Winter tyres, to bother or not ?

[Nigel Worc's]

Just looking for thoughts, as I'll have to make my mind up this week.

I am driving a VW Caddy van for work, it will need a couple of tyres on the front this week.

I could put winters all round, keeping the two good tyres until spring, or I could just fit new summer tyres to the front.

I've been trying to read up, it looks like all season tyres aren't worth the effort, so either winter or summer, and in this Country winters could be an expensive waste of time.

Over to you lot.

[gazza285]

I've managed 25 years of driving without winter tyres on and I'm not about to change.

[oldnbold]

Expensive waste of time.

[Nigel Worc's]

I've never had winters on in this country, but I have driven with them in other countries, and if it snows they are worth the effort.

[Pie with sauce]

Nigel Worc's said:

and if it snows they are worth the effort.

So you've answered your own question then!

[Nigel Worc's]

Pie with sauce said:

Nigel Worc's said:

and if it snows they are worth the effort.

So you've answered your own question then!

Not really, that's the problem with old Blighty, we haven't even had a frost yet !

[poing]

Depends how likely your part of the country is to get snow. Also consider what, if anything, you lose for any days you can't get to work. The second point might be moot if the rest of the people have blocked the roads.

[DuraAce]

Depends where you live and if you need to travel regardless of the weather.

Live in Northern Scotland and drive for a living then you'll benefit. Live down South and walk to work then you'll be ok. Extremes I know but only you can decide where you fall between them.

I commute in the UK countryside in the early hours and travel to Europe most winters so I have a set. I can fully understand lots of UK drives who wouldn't benefit from them though.

[Monkeylegend]

Look on them as winter not snow tyres.

[BFG TERRANO]

Buy a couple of cheapi wheels and stick some mud and snows on and swop them over with the fronts if it snows. I had new BFG Goodrich All Terrains on the old terrano just before the last good snow and it was unstoppable.
Personally I'd just adjust driving to suite conditions, or, if it's that bad don't go out!

[vikingaero]

Problem with car tyres these days are the stupidly low profiles and more "summeryness" or "sportiness" of the standard tyres. Any snow exacerbates difficulties with so many cars with 18/19/20 inch tyres. I'd argue that xx years ago, standard tyres were more agricultural and of a width and profile that were better in the snow. Plus cars aren't the bloated barges we have today.

[alpha channel]

Nigel Worc's said:

Not really, that's the problem with old Blighty, we haven't even had a frost yet !

Not quite we've had a few that's had me getting the ol' anti-freeze out (mig... most likely get a rather heavy one tonight) anyway unless we get a really heavy snow fall I wouldn't really bother. I've yet to bother with winters since passing my test in '95 and aside from getting stuck in snow a foot deep once (winters would've done nothing to help) I've never had any real issues.

[Carl-H]

My car came with a spare set of wheels so it would be rude not to. Add to that that the wheels will spin up in third with the summers on on a cold greasy road then it becomes worth it all winter. My winters are also fantastic in the wet. When I bought them I needed to get to work. Now it wouldn't be the end of the world but I'd lose a days pay plus some bonus so I'd rather get there.

[lord trumpton]

No, don't bother. Expensive and (certainly with the current weather) not really needed apart form the odd day.

[Fire99]

Depends what your 'regular' tyres are...

[Klippie]

My thoughs too were they are a waste of money but I gave them a go last year and couldn't beleive how good they gripped in the cold and especially in the wet...amazing actually, hopefully I'll get to try them in some white stuff this winter.

I drive around 1300 miles a month and the front tyres wore 2mm over the 5 months they were on the car pretty good if you ask me, and the fuel consumption didn't change at all.

That's my experience with winter tyres...I like them.

[MC Bodge]

Nigel Worc's said:

Just looking for thoughts, as I'll have to make my mind up this week.

I am driving a VW Caddy van for work, it will need a couple of tyres on the front this week.

I could put winters all round, keeping the two good tyres until spring, or I could just fit new summer tyres to the front.

I've been trying to read up, it looks like all season tyres aren't worth the effort, so either winter or summer, and in this Country winters could be an expensive waste of time.

Over to you lot.

"All-seasons" may or may not be worth the effort, but I suspect that they could be the thing for you.

my own recommendation is for a road tyre that is good in the wet -which can also give the bonus of being reasonably good on mud and in (rare) snow compared with the typical"sporty" tyres, with mostly longitudinal grooves, but no siping and shallow tread, fitted to many cars.

Uniroyal Rain Expert are good for this, but check load ratings for a van.

[Nigel Worc's]

Fire99 said:

Depends what your 'regular' tyres are...

Budgets, Mohawk, don't get carried away though, the van has all of 69 bhp.

[Bill]

Rain Experts or all seasons if you don't want the hassle of two sets of wheels IMO. Something with a cold/wet bias suits this country well.

[Fire99]

Nigel Worc's said:

Budgets, Mohawk, don't get carried away though, the van has all of 69 bhp.

Well I guess they're pretty high profile and the caddy being FWD, I wouldn't bother.. I doubt in any conditions less than those you'd ski on, it would struggle too much..