Discussion
j4ckos mate said:
Nope, im aware of other peoples existance.
However if i did shift-work, or my job was such that i couldn't work remotely, or other people were particularly dependent on me.
And i lived in a region where i knew the local roads where bad or often tricky in the winter, id take it upon myself to get a capable 4 wheel drive vehilce not jump on here saying how life-changing winter tyres are.
I live in Mid Wales. Roads are not gritted and there are plenty of hills.However if i did shift-work, or my job was such that i couldn't work remotely, or other people were particularly dependent on me.
And i lived in a region where i knew the local roads where bad or often tricky in the winter, id take it upon myself to get a capable 4 wheel drive vehilce not jump on here saying how life-changing winter tyres are.
We had a Mondeo, 2wd with winter tyres. It was excellent and got us everywhere with no bother what so ever. Sadly no more.
Picked up a Octavia 4x4 last week, awaiting winter tyres to be fitted. In the mean time it is awful in the snow compared to the Mondeo. Plenty of traction to get going, but turning and braking just is a world apart.
4WD alone is not the answer.
Edited by matt-ITR on Saturday 19th January 23:22
Edited by matt-ITR on Saturday 19th January 23:33
St John Smythe said:
As good as winter tyres are, a 4x4 will always have more traction. My Rangie fitted with all seasons has been great in the snow. In fact, I haven't even noticed it!
Obviously not going down a snow covered hill 
, since you have about another 1.1 tonne over a golf to try and stop - plus all season tyres are not as grippy as winters. Hence why the 4x4 rangie shoved the car through the wall on the hill near where I live - he couldn't stop easily on a 1:6 hill.Willy Nilly said:
My faithful steed needs new front tyres, and when I asked about them the PH winter tyre beards said Kleber Quadraxers would do. Can I just replace the front 2 or will I die in a ball of flames unless a 4 are the same?
I fitted Kleber Quadraxers to the front end of my Mondeo last July but left the rears untouched - possibly ditchfinders, never heard of them before. Car was fine in the dry but hopelessly unstable in the wet - tail end swinging out on roundabouts etc. Swapped the other two tyres as soon as I could muster the cash and it's balanced and predictable and making perfectly good progress despite the dump of snow round our way yesterday.I think it very much depends what tyres are on the rear end but I'd be cautious about doing the same again personally.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Bulls
t to a 2wd with winters matching the 4wd.
I know, because I press the 4wd button when needed.
Bloody hell, it changes the tyres from winters to summers when you push the 4x4 button? Amazing what they can do these days!t to a 2wd with winters matching the 4wd. I know, because I press the 4wd button when needed.
Four times nothing is nothing - if you've got the sort of 4x4 that comes with sensible non-sporty tyres you'll be alright, but not if you've got some big wheeled WAGmobile.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
St John Smythe said:
My real world experience of a 4x4 with all seasons = no problems at all 
This.The previous two gnarly winters and this we are on the cusp of, have posed Zero problems to the General Grabber tyred Trooper (AT2s) and freeander2 (UHPs)
Gone everywhere we have wanted closed roads, moorlands and whatnot.
Bulls
t to a 2wd with winters matching the 4wd. I know, because I press the 4wd button when needed.
And despite being the front wheel drive model it did have brakes on all 4 wheels
St John Smythe said:
My real world experience of a 4x4 with all seasons = no problems at all
All seasons or summers? People seem to be responding to this post as though you're talking about summers, whereas all seasons have about 80 odd percent of the winter performance of a winter tyre - which means they're very different to summers.matt-ITR said:
I live in Mid Wales. Roads are not gritted and there are plenty of hills.
We had a Mondeo, 2wd with winter tyres. It was excellent and got us everywhere with no bother what so ever. Sadly no more.
Picked up a Octavia 4x4 last week, awaiting winter tyres to be fitted. In the mean time it is awful in the snow compared to the Mondeo. Plenty of traction to get going, but turning and braking just is a world apart.
4WD alone is not the answer.
I'm also in Mid Wales and got a 2006 octavia 4x4 but with quatrac 3 all seasons tyres. On Friday when it snowed the most I drove up into the hills to see what it was like and it was excellent. We had a Mondeo, 2wd with winter tyres. It was excellent and got us everywhere with no bother what so ever. Sadly no more.
Picked up a Octavia 4x4 last week, awaiting winter tyres to be fitted. In the mean time it is awful in the snow compared to the Mondeo. Plenty of traction to get going, but turning and braking just is a world apart.
4WD alone is not the answer.
Edited by matt-ITR on Saturday 19th January 23:22
Edited by matt-ITR on Saturday 19th January 23:33
Plenty of traction to get going, no wheelspin,, round corners fine, came down some seriously steep hills using 1st gear as a crawler, no probs. tyres highly recomended
I have been well impressed with it, glad i swapped over from the Conti premium contact 2's after reading what you said about yours.
Whereabouts are you? Did you get the octavia from near welshpool by any chance? Saw one advertised there
The Golf was totally unphased by the 4" or so of snow we had here in the Midlands, so glad I had winter tyres. Passed a few who'd were stuck or struggling. Wife's Rover 25 on slightly skinnier winters is even more impressive if anything.
An overconfident 4x4 driver had a proper tank slapper in front of me turning at the traffic lights.
An overconfident 4x4 driver had a proper tank slapper in front of me turning at the traffic lights.
It is not the most scientific comparison, but yesterday I was following a Defender..... I was in a front drive Panda on Dunlop Winters. We both considerately drove up the verge to allow an oncoming car through. I had about a second of wheelspin when I rejoined, but looked in the mirror and the defender was spinning its wheels. It finally moved after some difflock fiddling, but I noticed it was on blingy alloys with road type tyres.
My experience of 4x4s is traction is fine with summer tyres in the snow, but braking, turn in and cornering are not - especially going down a steep hill.
My evo6 was great in the snow and would easily go up most inclines, but even though it weighed 1.3 tonne, when it came to going down hill it became a giant sledge - still fun though! The golf with winter tyres does both. No dramas. No sliding. It also goes round snow covered corners at speed without slipping ... Of course if you power slide, it's even more fun!
My evo6 was great in the snow and would easily go up most inclines, but even though it weighed 1.3 tonne, when it came to going down hill it became a giant sledge - still fun though! The golf with winter tyres does both. No dramas. No sliding. It also goes round snow covered corners at speed without slipping
... Of course if you power slide, it's even more fun!St John Smythe said:
Monkeylegend said:
St John Smythe said:
As good as winter tyres are, a 4x4 will always have more traction. My Rangie fitted with all seasons has been great in the snow. In fact, I haven't even noticed it!
The contact point of the tyre with the road is where traction occurs and 2 wheels with winters will give more than 4 wheels with summers in icy, snowy conditions.
St John Smythe said:
As good as winter tyres are, a 4x4 will always have more traction. My Rangie fitted with all seasons has been great in the snow. In fact, I haven't even noticed it!
From experience, I've noticed the following (all tyres new): 1. LR Disco 4 with General Grabber AT (All Seasons): Great off-road in mud and snow. Never gave me any problems but I was able to get it to slide a bit if I wanted to, even with 'snow mode' on. Plenty of traction. Had to still 'drive to the conditions' and be wary of stopping distances.
2. LR RR Evoque with Conti summer tyres: Felt okay on light snow, spun a wheel or two slightly on a snow/icy carpark but never had an issue with traction and getting about. Lighter SUV but still had to 'drive to the conditions' and be careful.
3. LR RR Sport with Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtreme's: Definitely more stopping grip than the aforementioned cars/tyre combos. Same traction as the LR Disco on All Seasons but stops much better.
Verdict: All Seasons obviously better than Summers on snow and ice, all of the LR's capable in snow for traction but the Winter's are better at bringing 2.5tons to a halt. Still need to 'drive to the conditions' as so many are keen to point out but instils a lot more confidence .
I bought an old Astra last year for winter use and fitted it with new Continental winter tyres all round. First time Ive used winter tres, really opened my eyes as to their performance in the snow.
The Astra has since been sold and Im currently using a rwd Vito. Its running Vanco Continental winter tyres. Its the 3 litre V6 so auto which Im not keen on in the snow as its reduces control compared to a manual but so far so good. Its is no where near as confidence inspiring as the old Astra (but then its a ton heavier with rwd and auto so it wont be) but it hasnt shown a real hint of struggling so far.
The Astra has since been sold and Im currently using a rwd Vito. Its running Vanco Continental winter tyres. Its the 3 litre V6 so auto which Im not keen on in the snow as its reduces control compared to a manual but so far so good. Its is no where near as confidence inspiring as the old Astra (but then its a ton heavier with rwd and auto so it wont be) but it hasnt shown a real hint of struggling so far.
Coolbanana said:
.......
3. LR RR Sport with Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtreme's: Definitely more stopping grip than the aforementioned cars/tyre combos. Same traction as the LR Disco on All Seasons but stops much better.
Verdict: All Seasons obviously better than Summers on snow and ice, all of the LR's capable in snow for traction but the Winter's are better at bringing 2.5tons to a halt. Still need to 'drive to the conditions' as so many are keen to point out but instils a lot more confidence .
i use the Wintrac 4 Xtreme on my Range Rover - as you say superb3. LR RR Sport with Vredestein Wintrac 4 Xtreme's: Definitely more stopping grip than the aforementioned cars/tyre combos. Same traction as the LR Disco on All Seasons but stops much better.
Verdict: All Seasons obviously better than Summers on snow and ice, all of the LR's capable in snow for traction but the Winter's are better at bringing 2.5tons to a halt. Still need to 'drive to the conditions' as so many are keen to point out but instils a lot more confidence .
today in North Notts the 'side roads' are a sheet of ice on compacted snow - totally hassle free driving even up very steep inclines
also just used my fathers Ford Focus estate (auto) thats on Vredestein Snowtracs (all year) - once again superb - other drivers were watching open mouthed as i cruised up a very steep 'estate road' with plenty of abandoned cars!!
Edited by grand cherokee on Sunday 20th January 11:08
tenohfive said:
All seasons or summers? People seem to be responding to this post as though you're talking about summers, whereas all seasons have about 80 odd percent of the winter performance of a winter tyre - which means they're very different to summers.
Yeah, all seasons are actually a lot better than regular (often referred to as 'Summer') tyres in the wintry conditions though not on a par with full Winter tyres. On the other hand, they probably perform better than Winter tyres as conditions get warmer and wetter which is probably more typical of the sort of weather we experience in Winter.On balance, given that there are so few truly snowy/icy days on average, I'd say that true all-seasons would be a better choice for most during Winter time. And unless you really are driving the car to its limits in the other three seasons, probably OK to leave on the car all year around.
Lucas Ayde]On balance [... said:
I'd say that true all-seasons would be a better choice for most during Winter time.
Most definitely agree; a hassle-free solution that would suit the majority of drivers, I think.Lucas Ayde said:
unless you really are driving the car to its limits in the other three seasons, probably OK to leave on the car all year around.
Not sure how to answer this because I sometimes wonder if drivers realise that the 'limits of the car' are nearly always the limitations of the tyres.Bill said:
So...
Given your trolling anti-winter tyres posts this is quite a revelation.
lol!!Given your trolling anti-winter tyres posts this is quite a revelation.
given my experience with owning Range Rovers is that 'all seasons' are a jack of all trades and master of none!
these are heavy, high performance 4 x 4's!
my suggestion would be 'summer' tyres and then 'winter' tyres when temp drops below 7 degrees for any period of time
and unlike the vast majority of Range Rover owners i use mine as intended with shooting/fishing - often on untreated roads at ungodly hours!
as an aside - many Range Rover owners run the Vredetein wintrac 4 Xtreme all year - something confirmed by tyre companies and 'specialist forum' members
the new 'generation' of winter tyres bear no resemblance to the early incarnations!
Edited by grand cherokee on Sunday 20th January 12:03
matt-ITR said:
I live in Mid Wales. Roads are not gritted and there are plenty of hills.
We had a Mondeo, 2wd with winter tyres. It was excellent and got us everywhere with no bother what so ever. Sadly no more.
Picked up a Octavia 4x4 last week, awaiting winter tyres to be fitted. In the mean time it is awful in the snow compared to the Mondeo. Plenty of traction to get going, but turning and braking just is a world apart.
4WD alone is not the answer.
Spot on. Conversely, my 2WD Octavia VRS is doing just fine on Michelin Alpin A4's (with snowsocks to get up/down my driveway). 4WD and rubbish grip just means you lose traction on four wheels instead of two and you have no steering advantage. Admittedly, you've got a bit of additional engine braking spread across four wheels instead of two if you have 4WD but the grip with proper rubber on a 2WD car far exceeds that advantage.We had a Mondeo, 2wd with winter tyres. It was excellent and got us everywhere with no bother what so ever. Sadly no more.
Picked up a Octavia 4x4 last week, awaiting winter tyres to be fitted. In the mean time it is awful in the snow compared to the Mondeo. Plenty of traction to get going, but turning and braking just is a world apart.
4WD alone is not the answer.
Of course, if you have *both* winter rubber and 4WD you're onto a winner!
Edited by blearyeyedboy on Sunday 20th January 12:31
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