Winter tyres vol 2
Discussion
HustleRussell said:
Slow said:
I had a e46 on 17" wheels. Was fine in towns/main roads. However fresh snow or ice and it was useless, considering im 10 miles of ungritted single track lanes that was no good.
Wheel diameter has very little to do with it, what's your tyre width? P.S. Ballast in the boot.
f1nn said:
blearyeyedboy said:
I've run winter tyres all year round without crashing and dying of death. No, you shouldn't take liberties while driving on them but a decent winter tyre in summer is less of a liability than a summer tyre in very cold weather.
But surely you are coping with a compromised tyre for a longer period, say late Feb to early Dec, than the potential benefits offered from mid Dec to Mid Feb.This seems backwards to me, it really does.
(Whether that's wise enough I'll leave other people to judge, but I did do some research about other people's experiences first. Had I thought it unsafe, I would have swapped them anyway but I wasn't led to believe that they were... so I didn't.)
I think it's a compromise but less of one than you'd think, and less compromising than using summers all year round. I wouldn't use it on anything "properly sporty" and in the longer run, an all-season tyre will replace these Michelins when they're shot.
I'm not advising that everyone should do what I do. I'm just reporting that using winters all round isn't necessarily a death trap. But an All Season/Cross Climate tyre would be a better solution.
blearyeyedboy said:
I should clarify-
At least you were a source of amusement : have you considered a career in comedy ? f1nn said:
What is a source of amusement, is the people on this thread who fit winter tyres for the benefit in low temperatures, but then proudly boast that they use the same tyres through the summer, where presumably the performance would be inferior to a summer tyre for a much larger proportion of the year.
Funny definition of "amusement".
I bought my tyres when I lived/worked around parts of Wales and the South West where they were useful. I then moved to the South East, where I might try All Seasons but winter tyres are overkill. What with moving house, changing career, getting married and moving city... selling my winter tyres to cease to be a source of "amusement" to PHers was low on my list of priorities! Yes, all seasons would be better where I live but when a boy's got a set of winter tyres already and can't be bothered to flog them on eBay then winter tyres will be used.
I won't say "oh wow, they're amazeballs in summer!". They're a compromise, but for a gently driven daily hack that's only very slightly compromised for 6 months of the year but is still used in its operating window vs 1 month a year that's very compromised, I chose the former.
I bought my tyres when I lived/worked around parts of Wales and the South West where they were useful. I then moved to the South East, where I might try All Seasons but winter tyres are overkill. What with moving house, changing career, getting married and moving city... selling my winter tyres to cease to be a source of "amusement" to PHers was low on my list of priorities! Yes, all seasons would be better where I live but when a boy's got a set of winter tyres already and can't be bothered to flog them on eBay then winter tyres will be used.
I won't say "oh wow, they're amazeballs in summer!". They're a compromise, but for a gently driven daily hack that's only very slightly compromised for 6 months of the year but is still used in its operating window vs 1 month a year that's very compromised, I chose the former.
6 years is broadly given as a recommended best before date on car tyres. The DOT code on the sidewall will tell you the week and year of manufacture.
Yes, I've driven on older tyres. Winter 2013 I was briefly running 20 year old ones. However if your intention is to optimise your grip and safety all year round to the point of having multiple sets of tyres then you'd probably best follow manufacturer's recommendations with regard to best before date too.
Notwithstanding the fact that the car might be moved on in favour of another one a year or two later.
Here in Surrey I simply wouldn't get enough use out of 'em.
Yes, I've driven on older tyres. Winter 2013 I was briefly running 20 year old ones. However if your intention is to optimise your grip and safety all year round to the point of having multiple sets of tyres then you'd probably best follow manufacturer's recommendations with regard to best before date too.
Notwithstanding the fact that the car might be moved on in favour of another one a year or two later.
Here in Surrey I simply wouldn't get enough use out of 'em.
HustleRussell said:
Except it's supposedly 'too warm' for winters for more than 6 moths of the year and we've never had snow and ice on the ground for as much as a month in the south east in my memory.
Yup. But I didn't live in the South East when they were bought. Other people can (and I'm sure will ) judge whether I decided wisely, but it's the decision I made at the time and I thought I'd report back on how it went.Would I have done the same again? Probably. For the two winters I really, really needed them, they cost me a lot less than the consequences of being less mobile in really poor conditions.
Would I do the same if I always lived in the South East? Not on your nelly.
Edited by blearyeyedboy on Sunday 29th November 21:13
HustleRussell said:
There's the rub for me. Throwing out a full set of barely worn tyres after six years strikes me as wasteful.
Depends bow much mileage you put on them. But you seem convinced they are of no use in the South East and refuse to accept that other people's experience with them tells a different story. The fact that they work far better than my Supersports on my 6.45am or 7.00pm b-road commute just above freezing most December / January / February days is not an invention. Zero waste there, surely.Besides, at £75/corner for Nokians W4 is not going to break anyone's bank over 6 years, surely. OE 381 BMW wheels were £200 second hand, ie buttons too and zero depreciation. In practice I tend to change car often and end up selling/getting new wheels/tyres at literally no loss buying in summer and selling in winter.
Again, what seems to be the problem ?
HustleRussell said:
I don't bother with them despite the snow / slush.
HustleRussell said:
So far my 525i has gotten me everywhere I needed to go for the last couple of winters on summer tyres. No, this does not include the highlands. I live in Surrey.
On the other hand, I still don't know what waste you refer to ?So it continues, the never ending cycle where people try to justify that their situation and circumstances are similar to those of the majority in order to continue an argument. They'll vehemently deny that's what they're doing , but it's obvious to many that is precisely what's behind it. Tedious, just accept everyone's circumstances are different, make your own decision and move on.
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