Winter Tyres - when?

[ZZZZ]

So this will be the first time I shall be fitting winter tyres to my car, seeing that we now live in a small village and there are a few narrow country lanes around ... no experience at all - it's not like I needed winter tyres in Florida or Nassau

The obvious question is - when do you chaps fit them (if at all) - I know the official 7ºC and below stuff, but in real life we might get a single cold day in October and then back to warmer weather ...?

 

[LostKiwi]

My rule of thumb has always been when more than 50% of my journeys are in temperature below 7C it's time for winter tyres.
In Northamptonshire there are so few days that's the case I don't bother.

 

[Frontstep]

So this will be the first time I shall be fitting winter tyres to my car, seeing that we now live in a small village and there are a few narrow country lanes around ... no experience at all - it's not like I needed winter tyres in Florida or Nassau

The obvious question is - when do you chaps fit them (if at all) - I know the official 7ºC and below stuff, but in real life we might get a single cold day in October and then back to warmer weather ...?

Don't ask me I put Michelin Crossclimates on Bambi and its never seen snow or ice since,

in fact I think Greta Thunberg and extinction rebellion blame me.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Used to be mid October until first week April for me...
I’m not putting them on the i8 though ( probably difficult to find anyway)- if things get bad I’ll lope off with the XC90 or take the train
Or could go crazy and get something like this
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...arly%20New&page=3&sort=price-asc&dpp=10004134

 

[LostKiwi]

Used to be mid October until first week April for me...
I’m not putting them on the i8 though ( probably difficult to find anyway)- if things get bad I’ll lope off with the XC90 or take the train
Or could go crazy and get something like this
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909061935529?advert-type=dealer-stock&advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_profile_cars&fromDealerSearchResults=/dealers/merseyside/wirral/pasture-road-car-sales-10004134/stock?advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_profile_cars&dealer=10004134&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&page=3&sort=price-asc&dpp=10004134

Most people have a spare set of wheels for their winter tyres, not a spare vehicle!

 

[John Laidlaw]

Most people have a spare set of wheels for their winter tyres, not a spare vehicle!

Well......probably the same price as i8 winter wheels/tyres

 

[ZZZZ]

I am rather eager to try though - it's Michelin Alpin A4 MO on MB Pristix alloys ... both brand new
And I bought a storage stand / transporting trolley to keep spare alloys & tyres in top condition.
Now I have to use them.

So whoever is in charge there, better stop that global warming nonsense and bring some proper winter around

 

[Blobcat]

Mid to late October and off again end of March (weather depending)

 

[John Laidlaw]

I am rather eager to try though - it's Michelin Alpin A4 MO on MB Pristix alloys ... both brand new
And I bought a storage stand / transporting trolley to keep spare alloys & tyres in top condition.
Now I have to use them.

So whoever is in charge there, better stop that global warming nonsense and bring some proper winter around

Great tyres David....roll on the snow and cold stuff then

 

[rorywquin]

Some useful information...

https://www.uniroyal-tyres.com/car/tyre-guide/winter-care/winter-tyres-in-summer

 

[keefysher]

Used to be mid October until first week April for me...
I’m not putting them on the i8 though ( probably difficult to find anyway)- if things get bad I’ll lope off with the XC90 or take the train
Or could go crazy and get something like this
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909061935529?advert-type=dealer-stock&advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-location=at_profile_cars&fromDealerSearchResults=/dealers/merseyside/wirral/pasture-road-car-sales-10004134/stock?advertising-location=at_cars&advertising-

Mid to late October and off again end of March (weather depending)

location=at_profile_cars&dealer=10004134&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&page=3&sort=price-asc&dpp=10004134

I thought you were talking about shorts, Tee shirts and Teva's; thats the rough season in reverse, for my attire, but with this global warming / climate change you just don't know, it's like monsoon season this morning, very heavy rain, but also very warm, so warm I'm in shorts

Perhaps a ditty like 'don't have summer tyres after Labor Day' is required for those of you wot do need winter tyres. I don't use winter tyres, I have chains and 4matic and do live in an area where we get snowbound at the first sprinkling. Thats mostly due to w4nkers unable, ill prepared and incapable of driving in snow and should surrender their licences at the first flakes arrival.

The weather app on me phone is pretty good. This February it said it would snow at 14:30 on the 1st, a Friday. The County Council told us on the Tuesday 29/1 schools would be closed on Friday. Some spotty irk behind a computer screen decided to cancel the bus service that activates the rock salt, another space cadet in the accounts department of the council, together with the elf and safe tea idiot deciding it was not worth paying the gritter teams to do a second run at lunchtime to make the roads capable of carrying traffic. So it snowed at 14:30 on the dot, gridlock occurred, shops and restaurants lost their busiest days takings. I did get on the telly, twice. Once to demonstrate how to self help and spread rock salt from the provided bins follow previous snow events that keep our road clear. The second to state the 80,000 miles of gritting in the wrong place at the wrong time was worth 'diddly squat'.

Probably better for people to stay off the roads.

 

[daveenty]

Most people have a spare set of wheels for their winter tyres, not a spare vehicle!

<Cough>I've always had another vehicle to use in the winter, I just find it more convenient that way. It does happen to have winter tyres (Michelin Latitude Alpin) fitted all year round though, in fairness, it doesn't do much in the summer. In fact I've just checked and it's done less than 500 miles since March.

There is logic behind my reasoning, travelling in poor conditions on a winter tyre is great and makes the car grip a lot better and certainly feel more planted. Unfortunately, not many people adhere to this principle and will attempt a journey in 3 to 4 inches of snow with their usual semi - slick school run tyres on, get to a give way junction at the end of the road and just sail straight across it. These are usually the people who would then blame you for being there as they're trying to extract their car from your passenger door. In an older "winter car" I'm not as bothered about this happening. Upset yes but not devastated as I would be if it happened to the Mercedes.

Basically, it's not what you do, or what tyres you have fitted. It's the rest of the motoring population who just assume that they'll be fine and the laws of physics don't apply to them. You'll usually find these are the ones who end up abandoning their cars on a hill, preferably in the middle of the road where they assumed they could just overtake the rest of the abandoned cars...

 

[Blobcat]

<Cough>I've always had another vehicle to use in the winter, I just find it more convenient that way. It does happen to have winter tyres (Michelin Latitude Alpin) fitted all year round though, in fairness, it doesn't do much in the summer. In fact I've just checked and it's done less than 500 miles since March.

There is logic behind my reasoning, travelling in poor conditions on a winter tyre is great and makes the car grip a lot better and certainly feel more planted. Unfortunately, not many people adhere to this principle and will attempt a journey in 3 to 4 inches of snow with their usual semi - slick school run tyres on, get to a give way junction at the end of the road and just sail straight across it. These are usually the people who would then blame you for being there as they're trying to extract their car from your passenger door. In an older "winter car" I'm not as bothered about this happening. Upset yes but not devastated as I would be if it happened to the Mercedes.

Basically, it's not what you do, or what tyres you have fitted. It's the rest of the motoring population who just assume that they'll be fine and the laws of physics don't apply to them. You'll usually find these are the ones who end up abandoning their cars on a hill, preferably in the middle of the road where they assumed they could just overtake the rest of the abandoned cars...

Thats the problem I have around here, I take the unused back roads when that happens in the Landy. I’ve winter wheels and tyres for the SLK as I’ve been covering large distances through inclement weather. It’s great having a Landy but if you’re 300 miles away from it and it’s snowing it’s not so useful...

 

[rorywquin]

........................ It's the rest of the motoring population who just assume that they'll be fine and the laws of physics don't apply to them. ...............

It is ignorance. We are interested in tyres etc - they have no idea! There are just so many bad drivers out there that are not deliberately bad, they just have no conception of what they are dealing with.

 

[Blobcat]

It is ignorance. We are interested in tyres etc - they have no idea! There are just so many bad drivers out there that are not deliberately bad, they just have no conception of what they are dealing with.

In one, they are blindly oblivious to anything regarding their car or driving.

They chose it because of the colour and they know how to turn the stereo on.

 

[daveenty]

In one, they are blindly oblivious to anything regarding their car or driving.

They chose it because of the colour and they know how to turn the stereo on.

White goods...

 

[Wighty]

I've had winters for a few years now , I store them in the garage all cleaned and waxed and ready to go .
I change them over myself anytime October/November to March/April .
My clever plan is to pick a warm sunny day to swap them over or at least a dry one . This year I'm going to do a brake fluid change as I go round the car changing wheels .
It's also a good time to spray some acf50 over any brake pipes in the wheel wells .
My E class has sensor arms for the self levelling headlights , one in the drivers side arch and one by the differential , so I slap a load of grease onto them as well .

 

[John Laidlaw]

Indeed, it’s the others on the road to worry about, despite how you set your car up, hence the i8 will not be seeing white stuff...

 

[rorywquin]

In one, they are blindly oblivious to anything regarding their car or driving.

.............

Yep known as "unconscious incompetence".

E.g. I know that I don't know much about electronics (conscious incompetence) but most drivers do not know, that they are bad and/or unsafe drivers....

 

[M80]

When I used to swap I would gauge expected ice / snow, and do the swap prior.
We get warning of dropping temperatures and for me down to around 4 degrees or less overnight is about the right time.
More often I would swap late November and back again sometime in March.

But I've found many winter tyres are noisy, and not just when warmer.
My last set of Nokian WR C3's were like driving over a rippled road, and in truth my good condition Michelin Agilis, while being much smoother and quieter, were as good as the Nokian's in cold and snowy conditions. In fact I felt more confidence on them.

A simple comparrison was that often the Nokians would spin out of a sloping junction where the Michelin wouldn't.

But as said, it doesn't matter how well prepared you are it's the others that aren't that'll block the road. If it looks like being bad, which up here is fairly often in winter, It's a last option to go anywhere.