General Which winter tyres are people going for

[RobW]

The "best before" date is just that though. It doesn't require a driver to change the tyres until they are visibly damaged or worn out. I've read articles calling for a "use by" date to be introduced which, in fairness, I think is a good idea as it could be picked up easily at MOT tests. I'd be a bit reluctant to tell police officers that one of their duties is to go looking at the sidewalls of vehicles in order to prosecute motorists who do not have the appropriate season's tyre, rather than go out catching "real crooks" (as people will often say)

people that neglect their cars and do not tax/insure them are often also 'real criminals' involved in drug smuggling and theft

have you not seen 'Road Wars'?

sometimes people haveto be forced to do the right thing by rules and appropriate punishment :devil:

i would rather see an insurance discount for those wise people that fit winter tyres

 

[YouKnowWho]

i would rather see an insurance discount for those wise people that fit winter tyres

Good point, I always prefer a carrot to a stick.

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

Although it's not really enforced in Germany, there's another more serious issue: without the right tyres, you are not insured at an accident.....!!!
No insurance company will pay when you drive summertyres in winter, nor will they pay when driving on wintertyres in sommer.....!!

 

[YouKnowWho]

Although it's not really enforced in Germany, there's another more serious issue: without the right tyres, you are not insured at an accident.....!!!
No insurance company will pay when you drive summertyres in winter, nor will they pay when driving on wintertyres in sommer.....!!

What happens if its 20 degrees Centigrade in the middle of winter and you have an accident? Winter or summer tyres?

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

Well, German traffic law says your tyres have to match weather conditions, so wintertyres (recognizable on the snowflake on the sidewall, M+S is not enough) in winter, summertyres in summer.
Insurance company's will not pay otherwise....!!
Of course there are lot's of insurance companies with different policies, but the above is a general rule....

 

[306maxi]

Well winter tyres are legal in summer as long as they've got the legal amount of tread. It's not likely though and more likely is the situation we have at the moment where snow has been falling for the last 4 hours and although it's probably not even an inch cars are struggling to get up our road and the guy up the road with a brand new Insignia and therefore brand new tyres with plenty of tread has had to park behind our 500 because he can't get into his drive.

Hoping my tyres will be here tomorrow

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

Well winter tyres are legal in summer as long as they've got the legal amount of tread. /QUOTE]

NOT in Germany though.....!!!!
It's just a matter of time, and insurance company's in other ( your) countries will act the same.
After all, driving on wintertyres in summer will lengthen your stopping distance in an emergency stop a lot....!!!
It's just plain dangerous to drive that way, and reason for insurance compagny's not to pay ....!!

 

[YouKnowWho]

Well winter tyres are legal in summer as long as they've got the legal amount of tread. It's not likely though and more likely is the situation we have at the moment where snow has been falling for the last 4 hours and although it's probably not even an inch cars are struggling to get up our road and the guy up the road with a brand new Insignia and therefore brand new tyres with plenty of tread has had to park behind our 500 because he can't get into his drive.

Hoping my tyres will be here tomorrow

Don't forget to let us know how they perform!!! Doesn't like a thaw is coming any time soon

 

[306maxi]

Don't forget to let us know how they perform!!! Doesn't like a thaw is coming any time soon

Will do Looks like it'll be warming up here for the weekend so I don't think I'll bother putting them on till there's a decent spell of cold weather forecast.

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

Better call them bad/wet weather tyres.
They perform better than summertyres in fall, winter and spring until a temperatur of +7 degrees Celcius.....snow or not...!
I change to summertyres somewhere in March each year.( and most winter we don't get snow at all....!)

 

[wreckmaster]

I belive we have pretty much the same rules as in Germany here in Norway From the first weekend of november you are alloved to put winter tyres with "studs" on( non- studded= whenever you want to).
If you get in an accident after the first weekend in november with summer tyres you loose your right to be covered by the insurance company and you will be prosecuted by the police. The insurance company will most likely also hold you resposeble for any damage caused on someone elses car also. When it comes to spring you have to remove your studded tyres in the first weekend after easter( if there is no snow in your area). Non studded wintertyres are alloved all year, but not recomended as someone else wrote it will make your stopping distance much longer. You can get a lower coverage by the insurance company if you get in an accident with winter tyres in the summer. Winter tyres are recomended to be as narrow as possible, but have to be right for your car( I have 16" summer wheels and 15" winter wheels, and the 16" is offcourse wider than the 15").
On the Bravo I have 16" on both winter and summer, but I am thinking of upgrading to 17" in the summer just for the looks:yum:

IMO there is a huge difference in driving in the winter with winter vs summer tyres.

When it comes to autosocks, well they are great if you get a little stuck or are just going up that one steep hill! But you can`t drive permanently with them. And you probably dont have them on when you suddenly have to take that emergency braking or fast manouver because a child jumps into the street in front of you, so they are no substitute to good winter tyres

 

[306maxi]

Winter tyres fitted

Well I've fitted my winter tyres just in time for the big thaw

Here are the Vredestein Snowtrac 3's

Here's what they're replacing (Bridgestone Potenza RE050A's with about 6.5mm tread all round)

Side by side comparison. As you can see there is a vastly different tread design and they're narrower which is better in snow and ice.

Here's the 500 with winters on the rear and summers on the front

Here it is with winters all round

And here is a shot of the tread on the car, note how it leaves quite a definite tread imprint behind.

First impressions are good. Traction is much better on slush and ice and braking is HUUUUUUUGELY improved. You can still get wheelspin if you want but you have to provoke it whereas before you could get wheelspin pulling off from a stop gingerly. You can still feel the ABS working but the difference in braking is almost like night and day. I've not really tried it out in terms of handling but it didn't want to drift wide like it wanted to on the summer tyres just this morning.

-ve's people will think you're driving a Pop

 

[YouKnowWho]

Re: Winter tyres fitted

Your winter wheels look like the wheels I have on my Pop now!!

Where did your get your hub caps? Your wheels and tyres were already prepared when they were delivered or did you have to get them put on

 

[306maxi]

Re: Winter tyres fitted

Your winter wheels look like the wheels I have on my Pop now!!

Where did your get your hub caps? Your wheels and tyres were already prepared when they were delivered or did you have to get them put on

Yeah that was the idea. My dad said just to put them on without wheel covers but I wanted it to look standard. Tyres came this morning in 2 packs of two and I went today and had them fitted to the rims and swapped the wheels over myself.

 

[YouKnowWho]

Re: Winter tyres fitted

Yeah that was the idea. My dad said just to put them on without wheel covers but I wanted it to look standard. Tyres came this morning in 2 packs of two and I went today and had them fitted to the rims and swapped the wheels over myself.

Ah ok.. so the standard caps fit all steel wheels as long as they are the right size. What was the black paint for?

 

[306maxi]

Re: Winter tyres fitted

Ah ok.. so the standard caps fit all steel wheels as long as they are the right size. What was the black paint for?

Well the wheels were wheels from an old Fiat Punto so the wheel covers were always probably going to fit. I suspect wheel covers will fit on all wheels but to be honest I just don't know for sure.

Black paint was to paint the wheels as they were a bit rusty and tatty. Tidied them up with a wire brush attachment on a corded drill and then just painted over the top. Not perfect but you can't really tell unless you really look hard.

 

[dave]

i wouldn't like to run on a tread pattern like them Bridgestone Potenza at any time. i prefer lots of groves taking the water from the middle and out the sides, i don't like them center beads, get little stones stuck in them an the tyre becomes useless in the wet

 

[306maxi]

i wouldn't like to run on a tread pattern like them Bridgestone Potenza at any time. i prefer lots of groves taking the water from the middle and out the sides, i don't like them center beads, get little stones stuck in them an the tyre becomes useless in the wet

Surprisingly they're actually quite good in the wet IMO. Though since it's cooled down they haven't been quite as good.

I am tempted when they're done though, to (if the Snowtrac 3's are good) get some Vredestein Sportac 3's which are probably more your sort of tyre by the sounds of it.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Not winter tyres, but my Yoko AS01's go on tomorrow.

 

[alfatastic]

Surprisingly they're actually quite good in the wet IMO. Though since it's cooled down they haven't been quite as good.

I am tempted when they're done though, to (if the Snowtrac 3's are good) get some Vredestein Sportac 3's which are probably more your sort of tyre by the sounds of it.

Had some Vredestein with that pattern on my Alfa 155 when I sold it, could throw it at a corner and it stuck in the dry and never any wet or snowy problems with, fab tyres, will look at them when my current Dunlop ditchfinders have worn out.