Need new tyres – should I get winter ones?
Discussion
I'm aware of the debates on here ref winter tyres - I just am interested if for my personal situation its worth considering.
I do 100m a day (half on b-roads) in my E39 530i.
Currently on new Kumho KU31 on the rears and borderline PZeros on the front.
Need new fronts and was going to put another set of KU31s on (I rate them and they are excellent value)
But, was wondering with my high mileage on twisty roads over winter if I should get some winter tyres and run them for 6 months or so (then swap over to KU31 and garage winter tyres).
Not yet driven my BMW in the winter but aware of their reputation and I did struggle last year in my Clio and had a couple of close calls in snow!
Would be looking budget winter tyres (will struggle to blow £600 on a full set) and would be looking at swapping them onto my wheels rather than buying new wheels.
Is this a good idea? Any recommendations for cheaper winter tyres?
I do 100m a day (half on b-roads) in my E39 530i.
Currently on new Kumho KU31 on the rears and borderline PZeros on the front.
Need new fronts and was going to put another set of KU31s on (I rate them and they are excellent value)
But, was wondering with my high mileage on twisty roads over winter if I should get some winter tyres and run them for 6 months or so (then swap over to KU31 and garage winter tyres).
Not yet driven my BMW in the winter but aware of their reputation and I did struggle last year in my Clio and had a couple of close calls in snow!
Would be looking budget winter tyres (will struggle to blow £600 on a full set) and would be looking at swapping them onto my wheels rather than buying new wheels.
Is this a good idea? Any recommendations for cheaper winter tyres?
Renn Sport said:
You had better fit winter tyres or apparently you may die.
I understand you can drive to the conditions but I could do to be able to get to work in a asensible amount of time....but worried I might struggle for traction on the country roads I am forced to use.I did have a slow speed bump last year where I Clio would just not stop and went in to the person in front at about 5mph (no damage and she did not stop, dispite me following her!). I was driving sensibly and had left loads of room (but obviously not enough!)
Made me think - would that have happened if I was on rubber designed for the cold?
The forecast for Berks this week is for temps well over 10c. This is typical in the south of England and hence not only are winter tyres not required, they are actually worse than a good all-season tyre.
If your job is such that it is critical that you get to work even in a once-in-20-years snow storm then your requirements might be different.
If your job is such that it is critical that you get to work even in a once-in-20-years snow storm then your requirements might be different.
alock said:
The forecast for Berks this week is for temps well over 10c. This is typical in the south of England and hence not only are winter tyres not required, they are actually worse than a good all-season tyre.
If your job is such that it is critical that you get to work even in a once-in-20-years snow storm then your requirements might be different.
NonsenseIf your job is such that it is critical that you get to work even in a once-in-20-years snow storm then your requirements might be different.
OK, a little more detail to refute the "Berks is a tropical paradise" brigade.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19...
Shows Met Office average temps for Wisley in NW Surrey for 1971 to 2000. You can see average min temps Dec to April not far above freezing point. Could've chosen Oxford which is even colder (sorry no Berks).
Now if you re like me, and drive early in the morning 06.30 to 07.30 during winter when temps are at their coldest, and you often have to scrape the ice off your windscreen, then you can bet you'll have patches of ice on the roads.
As far as I'm concerned, winter tyres give me that little extra security in those conditions, plus when you get the odd cold snap with extra ice/snow. Even when it's just cold and wet, winter tyres are great.
Put what you want on your cars, I sure most of the time people are fine on summer tyres. Especially in the Tropical Reublic of Berkshire. But I live in Warks/Leics border and it gets a touch colder. Certainly anyone North of where I am may consider them useful-see Durham for instance:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19...
Edited for s
t grammar.Still st, but never mind
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19...
Shows Met Office average temps for Wisley in NW Surrey for 1971 to 2000. You can see average min temps Dec to April not far above freezing point. Could've chosen Oxford which is even colder (sorry no Berks).
Now if you re like me, and drive early in the morning 06.30 to 07.30 during winter when temps are at their coldest, and you often have to scrape the ice off your windscreen, then you can bet you'll have patches of ice on the roads.
As far as I'm concerned, winter tyres give me that little extra security in those conditions, plus when you get the odd cold snap with extra ice/snow. Even when it's just cold and wet, winter tyres are great.
Put what you want on your cars, I sure most of the time people are fine on summer tyres. Especially in the Tropical Reublic of Berkshire. But I live in Warks/Leics border and it gets a touch colder. Certainly anyone North of where I am may consider them useful-see Durham for instance:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19...
Edited for s
t grammar.Still st, but never mindEdited by Ullevi on Wednesday 3rd November 14:52
personally i think the world has gone mental. people survived for decades driving around without winter tyres.
just like replacing traffic patrol with speed cameras wont catch the drunken drivers, fitting winter tyres wont stop a moron failing to drive commensurate with the conditions from driving into you...
what has happened recently is the comfort of cars has increased to such a level that the regular motorist can not differentiate between the warm and comfy interior and the icy cold exterior and fails to drive to the conditions. that and the fact that cars are now fitted with far bigger tyres compared to twenty years ago... my parents used to live on the moors where it used to snow properly - not this "one big dump and the nation rushes out to empty tesco of tinned goods" fiasco we have now - and still they managed to drive around, but get this, everyone drive a bit slower and they all arrived home ok....
everyone gets whipped into a hysteria over winter tyres and rushes out to buy them. i'll drive a bit slower and be a bit more concious of my surroundings.
just like replacing traffic patrol with speed cameras wont catch the drunken drivers, fitting winter tyres wont stop a moron failing to drive commensurate with the conditions from driving into you...
what has happened recently is the comfort of cars has increased to such a level that the regular motorist can not differentiate between the warm and comfy interior and the icy cold exterior and fails to drive to the conditions. that and the fact that cars are now fitted with far bigger tyres compared to twenty years ago... my parents used to live on the moors where it used to snow properly - not this "one big dump and the nation rushes out to empty tesco of tinned goods" fiasco we have now - and still they managed to drive around, but get this, everyone drive a bit slower and they all arrived home ok....
everyone gets whipped into a hysteria over winter tyres and rushes out to buy them. i'll drive a bit slower and be a bit more concious of my surroundings.
Only you can really decide.
It is certainly the type of car that would benefit from winter tyres when things get tricky.
In answer to the question - are cheap any good...
They do.
I put a set of cheapo (£50 per corner) winter tyres on a Kangoo Van I was using temporarily (not expecting much) but the grip they found in the snow/ice was amazing. Genuinely, laugh-out-loud "I really shouldn't have this much grip" amazement.
Whilst I'm a great believer in not scrimping on tyres, I did this as an experiment, and I can assure you that, in the winter conditions of last winter, these tyres performed infinitely better than any top branded summer tyre would have done.
I suppose you could liken the situation to the selection of drill-bit for drilling masonry; even the most cheapo masonry drill bit will perform better than a top branded wood drill bit. It's about using the right tool for the right application.
It is certainly the type of car that would benefit from winter tyres when things get tricky.
In answer to the question - are cheap any good...
monthefish said:
coley20 said:
teabagger said:
I normally would not touch brands like accelera or nankan with a barge pole but some of the reviews on tyretest.com say their winter tyres are quite good.
Has anyone on here tried the budget end of the winter tyre Market?
Also they are likely to perform much much better than normal tyres throughout the winter monthsHas anyone on here tried the budget end of the winter tyre Market?
I put a set of cheapo (£50 per corner) winter tyres on a Kangoo Van I was using temporarily (not expecting much) but the grip they found in the snow/ice was amazing. Genuinely, laugh-out-loud "I really shouldn't have this much grip" amazement.
Whilst I'm a great believer in not scrimping on tyres, I did this as an experiment, and I can assure you that, in the winter conditions of last winter, these tyres performed infinitely better than any top branded summer tyre would have done.
I suppose you could liken the situation to the selection of drill-bit for drilling masonry; even the most cheapo masonry drill bit will perform better than a top branded wood drill bit. It's about using the right tool for the right application.
frosted said:
With all respect Pablo , your an idiot.
I'm sorry, but I must agree. It was a particularly stupid post.pablo said:
i'll drive a bit slower and be a bit more concious of my surroundings.
On that logic, why not do the same in summer conditions and just buy the cheapest tyres you can find.This whole BS about 'people have survived for years without them'.
Yes, people survived (People survived without central heating for years too - does that mean we shouldn't make use of it.) but just see how the country comes to a standstill when, as happens every year, we get a bit of snow.
Our European neighbours never seem to have the same problems - wonder why?
Anyway, this has been discussed at length on all of the many other Winter Tyre threads.
OP - only you can decide whether they are necesarry or useful for you.
They are for me.
BMW now do a tyre swap option where you can swap all year round tyres for winter ones. Pop along for a chat at many local dealerships.
Winter tyres do make a difference is wet / cold / frosty conditions, but how often during the day are you driving at temperatures below +7c.
A decent set of Conti winter tyres is around £110 plus VAT a corner but I would be more tempted to buy a good set of wet weather tyres more than just winter tyres.....although I have winter tyres but don't do silly distances each day / week. Most of my driving is before 09.00 and after 6.00pm.
Winter tyres do make a difference is wet / cold / frosty conditions, but how often during the day are you driving at temperatures below +7c.
A decent set of Conti winter tyres is around £110 plus VAT a corner but I would be more tempted to buy a good set of wet weather tyres more than just winter tyres.....although I have winter tyres but don't do silly distances each day / week. Most of my driving is before 09.00 and after 6.00pm.
pablo said:
everyone gets whipped into a hysteria over winter tyres and rushes out to buy them. i'll drive a bit slower and be a bit more concious of my surroundings.
Try owning a Mercedes or BMW (maybe you do..) and repeat that statement - sniff of snow and you will be totally immobilised.I'm self employed and the loss of a days pay due to snow would be saved by fitting winter/snow tyres - I'm currently debating it for the GFs car. We had no useable cars for several weeks last year - luckily I was working very locally.
By the way - Event Tyres are doing an offer on the Quatracs - for the front of the OHs car (225/45/17) they were £106 each.
Dog Star said:
pablo said:
everyone gets whipped into a hysteria over winter tyres and rushes out to buy them. i'll drive a bit slower and be a bit more concious of my surroundings.
Try owning a Mercedes or BMW (maybe you do..) and repeat that statement - sniff of snow and you will be totally immobilised.
I'll be the first to admit that not everybody needs winter/snow tyres in the UK, but there are great many who do either need them, or will at least benefit from using them.
Some decent answers here - many thanks.
I regularly drive in the snowy alps and the difference between winter tyres and non winters tyres is night and day.
Interesting though on weather to get 'wet' weather tyres instead of cold weather tyres.
Good quote on the comparison between decent summer tyres and cheap winter tyres.
Problem is I'm still undecided what to do!
If this was a short commute or on the motorway then I would not bother with winter tyres and just drive slowly, problem it is about 50 miles a day on country roads in a light reared RWD car. If I can drive that extra few miles and hour faster I could potentially seriously cut down my commute.
£600 strikes me as a lot for tyres that I will only use for a few months.
Loads of people talk about buying bespoke winter wheels – any reason I cannot save some money and just swap the tyres over?
I regularly drive in the snowy alps and the difference between winter tyres and non winters tyres is night and day.
Interesting though on weather to get 'wet' weather tyres instead of cold weather tyres.
Good quote on the comparison between decent summer tyres and cheap winter tyres.
Problem is I'm still undecided what to do!
If this was a short commute or on the motorway then I would not bother with winter tyres and just drive slowly, problem it is about 50 miles a day on country roads in a light reared RWD car. If I can drive that extra few miles and hour faster I could potentially seriously cut down my commute.
£600 strikes me as a lot for tyres that I will only use for a few months.
Loads of people talk about buying bespoke winter wheels – any reason I cannot save some money and just swap the tyres over?
da_murphster said:
£600 strikes me as a lot for tyres that I will only use for a few months.
Loads of people talk about buying bespoke winter wheels – any reason I cannot save some money and just swap the tyres over?
How long are you keeping the car? i.e. Could you use the tyres next winter as well?Loads of people talk about buying bespoke winter wheels – any reason I cannot save some money and just swap the tyres over?
I think what quite a few people will do is to buy a second set of the cheapest wheels available for their car i.e. the type that are fitted to the most basic spec car - usually the smallest wheels available (in your case 16"?)
These can usually be picked up dirt cheap on e-bay and the like due to a lot of people upgrading to bigger/better wheels.
The benefits of this are:
1. The smaller the wheel, the cheaper the winter tyre.
2. It make it easy to chop and change wheels at home to suit the weather conditions.
3. You aren't putting wear on your normal tyres whilst using the winter wheel set, and in the long term could well be cheaper due to the tyres being used in the correct conditions and therefore no innapropriate 'wear' rates.
Obviously all of the above is only really practical if you are keeping the car for a while (or think the winter tyres will sell well with the car).
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