Winter tyres?

[LizziePope]

Will you fit your tow car with winter tyres? Our expert considers the pros and cons – read more.

 

[Hutch]

I have about another 10k miles left on my Hankooks that came as Original fitment to my SantaFe, been to Switzerland twice in Snowy conditions, but had to carry snow chains, as these are summer tyres, but really great, when I do change them I will be going for Hankook Kinergy 4S H740 235/65 R17 108 V XL. An all season tyre, and a Friend in Alaska, also has said they are a great all season tyre. And also a good price . For me at least.

 

[Flipspeed]

Hi this is my first post on here, I have a Merc E350 which I got 4 yrs ago. I have winter tyres and they are still going strong after 3 winter seasons use. I bought them because the first experience of snowed in the merc I attempted to go to work. I reversed off the drive and that was it stuck, it took 20 mins to get it back on the drive so the next day I bought winter tyres. later in the year I bought some more alloys off ebay. I now swop wheels when the temps drop and winter starts proper and back to summer combo around end of march. With the winters on I don't notice ice roads anymore on the commute to and from work. Wet roads are like driving in the dry and snow /packed ice are like driving on a wet road. The difference with winters is you stop and steer let alone go, No traction control cutting in and ABS hardly ever. Hard to relate how good these winters are Oh and they are quiet too, when we switch back to summers its like "is the window open". Given the choice of a Range Rover on summers and my Merc on winters in snow I'd jump in the Merc every time. I had an Audi Quattro before and never needed winters as it always got me where i was going, But it didn't stop or steer and was a hairy drive at times on snow/ice. I run Continental conti-sport 3 summers and conti-winter contact ts830 and they are staggered on the Merc. Google summer v winter tyre test snow dome. they really are that good

 

[Tukums]

No need to change, have Vredestein Quatrac 5 all season tyres on mine.

 

[saint-spoon]

Interesting thread, I will be needing new front tyres on my santé fe before too long and was looking to fit a cross season tyre because I have been told that they offer better traction on wet and muddy fields (which is something that I have experienced regularly).

 

[otherclive]

Interesting thread, I will be needing new front tyres on my santé fe before too long and was looking to fit a cross season tyre because I have been told that they offer better traction on wet and muddy fields (which is something that I have experienced regularly).

I don't believe that fitting All Seasons or Winter tyres on one axle is a good idea even on a 4WD. There are several Youtube videos that show the results! On our Nissan I have Michelin Cross Climates which replaced Kuhmo all seasons, and its been absolutely fine in snow and slush with warm weather driving unaffected. The Cross Climates are based on a summer tyre but with a tread pattern suited to snow and with adjustments to the tread compound. So their absolute winter performance isn't as good as a true winter tyre, but for overall UK driving they are very good, unless you live in the Highlands. Other All seasons such as Goodyear Vectors and Nokian Weatherproof are winter tyres modified for summer conditions, so their snow performance is better than Cross Climates. My son has Nokian Weatherproofs on his Freelander 2 and rates them very highly as he lives in Wales and uses it off road too.
When my Subaru Forester comes up fora tyre change it will be getting all seasons too. The best All Seasons will have the Snowflake and Mountain symbols on them indicating suitability for use in Europe where winter tyres are required.

There are many tyre test reviews (autobild, Autoexpress, TUV etc) of modern all seasons which show their respective performance under field test conditions. But like so much in life they are a compromise and the overall best technical solution is still a combination of summer, plus winter. However Ive been using All Seasons on various cars now for 5 years and feel totally comfortable with their performance and when I consider that until that time I only used "summer" tyres in all conditions I consider my current tyre choice has increased my overall safety level, and the performance of all seasons has also improved much further in that timescale.

 

[travellerone]

Not so much about towing - During a snowy and icy February afternoon I started my descent on a country lane and steep hill in a RR Sport fitted with summer tyres and immediately became a two ton sledge meeting an articulated truck that was attempting to climb the lane. I have since purchased an inexpensive 4wd and have fitted Nokian snow tyres which we use on our daily three mile commute to work. The difference in grip on snow is incredible and I can see why some EU countries make winter tyres a legal requirement. My advice to anyone that lives in a location that suffers from snow is invest in a full set either remove them in the summer or try flea bay for some used wheels.

 

[saint-spoon]

good points well made, I'll change all four at the same time. It isn't prone to snow here on the South coast so I don't think that I need put and out snow tyres.

 

[Flipspeed]

Just like to add that once the temp gets above 10 the winters go soft and the back end of car gets entertaining.
Horses for courses springs to mind

 

[Raywood]

I might be setting myself up for a fall but the amount of snow we have here does not seem to justify the cost unless you are well into the hills.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I might be setting myself up for a fall but the amount of snow we have here does not seem to justify the cost unless you are well into the hills.

That might be a bit like thinking " I infrequently go to the continent, so I don't think I bother using the ferry or train" hmy:

If the conditions warrant it then winter tyres could be a life saver, but in the UK the average winter temperature is about 5C and that falls into the grey area of whether winter tyre are really justified. If the trigger were the temperature alone, then we'd be changing them on a daily basis.

 

[otherclive]

Agree with the Prof. Last winter the south didn't really drop below 7 deg C until well into December. Met Office publish data on their website which shows average, max and min temperatures and across most of southern UK winter tyres aren't really required. In Yorkshire, Cumbria and parts of Scotland they will be useful although well specified All Seasons would probably be as good. Also don't forget the reason UK gets "part used" winter tyres from Europe is that when the tread depth goes to below 4mm the snow performance isn't any use. When I lived in Canada I used all season tyres by Continental called DWS. Dry, wet and snow. They had tread indicators which would let you see when each aspect of performance had gone. So as you came down to 4.5mm the S disappeared. Then as the tyre wore the W would disappear, until only the D remained. I used them throughout the year in Ontario, as you weren't allowed to use chains on tarmac roads, only on the gravel roads into the "boonies".

 

[RayS]

So which tyres do I fit to tow out in winter, through snow in Pyrenees and down into 25C sunshine in Almeria ?

(Answer: stick with the Goodyear Wrangler M+S the Freelander comes with)