Keep seeing 997s slithering up my snowy road....
Discussion
I have to say I don't get this winter tyres business at all. I'm not doubting they work but only for a very short period of time as our temps are not generally low enough.
I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
FredBasset said:
I have to say I don't get this winter tyres business at all. I'm not doubting they work but only for a very short period of time as our temps are not generally low enough.
I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
Last winter, which was a lot colder in London area than this one, saw me stick the winters on the 993 in Oct thru to March if I recall. You lose some outright grip and feel when the temps are above 7 deg and daytime temps can obviously get a lot higher, but given that most people use their car early morning or in the evening when it's cold, the benefit is still there with the softer rubber. Even if it's just cold and wet (no snow), my 993 feels a lot better on winters than summers - I just never got around to putting them on this year as it never really got proper cold until a couple of weeks ago here, plus I had a track day on Sunday. GT3 was hilarious when I finally moved it today - even after the snow had melted it was mini drift at 10mph if you wanted out of every junction I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
FredBasset said:
I have to say I don't get this winter tyres business at all. I'm not doubting they work but only for a very short period of time as our temps are not generally low enough.
I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
They make a massive difference in cold, low grip conditions. And in snow, it's the difference between getting home and being stuck going up a hill.I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
I've not tried them on a 911, I have tried them on other cars. My point is really that you are running on a tyre that is working outside its optimal range for a good portion of time too.
However JP probably has hit the nail on the head as to why I'm not too fussed by them.
I live in the fens, what are these hills of which you speak.
Regards
Fred
However JP probably has hit the nail on the head as to why I'm not too fussed by them.
I live in the fens, what are these hills of which you speak.
Regards
Fred
FredBasset said:
I've not tried them on a 911, I have tried them on other cars. My point is really that you are running on a tyre that is working outside its optimal range for a good portion of time too.
However JP probably has hit the nail on the head as to why I'm not too fussed by them.
I live in the fens, what are these hills of which you speak.
Regards
Fred
Ah...fair enough. We live in a valley, so when it snows, we're screwed without winter tyres!However JP probably has hit the nail on the head as to why I'm not too fussed by them.
I live in the fens, what are these hills of which you speak.
Regards
Fred
So all those times during November to March when its higher than 7 degrees and you're on a compromised solution isn't worth consideration.
Depending on where you live in the country its a much shorter time period when they are worthwhile.
I'm not saying you're wrong but I've owned a number of high performance cars over the last twenty five years, used as daily drivers and I've never seen the justification.
Like I said in my previous post maybe its where I live!
Fred
Depending on where you live in the country its a much shorter time period when they are worthwhile.
I'm not saying you're wrong but I've owned a number of high performance cars over the last twenty five years, used as daily drivers and I've never seen the justification.
Like I said in my previous post maybe its where I live!
Fred
Settle down fella, I'm not looking for an argument, FYI. I personally don't get it, if you do thats great and I'm pleased for you. If you look back to our last three winters, certainly where I live its been unseasonably warm and the need for winter tyres is very limited. I agree with anything that makes driving safer but when you see journalists arguing that they should be made compulsory between November and March in the UK its complete rubbish. Yes lets make the road safer by insisting everyone in the country fits tyres between these months regardless of the actual weather conditions, in Scotland and Wales fair enough perhaps. In the fens, absolutely not as there are times, considerably more than a handful of days when running winter tyres is not as safe as summers. If we are going to that level then all cars sold should be 4wd.
Its obviously good for the tyre makers and the manufacturers selling wheels though!
Fred
Its obviously good for the tyre makers and the manufacturers selling wheels though!
Fred
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I don't disagree that they are better in the right conditions and I think in parts of the country they work for a longer period, however I don't think that is a default and it depends where you live.I see a continuing trend where people are pushing winter tyres and attempts to make it compulsory which will grow over time and thats where I disagree, it will be a blanket approach for the country as a whole.
Obviously it creates revenue for the country, extra tyres, wheels, storage, VAT on it etc so I think we are creeping towards that and thats why I don't get it.
Its an opinion, I'm not saying its right or wrong but personally I don't get it. I could easily do it as I have plenty of storage and a nice old barn to work on the cars in, just never seen the benefits outweighing the drawbacks. We do get an abnormally low amount of snow where I live though and its flat, as I say if you have to contend with hills it is a different matter.
Anyway, peace and happy driving :-)
Regards
Fred
FredBasset said:
I have to say I don't get this winter tyres business at all. I'm not doubting they work but only for a very short period of time as our temps are not generally low enough.
I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
I drove a FWD Volvo from Geneva to Morzine on 28th December. All the hire cars have Winter Tyres and the grip they give you is eye opening.I was first out of our village today, no gritters and snow covered roads and my half worn 305's worked perfectly:-)
Fred
In the UK I guess it depends when you're using the car. The clue is in 'winter tyres' not 'snow tyres'.
If you're driving to work in the winter months it's often close to or freezing in both the morning and evening so there's an obvious benefit.
Yes you can make do 99% of the time on summer tyres, but there is a benefit in using winter tyres at the right time of the year.
I wish that I could express a moderate view and, as is often the case, agree with Cmoose. But I just cant.
Winter tyres are an absurd and unjustifiable expense for most drivers in England, and especially the South.
The cost of buying winter wheels and tyres and having them fitted is beyond ridiculous in circumstances where I have literally never been snowed in. Ever. In my driving life.
As for winter tyres being more fun in the wet, my car has more than enough grip in the dry or the wet at anything like safe road speeds. Wide open throttle at 45 in second gear in standing water is just about all that ever makes me squit myself. Grip in corners is never remotely an issue (unless you are trying to make it an issue by applying throttle a bit early).
We all like to spend more money on our cars, but £2k to have a bit more grip in the winter and to be able to drive in 2 days of snow really is taking the piss.
Winter tyres are an absurd and unjustifiable expense for most drivers in England, and especially the South.
The cost of buying winter wheels and tyres and having them fitted is beyond ridiculous in circumstances where I have literally never been snowed in. Ever. In my driving life.
As for winter tyres being more fun in the wet, my car has more than enough grip in the dry or the wet at anything like safe road speeds. Wide open throttle at 45 in second gear in standing water is just about all that ever makes me squit myself. Grip in corners is never remotely an issue (unless you are trying to make it an issue by applying throttle a bit early).
We all like to spend more money on our cars, but £2k to have a bit more grip in the winter and to be able to drive in 2 days of snow really is taking the piss.
ORD said:
I wish that I could express a moderate view and, as is often the case, agree with Cmoose. But I just cant.
Winter tyres are an absurd and unjustifiable expense for most drivers in England, and especially the South.
The cost of buying winter wheels and tyres and having them fitted is beyond ridiculous in circumstances where I have literally never been snowed in. Ever. In my driving life.
As for winter tyres being more fun in the wet, my car has more than enough grip in the dry or the wet at anything like safe road speeds. Wide open throttle at 45 in second gear in standing water is just about all that ever makes me squit myself. Grip in corners is never remotely an issue (unless you are trying to make it an issue by applying throttle a bit early).
We all like to spend more money on our cars, but £2k to have a bit more grip in the winter and to be able to drive in 2 days of snow really is taking the piss.
Normally my default position would be to disagree with cmoose as a matter of principle Winter tyres are an absurd and unjustifiable expense for most drivers in England, and especially the South.
The cost of buying winter wheels and tyres and having them fitted is beyond ridiculous in circumstances where I have literally never been snowed in. Ever. In my driving life.
As for winter tyres being more fun in the wet, my car has more than enough grip in the dry or the wet at anything like safe road speeds. Wide open throttle at 45 in second gear in standing water is just about all that ever makes me squit myself. Grip in corners is never remotely an issue (unless you are trying to make it an issue by applying throttle a bit early).
We all like to spend more money on our cars, but £2k to have a bit more grip in the winter and to be able to drive in 2 days of snow really is taking the piss.
but in this case he is entirely correct. As he has explained, winter tyres are for temperatures below 7 degrees, not for 'snow' so have significant advantages for many people particularly in the early morning / late evenings between October and February (5 months of the year).The cost, even for my 997 C4S was not much more than £1,000 (no need for separate rims) and for more mainstream cars will be considerably lower.
Further, when you are driving on the winter tyres you are not wearing out the summer tyres, so there is some offset there.
The only additional cost is getting the tyres swapped on and off the vehicle - typically £10 per wheel.
Edited by sidicks on Thursday 5th February 09:52
anonymous said:
[redacted]
£400 is a different ball game, I agree. But most Porsche drivers (a) have warranty fears about doing anything other than what they are told by the OPC (rightly or wrongly) and (b) have whopping great tyres!For what it's worth, I have heard recently of 2 garages telling punters that winter tyres make no difference on RWD cars! Utter and absolute nonsense. Note, however, that in each case the punter was asking whether she needed to buy a runaround for the winter. Incredibly dishonest behaviour!
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