressWorld, yes. They'll find a few examples of where a roads have been blocked, or trains have been late/cancelled, and use that to justify a headline like TRAFFIC CHAOS - BRITAIN GRINDS TO A HALT IN ARCTIC MAYHEM. That in turn gets their readers tutting about 'this country', which is their favourite thing to do.

The rather boring reality is that on the very rare days that there is proper dodgy weather the vast majority of people carry on as normal; perhaps taking a bit longer to get to work, working from home or taking the day off. It's not really a problem.

[Ninja59]

I do love running Winter tyres on my 640D (ran them as well on my MX5).

TBH I do not enjoy the slightly wallowy feeling in the 640 (I drop from 20 to 17 inch wheels, with a width drop, and a huge profile increase).

For me it is not so much about the Winter tyres driving better (although I do like the grip being instant with them in colder conditions), the biggest thing is the profile and ride comfort offered during dark nights etc. where potholes and imperfections are less clear.

I have had my Winter tyres put to the test a few times on the 640D, but the car might as well have been driving on dry ground. I do appreciate the slight loss in braking in milder conditions though (however I would say that has improved on Winter tyres in recent years).

Other difference is the tyre cost - one 20" for the 640 - 210-250 not fitted, 17" try £130 - £140. For me it is definitely worth running Winter tyres! Come early next year though I think they could do with replacing (at least on the rear) after nearly two seasons (about 17/18k).

[Alex_225]

I've been driving a fair while now and I've personally not ever had a requirement for winter tyres. Admittedly I don't commute by car so don't really have many essential miles. If I was driving more for work I'd certainly consider them as I'm aware of their benefits.

Weather in the south east of the UK, certainly where I am just inside the M25 is rarely so bad that it would require them.

Sadly it's not just the roads that go the sh!t when it snows, trains all go pear shaped as well! Pathetic how the country grinds to a halt but I'm not sure that's just because of a lack of winter tyres.

[RizzoTheRat]

I always find it a bit weird that main argument against winter tyres seems to be "drive according to the conditions". Surely that would also be an argument for fitting Longlong Ditchfinders, yes they've got less grip than a premium summer tyre but you can just drive accordingly.

Average temperatures also quite often get quoted too, which are a bit irrelevant for a lot of people. Many people do most of their driving around 8am and 6pm.

[Welshbeef]

Michelin now sell “climate” tyres which are a blend between the two and perfect for The UK roads.

[nickfrog]

I find winter tyres brilliant yet practically cost neutral for my circumstances in SE England. Far better than UHP tyres for me.

So much so that I have started using them and semi-slicks on the Megane but nothing in between.

I have no axe to grind with anyone preferring summer tyres all year round for their circumstances though, whether they have ever tried winters or not, although their opinion is not that relevant if they haven't.

[RizzoTheRat]

Nanook said:

So you only ever fit the absolute very best tyres possible to your car?

After all, everything else is going to have less grip, and you'll just have to drive accordingly?

Exactly, so it always comes down to a tradeoff between grip, cost and convenience.

[James TiT]

Barchettaman said:

All-seasons make the most sense in the UK and have come on massively over the last few years.

Michelin CrossClimate+ or the new Continental AllSeasonContact seem to be doing best in the German tyre test results.

The next time I need a set, all-seasons will be going on.

/end thread

In recent winters in the UK most areas have not seen extreme winter temperatures though.

[RobM77]

Whilst it's possible to drive more carefully to guard against having worse grip (e.g. a longer stopping distance), certain situations are unavoidable, such as someone pulling out in front of you. More grip is always safer. I switch to winter tyres during the coldest months and it makes a noticeable different to my grip and safety. However, they only make a true night and day difference if it snows; we live amongst untreated lanes and on some of the hills it can make the difference between driving up with no hassle and really struggling or even getting stuck. This is why I guess why they're not compulsory in the UK, because some areas get very little snow, if at all, and to a lesser extent many people never drive on untreated roads.

[Sheepshanks]

popeyewhite said:

AndrewCrown said:

For my DD I run an S-Class on Pirelli Winter sottozeros all year round. This was not intentional.. I had bought some New OEM 19inch alloys with brand new sottozeros...The change in the cars grip was in my view phenomenal...so I just left them on... they lasted longer than the previous tyres despite long trips across the continent in summer ...and in the rain...they feel more sure footed. Only on my second set after 30000 miles...

...and above 7c the stopping distance will be greater and you're more likely to skid in a corner. Mind you in an S Class you're probably travelling sedately enough not to worry about either of those factors .

Unless you're absolutely brutal with the car, Mercedes's ESP will stop you skidding. I can't make my C Class do it even on purpose - it just turns the warning light on and rolls its eyes. Run mine year round on All Seasons and would agree with everything above.

[RobM77]

Sheepshanks said:

popeyewhite said:

AndrewCrown said:

For my DD I run an S-Class on Pirelli Winter sottozeros all year round. This was not intentional.. I had bought some New OEM 19inch alloys with brand new sottozeros...The change in the cars grip was in my view phenomenal...so I just left them on... they lasted longer than the previous tyres despite long trips across the continent in summer ...and in the rain...they feel more sure footed. Only on my second set after 30000 miles...

...and above 7c the stopping distance will be greater and you're more likely to skid in a corner. Mind you in an S Class you're probably travelling sedately enough not to worry about either of those factors .

Unless you're absolutely brutal with the car, Mercedes's ESP will stop you skidding. I can't make my C Class do it even on purpose - it just turns the warning light on and rolls its eyes. Run mine year round on All Seasons and would agree with everything above.

ESP will only reign in an imbalance using differential braking, and also slow you down if it has the grip to do so. If you enter an icy bend too fast then it won't be able to help. It therefore follows that there are lots of situations where summer tyres and ESP won't be able to help, whereas winter tyres and ESP will be fine. That's because winter tyres give you more grip, so for example they might make a corner ok at 40mph that would be only safe at 20mph with summer tyres - so enter that bend at any speed up to 40mph with winters and ESP will do its best to help, whereas enter at even just 30mph on summers and you're going in the ditch.