Well after the eye-opening experience of braking on snow with ABS (or not as the case may be), and a closer look at the roads in Tignes, I've decided that NOT getting winter tyres for the ski-season would be false economy.

Trouble is, all 16" winter tyres are H rated & the Scoob's a V-rater.

So I checked with my insurance company (no names for now)

"Providing the manufacturer of your vehicle has recommended the winter tyres and is happy for them to be fitted, this will not affect your insurance.

Please refer to your vehicle handbook or manufacturer for further guidance as to which tyres are suitable.
"

Well thanks very much - a tyre manufacturer might test their tyres with many vehicles - but the car manufacturer testing with every tyre on the market???!!

To me this seems like a cop-out and puts me in the illogical position that, if I slide off a snowy road with OEM tyres I'm covered, but if I survive the Alps on winter tyres then some idiot pulls out in front of me on dry roads, I'm not.

Yes, I know tyre speed ratings cover both speed AND power, and clearly they would be within their rights to walk away if an H-rated tyre blew after a 140mph scoot down the Autobahn..but in the real world this seems nonsensical.

Anyone been here before?

Ta

Airmiles

 

Airmiles
All winter tyres are NOT H rated, there are loads of V rated - check the websites for Continental, Vredestein, Fulda, Michelin etc

 

I've just changed to winter tyres a few weeks back and they are not as highly rated as normal and the garage must by law put a sticker on your speedo advising of the new lower limit, 190KMPH.
If you've winter tyres then essentially its winter so 140MPH runs down the motorway/autobahn should be out of the question anyway. If the tyres are legal and EC approved then I don't see how they can avoid payment on the different type of tyre question. Subaru don't implicitly say you can use other manufacturers e.g. Pirelli, if its legal to use them then essentially the insurance has no case, unless of course your exceeding the tyre manufacturers max speed.

Regards
Cammy

 

DTS, Thanks, hadn't tried Conti before, and I'd just overlooked the Vredestein V rated ones.

Now just need to find a stockist....
fortunately there's a Vredestein dealer nearby

Miles

 

OK, I may have missed something here, so be gentle!

Surely, if you're buying tyres for their ability in snow, top speed is pretty irrelevant??? If it's snowing, H-rated tyres should be more than sufficient, or do you intend to keep them on all year round?

I thought the idea of snow tyres was to use them during the bad weather, then go back to normal tyres again.

 

David
The car has to be fitted with the same spec tyres as OEM i.e. "v" rated even if only doing 10mph on snow. Can't remember where, probably the Construction and Use regulations.

 

Dave T-S,

i don't think that this can be the CaU for OEM tyres that the Police/MOT enforce. What about Q-plate cars?

So long as your speedo reads 0-10% over (and don't mix X-plys and radiators, grooves over 1.6mm etc), s'gotta be OK

If it is the insurance companies self-imposed CaU, then all that i can think of is the Direct Line quote on their (irritating commercial) - "Stupid, just Stupid!".

mb

 

What about Q plates??

It's the spec the manufacturer originally showed for the vehicle. What plate it has on is irrelevant.

It isn't insurance co's self imposed rules. No chance for yet another "all insurance companies are robbing ba5tards" thread here.

[This message has been edited by Dave T-S (edited 09 January 2001).]

 

CAMK - has your insurance company specified winter tyres, coz mine hasn't and I also do not have them recorded on my fahrzeugschein as a neccesity, I have just returned from the Stubai Gacier in Austria and I have the original tyres that where supplied with the car in June still on the wheels, I can not afford a new set of wheels and tyres, can you advise!!!!!!!

Steve.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dave T-S:
<B>What about Q plates??...[/quote]

Dave T-S,

isn't that the point about Qs - there aint not no original manu-man, 'cos you have to decide which bit is the car!

mb

 

....you can try if yer ard enough....

 

Boomer
I think i've lost you here M8 - what was the "Q" question??

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Dave T-S:
<B>No chance for yet another "all insurance companies are robbing ba5tards" thread here.
[/quote]

There's always a chance!!

 

Right - after much digging behind the scenes, here's the answer for everyone's benefit....

An extensive search (web plus Tyres Northampton) confirms there are NO V-rated winter tyres in 205/50 16. Continental and Vredestein do them in 205/55 16, but you're going to run into more problems (legal and handling) with the wrong size than the wrong rating.

Conti & Vredestein DO make v-rated tyres in 17-inch (Vredestein 225/45, Conti 205/50, 225/45, 235/45, 255/40, and even 18-inch 225/40 & 265/35) ...though I don't know the correct scoob size for 17-inch so I can't confirm if they're the right ones.

There are plenty of H-rated 16-inch ones to choose from. (Vredestein, Continental, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Nokian, Michelin, Fulda.....) These are all general winter tyres rather than pure snow or ice tyres (which are all narrow, tall, and made of licquorice) but will still be a vast improvement (silica compounds, wide grooves, and siping).

I checked with the RAC legal advice line, they gave me 2 pieces of advice:

1) That whilst fitting H-rated is technicaly in breach of the policy, you would still be covered providing the breach was not material to the claim (e.g. it was nicked, you drove on the left by mistake, etc.)

[This does still leave the theoretical loophole that e.g. someone could pull out in front of you on the motorway & you can't brake in time, and they could claim it was due to softer tyes (?!) but IMHO they would be unlikely to successfully knock your claim back unless the tyres blew out whilst driving in excess of 130mph.]

2) When dealing with insurers you will usually get a "front-line" person who's only trained to deal with bread-and-butter questions (and cars!) - e.g. Cavaliers. For more technical questions (e.g. fitting Koni's ) you need to ask to speak to someone in the technical or underwriting departments

When I went back to my insurers (Churchill) axplaining I needed a technical answer, they were fine , went away & checked & confirmed I would be covered. Job done.

I might send this to SIDC for the FAQ

 

Wurzel,
The tyres are at the request of the leasing company as its a company car. I must put them on between Dec & Mar each year.

CK