wwp8

i just wanna compile a list

can you guys tell me if your car can drive ok on snow or not and what tyres you got

i start


2001 WRX on snow: TERRIBLE NO or minimal GRIP
TYRES: GOODYEAR EAGLE F1 GSD03

NACRO

Not sure this is the right place but rather than compiling a list why don't we assume that people driving on summer tyres are going to have little grip in snow and people with winter/all season tyres are going to have more grip.

IE if you want to drive on snow you would do better with the proper tyres. It isn't rocket science.

vindaloo

TyreTest.com - Tyre reviews - an independent consumer survey

Have a look here. ^

The rule of thumb is... Normal tyres are pants on snow.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

MY00 Impreza classic, 370ps, 215/40/17 wheels with Nokian WR winter tyres, handles and drives perfectly on snow as demonstrated last night on my way home, and ABS works.

But don't get me started on winter tyres as everyone on here knows my opinion on the subject.

BOB.T

Ooh do tell!

coolangatta

Just had a new set of Bridgestone Blizzack REV01's fitted to my company car.
Pretty much the bog standard winter tyre around here.
I've just suffered a week of early winter snow/ice on 3/4 worn winter tyres and it was exciting/bloody scarey!!!

If I ever drive in a UK winter again, although not essential, I would source some good winter boots for the odd occasion when they come in handy\save my life.

GC8

Nokian.

wagrain

Nokian winter tyres are VERY GOOD

ALso had a set of Pirelli SnowSport tyres that were brilliant in Austria at minus 18 in snow / ice. Got me up the mountain.

Driving on SUMMEr tyres in winter is crazy.

I swap tyres at the end of October until end of March. I pay 20 quid to a local place to swap the tyres over for me. Well worth it for my and my familys safety.

I believe in Austria and I think Germany and probably a few other places you HAVE to have winter tyres on, or your insurance becomes invalid.

scoobysmiff

iTrader: (2)

Not quite accurate, In Germany the police will look at your tyres if you have been involved in an accident in the snow/bad weather - (read that as sub 7 degrees in temp) and if you don't have appropriate tyres for the conditions then you will be seen as partially to blame for the accident regardless of the mitigating factors

weemac2000

I have Nokian NRWs which are very good in snow and perfectly adequate in the dry/wet. I had to replace a puncture with a yokohama winter sport and it seems fine too. I have a spare set of wheels and keep the tyres mounted on the spares and just swap the wheels spring/autumn. (LIDL had a special on a tyre stand for your summer/winter wheels last week!) The thing to remember is that z and y rated tyres are constructed of a compund which will be safe at very high speeds and temperatures, the compromise being that they loose all coefficient of friction at temperatures close to zero. by 'all' i do mean 'all'! I had two separate incidents on my previous car fitted with z-rated dunlops when the car came to a complete halt on a perfectly flat road, wheels spinning uselessly. On the second occasion, while sitting stationary and in neutral, brakes on, the car set off slowly sideways down the camber of the road until it hit the kerb.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Sorry Bob it is a secret!! I could tell you but no one would believe me

Brit_in_Japan

Had Michelin DRICE on my scooby in Japan, could only unstick the thing in snow by doing Scandanavian flicks and burying the throttle in the carpet, amazing grip. Would expect the latest Alpin-2 to be pretty damn good.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

A cheaper alternative to winter tyres (ie slightly more suitable for the UK's 3 days of snow) are tyre chains, though you are restricted in speed.

Tony

WUZ

iTrader: (14)

Tony - I think what the guys are trying to say is that Winter tyres are a sensible option for all weather where the temperature is BELOW 7 Degrees C

I'm also another fervent supporter of the Nokians during the winter months.

Russell

John 37

Last time I looked at winter tyres, they all had low speed ratings. If you fit these, you may invalidate your insurance. Insurance companies can be very touchy about this. Check with them first and (if they agree) get it confirmed as a modification to the vehicle. After all, an accident is much more likely when it's snowy or icy and we all want our insurance to pay up.

John

jp wolf

iTrader: (1)

Typically most UK sold tyre compound don't 'work' straight out of the box below about 10 deg C. So grip in the cold and snow is about tread and compound.

Most of the low speed rated tyres are really snow tyres (often only 105mph) - so if your going to run them for a period in and out of snow you need to look for winter ones.

This is typically what the Germans use (heard the same thing 'bout accidents out there). Pirelli W240 for me all the way (W speed rating). Only just acceptable in the warm and dry (mine are still in the garage at the mo!) but stunning amount of grip in the snow and ice.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Nah, im going for the snow bit
Its law (or was when I was over there in the mid 80's) in germany to have winter tyres fitted to cars (alpine regions?), but ive driven in enough snow (both on chains and off road tyres) to know that winter tyres in london are a waste of time, though up in the scottish highlands it may be more advisable

My point is that 1. tyres have a 5 year life span, ie 5 years of use from manufacture before they start to degrade, so unless your going to get 5 years good use out of them and you only have a couple of days snow, chains are a good alternative.
2. living in the north of the country and seeing now much rain we get, why is it not recommended we use wet weather tyres over summer ones?

Alot of this is down to location, for someone like Wurzel who lives out in germany, winter tyres are perfect, for joe bloggs living in london, winter tyres are not.

Tony

simac

My winter boots - Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi
A great, dedicated snow tyre.
These are from winter last year in Norway.
S

arumdevil

nokians are great. my WRG2s are rated for 149mph and most insurance companies will allow slightly lower speed ratings in the winter (if they don't, they should, and it shouldn't be too difficult to show in court that it's safer to have winter tyres on in the colder months than tyres that will allow you to travel at 160mph+ for 10 minutes. I mean, that's more than twice the legal speed limit in the UK so how can it possibly be an issue for insurance? they're crazy.)