I am sad I know but have been investigating winter tires - have been considering getting a set of Michelin Alpin but they cost a fair bit and of course I would probably be better off getting them fitted on a spare set of wheels.
I have read the Michelin sales blurb and they claim that at 7 degrees C or less the performance is much improved on conventional summer tires ( I currently have Michelin Pilot Primacy on my Mondeo Estate) whilst lifetime cost is no more as you are wearing two sets of tires.
Any one had any experiance of switching tires for the winter ?
PS I live in West Yorkshire - we haven't had much snow in recent years but when we do its chaos !!
PPS Have also been reading about SnowSock - a textile sock you slip over the driven wheels when it snows -anybody have any of these ?
Thanks
Matt
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I invested in some snow tryes last winter as I was driving to Austria. The tyres I normally run are 215/55s on 16" wheels at a 93Y rating, and at the time I had Dunlop SP9000s fitted, which I was pretty sure would be rubbish in the snow. The recommended winter tyres for my Saab 9-5 are 195/65s on a 15" wheel on a 91T rating. Note that this is a lower speed and load rating than normal tyres, and they are effectively skinnier to give better grip. However, my first purchase was some second hand Continentals from Germany via the Bay of Cheap and Plenty, which happened to be 94Ts (higher load rating than recommended). When one of these got a puncture, I bought a pair of Goodyear Ultragrip 7s, in the correct 91T rating, which had an extremely good review by a german motoring magazine quoted on mytyres.co.uk, and were only £50 each plus fitting. I had them fitted to a spare set of steels I happened to have.
In the event, I found them excellent in the snow, having ventured into a pretty remote part at the end of a valley. The Goodyears were grippy and quiet. I did find that the car did not behave too well on them fully loaded, which I believe was due to the lower load rating - the flexible side walls gave a good ride but the car was not as stable as it usually is. In Austria winter tyres are the norm, and enable even 2WD vehicles to get virtually everywhere. Also, note that in Germany (if you are thinking of travelling abroad), you aren't allowed on snow-covered motorways without winter tyres.
At £50 per corner, I think they are a useful addition to the winter armoury. You've already realised that there is just the upfront purchase price to consider as your summer tyres aren't wearing while the winter ones are on. They should last a few winters, assuming you use them for four months of the year - bear in mind that they are also for extreme wet as well as extreme snow!
HTH
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matt ,I would recomend Nokian snow tyres or Nordfrost which are very good ,also gislevad ? (spelling) have given very good service.google nokian or nordfrost for info
I do a lot of miles on real snow conditions on the highest roads in the country and find nokian good ,in fact fitted 5 to the volvo last year for just under £200 and as they like the wet or dry just run them all the time
michelin alpin are not as good in my opinion as the xpc which they replaced,I still have xpc fitted to the disco and like them
goodyears I couldnt live with as the milage was rubbish and always think the edges of the tread are to round to be much use in snow and are prone to smooth over rather than bite in to snow
half the job is buy a tyre you like and can afford to change before you really need to rather than having to take the last 100 miles out of them
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dont see the point if you live in west yorkshire to be honest.
Usually the only reason all the traffic gets stopped is because some muppet cant drive in 2 inches of fresh snow .
If i was you lovehandles i would get your self half a days course on skid control if you feel you may have a problem ,i see that you run an 05 mondido ,ive never been stuck in one of those yet .(old sierra yes).
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I agree with oldman - no need to even consider changing tyres for the winter if you live in most parts of U.K.
S6 1SW
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"I agree with oldman - no need to even consider changing tyres for the winter if you live in most parts of U.K."
I'm sorry. the inhabitants of London suffer from extreme levels of winter snow, ice and blizzards.
How else can I explain all the people driving 4x4s there?
madf
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As long as you have plenty of tread on the Michelin Pilot Primacy tyres you have one of the best tyres around already fitted. If you get stuck it'll be more like be due to someone having less than 4mm of tyre with no grip and most likely doesn't have a clue how to drive in snow.
Put a thick coat & blanker & gloves, some high energy food and a spade in the boot of the car makes better sense than bothering to change tyres, you'll then be better prepared than most folks if you find you get stuck for whatever reason.
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Mikes commentsabout pilot primacy tyres is not very accurate to say the least , tyres with the solid bands round them do not get rid of the snow trapped in the bands causing slippage and polishing as the rest of the tyre is kept up and not allowed good contact and grip, sadly safety is disregarded due to a lack of knoledge , there might be only one day a year when you need them but if thats the day they save your life whether you know it or not it makes good tyres very cheap and on the other side if thats the day a loved one is injured because you would not buy good tyres then on your consience be it
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I was thinking the same thing. Especially in a FWD car, you're likely to be limited by other road users anyway. There was a post last year from someone who was married to a midwife and she 'had to get through' - but you can't through if the road's blocked by other stuck drivers.
I do have huge concerns about my RWD Merc in snow, and I did consider Autosocks (think that's what the OP meant) in case of emergency but I've never come across anyone who's used them.
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I change to winter tyres for the winter, and then back to summer tyres in the spring.
For more info on the subject, see this thread:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=36347
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Blimey. It´s August. Has the summer in Blighty been that bad?
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I take your point defender and in the case of snow then winter tyres are better. However, if there is only 1 day of snow in year when they would be useful then what are the odds of the roads being too bad to drive on as a result of other cars getting stuck and blocking the road or you actually being on the road at the time, slim ! For the rest of the winter days of rain, over salted roads etc. the Primacy is a better all round than a winter tyre.
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If the original poster wants winter tyres then he can have winter tyres. All credit to him for doing the right thing. Many of the above threads give all of the relevant safety reasons. Moreover the tyres are specifically designed to function at 7°C and below, so snow is not even really the issue. If you are in the one car that has the winter tyres you may well be the one that does not skid into the pile-up caused by clever so-and-so who thought that their Michelin Primacy tyres were acceptable.
I don't have winter tyres for my two cars so you may call me hypocritical, but they are shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE720 that in the wet and the cold are better than the Michelins. These are not just my feelings (and experience), but also those of various tyres tests in magazines etc.
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RB, you're making the points that I was trying to get over - "winter" doesn't automatically mean "snow", it's cold temperatures and water as well.
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RB, the clever so-and-so wouldn't be on the roads in the first place.
I guess the main thing here is if someone really feels they need winter tyres because they live or drive in the hills and/or mountains etc. then there is certain a place for them. Their overall performance can be compared to those of F1 tyres, great when the weather is within range of their spec, not so good otherwise.
As for which all weather tyre is the best, well each of us will choose a tyre based on the information we have available to us etc. I'd always go for wet braking/control as the first priority and sling anything with less than 4mm of tread.
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Blimey. It´s August. Has the summer in Blighty been that bad?
Worse
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I'm using Vredestein Quatrac 2 tyres on my Passat. These are described as all seasons tyres and give added grip below 7C. At the pace I drive they have been fine and not noticeably noisy or lacking in grip in the wet.. They also do not overheat when heavily laden at French Autoroute speeds. The wear out rate has been around the same as ordinary road tyres, but you do get an extra couple of mm tread to start with!
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I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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I'm off to view a second hand Fabia for the second time in an hour. I've moved to the Italian Alps (down the valley from Mont Blanc) and have yet to spend a winter here.
On the first viewing I asked about snow tyres and was shown the pristine, unused snow-chains in the boot. After 4.5 years and 46000 klms the owner still hadn't had the need to use them, as in the main valley bottom (at around 500m) they keep the roads pretty clear.
As a skier I'll probably be a bit more adventurous and may well need the chains occasionally, but it rather puts the need for snow tyres/chains in perspective for most of us.
I remember the criticism of the DoT for the jams on (I think) the A10 when there was some snow and not enough treatment, but I also recall an experienced driver putting most of the problems down to drivers not adapting their behaviour to the conditions.
Hopefully people over here have more practice, but the idea mentioned of having a session on a skid pan seems like a good one, as I used to live right on the South coast and have no experience of bad conditions.
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