[sensible]

Out in my car today, outside temperature reading 15 degrees. Still got winter tyres on and feeling that this is doing my tyres no good at all, probably using twice as much rubber and need to change them. If I do, 'sods law' say we will have snow in March.

[Kermit]

Get some snow socks for your tyres if you're that worried. (why don't more people do this instead of peddling their perceived need for winter tyres in the uk for the huge amounts of snow we get...??)

Meanwhile your stopping distances are getting longer as it warms up

[Hooded]

Originally Posted by sensible

Out in my car today, outside temperature reading 15 degrees. Still got winter tyres on and feeling that this is doing my tyres no good at all, probably using twice as much rubber and need to change them. If I do, 'sods law' say we will have snow in March.

Wait a couple more weeks and see what the long range forecast says early next Month, then change over if it's looking quite Mild.

You're not gunna wear them down too much in the next couple of weeks unless you drive around like the stig

[Tengocity]

Changed back to summers a couple of weeks ago!

[gr4z]

Changed mine on Sunday.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Get some snow socks for your tyres if you're that worried. (why don't more people do this instead of peddling their perceived need for winter tyres in the uk for the huge amounts of snow we get...??)

Meanwhile your stopping distances are getting longer as it warms up

Snow socks are absolutely pointless, unless you want to get get out of your car many times per journey to jack the car up and put them on/take them off every time there's a snowy section of road or clear section of road!

[sensible]

Originally Posted by teaston

Snow socks are absolutely pointless, unless you want to get get out of your car many times per journey to jack the car up and put them on/take them off every time there's a snowy section of road or clear section of road!

Yes I agree, wouldn't even contemplate using them.

[sensible]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Get some snow socks for your tyres if you're that worried. (why don't more people do this instead of peddling their perceived need for winter tyres in the uk for the huge amounts of snow we get...??)

Meanwhile your stopping distances are getting longer as it warms up

It depends on the type of winter. Last year my winter tyres were great and worth every penny. This year they have been mostly unnecessary, and I could have kept my summers on.

On the plus side, my mint 19" M442''s had a good clean and wax before I put them away for the winter, and last week I kerbed a winter wheel but didn't care because they already have a few kerbing marks anyway.

[Kermit]

I thought you winter tyre warriors loved jacking your cars up at every opportunity!

[Cherry2.0]

Keep in mind that winter tires aren't just for snow. When temps get really low, standard all seasons and summer tires become rock hard. Winter tires help with traction in cold temps on dry roads.

[Kermit]

Nonesense. It was 2c the other day and after driving for 5-10 minutes my tyres were up to balmy 18, 19, 21 and 22 degrees respectively (rear offside going clockwise) according to the on board tyre temp sensor, so the ambient temp might well be cold but the tyres still warm up nicely and definitely not rock hard. Winter tyres are undoubtedly just for snow.

[willjames]

Thinking exactly the same thing tonight when I left work. "Hells teeth, it's warm, best get my winters swapped out soon"

I'm gonna wait a couple of weeks to see what temps are like and then swap em back. Knowing my luck, I'll do that and then the beast from the east 2.0 will hit!

[Rbrown]

Got to agree that it has been very mild so far. I couldn’t drive my car when it was snowing - so how do you think I feel having paid for new winter tyres and couldn’t drive for 5 weeks!

Anyway, lets not celebrate a false spring - this time last year the “Beast from the East” hadn’t hit! But fingers crossed it stays this way!

[PJJD]

Had my winter wheels on this year for all of 4 weeks! Swapped back to my regular wheels last weekend. To be honest I find winter tyres absolutely useless in terms of traction in anything other than snow

[Cherry2.0]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Nonesense. It was 2c the other day and after driving for 5-10 minutes my tyres were up to balmy 18, 19, 21 and 22 degrees respectively (rear offside going clockwise) according to the on board tyre temp sensor, so the ambient temp might well be cold but the tyres still warm up nicely and definitely not rock hard. Winter tyres are undoubtedly just for snow.

Don't really care whether you believe it or not. It has been proven over and over again that when temps hover around freezing, you will notice a difference between summer and winter tires. Summer tires can develop cracks and struggle to perform as intended.

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

The days of winter tyres being so soft and wearing out quickly in warm weather are long gone. A few weeks in slightly warmer weather will do them no harm at all.

Kept ours on the SUV through last winter and all through the hot summer last year, drove over 15,000 miles. Measured at an average of 6.8 mm all round at its service in December.

Would never rely on snow socks. Getting them on 20 inch wheels with hardly any clearance in the wheel arch is almost impossible. You'd need to jack it up, don't fancy that in the snow.

[doncarlyon]

I've driven my car on winters for longer than the summers were on... probably 4times the mileage.

Barely noticed the difference moving to the winters as far as dry or warm day performance.

I was certainly glad of them a few times over the last few months.

Ive got the car for 2yrs so potentially would have to replace tyres during this time. Made perfect sense to buy winters and have the best of both worlds.

[sensible]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Winter tyres are undoubtedly just for snow.

Thanks for your input but that's not at all true. Winter tyres are better for grip, braking and cornering in cold weather....less than 7 degrees C, when compared to summer tyres, due to the softer tyre compound and tread pattern.

Winter tyres compounds contain Silica that ensures the tyre remains flexible at low temperatures. This flexibility and tread pattern with lots of sipes maintains grip that is not present in a summer tyre at low temperatures. However if winter tyres are used in typical summer temeratures the tyre compound can become too soft causing excessive wear and the tyre blocks to creep sideways when cornering due to the small blocks that become too soft and are not held together like a summer tyre.

(I was a 'tyre expert' trained by Michelin, able to give opinion evidence in court ,as opposed to just fact.)

There is plenty of data on the net, and plenty of comparison videos that show this.

[Kermit]

Isn't it amazing how many very niche 'experts' there are in forums when there's a debated topic...

I get it of course, people will inevitably try and justify why they bought something, especially if it's need is disputed. We've all seen the comparisons and the tyre manufacturer-sponsored videos of cars driving up ski slopes in Finland (very impressive btw) but entirely pointless in this country. The truth is of course that tyre manufacturers want you to buy their stuff, even if you don't need it, because they make money from: a) you buying it; but crucially b) by taking you off the market for buying someone else's stuff thus removing the competition. And in the tyre business this second point is really important because we maybe buy tyres every two years or so?

Take for example this most recent 'unbiased' comparison by Autoexpress https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/access...r-tyres-tested which is unashamedly sponsored by Black Circles... and Continental Tyres, the two companies that stand to make money from you buying their stuff. Continental lock out the top spot for every flavour of tyre, which means we're not in the market for tyres for the next four years at least.

Interestingly enough that in that very comparison, the winning tyre, in everything except snow, was the summer tyre! Couldn't write it

I return to my earlier point, that winter tyres (otherwise known as snow tyres but rebranded for the UK because we don't have much snow) are *really* only for snow.

[Oceanic]

Winter tyres are better in heavy rain, they don't aquaplane like my summers do

[ashenfie]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Isn't it amazing how many very niche 'experts' there are in forums when there's a debated topic...

I get it of course, people will inevitably try and justify why they bought something, especially if it's need is disputed. We've all seen the comparisons and the tyre manufacturer-sponsored videos of cars driving up ski slopes in Finland (very impressive btw) but entirely pointless in this country. The truth is of course that tyre manufacturers want you to buy their stuff, even if you don't need it, because they make money from: a) you buying it; but crucially b) by taking you off the market for buying someone else's stuff thus removing the competition. And in the tyre business this second point is really important because we maybe buy tyres every two years or so?

Take for example this most recent 'unbiased' comparison by Autoexpress https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/access...r-tyres-tested which is unashamedly sponsored by Black Circles... and Continental Tyres, the two companies that stand to make money from you buying their stuff. Continental lock out the top spot for every flavour of tyre, which means we're not in the market for tyres for the next four years at least.

Interestingly enough that in that very comparison, the winning tyre, in everything except snow, was the summer tyre! Couldn't write it

I return to my earlier point, that winter tyres (otherwise known as snow tyres but rebranded for the UK because we don't have much snow) are *really* only for snow.

I can say that I went to Birmingham in December last year with my winters on in Haavy rain. Every thing fine for me.

Delayed 7 times by people who had hit the central reservation or tucks in one case.


Need I say any more?

[doncarlyon]

There is always a split opinion on any tyre thread.

If you dont have / cant afford / dont want winters... just dont comment.

Nobody is going to convince me that my summer tyres would have been as good as my winter tyres over the past few months.