The recent weather and difficulty getting around makes me think we all rely on "Them" sorting out our problems, We expect all the roads to be gritted & salted so we can drive on them as if it was mid summer. However we can help ourselves by using winter tyres in winter. They not only provide better grip in snow & ice but also better grip below 7 deg. C.
In most of northern europe they are a legal requirement yet in this country they are never even mentioned. Perhaps there should be some government lead together with fleet operators and insurance companies because until there is a demand they will not be easily available.
In the past I used to always have a pair of second hand steel wheels fitted with chunky tread tyres and usede to swap them for the winter, only problem was when any snow thawed they used to make a drumming noise. I never did much motorway driving in the winter anyway so it was not a problem, but I never ever failed to get to work.
Good point. Problem is, for the next 10 yrs we will be back to the smattering of snow in winter.
In the 60's you could get tyres with carbide studs in them for snow driving. There was a big argument about salting causing car bodies to rot. Very obvious in British Leyland, and Vauxhall's of the time. ( Remember the Victor ?). The argument was, if they left the snow on the road, stud tyres would grip and not damage the tarmac. The snow would stay around for as long as it stayed around freezing. Still would make for an interesting debate.
As soon as the frost lifts, I always give my vehicles a good underbody spray to get rid of the salt.
One advantage of owning a 4X4 in snow, apart from the obvious is that they generally come with mud and snow tyres but I suspect they would not suit the road handling of normal road cars. We would have to have this bad weather for much longer periods before the Government were to introduce rules. I am not sure how they get on in Europe where they must use studded tyres for part of the year, do they have two sets of wheels?
Fine - as long as the Government / local authorites (as appropriate) see that they do their bit by ploughing, gritting/salting too.
Winter tyres can only help so much. If the road is blocked with snow you're stuffed if you're not in a 4x4 (& know how to drive it in snow) & even in a 4x4 you're in trouble when the roads are icy.
PS Vectratrot makes a good point as regards need to change the tyres back !
Winter tyres can be kept on all year round, so there is no need to to have 2 sets, If you look at older German reg cars when on holiday in the summer you will see many still have winter tyres on as their owners presumabley cannot afford 2 sets of tyres. Winter tyres are more noisy & last for a shorter time but they are quite safe to drive at motorway speeds & their dry grip is ok.
Whether its worth fitting them in the UK, who knows? Like 4x4s, they are handy when you need them. When we had the heatwave in 2003 it was supposed to be just the start of our newly tropical summers, but of course it wasn't. A good compromise might be to carry a set of snowchains, handy when you need them, but little use if the road ahead is blocked with cars without chains.
They are not only helpful in snow & ice. Summer tyres harden & lose their grip at temperatures below 7 deg C. Winter tyres use a different compound & retain their grip. They would reduce accidents on wet roads at this time of year.
I believe the method of changing is to have a spare set of steel wheels of narrower section.
Yes ayjay I sure remember the "Victor" only to well I served my time (panel beater) on rust buckets like those at a Vauxhall main dealership in Durham city centre. The Vauxhall range were nice cars bt were prone to r at less han two years old. ayjay does that username = AJS
When I started driving ('59/'60) it was the accepted practice to have a set of tyres for winter use, but then you had clearly defined seasons and always had snow during the winter season....but that was before we had a motorway network and roads weren't cleared the way they are today. Now we can go with very little snow, and when it does snow, it dosen't normally last long enough to justify changing tyres, also back then, most cars were rear wheel drive with very few front wheel drives and you could see the difference between the two quite clearly when trying to get traction in snow.
This winter has been a bit of an eye-opener as it has been exceptional......but will it be the same next year to justify buying winter tyres?
Navver, happy to hear you suggest this. I have been gobbing off for the last 2 weeks about this very subject. Having lived in Germany and wintered in Canada and Norway plenty of times, we - the Brits - are a laughing stock when it comes to the odd flutter of snow??
The Germans despite their renowned efficiency can't keep all the roads clear when there are consistent dumps of snow and freezing ice. BUT they are all very well schooled in driving skills, and they fit (by law) winter tyres. Equally the Canadians and Norwegians all manage to carry on as normal after the initial switch to winter conditions.
I have a defender mainly as i live in a rural area where floods are common and because they are awesome??? But a friend of mine recently considered swapping his large but efficient people carrier to a 4x4 because of the winter conditions and for towing the caravan on/off wet grass. I suggested winter tyres, he took that option and has been fine since the snow came.
If i didn't have my landy, i would defo have winter tyres regardless of snow or not??
------------- Tony N
LR Defender - Best4x4xFar
Virgin caravaners
Quote: Originally posted by Vectratot on 10/1/2010
Yes ayjay I sure remember the "Victor" only to well I served my time (panel beater) on rust buckets like those at a Vauxhall main dealership in Durham city centre. The Vauxhall range were nice cars bt were prone to r at less han two years old. ayjay does that username = AJS
Yep I've got a '55 16 MS 350cc fully recond. as good as the one I had 1 st time round. I've also got 11/2 R60 BMW's '72 but they are going to have to go. They are nowhere near as good as the AJS, and I want a 650cc AJS or Matchless circa 1960.
Panel beater eh? There's a trade I respected. I was a mere toolmaker. All my motors were rebuilt using fibreglass/plywood/and newspaper. Never sold them on in that state, just kept them going till the scrap yard.
Did a bit of work at EP, and at Luton, also the Bedford plant across the road. Spent a bit of time round the Birmingham auto plants, Longbridge, Cowley, and various Lucas plants.
Quote: Originally posted by anthony5351 on 10/1/2010
Navver, happy to hear you suggest this. I have been gobbing off for the last 2 weeks about this very subject. Having lived in Germany and wintered in Canada and Norway plenty of times, we - the Brits - are a laughing stock when it comes to the odd flutter of snow??
It's easy to be prepared for snow in a country that often gets snow. Britain has one of the most varied climates in the world, which means it's impossible for large organisations such as councils to be properly prepared for every eventuality, let alone the private motorist. Over all, I think British drivers manage pretty well in the snow, if the road is passable. Yes, there are idiots, but the average driver manages.
------------- * You never know where you're going 'til you get there...
Winter tyres are indentified by a snowflake symbol on the sidewall. All the major manufacturers list them & you can buy them at any tyre place although obviously you might have to wait a few days for them to be ordered in.
Viggo, your point is taken about the varied weather. BUT much of north Germany have similar weather to the UK. Winter tyres are for WINTER and not snow..... Snow chains are for SNOW.
And being as we seem to consistently get winter some time after autumn i think winter tyres would be a safety and usable advantage to alot of 2WD vehicle owners.
Seeing people drive around on low profile sports tyres in winter IMHO is a safety issue.
I don't see that having 50% of the schools shut and masses of the population not tuning up for work because there is 6" of snow on the ground as coping....
------------- Tony N
LR Defender - Best4x4xFar
Virgin caravaners
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Topic: Winter Tyres
But a friend of mine recently considered swapping his large but efficient people carrier to a 4x4 because of the winter conditions and for towing the caravan on/off wet grass. I suggested winter tyres, he took that option and has been fine since the snow came.
