Winter tyres vol 2

Author
Discussion

johnwilliams77

8,308 posts

102 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
205s common even on cooking models, hot hatches 225+
So how if your car 'world apart' if the width is very similar?

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
johnwilliams77 said:
HustleRussell said:
205s common even on cooking models, hot hatches 225+
So how if your car 'world apart' if the width is very similar?
Take a few minutes to think about that, you may be able to figure it out yourself.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
Ok here's a clue to help you


jamiem555

750 posts

210 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all

That's the first dump of snow this winter, so quickly out my winters on the Clio. Managed to pick up a 2nd hand set with wheels for a not unreasonable price.

Slow

6,973 posts

136 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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.
Cant remember, wheels and car have since been sold. Think they were like 225 though.

blearyeyedboy

6,252 posts

178 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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.
I should clarify- the rationale was that I didn't have space to store a second space of tyres when I moved and the summer tyres were shot. So I thought I'd use the winter tyres (Michelin Alpin A4's) until they were becoming bothersome.

(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.

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
blearyeyedboy said:
I should clarify-
At least you were a source of amusement : have you considered a career in comedy ? wink

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.

blearyeyedboy

6,252 posts

178 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
Funny definition of "amusement". smile

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! wink 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.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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.

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
That's where a second set of wheels comes handy : you fit them when you want. Not cold enough a winter ? Easy : stay on summers. It really is THAT simple (and cheap).

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
There's the rub for me. Throwing out a full set of barely worn tyres after six years strikes me as wasteful.

Slow

6,973 posts

136 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
There's the rub for me. Throwing out a full set of barely worn tyres after six years strikes me as wasteful.
Ive missed something in this thread I think?

Why do your tyres automatically get thrown out after 6 years?

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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.

Slow

6,973 posts

136 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
Ah right, makes sence. Ive just bought 2011 dot winter tyres new. Will be done by the end of next winter anyway.

I think winter tyres are a much bigger requirement up here in the highlands.

blearyeyedboy

6,252 posts

178 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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 wink ) 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

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
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.
What gave you that idea?

nickfrog

20,874 posts

216 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
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 ?

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Sunday 29th November 2015
quotequote all
You're only reading half of what I write. Ignoring the posts I have made extolling the virtues of winter tyres, ignoring the part where I have already explained the waste thing and telling me that I'm ignorant of the benefits when that is obviously not the case.

FiF

43,964 posts

250 months

Monday 30th November 2015
quotequote all
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.