WTF?? Snow tyres DOUBLED in price?

[Dog Star]

Last week I was pricing up some snow tyres for the OHs car - they were 64 each on mytyres (I have the printout). She's been prevaricating all week and we had a trip to Belgium. So today I come to buy them... and they're £124 each!!!

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Orde...

I realise there is such a thing as supply and demand but that is just sheer exploitation, no?

(Before anyone says anything - we do need them - it's nothing to do with "learning to drive in snow" and "start off in a higher gear" - we both have auto RWD Mercs and live in the Pennines. We were absolutely fked last year - the cars wouldn't move on the flat).

[Balmoral Green]

It's the PH effect, last year they sold six, this year at least a few thousand to PH'ers

[RRS_Staffs]

I would broadly agree

I priced up some Vreds a little while ago to find them marked up 60-100% when I got round to buying last month

Shame on you mytyres,etyres etc etc etc

However my local fitter sold them at the 'summer' price and I believe tyremen in Hull have advertised at the usual sticker price as well

Good luck

EDIT: Just looked at mytyres - 273 a corner for my Wintracs - I paid 135 each fitted 3 weeks ago (ie before the snow)

Edited by RRS_Staffs on Sunday 28th November 12:17

[kambites]

I dare say they know that demand will comfortably out-strip supply in the next few weeks so have increased prices accordingly. Seems reasonable to me.

[k-ink]

What a suprise. It's a sellers market due to everyone panicking.

You don't actually need them. Just drive to the conditions

[Dog Star]

kambites said:

Seems reasonable to me.

What really? How about your local double the price of a pint over the festive season? Or petrol prices double when it's school holidays?

I think it's a disgraceful practice tbh

[g3org3y]

k-ink said:

You don't actually need them. Just drive to the conditions

Are you mad!? There was a 30 page thread on here about them. I NEEEEED them. With winter tyres I will be invincible on the roads, immune from any crash!

[k-ink]

Those are the morons who WILL crash

[Flanders.]

Dog Star said:

kambites said:

Seems reasonable to me.

What really? How about your local double the price of a pint over the festive season? Or petrol prices double when it's school holidays?

I think it's a disgraceful practice tbh

How dare they make a Profit. They should be giving them away for free.

[Dog Star]

k-ink said:

You don't actually need them. Just drive to the conditions

I will submit that you really don't know what you are on about: try a fat tyred, Goodyear F1 booted auto RWD BMW or Merc and you will eat your words. They don't move at all. Last year when stuck on a level car park (where every other bugger in his Yaris could simply drive on and off) I was able to leave the car at idle RPM in "drive" and walk around the car while it sat there, drive wheels slowly turning - a push on the wing and it would slide sideways. Lowered pressures, 6 pavong slabs in the boot - no difference of worth.

I've had about 15 cars over the years and until I moved to Mercs I've never had a problem at all, but these really are something else.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Dog Star said:

k-ink said:

You don't actually need them. Just drive to the conditions

I will submit that you really don't know what you are on about: try a fat tyred, Goodyear F1 booted auto RWD BMW or Merc and you will eat your words. They don't move at all. Last year when stuck on a level car park (where every other bugger in his Yaris could simply drive on and off) I was able to leave the car at idle RPM in "drive" and walk around the car while it sat there, drive wheels slowly turning - a push on the wing and it would slide sideways. Lowered pressures, 6 pavong slabs in the boot - no difference of worth.

I've had about 15 cars over the years and until I moved to Mercs I've never had a problem at all, but these really are something else.

It is very funny watching BMW and Merc et al drivers struggle though

Edited by Dr Doofenshmirtz on Sunday 28th November 12:37

[Dr G]

Pretty much everything in the UK sold out a few weeks ago and everyone rushed to get more stock. It's very hard for anyone to make money out of retailing tyres so they've taken the opportunity to make themselves a few quid!

[dave0010]

i have a transit and anyone who has ever driven one in snow knows how useless they are so instead of tryes i simply bout snow chains a pair nxt day delivered were £80 bargain i recon drive till u cant go no further bung um on then charge other stuck motorists for a lift

[Engineer1]

Dog Star said:

kambites said:

Seems reasonable to me.

What really? How about your local double the price of a pint over the festive season? Or petrol prices double when it's school holidays?

I think it's a disgraceful practice tbh

Um look at holiday prices, a week before the school summer holiday starts and a week after the school holiday is much cheaper than a week during the school holiday. As to Locals doubling the beer price they don't but they do have a tendency to put on fixed meals at that time, my local 2 for 1 pub is doing a £25 christmas meal, funny that it is 2 for 1 the rest of the year. Businesses put prices up when they can get away with it, Tesco appear to increase their fuel price just before they offer the 5p off if you spend £50.

Winter tyres up until it snows are a bit of an extravagance for many, now there is snow on the ground people are more likely to try a drive then go "st you know what I need to get some winter tyres".

[Balmoral Green]

Dog Star said:

try a fat tyred, Goodyear F1 booted auto RWD BMW or Merc and you will eat your words. They don't move at all. Last year when stuck on a level car park (where every other bugger in his Yaris could simply drive on and off) I was able to leave the car at idle RPM in "drive" and walk around the car while it sat there, drive wheels slowly turning

Fantastic image you've painted there, could make for some great 'Ghost Riding' footage, pushing the car this way and that with an outstretched hand

I took the Bentley out one year for a play, what a mistake that was! Only just got around the block and back home. It too just sits there stationary with the wheels rotating on auto creep.

[m4rk]

I think calling them snow tyres is a bit misleading. They are winter tyres and the braking distances in the cold and wet are better than year round tyres. They are designed to grip better when it gets wintery, not just snowy and icy. That's not a luxury if you value you and others safety. They should be compulsary for comercial vehichles, cacohes, mini buses and the like.

ESC is also very good if you have it. A bit of fun killer though if you like sliding around in the snow.

[m4rk]

I posted some more info on winter tryes here for those interested:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

There there is link to winter tyre testing done by the Austrian equivalent of the AA

http://www.oeamtc.at/index.php?type=article&me...

http://www.oeamtc.at/index.php?type=article&me...

Google translate will be needed but 'Nasse' is the stopping distance in the wet.

Edited by m4rk on Sunday 28th November 12:58

[Highway Star]

Balmoral Green said:

Dog Star said:

try a fat tyred, Goodyear F1 booted auto RWD BMW or Merc and you will eat your words. They don't move at all. Last year when stuck on a level car park (where every other bugger in his Yaris could simply drive on and off) I was able to leave the car at idle RPM in "drive" and walk around the car while it sat there, drive wheels slowly turning

Fantastic image you've painted there, could make for some great 'Ghost Riding' footage, pushing the car this way and that with an outstretched hand

I took the Bentley out one year for a play, what a mistake that was! Only just got around the block and back home. It too just sits there stationary with the wheels rotating on auto creep.

Our SLK would do this as well last year, just sit there in 'D' with the wheels turning but the car moving nowhere whilst I stood outside the car shaking my head at it whilst drinking my tea. Its staying in the garage this winter.

[Dog Star]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

It is very funny watching BMW and Merc et al drivers struggle though

I actually can't even understand the physics of why they are so poor - I don't reckon it's weight (my huge pile of slabs didn't help).

This was a typical sight last year...



... that's me using the OHs car and being towed off the completely flat, level car park of my grans sheltered accomodation by my mum. Other people were just driving on and off it as if there was no problem wondering what this idiot was doing parked in the middle of it

[Markytop]

Dog Star said:

I will submit that you really don't know what you are on about: try a fat tyred, Goodyear F1 booted auto RWD BMW or Merc and you will eat your words. They don't move at all. Last year when stuck on a level car park (where every other bugger in his Yaris could simply drive on and off) I was able to leave the car at idle RPM in "drive" and walk around the car while it sat there, drive wheels slowly turning - a push on the wing and it would slide sideways.

Not just rwd auto that have this problem - I had it in my fwd manual Alfa Brera a year or so back. Wide low-profile Pirelli P-Zero Neros really dont like compacted snow.