Just fit winter tyres to the drive wheels?
Discussion
Why on earth would you even want to only fit 2 winters?
We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
cambiker71 said:
Bought four winter tyres for the classic mini last year, fitted two to the front for last years snow and went out to play (only about half an inch here) No matter how hard I tried at normal driving speeds I couldn't get the back to step out by just using the steering. I also tried braking hard to see if I could get it to lock the rears but found no more problems than normal driving with the summers on, even while braking with steering. Obviously with a bit of handbrake I could gain a little opposite lock cornering but I won't be trying that under normal driving. I fitted the second pair to my trusty daily rotbox metrovans drive wheels this year with the same effect, thankyou tesco for the empty carpark/test track.
I realise the rear brakes are not the most powerful around on the mini or metro but the winter tyres have made sure I don't get stuck at junctions or slight inclines and have all but eliminated wheel spin in icy/slippery conditions with normal careful snowy weather driving. I didn't buy them to do stage rallying, just a means to not get stuck again. The standard summer tyres were awful, having to rock between first and reverse to get away from some traffic lights convinced me to try the winters on in the first place!
I tried the same (having only bought 2 to start with) on my Fiat Coupe and can't manage to unstick the rear on wet roundabouts at very low temperatures, it still understeers as usual. It is a car on which you can slide the back with trail braking on damp surfaces, but it is at levels I have only experienced on track days rather than on the road so the roundabout is a pretty realistic test to check front rear balance on 2 winters front and 2 summers rear. On snow it will fairly easily slide the rear, but that is at speeds which would result in no steering or braking if I had summers on the front.I realise the rear brakes are not the most powerful around on the mini or metro but the winter tyres have made sure I don't get stuck at junctions or slight inclines and have all but eliminated wheel spin in icy/slippery conditions with normal careful snowy weather driving. I didn't buy them to do stage rallying, just a means to not get stuck again. The standard summer tyres were awful, having to rock between first and reverse to get away from some traffic lights convinced me to try the winters on in the first place!
As others have said, if you have just 2 winter tyres on the front of a FWD car and drive like it has 4 you are asking for trouble, but drive as if it has 4 summer tyres and the margin of safety is increased massively. Drive to the conditions, including the tyres, and all is OK. Don't and suffer the consequences.
For the record, I discussed it with my insurance company and they are happy.
Or maybe it is just that my first few years driving experience were in a Triumph Herald, no abs, no traction control, no safety anything other than a collapsible steering column but mega lift off oversteer, even in the dry, if you wanted. Actually, even mega oversteer without lifting if pushing too fast. But I learned to drive to the conditions!
Z.B said:
Why on earth would you even want to only fit 2 winters?
We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
Beacuase we can't afford 4? Supply issues combined with running over some building debris back in November and wrecking 2 tyres? The cars we drive actually handle OK like that? Because the imbalance is most pronounced on snow and ice, the exact time you suggest we get out and freeze our nuts off fitting socks/ chains?We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
I've actually fitted 4 winters on one car and 2 winters + 2 all-seasons on the other car (see reasons above - pick one), but given the shortage of winter tyres, the cost of additional OEM-spec wheels and the absolute lack of cash in some people's pockets I'd say 2 winter tyres is a dramatic improvement over none and well worth the money. If you can find and afford 4 winter tyres then that's even better.
On regular wet or dry roads you'd hardly notice a difference (assuming the summer/ all-season tyres are of a reputable quality) and when you hit snow or ice you will have a massive advantage over a full set of summer tyres.
Stop comparing 2 winters/ 2 sumers with 4 winters and start looking the other way on - how does the 2+2 setup compare with 4 summer tyres? I know which I'd rather be driving.
oldcynic said:
Z.B said:
Why on earth would you even want to only fit 2 winters?
We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
Beacuase we can't afford 4? Supply issues combined with running over some building debris back in November and wrecking 2 tyres? The cars we drive actually handle OK like that? Because the imbalance is most pronounced on snow and ice, the exact time you suggest we get out and freeze our nuts off fitting socks/ chains?We all agree 4 are better so if you're going to the trouble, do it properly.
If you can't afford 4 tyres get chains or socks instead. They will keep you moving in a tight spot but won't bugger up the balance at normal speeds (because you take them off).
I've actually fitted 4 winters on one car and 2 winters + 2 all-seasons on the other car (see reasons above - pick one), but given the shortage of winter tyres, the cost of additional OEM-spec wheels and the absolute lack of cash in some people's pockets I'd say 2 winter tyres is a dramatic improvement over none and well worth the money. If you can find and afford 4 winter tyres then that's even better.
On regular wet or dry roads you'd hardly notice a difference (assuming the summer/ all-season tyres are of a reputable quality) and when you hit snow or ice you will have a massive advantage over a full set of summer tyres.
Stop comparing 2 winters/ 2 sumers with 4 winters and start looking the other way on - how does the 2+2 setup compare with 4 summer tyres? I know which I'd rather be driving.
cptsideways said:
I've a spare pair of Conti's winters in 215/55/16 available from my vast collection of snowies with 6mm on them, I'm sure somebody might be in need of them rather than sat in my shed.
thanks very much for dropping the tyres off will be putting them on the front next week, much appreciated.Z.B said:
A full winter set is barely any more expensive in the long term. If initial outlay is prohibitive get chains instead. Mixed tyres or a summer set with the option of chains? I know which I'd rather be driving.
Your choice. I'd rather have the advantages of chains attached to my car throughout the winter. And my wife had about half a second to fit chains to the front wheels (or would the back have been a better choice?) when trying to avoid a complete f
kwit a couple of weeks back on the school run. Of course her car became a fireball the moment she hit the brakes due to only having winter tyres at one end, so she's now long gone.zakelwe said:
But that's a scientific test with a clear conclusion therfore should be ignored.What's much more relevant are these anecdotally proven facts being offered by those that never get caught out by unexpected road/weather/traffic conditions because they're always "driving to the conditions".
I think I'm going to fit slicks to my car's drive wheels in the summer as they'll offer much more grip, particularly off the line, and when it rains I'll just make sure I'm "driving to the conditions" and then everything will be fine.
dvs_dave said:
zakelwe said:
But that's a scientific test with a clear conclusion therfore should be ignored.The question is whether you're a fool to fit only 2 winter tyres and should just swap to slicks for more predicatable crashing, or whether it's a prudent use of money in a country which will be wet and cold for weeks at a time but won't see sustained snow for more than a week or so in most areas.
There is a chap lives on the hill facing me. His family cars are a 60-plate Skoda Octavia and a 10-plate Golf. Being trapped in the '80s, the details are lost on me - but they are both TDIs.
The Skoda makes it up the hill on ice, and is parked on the drive which also slopes uphill. The Golf won't gain momentum, even after rolling down the hill onto the flat on the fresh snow last weekend - it has been sat inert for a week now.
The Golf has the obligatory alloys and wide tyres all round. The Skoda - so new it has only been around for a few weeks - has the same alloys as the Golf on the back axle but steelies on the front axle with significantly narrower tyres. I am guessing winter tyres at the front, as the car is in daily use and the Golf isn't...
The Skoda makes it up the hill on ice, and is parked on the drive which also slopes uphill. The Golf won't gain momentum, even after rolling down the hill onto the flat on the fresh snow last weekend - it has been sat inert for a week now.
The Golf has the obligatory alloys and wide tyres all round. The Skoda - so new it has only been around for a few weeks - has the same alloys as the Golf on the back axle but steelies on the front axle with significantly narrower tyres. I am guessing winter tyres at the front, as the car is in daily use and the Golf isn't...
oldcynic said:
dvs_dave said:
zakelwe said:
But that's a scientific test with a clear conclusion therfore should be ignored.The question is whether you're a fool to fit only 2 winter tyres and should just swap to slicks for more predicatable crashing, or whether it's a prudent use of money in a country which will be wet and cold for weeks at a time but won't see sustained snow for more than a week or so in most areas.
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