Can I run winter tyres all year? (Sorry).
Discussion
Sorry about another winter tyre thread, but stick with it for a moment.
About 3 years ago I got a puncture on my old BMW 520, I took it into the local tyre fitter and we found that the tyres were 17 years old on the front and 20 years old on the back! Yikes!
So I bought a set of 4 cheapies. Nankang CX688 in 195/70/14.
I use this car to trundle up and down the motorway everyday in rush hour, its not a sporty number, more a majestic old lady, I've been using it on these Nankang tyres everyday for 3 years and done 37k miles on them. They need replacing.
The thing is, after about 2 years I noticed that they are winter tyres, they have the M & S marking on them and the scant marketing info on them you can see on the web talks of high water displacement and extra sipes.
So, having run winter tyres all year for 3 years and having had the benefit of good progress during inclement conditions, I'd kind of like to do it again.
Should I?
Here it is, the missing 'i' from the title, could some decent chap move it up there for me pls? Ta.
About 3 years ago I got a puncture on my old BMW 520, I took it into the local tyre fitter and we found that the tyres were 17 years old on the front and 20 years old on the back! Yikes!
So I bought a set of 4 cheapies. Nankang CX688 in 195/70/14.
I use this car to trundle up and down the motorway everyday in rush hour, its not a sporty number, more a majestic old lady, I've been using it on these Nankang tyres everyday for 3 years and done 37k miles on them. They need replacing.
The thing is, after about 2 years I noticed that they are winter tyres, they have the M & S marking on them and the scant marketing info on them you can see on the web talks of high water displacement and extra sipes.
So, having run winter tyres all year for 3 years and having had the benefit of good progress during inclement conditions, I'd kind of like to do it again.
Should I?
Here it is, the missing 'i' from the title, could some decent chap move it up there for me pls? Ta.
Edited by Huntsman on Wednesday 29th December 14:07
Yes, of course. They may wear out a bit quicker in warm temperatures, may make a bit more noise and may have slightly less grip than 'normal' (i.e. increasingly summer-oriented) tyres, but to be honest I'd rather have comparatively less grip in the dry and the warm when I'm less likely to crash anyway, and not get stuck/stack it in the winter because I've got inappropriate tyres on.
LeoSayer said:
I don't think winter tyres would stand up to any kind of emergency avoidance in high temperatures. You may find yourself in a lot of trouble (insurance and police) driving on the wrong tyres if you crash as a result of inappropriate rubber.
I wouldn't.
Even if they're correctly rated for speed/load etc?I wouldn't.
You seem to have answered both of your questions yourself.
The Title "Can I..." well since you have for the past 3 years I am pretty confident you can.
As for "Should I" well you have said that you have made good progress whilst they have been on so again you seem to have answered that aswell.
If you live in the UK I don't see a problem with this as we have summer for around 3 days and then 362 days of winter so they seem pretty fit for purpose.
The Title "Can I..." well since you have for the past 3 years I am pretty confident you can.
As for "Should I" well you have said that you have made good progress whilst they have been on so again you seem to have answered that aswell.
If you live in the UK I don't see a problem with this as we have summer for around 3 days and then 362 days of winter so they seem pretty fit for purpose.
Shaw Tarse said:
LeoSayer said:
I don't think winter tyres would stand up to any kind of emergency avoidance in high temperatures. You may find yourself in a lot of trouble (insurance and police) driving on the wrong tyres if you crash as a result of inappropriate rubber.
I wouldn't.
Even if they're correctly rated for speed/load etc?I wouldn't.
They're not designed for high temperatures. Just like 'summer' tyres aren't designed for snow and ice.
Go for All-Season tyres. I'm running Vredestein Quatrac 3's on our Golf GTi. It has been excellent in the snow and slush, where on the factory Continental Sport Contacts I couldn't get up our road. You can run these tyres all year round (the clue is in the name). Of course they're not quite as good as winters in the snow, and not quite as good as summer tyres in the heat, but frankly they feel a pretty good compromise to me. These tyres are snow rated (snowflake symbol), and my girlfriend ran All Seasons all year round in Colorado, like many mountain living Americans do.
LeoSayer said:
Shaw Tarse said:
LeoSayer said:
I don't think winter tyres would stand up to any kind of emergency avoidance in high temperatures. You may find yourself in a lot of trouble (insurance and police) driving on the wrong tyres if you crash as a result of inappropriate rubber.
I wouldn't.
Even if they're correctly rated for speed/load etc?I wouldn't.
They're not designed for high temperatures. Just like 'summer' tyres aren't designed for snow and ice.
LeoSayer said:
I don't think winter tyres would stand up to any kind of emergency avoidance in high temperatures.
SLIGHTLY overstating the casewinter tyres maybe slightly worse performing in warm dry conditions than most summer tyres, but good winters could easily be better then crap summers (such as 20 yr old ones), even in the summer
they're not suddenly going to spin you off the road when you try to brake at over 15 degrees
I'd second the all-season suggestion, and I suspect the winter tyres you were running aren't as soft as many you can buy and are closer to all-seasons anyway.
I ran Avon Ice touring ST's on my Volvo straight through the summer and they were absolutely fine except when the roads really heated up in June (25 centigrade upwards) when they started to feel a little vague at speed. Nothing worrying though. However they wore out in 11K miles instead of the 12K I got out of the previous Pirellis driving the same journeys.
As for legal and insurance implications you should be fine as long as you observe the speed & load ratings. If you reduce the speed rating you would do well to check with your insurers - my insurers quite reasonably responded that they were not interested what speed rating I fitted as long as they were appropriate for the speed I was driving.
ETA: You'll likely struggle to buy winter or all-season tyres for another couple of months, although if you're not picky about which brand you're in with more of a chance.
I ran Avon Ice touring ST's on my Volvo straight through the summer and they were absolutely fine except when the roads really heated up in June (25 centigrade upwards) when they started to feel a little vague at speed. Nothing worrying though. However they wore out in 11K miles instead of the 12K I got out of the previous Pirellis driving the same journeys.
As for legal and insurance implications you should be fine as long as you observe the speed & load ratings. If you reduce the speed rating you would do well to check with your insurers - my insurers quite reasonably responded that they were not interested what speed rating I fitted as long as they were appropriate for the speed I was driving.
ETA: You'll likely struggle to buy winter or all-season tyres for another couple of months, although if you're not picky about which brand you're in with more of a chance.
Edited by oldcynic on Wednesday 29th December 15:08
FamilyDub said:
Yes, but you'll need deep pockets!
Winters' will wear out much faster in the dry/heat of summer.
But that's clearly not the case, I've run them all year for three yeasrs and they've done 37k miles!Winters' will wear out much faster in the dry/heat of summer.
How many miles do you expect from a cheap Taiwanese tyre?
Thanks for all the replies, I suppose there is no black and white between winter and summer, just a whoel set of various tyres, some biased more for one thing than another.
Do you know, I reckon I'll get another set of the Nankangs!
Just swap twice a year.
It makes no sense to put up with less grip and wear the tires down quickly by keeping them on during the warmer months of the year. The whole point of having them in the first place is so as not to compromise on grip during the 3-4 months of Winter so why compromise on grip (albeit to a lesser extent) during the other 8 months?
It makes no sense to put up with less grip and wear the tires down quickly by keeping them on during the warmer months of the year. The whole point of having them in the first place is so as not to compromise on grip during the 3-4 months of Winter so why compromise on grip (albeit to a lesser extent) during the other 8 months?
A LOT of cheap & nasty budget tyres are labelled as M+S to get round some of the testing rules, they are not proper winter tyres or I doubt they are. They are just cheapo woosung ditchfinders.
Running them everyday wont make a spot of difference.
ETA:
Quick google reveals they are not winter tyres, just budget all season no good at anything in particluar tyres, with an M+S mark on them.
Running them everyday wont make a spot of difference.
ETA:
Quick google reveals they are not winter tyres, just budget all season no good at anything in particluar tyres, with an M+S mark on them.
Edited by cptsideways on Wednesday 29th December 15:12
Huntsman said:
FamilyDub said:
Yes, but you'll need deep pockets!
Winters' will wear out much faster in the dry/heat of summer.
But that's clearly not the case, I've run them all year for three yeasrs and they've done 37k miles!Winters' will wear out much faster in the dry/heat of summer.
How many miles do you expect from a cheap Taiwanese tyre?
Thanks for all the replies, I suppose there is no black and white between winter and summer, just a whoel set of various tyres, some biased more for one thing than another.
Do you know, I reckon I'll get another set of the Nankangs!
Now I am running Dunlop Winter 3D. Hoping for more of the same, although I can tell you now the Michelin is the better tyre in the snow....
What can happen to the compound of the winter tyre in hot weather is, it hardens. thus giving up its more pliable nature, then in the colder conditions it does not give as much grip. combine this with the fact that when winters are down to about 4mm of tread they are generally seen as useless by swiss/german standards you can then just use them as you wish as they are more than adequate for another 15000 miles or so.
As usual just make sure that the tyres are fit for the car... speed rating, load, etc.
GKP said:
LeoSayer said:
Shaw Tarse said:
LeoSayer said:
I don't think winter tyres would stand up to any kind of emergency avoidance in high temperatures. You may find yourself in a lot of trouble (insurance and police) driving on the wrong tyres if you crash as a result of inappropriate rubber.
I wouldn't.
Even if they're correctly rated for speed/load etc?I wouldn't.
They're not designed for high temperatures. Just like 'summer' tyres aren't designed for snow and ice.
Edited by Wills2 on Wednesday 29th December 15:59
Difference of opinions, then.
I'd rather be careful in winter, using summer tyres, than have to feel that I couldn't enjoy the handling of my car in summer, using winter tyres.
Interesting question though - do you think EVO (or similar) could be coerced into doing a 'reverse' tyre test?
I.e. do all their normal tests they do on summer tyres - wet braking, handling, etc - but on winter tyres in the middle of summer?
I'd rather be careful in winter, using summer tyres, than have to feel that I couldn't enjoy the handling of my car in summer, using winter tyres.
Interesting question though - do you think EVO (or similar) could be coerced into doing a 'reverse' tyre test?
I.e. do all their normal tests they do on summer tyres - wet braking, handling, etc - but on winter tyres in the middle of summer?
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