Winter tyres vol 2
Discussion
ChocolateFrog said:
Anything on skinny tyres would run rings round something on wider tyres. If anything is going to be ok on summer tyres it would be the likes of an Aygo.
I used to have one and put some winters on it. The only thing that would stop it is when it gets physically too deep.
I lived in Italy for several years and, despite being a warm country it does get a fair bit of snow plus, we used to go skiing most winter weekends so often drove into the mountains.I used to have one and put some winters on it. The only thing that would stop it is when it gets physically too deep.
On mountain roads or roads associated with snow it was compulsory (as far as anything can be in Italy) to have winter tyres or snow chains at certain times of the year and, in fact often on the approach to ski towns there would often be a Police checkpoint refusing entry to anyone not suitably equipped - usually just by a garage that, conveniently sold snow chains and, that most presumed the garage owner was 'friendly' with the Police officers.
Anyway, at the time I had a Fiesta which when equipped with chains was pretty much unstoppable but the surprise cars that would do the best without any chains or winter tyres were the old Fiat 500 or 126 despite being RWD, as they were light, skinny-tyred and carried what little weight they had over the drive wheels. Also helped that if they got stuck or went off track, a couple of strong men could lift them back onto the road.
Edited by catso on Sunday 11th January 13:38
I understand it as narrower tyre gives more traction as the contact patch is smaller, so in winter conditions where you’re not worried about lateral grip narrow tyres generally work better as they dig into the snow rather than staying on top.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they’re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that’s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn’t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I’d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they’re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that’s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn’t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I’d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Speed addicted said:
I understand it as narrower tyre gives more traction as the contact patch is smaller, so in winter conditions where you re not worried about lateral grip narrow tyres generally work better as they dig into the snow rather than staying on top.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Contact patch is determined by tyre pressure not size of tyre. A skinnier tyre will have a longer thinner contact patch vs a wider tyre. Calculate contact patch size by weight over each tyre in lbs divided by tyre pressure in psi. Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
MustangGT said:
Speed addicted said:
I understand it as narrower tyre gives more traction as the contact patch is smaller, so in winter conditions where you re not worried about lateral grip narrow tyres generally work better as they dig into the snow rather than staying on top.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Contact patch is determined by tyre pressure not size of tyre. A skinnier tyre will have a longer thinner contact patch vs a wider tyre. Calculate contact patch size by weight over each tyre in lbs divided by tyre pressure in psi. Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Proper winters with tyre pressures dropped do help and manage quite well on ice - not as good as studs obviously.
Still no black roads around here, all polished hard-packed snow and frozen slush - i’m down to 25psi on my winters and no problems. That video I posted above shows taking them Down to 10psi makes a big difference but no way I’m doing that, too worried about a tyre coming off the rim
Still no black roads around here, all polished hard-packed snow and frozen slush - i’m down to 25psi on my winters and no problems. That video I posted above shows taking them Down to 10psi makes a big difference but no way I’m doing that, too worried about a tyre coming off the rim
Somewhatfoolish said:
My dad claims he has "town and country" tyres now as he went to the garage and they said they were cheaper than all seasons. Any idea what he's blabbing on about? It won't be the place in Middlesbrough or some ancient thing for Austins, the two things I can find on Google.
(He drives a 1st gen Peugeot 3008, which tells you everything)
Town and Country was a thing in the 50s and 60s, usually cross ply, almost all cars were RWD back then and some people fitted Town and Countrys to go on the back axle only, keep in mind a 5.6" (145 section in funny money) wide tyre was typical for something like a Morris Oxford or Ford Corsair/Cortina. (He drives a 1st gen Peugeot 3008, which tells you everything)
Edited by Somewhatfoolish on Sunday 11th January 03:12
A T&C tread could easily pass for a narrow AT tyre, i'm not sure if the tread compound was much different to standard, it was common practice to sling some weight in the back.
here's what a typical one would look like its been studded but that was rare indeed
Do your dads new tyres look anything like this?
'New' boots on the Disco Sport this morning in the shape of 4x CC2 SUV's which I picked up from another Disco Sport owner who had moved theirs on a few months ago. 6-6.5mm of tread remaining so should last a couple of years hopefully. First impressions are very positive driving home through a fair bit of standing water due to snow melt, and climbing the still snow and ice covered hill to our house.
Pablo16v said:
'New' boots on the Disco Sport this morning in the shape of 4x CC2 SUV's which I picked up from another Disco Sport owner who had moved theirs on a few months ago. 6-6.5mm of tread remaining so should last a couple of years hopefully. First impressions are very positive driving home through a fair bit of standing water due to snow melt, and climbing the still snow and ice covered hill to our house.
Out of interest what size and what price? I'm selling a set at the moment (from my CL class) and want a reasonable benchmark. Yeah I didn't bother haggling as I thought it was a good price, even for 2nd hand tyres.
I now just need to figure out what to do with the F11 535i, as it's been under a blanket of snow for the best part of 10 days due to my procrastinating on whether to go all-season on the current 19's, or opt for full winters on a set of 18's. With the level of snow we've just had I'm erring towards a second set of wheels, but it's not like we get this much snow every year so all-seasons do make sense..............aaaaarrrrgggh! Going round in circles again
I now just need to figure out what to do with the F11 535i, as it's been under a blanket of snow for the best part of 10 days due to my procrastinating on whether to go all-season on the current 19's, or opt for full winters on a set of 18's. With the level of snow we've just had I'm erring towards a second set of wheels, but it's not like we get this much snow every year so all-seasons do make sense..............aaaaarrrrgggh! Going round in circles again
Edited by Pablo16v on Tuesday 13th January 08:05
Swapped my Ignis Sport to winters last month. Standard size is 185/55/r15, however to save hassle I picked up some 14" steelies and went 165/70/r14. Cheaper size, narrower made sense for snow, and I am enjoying the 'supermarket trolley' look of the teeny wheels.
Yokohama V903, not the latest or greatest but I couldn't justify the extra cash for Continental TS870s when they'll only be on ~3-4 months a year. £260 fitted in a Black Friday deal.
I drive up to the Scottish Highlands every Christmas/New Year. Never had such a safe/confident feeling in snowy/icy conditions before - the difference is unbelievable and I'm a total convert to winters on any car going forward.
Hope I don't get overconfident/complacent! Winters are that much better.
Yokohama V903, not the latest or greatest but I couldn't justify the extra cash for Continental TS870s when they'll only be on ~3-4 months a year. £260 fitted in a Black Friday deal.
I drive up to the Scottish Highlands every Christmas/New Year. Never had such a safe/confident feeling in snowy/icy conditions before - the difference is unbelievable and I'm a total convert to winters on any car going forward.
Hope I don't get overconfident/complacent! Winters are that much better.
Bonefish Blues said:
MustangGT said:
Speed addicted said:
I understand it as narrower tyre gives more traction as the contact patch is smaller, so in winter conditions where you re not worried about lateral grip narrow tyres generally work better as they dig into the snow rather than staying on top.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Contact patch is determined by tyre pressure not size of tyre. A skinnier tyre will have a longer thinner contact patch vs a wider tyre. Calculate contact patch size by weight over each tyre in lbs divided by tyre pressure in psi. Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
MustangGT said:
Bonefish Blues said:
MustangGT said:
Speed addicted said:
I understand it as narrower tyre gives more traction as the contact patch is smaller, so in winter conditions where you re not worried about lateral grip narrow tyres generally work better as they dig into the snow rather than staying on top.
Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Contact patch is determined by tyre pressure not size of tyre. A skinnier tyre will have a longer thinner contact patch vs a wider tyre. Calculate contact patch size by weight over each tyre in lbs divided by tyre pressure in psi. Look at any manufacturer that does winter wheel packages and they re all narrower than the summer ones.
I find winter tyres grip more on ice than summer tyres, but that s some rather than no grip.
Our road by is untreated and currently a big sheet of ice. With all seasons on both cars we can get through it slowly, harsh inputs will make it slide though.
On summer tyres I wouldn t get out of our drive.
I once stopped to assist at a crash, I d been driving at about 45mph (in an X5 with winter tyres on it) with no issues.
When I got out of the car I could barely stand up on the ice. What appeared to be a wet road was actually totally frozen.
Not sure I mentioned this before, but I once drove a “blind test” of various tyre widths up a snow hill climb test course in Sweden. The tyre pressures were the minimum safe pressure. The widest tyre turned out to be the fastest up the hill.
I’d imagine on slush the result would be different.
I’d imagine on slush the result would be different.
TrevorHill said:
I ve never understood the need for winter tyres in the UK. Snow is a rarity, we get the odd frost. Most if not all major roads are treated. Maybe it s just me.
This was my corner of England last Sunday…And I know it’s been done to death on here but winter tyres are not just for snow and ice.
TrevorHill said:
I ve never understood the need for winter tyres in the UK. Snow is a rarity, we get the odd frost. Most if not all major roads are treated. Maybe it s just me.
Some years, I've switched back over to summer tires and thought 'didn't really need to do that'.Even on winters, if the weather is bad and I don't need to get the car out, I won't. I'd say I've actually had more years where they've not been needed.
Other years however, they've meant I can get home, been able to reach a work call out or not had to cancel a holiday.
TrevorHill said:
I ve never understood the need for winter tyres in the UK. Snow is a rarity, we get the odd frost. Most if not all major roads are treated. Maybe it s just me.
I think your mistake is assuming that all of the UK has the same weather and infrastructure. We get significant snow most years, “some snow” several times every year and is below zero daily for months. And the little local roads are not gritted and only ploughed if a farmer does it.
Edited by Lefty on Monday 19th January 07:42
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