Now it's getting colder - winter tyres - feedback

[jwo]

Following lots of discussion regarding winter tyres over the last few months, what do people think?

I put my Nokian WRG2 (I think!) equipped wheels on over the weekend - Audi A4 diesel fwd - and have to say that they seemed very well planted this morning on the cold, and in some places probably icy, tarmac. I noticed the better traction on the back roads with well worn tarmac (smooth smears of tar down the middle of the road with no sign of aggregate) - very sure footed.

It should be noted that as the tyres are new I am wearing them in gently rather than leaning on them from the off! but first impressions very positive.

What are other peoples experiences?

[Munter]

The OH reports more confidence, and less "twitching" in the cold and/or wet with WR G2s on the MX5.

Which begs the question. Just how hard is she driving the car on the commute normally!

Anyway the news is it feels like grip levels are up in poor conditions, and not noticeably worse in dry bright conditions.

[hornetrider]

Sorry but this is bizarre. Thrashed the balls off the 5 yesterday on greasy roads. No probs whatsoever. Normal tyres.

[gareth h]

I've just fitted wintracs to my M3 and I have to say it feels a bit vague, not nearly as planted as on the pilot sports, I assume this is due to the deep tread pattern. Still at least I won't be the laughing stock this year when we get snow.

[Jonny671]

hornetrider said:

Sorry but this is bizarre. Thrashed the balls off the 5 yesterday on greasy roads. No probs whatsoever. Normal tyres.

I was even suprised by my Parada Spec2s that the only times it slid were on the wet pine needles and on a few bends that were quite fast, all in all suprised me.

[Munter]

hornetrider said:

Sorry but this is bizarre. Thrashed the balls off the 5 yesterday on greasy roads. No probs whatsoever. Normal tyres.

Which fit's perfectly with what I said.

Wasn't particularly cold yesterday, so no surprises summer tyres would be fine. Wasn't wet yesterday either, so no surprises summer tyres would be fine.

However had it been cold and had it been wet and had you driven exactly the same as you would on a summers day with no problems. That'd suggest you are so far within the limits of the car and tyres that you really should man up and drive harder.

[jwo]

Where I am (herts/beds/bucks) it was about 8c yesterday, today -1 to +2 on way to work and now +3! This week the temperatures are forecast to drop to an average of below +7c, putting the cold weather tyre in the zone.

[pilchardthecat]

Performed an emergency stop this morning due to my own stupidity. It was -1 deg C, normal tyres, and I didn't crash or die in any way.

/meaningless anecdote which proves nothing

[Glosphil]

jwo said:

Where I am (herts/beds/bucks) it was about 8c yesterday, today -1 to +2 on way to work and now +3! This week the temperatures are forecast to drop to an average of below +7c, putting the cold weather tyre in the zone.

But doesn't that average temperature calculation include the time from 11pm to 6am when much less traffic is on the roads and the lowest temperatures of the 24-hour period are recorded? The average temperature over the period of time that most people are actually driving is probably higher? Above the 'magic' +7c?