Time to remove the winter tyres?
 

It is exactly one year ago since I first experienced my 3 Series in the snow. Due to the down right dangerous nature of the car in the snowy conditions I purchased 900 quids worth of winter tyres/alloys. Up to press I'm still none the wiser as to wether they will work in the snow but is that it for the year? Shall I throw the summers back on or can we still expect a cold snap?

Maybe wait till Easter

Took mine off last week.

2 weeks ago for me, colder snap due but will only be hill snow up here, forester will cope anyway

Never try and predict the weather..i would say its to early imo..

Should be ok. Last year was unusual!

Changed mine a few weeks ago when I renewed my front brake pads.

Changed mine back to the Summer's last weekend.

I've got to buy two new summer fronts anyway - I'm waiting till payday!

Took mine off a week after I fitted them. Never again.

I am leaving the winter tyres on the wife's E90, they seem to do quite well in normal temps but will be removing the ones from the scoob ASAP.

OK genuine question, given that this winter has been mild, and V little snow so far, do you think the winter tyres have been worth it ?

Richard

Yes, most definitely - the "winters tyres thread" is always a highlight of the winter

Mine were total sh**e. Turned a very good car into a nightmare. I think they weren't right for the car but I've heard similarish stories.
I'm sure they work in snow but we live in the UK where it might snow or might not; in warmer conditions, the tyres we bought were appallingly sh**.

For me yes they are worth it as its not just snow. They work below 7 degrees temp a lot better than the best summer tyre and also a lot better in the wet which although the temp has been mild its certainly been wet :thumb:
Kev

Mine didn't.

I took mine off about three weeks ago.To be honest,they have been of no benefit at all,as the weather conditions have been too mild.In previous years though,they have been superb.
I've new summer wheels and new rubber on now and it only takes a few minutes to swap them back if need be.

Do you lot live in Sweden or something ? Winter tyres :wonder:

The ones on the BMW were great as we went snowy places in it, the ones on the Scoob were a complete waste of time.

Worked a treat on the mrs car, although agree this year minimum impact as very decent winter (so far lol).

Previous years struggled to get car out of driveway hill but no issues with winter tyres on.

OK some interesting comments, and not the expected - oh yes defiantely. Personally I've never felt the need for them as my Audi is quattro and I dont tend to push it that much now, and if its really bad I would take my shogun.
So general sum up would be if rwd then yes worth it (apart from matteeboy), anything else no ?

Richard

...or depends where you live or frequently visit.

I'm in the scittish highlands throughout winter, so yes, needed (and needed even with the forester).

I saved £400 and my car is still in one piece :thumb:

I have the same Yokohamas you had. I found them downright scary initially but once i'd found the right pressures and had 2k miles on them, they were fine.
In the icey conditions i could feel them biting more than summer tyres would but am disappointed not to have tried them in the snow.

I only bought them because my car quite frankly scared the living sh1te out of me in the snow last year when it did manage to move. All i was looking for was the ability to get from A to B without risking a major heart attack :D

I did about 500 on mine and while they fitted them, a tracking bolt snapped and had to be replaced. Once I put the Summers back on, they noticed the rears had flat spots and needed replacing; I do wonder if maybe the shocks were on their way out; I got a partial refund after a fairly long battle. I definitely won't be sticking any on the M135i but would still consider them on the camper (which is 4WD).

In wet conditions, a decent Summer tyre is every bit as good as a Winter one IMO - Conti Sport Contacts actually came out best in a wet braking test in Evo.

It rarely snows down here though and we have access to a 90 Defender at any time which does help if it did snow.

Totally disagree with everyone saying they're not worth it ... having 4wd is a fine excuse when you can use it and drive around obstables ... braking is where winter tyres come into their own, and that's from personal experience of sliding sideways down a hill with summer tyres on!! Managed to drive out of that one and dive through a gap in the traffic ... if that gap hadn't been there then the car wasn;t stopping! I have had no issues with my Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance what so ever, even with respect to a wear in period, they've been spot on since day 1. Suppose you do actually get what you pay for with tyres ;)

Also, their performence at lower temperatures is far better than summer tyres ... note they are called 'Winter Tyres' not snow tyres! They're optimal operating temperature window is a lot lower than summer tyres even on a dry road! Have a feel of how hard the rubber feels on summer tyres in the morning, bet it's rock solid! Not the best for trying to grip a cold road. Also, i'm not doubting summer tyres wet weather braking performance, mine are spot on in the wet, and they need to be given we get a lot of rain, but my winter tyres are ina different league compared to them over the winter!!

And as for whether to take them off yet, not a chance i'm taking mine off yet, haven't seen a temperature above 5°C on my morning commute and rarely see anything above 12°C on my commute home, well within the optimum operating window of Winter Tyres. Plenty of spirited driving involved on dry roads as well and no sign of the tyres chewing up or showing excessive wear! I'd much rather have tyres on the car that suit when i'm most likely to be driving. The summer tyres can wait until after easter as a minimum when the temperatures start to climb.

Everyone has their own opinion but given the unpredictable winter weather we've seen over the last few years i'd much rather be prepared for when it does hit. Okay we've had a mild winter, we haven't had a chance to go play in a snow filled car park. So that's 2 winters with real cold (and snowy) periods and 1 mild winter my winter tyres have seen ... still plenty of life left in them and i'm sure they'll see another couple of cold ones too!

Well mine were sh1t and they weren't cheap either.

What were they?

My Falkens were cheap and pretty decent!

Funnily enough I've had the opposite experience, the GT86 has been fine on it's normal tyres, or at least no more tail happy than usual :D
But the Mk2 Golf can't even muster enough grip to pull itself off our drive when it gets cold, if I don't put winter tyres it :rolleyes:

Yokohamas at £140 each.