Winter Tyres

[turnipsock]

Has anybody fitted Winter Tyres?

The forecast is for a bad winter and I need some new tyres so I was considering this option.

Discuss...

 

[television]

I have nice wheels for every day use on my SL, diamond cut and laquered (weak finnish) so for the winter I bought some painted wheels.

I will get some steel wheels from a breaker for my other car and some cheap winter tyres.

Everyone in Scadinavier and the like have two sets of wheels, we used them from Dec 1 to end March

Wide tyres are useless on snow they slide on top, narrow ones sink in. So in the winter it is not the in thing to be big and fat.

That's my experience

Malcolm

 

[turnipsock]

So in the winter it is not the in thing to be big and fat.

Has anyone told Santa?

Rally cars have skinny tyres on pure snow.

Most Scandahouliganes have two sets of wheels (and Germans). I was wondering about getting some winter tyres now, would they last into the summer of next year?

 

[Morzine]

Hi,

Here in Germany it is the done thing, generally winters get cold and stay cold unlike most of the time in England. Winter tyres are not just for driving in the snow, they are a different rubber compound and designed for sub 7 degrees(about there anyway). We change around start of november and back again around April.

Once you have used winter tyres in bad conditions and seen those without struggle or worse grind to a halt then you begin to see the point. As for winter trips snowboarding well say no more, without them you aint going.

My Merc dealer keeps the second set in storage for a nominal fee, not sure if England has this facility available though.

A lot of people use steel wheels for the winter set although to me that looks sh*t, a second set of alloys seems expensive but i've had seven years so not bad.

Good luck,

 

[SLinKyjoe]

Turnip,

are you suggesting changing the tyres on your wheels, or buying a second set of wheels as well? www.mytyres.co.uk have links to tyre test info once you have selected a type of tyre you like. this gives you good information about the tyres and the winter performance and the like.

 

[jberks]

Unless you live in a remote area, a really bad winter for the UK involves major roads being a problem for maybe 3 days, and even then, most major roads are clear within a couple of hours. Winter tyres are great and so are skinny ones. When I was a cabbie, I had a diesel cavalier which was amazing - fwd, heavy engine, loads of torque so stay in 3rd, and skinny tyres. I was one of only 20 Taxis operating in Leeds one new years eve when it came down in sheets. It went everywhere, up hill and down dale and never slid at all.
However, to set up a Merc, it involve spending several hundred pounds on a winter setup for those few hours that you'll actually need them and I can't see it being worth it. Snow chains may be an option for the side roads, but the main ones will be clear enough.
That said, I'm a bit concerned, having just collected my new shiny E class with fat 245 tyres and having a trans pennine commute to consider, but I'll play it by ear!
According to the met man this morning, they aren't anything like certain it will be bad and any bad weather we do have, probably won't last for more than a few days.

 

[clive williams]

In my yoof I had two sets of tyres one winter and one summer set. My view was that you could only wear so much rubber down on a car and having two sets made no difference. My view has now changed, the cars that I drive have wider wheels with diameters over 15" and therefore the winter tyres would generally be expensive, probably more than the standard set. Secondly, hasn't anyboby noticed climate change (boring), we do not have the winters previously experienced and therefore in this country (Scandinavia and Germany have different climates) winter tyres would only be beneficial one or two days per year if that. My other experience with winter tyres is that they are c**p in good weather and the wear rate on good warm surfaces is horrific. if you use them from December through to February then the average mileage would be say 3,000 miles per year. You ought to change them at 5 yearly intervals because of degrading of the rubber, which means you only get 15,000 miles per set!!!! Thats as long as you don't scub them down to below their useful depth in a shorter period. The costs are simply not worth it here.

If however, having M+S tyres is a must then check out the remould rally tyres, which are around half the price of new, have speed ratings up to 112mph (130mph occasionally) and have the compound and grip that works. The wear rate may be higher but thats no matter because you will throw them away before they wear out. The down side - they usually only come in a max diameter of 15".

Clive

500E Lethal in snow!
E320CDIT210 Handful on mud!

 

[television]

Snow tyres

Interesting point is that your normal tyres need to be of the correct speed rating, ie Z,ZR,W etc and winter tyres do not, not even sure that they are made with high speed specs. the variety of tyres in cold countries far exceeds what can be purchased here as they have dedicated snow tyres.

Malcolm

 

[turnipsock]

Just to clear this up, I'll be using the same size of tyres but a winter compound.

I'm going to fit them onto my current wheels and wondered how long they will last. If they last into the summer then I will need to think about getting another set of wheels.

 

[television]

Just to clear this up,
I QUOTE]
You cant just clear it up, you have started something now, I hope it goes on all winter

Malcolm

 

[clive williams]

Interesting point is that your normal tyres need to be of the correct speed rating, ie Z,ZR,W etc and winter tyres do not, not even sure that they are made with high speed specs. the variety of tyres in cold countries far exceeds what can be purchased here as they have dedicated snow tyres.

Malcolm

Mercedes quote the acceptable alternative winter tyres in the handbooks including their speed rating, which are lower than the standard summer tyres.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Bolide]

Wheels

Just get another set of wheels. Steels are as cheap as chips on eBay and elsewhere


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[drainaudio]

HI all..
Ok, now I'm really confused on the whole winter tyre, summer tyre issue..
I will be in Germany and France for a couple of weeks over Xmas and will of course take a set of chains with me. My Continental Premium Contact tyres are 2000 miles old and 185 so not really wide. Even the AA and RAC websites don't advise to fit winter tyres, they ask you to drive carefully and carry chains just in case. Add to that the fact that my French relatives living in Grenoble have never had winter tyres and it starts to seem like a waste of money for a period of 2 weeks. Relatives in Nice never use winter tyres either and they go skiing almost every weekend and have for years. Anyone wish to clear this up......I also spoke to my insurance company who advised that lack of winter tyres would not affect my insurance.
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[turnipsock]

Anyone wish to clear this up......I also spoke to my insurance company who advised that lack of winter tyres would not affect my insurance.
Cheers, Geoff.

The 'Winter' tyres I'm refering to are a softer compound tyre designed for driving in colder climates. There are also harder compounds available for hotter climates, using these is this country and you would be like an episode from Starsky and Hutch.

The insurance company has based your premium on you not fitting winter tyres. In theory, they should reduce the premium if you fit winter tyres...though I would be surprised if they actually did this.

http://mytyres.co.uk/start.html

M+S? (what does that mean?)

 

[drainaudio]

Hi,
Ok, I'm well aware of what winter tyres are, and despite asking for some clarity in terms of what is the accepted norm in approaching this situation you have made things more confusing for both myself and anyone else following this thread.
I live in London and so winter tyres are not something I would normally ever consider, if I lived in the Bavarian forest then my views would be somewhat different. To suggest that where you live driving on summer tyres would make for an episode of Starsky and Hutch firstly suggests a lack of safety in the approach to winter driving and secondly begs the question "am I going to be driving where you live?".
Neither the AA or RAC mention winter tyres in their advice for driving in winter in Europe. They do recommend a well-serviced car with tyres in excellent condition and chains in case of an emergency, safety items such as blankets, warning triangles, thermos, dry food, mobile phone and obviously letting people know where you are going.
So, again I will ask the question and address it to UK residents:

When going to Europe for a short period do you guys fit winter tyres or use what you have (obviously good tyres with lots of tread) and exercise the necessary caution in your approach to driving in winter conditions?
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[jberks]

If you are going to spend 6 months ploughing up and down the alps then it may be a sensible idea. If you are a nervous, low skilled driver then again, may be worth considering. As I understand neither are true, I personally wouldn't bother. Winter tyres here in the spring, will wear faster and give poorer grip than what you have. Hence they are of limited use in the UK.
Good tread 185's, a set of chains and a sensible driving style and you'll be fine. If I'm wrong and you did find that you really needed them, I'm sure a local supplier would sort you out, and probably for a lot less than you'd pay here too. (should cover the cost of shipping your original tyres back to Blighty!)

 

[television]

The first time I went to Sweden it was -30 and 1m of snow. I was just as anxious as as Geoff. But as Jberks says just go, stop flapping as the people over there have it all sorted out. it is not like the UK where evrything stops.
Its a way of life for them, when it snows, everyone goes to school and work,
all pubic services run as normal and no one in those countries ever dies of the cold. I would go back anytime its great.

Malcolm

 

[drainaudio]

Autosock for winter driving - anyone using these?

HI guys,
So what about this product as opposed to chains?
http://autosock.com/default.aspx
Seems much easier to deal with not to mention less likely to damage your alloys and bodywork.
If anyone has used them please share your experiences .
Cheers, Geoff.

 

[television]

Reads good to me, chains are horrible,. give it a go

Malcolm

 

[turnipsock]

Control experiment: My car struggled on the summer tyres to get up the snowy hill this morning. I've ordered some winter tyres so I'll see what it's like next week.